Sun 10/15 Alton Marina 10:00 m 203 to Hoppies Marina, Kimmswick Mo.
18:30 m 158 56mi Mel Price and Chain of Rocks locks 8.5 hrs
Washed clothes in AM .Lost fender(bought for trip) somewhere near chain of rocks lock, Missouri river joined at mile 195,although some would say Missouri is main river. St. Louis had unattractive waterfront, no place to tie up to tour Arch, no marinas in area, St.L boaters keep them at Alton. Hoppies (a string of barges along shore) has been marina since 1938, Fern Hopkins (in her 70's?) dispenses advice, helps tie up boats and runs marina.

Mon Hoppies Marina
Cold, hard rain all day, stayed at Hoppies. Met R. Mitten, owner, builder of "R Lynn". A beautifully crafted 38' cold molded wood Benford Fantail (launch?). He's from Ontonagon, Mi. and sails Lake Superior but agreed Mississippi is intimidating. He was waiting for favorable weather to travel back upriver to boatyard near St. Louis where he could haul boat and replace driveshaft.

Tue 10/17 Hoppies 10:30 to Kaskaskia lock and dam tie-up 3:30 m117
41mi 4.5 hrs (limited by available anchorages)
Walked 2mi. to grocery(got ride back).While on river, became confused by river chart, didn't realize Mississippi flows through Illinois in this area (both banks are Ill.)

Wed 10/18 Kaskaskia 9:45 anchorage Cape Girdeau, Mo. 5:45 m49
69 mi 8hrs delayed departure because of fog
"Morgan's Dream" was anchored here. Launched dinghy (pix at picasaweb.google.com\ccanavino) after invitation for dinner on live-aboards trawler. Discovered I need to learn how to row when I returned against current upstream to boat. Anchorage was in canal designed by F. Delesseps(Suez).

Thurs 10/19 Anchorage 9:50 anchorage 2:30 Cairo m 7
42mi 3.5 hrs cold, rainy again limited by anchorages in range of daylight travel

Fri Anchorage 7:30 Ft. Massiac. 6:05 Ohio mile 942
47mi 10.5hrsm0 End of upper Mississippi Ohio mile 982.
Ohio is wide, with strong current that is against me, only making 4knots. Tied up at State Park dock to shouts of "Ahoy", etc from French and Indian war re-enactors in fort on bluff above. Big reenactment week-end, smoky fires in front of tents, fife and drum music, and conversations with re-enactors made this a great stop. Ft also figured in Lewis and Clark expedition

Sat Ft. Massiac 8:00 Ky Dam St Park Marina 4:30 tenn mile 23
30mi 2dams Kentucky Lock
Locks were bypassed on Ohio and went over wicket dams. flow was so great (swirling whirlpools) that I couldn't advance until I radioed lockmaster to ask where current was least. Glad to leave Ohio and enter Tennessee at Paducah. Pleasant waterfront in old downtown section. Passed oncoming tow, while another overtaking tow passed me(2 3wide tows and sailboat abreast). Lots of towboats tied up in front of Merv Griffith's Riverfront Landing Casino. Tennessee River very easy going, senic. Got 1/2mi from Kentucky Dam and called lockmaster on VHF and he said "keep paddling upstream and I'll fit you in between two tows" I announced arrival 15 min later, since no response, continued into lock chamber which contained large tow. Got nervous about no response and exited chamber. He was busy on another channel, they don't put "pleasure craft"in large turbulent lock with tows. So he locked me through by myself. 600'x110'x57'lift=28 million gallons of the Tennesse river to float my boat. Ky Dam St Park is a showplace, ask Louis about the "Executive Cottages". Marina was holding party for slip holders so after 1st shower since Alton, dinner was free.

Sunday 10/22 Marina.
Much cooler this am than yesterday's balmy weather.Cleaned up boat for Uncle Lou and Ginny's visit. While waiting for their call, phone slipped out of pocket and was lost in 9ft of water. Lou and Ginny treated me to dinner at Patti's in Grand Rivers, then we drove through the land between the lakes to visit Ft. Henry Battlefield. Their vist was a treat.

Monday 10/23
Borrowed truck to get to Paducah and buy replacement cellphone. Couldn't resist buying Colonel Sander's chicken while in Ky. I used Captain Rick Rhodes "Cruising Guide From Lake Michigan to Kentucky Lake" and found it accurate. For the rest of the trip I am using Fred Myers' "Tennessee River Cruise Guide" and his "Tenn-Tom Cruise Guide"

Tuesday 10/24 7:30 Marina to Leatherwood Creek anchorage 5:30 m72.5
48mi 8hrs
Frost on dock this bright morning. Light NW breeze. Have to stay in channel since Lake is down 6ft from normal level and it covers building foundations etc. Good progress through senic area of land between the lakes. Good anchorage, but chilly evening.

