The day dawned bright and we were underway by 0650. This was our first day on the Mighty Mississippi and although it was pleasant enough it was uneventful. Countless combinations of Barges and Tows can sometimes become boring to me. I think Terri has sensed this by now and has taken over all VHF radio transmission with the Tow Captains. I don’t mind one bit and obviously from the sound of the Captains voices they also approve. You see these Tow Captains toil on a 30 day rotation basis and I think they are so bored that they have made up their own language that regular folk can’t understand. But Terri is far from ordinary and seems to enjoy the banter.
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| SUNRISE OVER ALTON IL. |
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| LOCKING THROUGH |
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| FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE ARCH IN ST. LOUIS MO. |
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| ONE OF TERRI'S TOW BOAT CAPTAIN FRIENDS |
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| OF COURSE THE ARCH |
Hoppie's was to be today’s destination and this is apparently a real institution on this river, a real piece of Americana. Charles and Fern Hopkins have been here for years dispensing advice and operating their marina. On this stretch of the river there are very few places to stop for the night or re-supply even. At some point they purchased three old barges and lashed them together and started Hoppie’s. They sell fuel and ice and offer free water. But most of all what they do is to portray the characters that they have become. This couple, while they are both in their eighties and chain smoke are still very active. Fern the better half of this duo met us at the dock to help us get tied up and to teach us a little about docking on the Mississippi and its 3 knot current. She has been doing this for a very long time and rumour has it that if you don’t listen to her instructions or you toss her the wrong line (in her mind) she will just throw the line back to you and set you adrift. But we were fore warned and Fern and the crew of Terrmar got off to a great start. She also offers a loosely arranged talk for all of the arriving boats of that day. The next few days on the river will be a bit of a challenge and with her local knowledge it should make life easier and the information should be up to date.
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| FERN MAKING SURE SPIRIT DANCER IS TIED UP CORRECTLY |
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| TERRMAR AT HOPPIE'S |
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| STATELY OLD HOME |
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| FERN HOLDING COURT |
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| THAT'S TERRI TOP LEFT |
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| WE DON'T THROW ANYTHING OUT HERE???? |
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| I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY |
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| CIGARETTE BURNS ON THE CARPET BESIDE THE FUEL PUMP |
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| MORE CIGARETTE BURNS |
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| ????????? |
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| WORKING THE RAILS |
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| RIVER BED DRYING UP |
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| MILE HIGH PIE |
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| AND I SWORE OFF DESSERT |
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| I THINK THIS IS THE SAME MODEL AS BOB DONALD'S OLD TRACTOR |
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| HMM! |
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| KEMBA AND TERRI JUST HANGING OUT |
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| STEEL RAIL |
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| BOB THAT'S GOT TO HURT |
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| I TOOK THIS PICTURE THROUGH A CRACK IN THE FENCE. TERRI WAS SPOOKED |
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| PROJECT BOAT? |
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| HOPPIE AND BUDDIES WORKING IN THE SHOP |
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| HEAVY DUTY CLEAT |
But first Bob, Kemba, Ter and I head into the village of Kimmswick to partake in another local legend, which is The Blue Owl Café and their mile high pie. But when we did arrive after a short walk, we were informed that it would be a 90 minute wait. No thanks, but the option was the sweet shop next door which had room for us right now. This fact plus the food all came from The Blue Owl Café anyway was a no brainer for all of us. The food was great and soon it was time to return to the boat for Fern’s 1630 session. We did return and Ferns symposium turned out to be informative and entertaining to all that attended. The rest of the evening was spent cooking supper and checking out the charts for the following day. Don’t know why but Terri and I are both tired and in bed early. Tomorrow would be a long day.
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