# 9

Post #9

We left you on our last post in Grafton, Illinois at the convergence of the Illinois & the Mississippi; Mile zero. We spent one night in Grafton where we had a work day; we washed the boat inside & out as this was the first place where we had water & shore power. We left Grafton the following morning as we made our way south on the Mississippi the landscape has changed from flat shoreline to rocky bluffs with levy’s built along the shores. We finished our day in Alton, Illinois where we topped off with fuel & we needed to do some provisioning so we stayed three nights. We found a GREAT little Cajun Piano bar that was so good we ate there twice. Hit the local antique stores, toured the lock & museum & rode our tandem back to Grafton. Because this is the last area where we can gather supplies before heading into the “dry” counties up river; we ordered enough happy hour supplies to get us by.

From Alton we headed down river passing through St. Louis where we had a wonderful view of the Arch. There is no place to anchor or moor so we took a few pictures and continued on. Our planned stop for the day was Hoppies (Town of Kimmswick) a group of barges strapped together by a private family. They do a wonderful job of safely getting you in as you are on the shores of the main river with anywhere from a 3 to 5 mph current. Tows are passing by 24/7 and will roll you if not tied up properly. Fern the owner gives “round tables discussions” each evening @ 5 sharp on the dock. She is “local” knowledge! Because the next 270 mile stretch on the river has nowhere else to tie up; she offers safe anchorages, places where you can call to have fuel drops if need be very valuable to the boating community.

We spent two nights at Hoppies rented a car and drove to St. Louis so we could tour the Arch and do some sight seeing. Each night during our stay @ Hoppies the dock was full; everyone was having a wonderful time and everyone helps with whatever is needed. We shoved off @ Hoppies dock at 6:45 am heading southbound to little River diversion a small creek where we would skinny up into and drop the hook for the night. I am typing this from that anchorage, hoping to be able to upload it. We traveled 8.5 hours on the river today & one other boat is anchored with us for the night.

Rolo has enjoyed running the banks of the river and has hauled in his share of Mississippi Mud. I am still trying to catch my Mississippi catfish & Ed is just enjoying every part of the trip.

Let’s see we have had a request to add a little information regarding the river and its commerce so let’s start with the Tow’s and the Barges they push………….Barges always travel in groups called Tows; which are pushed from the rear. Tows can move huge amounts of cargo at a low cost. Barges are lashed together with steel cables.

On the Upper Mississippi River tows usually consist of 15 barges. On the Lower Mississippi River there could be up to 45 Barges tied together. These barges run 24/7/365 with the only exceptions being Fog or Flood.

What do Barges Move? Anything from….Coal: 4,068,623 Tons, Steel: 767,432 Tons, Soybeans: 169,499 Tons, Corn: 156,791….

Well to carry 787,500 Bushels you would need:

1---15 Barge Tow…..or 6 locomotives with 216 Train cars…..or 1050 Semi-Trucks

How many miles can each vehicle carry One ton of cargo on one gallon of fuel?

Semi-Truck…..155  Train….413…..Barge…..576

How many tons of Carbon Dioxide does each type of vehicle create while shipping one ton of cargo one million miles?

Barge…..19.3  Train…..26.6…..Semi…..716

There are three types of Barges:

Hopper Barge: Length…..195’ Long 35’ Wide…..Hold 1500 Tons…..Thats enough grain to make over 2 million loaves of bread. It carries: loose or bulk products such as: Grain, Sugar, Salt, coffee, gravel, coal, steel, lumber.

Deck Barges: Length Between 50-300’…..20-100’Wide….

100-10,000 Tons….They haul machine manufactured goods, construction equipment, air craft, Oil Rig, Shipping Crates.

Tank Barge…..295’ Long, 50 Wide….Holds 2500 Tons, 1 Million Gallons (your daily O.J. for 44,000 years!)

Carries: Liquids like, Petroleum, Chemicals, Cooking Oil, Orange Juice, Gasoline….ect….

The River System is really quite amazing A great deal of the water shed system must pass through this area on its way to the Gulf Waters. Something I know I never really thought about; here is another fun fact…..

In about one month, the moon phases from new to full, then back to new. A bird builds her nest. Fruit ripens on a tree. Travelling along at 3.5 mph, a rain drop that falls in the Mississippi Rivers Minnesota headwaters takes THREE MONTHS to reach the Gulf of Mexico, a total of 2,348 MILES!

During our travels on the Mississippi here are a few of the things we’ve noticed: With the heavy current behind us we have picked up over 3 mph! With so much current pushing us & eddies swirling in the deeper spots it make you feel like your tipsy the entire time your underway. The boat tracks quite well in these conditions due to her full keel and large rudder; however after a day of river travel having to keep a sharp eye for day markers, tow traffic & their powerful wake (today we had 20) , logs & countless debris, by the time we get in and situated our eyeballs feel like they’re gonna pop out.

Some of the other river lingo that is different than that of lake or ocean travel is; instead of east or west bank they use RDB short for Right Descending Bank & LDB Left Descending Bank. When your talking right or left regarding the boat it self that is still Port (left) & Starboard (right). Now if your talking to a tow boat captain he does not use port or starboard he uses one whistle & two whistle….One whistle being his port, two his starboard.

Because there is so much to watch for & river traffic has been heavy we have decided to switch places at the helm every 10 miles or so. River travel also has many other hazards like wing dams, wickets, lock & Dams.

 Pictures will follow later......I'm whooped