Wed 10/25 7:00 anchorage to Perryville marina 6:00 m135
62mi 11hrs
Cloudy, not so cold. Lots of birds, Large vacation homes on East bank, although map doesn't show any roads.

Thursday 10/26 7am marina to Diamond Island anchorage 6pm m196
61mi 11hrs
Intermittent showers, current and SW breeze keep speed about 5knots. Saw bald eagle carrying fish. Odd homebuilt pocket trawler shared anchorage.Took pic of birthday feast.

Fri. 10/27 8:30 anchorage to Pickwick Landing St Park Marina 12:30 m208
12mi Pickwick lock 4hrs
Light rain but warm(60deg) saw Pittsburgh Landing from river. Weather cleared and very pleasant as locked through biggest lock on trip. Pickwick marina similar to Ky Dam marina but operated by state of Tenn. Met retired gent and his daughter in Marina. They were touring area in RV. She is captain of a whale watch boat in Seattle area. Had fish buffet at modern hotel/lodge in park.

Sat 10/28 Marina
Much Colder, but sunny. Cab driver doesn't work on week-ends so hired guide to pick me up at marina and drive 10mi. to Shiloh battlefield for 2 hour tour. Larry DeBerry arrived in Civil War uniform and provided an excellent guided tour (Sunken Road, Peach Orchard, Shiloh Church, Pittsburgh Landing, monuments). His family has lived near Shiloh since before the War Between the States. He's collected numerous artifacts and would like to build museum on his property near park entrance. . Association of the river and battelfield made this a great experience.After tour he dropped me off at grocery store. Good old boy that drove me to marina after shopping said store often delivered to tow crews. This spring a tow damaged a lock upstream on the Tennessee (not on my route) and presently there is a 1000 barge back-up,
Sun 10/29 Marina 7:20CST to Bay Springs anchorage 3pm m412
45mi 8hrs
After traveling 9 mi on the lake at Tennessee m215 I turned southbound into Yelllow Creek ,(beginning of Ten Tom mile 451), while the Tennessee continues East 400mi to Knoxville. At m444 I entered the "divide cut" , a narrow canal section that continued to m420 and Bay Springs Lake. Good anchorage just before Whitten Lock and Dam. The Ten-Tom and Lower Black Warrior-Tombigbee waterway charts are much less informative than Ill,Mississippi, and Tennessee charts- no depths or lat-longitude. Their only benefits are in finding possible anchorages and place names to identify position to tows.

Mon 10/30 anchorage 7am to Wilkins Lock anchorage 5pm m376
36mi 4 locks 10hrs
Not too much barge traffic, lockmasters seem to stage pleasure boats, making early boats wait untill slower boats (me) catch up. The locks on the Ten-tom are very easy to handle, since they all have floating bollards. Anchored in embayment just in front of Wilkins Lock.

Tues 10/31 anchorage 6:30 to Waverley anchorage 4:30 m338
38mi 3 locks 10hrs
Longer waits at locks today. Solved problem of burping when fueling. Tank vent was plugged by wasp or spider nest. Had to run wire from inside aft lazarette through through-hull fitting to clear. Getting acquainted with some boaters since we spend time together waiting to lock through. Wanted to visit Waverly mansion 1/2 mi away but too late.

Wed 11/1 anchorage 6:20 Sumter Landing anchorage 6:30 m271
67mi 2 locks 12hrs
Out early, warm and sunny. Stopped at Bevil visitor center. Big snag boat and reproduction southern mansion with antique furnishings. Pushed too hard and anchored in dark in thunderstorm although there were not any earlier alternate anchorages after m287. Made good time since current was apparently assisting.

Thurs 11/2 anchorage 6:30 Demopolis Marina 2:30 m216
55mi 1 lock 8hrs
Clearing and colder. Entered Heflin lock alone,apparently at shift change. After locking down a long pause before 1 downstream gate opened. Called on radio to see if ok to proceed since no whistle. New lockmaster forgot to open 2nd gate. Glad to get to Demopolis Marina. Tricky maneuveing to get into slip with crowd of boaters/idlers watching, was lucky and got in without incident or difficulty.Showered. Interesting older marina although construction equipment nearby is working on new facility. Some live aboards spend winter here, summer up Tennessee. Some stay here to avoid hurricane season on coast. Talked to several boaters, group of 4 Canadian sailboats had trouble getting over dams on Ohio, 1 faster boat had to tow other 3. 2 Kiwi couples traveling in 28' power boat would help me out later in Bayou Canot. Talked to crewmember of Michigan dredge that was headed to New Orleans after job on Tennessee.Steak dinner at marina restaurant

Friday 11/3 Demopolis Marina
Borrowed car for groceries and hardware. washed clothes. Mediocre catfish dinner at marina restaurant.Interesting town settled by French emigres.

