Miss gg & the Big Muddy

We left at 7a this morning on our 9 hour trip down the Mississippi River.  Here we are heading into the first lock just past our marina at Alton, IL

On our way we passed this cute little tug boat pushing 4 barges.

The Lock master asked the tug if he would mind locking down with us and he said it would be okay...so instead of going to the left lock chamber where the pleasure boats usually lock we were directed to the large barge chamber. This was the first time we had locked with the Big Boys.

Huge lock gates were swinging open.

As we came out we saw a large concrete cell like we tied to when we were waiting at another lock... the D-ring!

Here the Missouri River on right is flowing into the Mississippi River.

And this causes these large swirls or eddies in the river.

THEN as you look ahead you see the MS River widening on the right side... and it looks exactly where you ought to go because on the left there is only a small channel.

However, that would be a horrible mistake... of course we had our briefing at Alton by our wonderful harbor hosts so we knew that the wide river looks good but it is only TWO feet deep!  And then there is the sign IF you go far enough before making the starboard (right) turn mistake....

The Wide part of the river here is called appropriately, “the Chain of Rocks”!  We then entered the Chain of Rocks Canal on port or left side... it's purpose of course is to go around the Chain of Rocks part of the MS river.

Then we came to the Chain of Rocks Lock.

and heading into the huge barge lock.

You don't really tie fast to this floating Bollard as it could get stuck and then the boat would keep going down with the water and the deck cleat could rip off.  So you need to watch the line constantly.

I kept waiting for them to close the back gates in the lock but only a small portion of a gate rose straight up from the water at the upstream end of the lock.   It didn't need to go up far since the lock lowers us down as we have been doing ever since leaving Chicago. 

Not long after we came out of this lock we passed the St. Louis Arch on the river.

 

Here a log was floating by Miss gg. This could really wreck your props not to mention perhaps tearing a hole in the boat. Once today while I was piloting & Walter was not on the bridge I took Miss gg out of auto-pilot to go around another big piece of wood.

We had lots of barge traffic today but no big barges coming around blind turns in the river.

Most of the traffic was coming toward us but here we are passing a barge.

And here is the biggest tow we have seen yet!  33 barges being pushed by one tug!

It was 91 degrees today and we were so hot on the bridge and even the sun deck was hot but we made it from mile 203 to mile 117 (meaning we have just 117 more miles until we are off the upper MS River and onto the Ohio River).  This will take at least a day and a half.  At this mile marker today we turned off a short distance up the Kaskaskia river to the dam & lock by same name.

Here is where we are spending the night.. I took the bow line and lassoed the dock cleat and Walter jumped off the boat and grabbed the stern line, tied it and added a spring line.  So we are securely tied to a floating concrete dock anchored by giant triangular pillars.  It is a free lock wall dock and we are running our generator... lovin' the AC!