Mississippi, Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee rivers

After leaving Grafton Harbor marina we went past St. Louis and could see the Arch from a distance.

We stayed at Hoppies Marina for one night. Boaters received a briefing on the river and what to expect downstream.

The water level was high and the current fast from the recent storms. We saw a lot of logs and debris to include a hot water tank that floated on by, as seen in the photo.

No locks today. We anchored out on the Little Diversion Canal on the Mississippi river.

The next day was a long one. It was a cool day. The barges really bounce the boat until you are well past the area. We left the mighty Mississippi and entered the Ohio River. As we approached the Ohio we could see the change in water color from muddy brown to a normal blue (See the strip of blue in the photo).

On the Ohio we are traveling upstream. Today we traveled 110 statute miles (20 on the Ohio River). We anchored out on the Ohio by Olmsted lock. The next morning we awoke to find our boats covered with Mayflies.

We had 70 miles to cover and 3 locks on our way to Green Turtle Bay marina at Grand Rivers, KY. We left the Ohio and got on the Cumberland River. The last lock we had to wait for 2 hours, so we it was nighttime by the time we arrived at the marina.

Green Turtle Bay is aptly named as you can see by my photo.

Grand Rivers, KY is known as the Village between the Lakes. Lake Barkley is on the east and Kentucky Lake is on the west. We stayed at Green Turtle Bay marina for several days and then headed south along the Kentucky Lake and the Tennessee River. 

The first night we anchored on the Kentucky Lake at Dry Fork Creek and we're now in Tennessee.  The next 2 nights we anchored out as well, at Birdsong Creek and Swallow Bluff Island. Tomorrow I am heading to Aqua Yacht marina on Pickwick Lake. This lake is where the boundaries of 3 states meet (MS, TN and AL).

Going with the flow

We ended up staying at the Heritage Harbor Marina in Ottawa for several days, as storms were passing through. When I was going into the marina slip I heard a banging sound and thought I might have hit something, though the dock hand advised it was just the asian carp hitting the boat's hull. In Ottawa, the temperature at night dipped in the 40s.

I went by a park and stopped to read the Commemorative plaque. It was the site were 10,000 people gathered to listen to Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debate during their 1858 campaign for the US Senate seat from Illinois.

Fountain in Washington Square

I was joined by a praying mantis at the laundromat while I caught up on my laundry.

Water levels were high from the rains. It was too cold to pilot the boat from the fly bridge. We left Ottawa and arrived at the Illinois Valley Yacht Club (IVEY Club) in Peoria Heights. We stayed here for several days, indirectly from the weather. The weather had finally cleared for us but Loopers were getting backed up due to the flood closure of the Mississippi river. The marinas were full so we could not proceed ahead until some movement started further downstream and boaters could enter the Mississippi.

After 4 days we had an opening and left but had fog, then rain for a good portion of the 41 nautical miles (NM) to Tall Timbers Marina in Havana, IL. We stayed one night as we wanted to keep on moving.

Above is Elaine's photo of our 3 boats at Tall Timbers marina.

We left the next morning and traveled 53 NM. There’s alot of debris in the river. We anchored out by Big Blue Island away from the main river.

The following day we continued on the Illinois River to Grafton Harbor Marina, IL. This is at the point where the Illinois River flows into the Mississippi. We stayed 2 nights before heading out this morning to Hoppies Marina on the Mississippi at Kimmswick, MO.

Windy City

We stayed in Grand Haven for 2 days. On the 2nd day it was rainy and cold and the place was deserted. I had the worst night in the boat at Grand Haven, the boat rocked and bounced around all night long. 

We went on to South Haven, MI for a night and the next day we traveled across to The Hammond Marina in Hammond, IN, also crossing into the Central Time zone. The crossing took over 10 hours. 

The marina is situated alongside a rail yard and near the Indiana/Illinois state line, a heavily industrialized area.The docks were long and the marina is part of the Horseshoe Casino. 

Horseshoe Casino

We had to wait out several storms - we had high winds and thunderstorms that passed through and so we stayed at Hammond for several days.

Chicago skyline from marina

The day we left we headed a very short distance to the Calumet River (Illinois) and took it to the O’Brien Lock and then entered Calumet-Saganashkee, better known as the Cal-Sag Channel. The 16 mile channel brought us to the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a second lock and then we got on the Des Plaines River to Joilet. We saw barge after barge. 

We passed through the electric barrier set up to prevent the invasive asian carp from entering Lake Michigan.

The 2nd lock was over 45 feet. 

   Our group plus other looper boats stayed on the Joilet city wall that night. 

We had a 2 hour wait to get into the first lock this morning due to barge traffic. Commercial traffic has priority. Today we’re heading 45 miles to Heritage Harbor Marina in Ottawa, IL.

Russ & Elaine (blue boat)and John waiting in today's first lock