After handling some business this morning, we made the short run from Grafton to Alton, Illinois. Alton is 15 miles down the Mississippi River. It was a short 2 hours from the time we started the engines in Grafton to the time we tied up in a covered slip at the Alton Marina. This was our first trip on the mighty Mississippi. The current was running about 2 MPH. This is noticeably different than the ½ MPH current along most of the Illinois River.
Several guide books and BLOGS on the great loop route list the 1300 mile trip from Chicago through Illinois and down to Mobile as their least favorite portion of the 6,000 mile Great Loop trip. This point of view must stem from the fact that, after Peoria, there are few marinas and very limited shopping when you do get to a town where you can tie up. Marinas and shopping aside, the scenery continues to amaze us. There are a bunch of pictures that need to be reviewed and posted. We plan to spend the full day in Alton tomorrow. Picture posting with comments is a top priority for the day.
We found two very nice anchorages that had been recommended by the Cruising Guide for overnight stays on the first two nights out of Peoria. After Monday’s lesson on where not go ashore with the dog, the second anchorage included a shore plan for Kona. There was a public boat ramp, directly across the river from Tuesday’s anchorage at McEver’s Island. This was a good place to get the dog and me safely off of the dinghy and on to shore. The quarter mile dinghy ride across the river in the evening and again in the morning was quite pleasant. Kona appreciated the ride as well as the grass and exercise.
The scenery along the Illinois River is mostly unspoiled and natural. The charts that we used for the Illinois Waterway were published in April, 1974. It is surprising how little changed along the way in 36 years. I would definitely use these charts again. Especially since the paper charts are back-up to the cruising guide as well as all of the electronic navigation tools we have on the boat, in the computer and on the phone.
From Quiver Island we had a smooth 40 mile run to the next lock at Versailles, Illinois. The charts show it as a 10 foot drop, but on Tuesday, the drop was only about 7 feet. In contrast to Monday’s wait at the Peoria lock, we were able to pull right in. We were the only boat locking down, or up when we arrived. The lock master closed the gates as soon as we entered. He let us float in the middle of lock during the 5 minutes it took to lower the water rather than having us tie up to the wall. We were in, locked down, and back underway in less than 10 minutes!
Tuesday night’s anchorage, McEver’s Island is a long narrow pimple in the river. There is a wing dam between the upriver end of the island and land. At the downriver end of the island, where we anchored, there is deep but narrow channel with plenty of water. We faced the bow upriver and set a second anchor at the port breast cleat to prevent the stern from swinging into the shallow water at the nearby shore. It was an extremely calm night. The boat barely moved, even when the couple of tows passed in the middle of the night.
Wednesday we took the 48 mile ride to Grafton Illinois. This is last stop on the Illinois River. There were no locks and aside from a lot of turbulence as the Missouri River flows into the Illinois, about 3 miles from Grafton, it was a peaceful trip. We stayed at Grafton Harbor Marina. Accommodations were good and the hospitality was outstanding. When I asked for a recommended groomer for Kona, one of the owners made an appointment for Kona on Thursday at 10:30AM. She also went ahead and reserved the courtesy vehicle at 10:00AM so we could get to the appointment. Now that’s hospitality!
There are a ton of pictures that I need to go through and post. We plan to spend the full day here tomorrow, with a picture posting being a top priority for the day.
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