Meet me in St Louis -- Or somewhere near by

October 8, 9 10, 2011

October 8, 2011

This is our sixth trip up or down the river and we have never stayed at the Grafton Marina.  It has been recommended to us, so this is the year that we give it a try.  We arrive around 2:30 on the 8^th and it is bedlam!  The gas dock, where we need to check in, needs a full time traffic cop to direct boats in and out.  Unfortunately, he’s not giving tickets for stupidity and driving too fast in a congested area.  This is a big week-end in Grafton.  The motorcycle crowd is in town, there’s some kind of festival and everyone with a boat is on the water (87 degrees and sunny).  Unlike Timberlake Marina, this marina exceeds the guide book hype.  Once we get to our slip, we are away from most of the activity.  Gail and I decide to walk to the ship’s store while the guys do a few tasks.  Across the street there is a very loud band playing at a restaurant.  Gail casually asks how late I think they will be playing.  Well, I can now report --- until 2:30 AM.  After we pay for the slip and the guys catch up with us we walk the full length of town (probably 1 ½ miles each way).  We stop periodically to check out stores, but only buy a few apples.  By the time we get back, it is time for dinner.  While Gail and I whip up a really good chicken dish with garlic, capers and tomatoes, Brian and John are in the cockpit talking to several other guys that came by to ask about the boat.   

Shiver me timbers, Matey!
Part of the Grafton extravaganza.

Lock wall coming up with the
Alton bridge in the background

'Downtown" Kimmswick

On Sunday the 9th we travel through St Louis.  This is the biggest port we have been through so there's lots to see.  The banks are lined with barges waiting to be filled, dry docks repairing barges and tows, and all types of docks unloading the barges.  Until you spend a little time on the river, it's easy to think that everything is transported by trains and trucks in America. 
Of course, one of our favorites sites on this leg is the Arch in downtown St Louis.  I managed to get a shot without the cheesy casino and all of the other carnival sideshows that surround it on the riverbank.  Our destination for the night is Hoppies Marina adjacent to Kimmswick.  Kimmswick is a small village of homes that were built in the early 1800s.  Many of them have been turned into shops and restaurants.  We spend an hour exploring the town.  Everything closes at 5:00 Sunday and doesn't open again until Tuesday.  Just as well, I managed to find some very cute Christmas gifts for JAC (2) and Addison (3).  This marina is a favorite of ours -- not because it is luxurious (several barges lashed together) , but because of Fern.  Fern is a legend on this part of the river.  Probably in her 70's, she knows the river better than any towboat captain.  She tells boaters where it is safe to anchor, where the river is too shallow to enter, where there are under water hazards and when it is safe to travel during high water times.  Brian has called her daily on other trips to get updates and check on conditions.  She has never given us bad advise.  John, Gail, Brian and I pile into the loaner car for a farewell dinner in town.  This is not a car that you want to travel more than a few miles in.  We have used it on other trips and named it the 'Death Mobile'. One of the small idiosyncrasies is the turn indicator that turns on the emergency flasher and the lights in the wheel well in the backseat.  They all flash, but they don't indicate a turn.  The breaks need to be pumped about five times before you stand on them to stop.  In spite of dark roads, hills and sharp turns, the van takes us to town for a dinner of fried foods: fish, chips, onion rings and dill pickles and delivers us back to the marina.  Yummy......   This is the end of the trip for John and Gail.  Tomorrow morning they will drive back to the Twin Cities.       

No, the trip hasn't been that hard on me.
This is Brian giving a squeeze to his other blond, Fern!

Like I said -- Not luxurious, but a favorite with most boaters

October 10

John & Gail getting into the "Hey Taxi" taxi

John and Gail ordered a taxi that took them to the airport to get a one way rental.  They were on their way at 9 AM.  We enjoyed their visit and they were a great help.  John did all of the 1^st mate duties except sleep with the Captain!  Now I have to get busy.  Gail was great at keeping the boat picked up, making meals, commiserating about how much we hate computers and laughing at my stupid jokes.  I’m sure they will be back on board again for another ride.

As we were walking back to the boat, we stopped to talk to Dean, a young man that is canoeing from Itasca (the headwaters of the Mississippi River) to New Orleans.  He started his trip August 16^th and it appears that he will only make it to Memphis, TN.  He has to get back to work as a massage therapist.  We decided that he could probably use a hot meal so we invited him on board for eggs, toast, apple strudel and coffee.  This gave us a chance to quiz him about his journey.  We thought he was experienced at canoeing, but NO!  He learned to paddle on his trip and as he told us – “He’s really good now”.

Before we got to Hoppies, we had decided to spend an extra day there. It’s a good place to do some clean up and relax. Jennifer called and said she would be back in St Louis around noon and could come for a visit. Great!!! We had time for a long visit, pizza at Imos , another grocery run and play a couple quick games of Chicken Foot. As we walked her to her car, who do we run into but Dean….. He said he met some really nice people that offered him a bed. He and his canoe may be riding to Memphis on a Chris Craft now. I think he was ready for some R & R. I kidded him about smoking and being tipsy and he ‘begged’ me not to tell his Mom. My lips are sealed.

Gotta Smile -- We're lovin the ride!