Sat 11/4 Demopolis 7am to Bashi Creek anchorage 5pm m145
71mi 1 lock 10hrs
Made good time. Circle cruisers from N. Carolina on " Miss Liberty" and I were invited to dinner on Canadian couples power boat "Triumph" . Good convesation about cruising etc..

Sun 11/5 anchorage 7am to Bobby's fish camp dock 11am m119
26mi 1 lock
Warm and sunny. Fuel dock was full, so rafted onto Triumph. was persuaded to stay overnite. Bobbys deservedly famous for catfish dinners. Met other circle boaters.enjoyed slow pace.

Mon 11/6 Bobby's 8am to anchorage 6:30 m66
53mi 1 lock
Started early to get in position for last lock at Coffeeville but we had to wait for upriver tow.Barely on river when classic symptoms of clogged fuel filter appeared. This was first engine problem since loss of alternater when moving boat from Charlevoix. Since dam was 3mi ahead I limped into lock and rafted onto Triumph, since lock was full of pleasure boats. Skipper was diesel mechanic so he guided me through my first fuel filter change.Filter and bowl were coated with brown slime (bacteria?) Continued to tow me for about a mile untill I had bled fuel lines and could start engine. Boat ran great for an hour then began loping (revs varied up and down). Eventually figured I had to bleed lines again. Continued to bleed while engine running, although this part of river had few straight stretches and I couldn't leave on autopilot for more than 20 seconds at a time.Was trying to reach anchorage at mile 64 but was getting dark when thunderstorm reduced visibility to a few yards forward, Difficult to hold spotlight and binoculars in downpour to see mile markers to navigate by dead reconing. Decided too dangerous to continue, so anchored in river out of channel. Spent uneasy night although I never saw or heard barge traffic. It took a combination of long wait at lock, engine trouble, and thunderstorm to get caught in this situation otherwise I would have made anchorage.

Tue 11/7 anchorage6:20 to Big Bayou Canot anchorage 3pm m17
49mi
Early start, clear andwarm, but every 3 hours or so would have to bleed fuel line. May be because bleeder screw was stripped in the excitement of previous day.Was (unrealistically) planning to make long haul through Mobile and 15mi on Bay to Dog River. Was chatting with "Happy Clam" a circle cruiser about his plans for anchorage at Big Bayou Canot and realized I was too optimistic. Passed I65 bridge, known as Dolly Parton Bridge. Bayou Canot is narrow, picturesque river. Hard to believe a couple of years ago an upstream tow missed turn on river and went 5mi up bayou untill he crashed into railroad bridge. Six or seven boats were anchored in the river. I set 2 bow and 1 stern anchor since flow of river could be opposed by tide. Went with couple from Triumph in their dinghy upriver where we saw very large, very dead alligator caught on branches in the river.

Wed 11/8 anchorage 9am to Dog River Marina
Fine day. Planned earlier start, but when I tried to raise best anchor (chrome plated bruce style) it was snagged at 60 ft mark, although river is 17ft deep.I tried to swing boat around but was hamperd by narrow river and current. Kiwi tried to help by towing boat with his dinghy, but no luck. I changed into swim trunks and decided to follow line down to snag. Forgot how ears hurt if you don't clear them as you descend. Spent about 3 seconds on bottom but could feel line caught under huge log on bottom. As I was standing on deck recovering from the dive and puzzling over whether the $400 anchor was worh an ear infection or alligator bite, a fisherman came by in a skiff. He realized my predicament and asked if he could help. By slacking about 100 ft of line he swung a large 180 arc low to the water, after about 2 minutes he handed line back to me and prepared to leave. As I hauled on line and passed the 60 foot mark, I realized he had releaed line from snag. As I traveled through Mobile, I was impressed by all the port activity and the large freighters and container ships. After a month of traveling on the rivers, the openness of Mobile Bay was refreshing. Passed big freighters in the relativley narrow buoyed channel .When departing the main channel, to head for Dog River, "Pointless" a boat I met on the Illinois called me on the VHF as they headed for Fairhope on the East side of the Bay. Arrived at Dog River Marina where I learned Triumphs first mate had also been diving today, after falling off the dock while tying up the boat.

Thurs.11/9
fine day. moved 500yds from Dog river marina to Turner Marine Supply where I will stay and have boat hauled. Went with triumph and miss liberty couples in marina car for breakfast, wall-mart and west marine Met lots of live aboards, cruisers headed for fla and the bahamas. Dock party for one of the circle cruisers and marina owner sent gallons of shrimp.

Fri 11/10
cleaned up boat, arranged for pick-up by hertz to get rental car tomorrow. enjoyed sitting in cockpit watching sunset and mullet jumping

Sat 11/11
Hertz driver picked me up and got car at local office. returned to boat and loaded car with clothes, food tools books and junk . While I took a crate of books to read on the trip, the only one I finished was Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" Went to great "boiling pot" fast food shrimp place for lunch and left for Chicago at 2pm

Sun 11/12 Arrived Chicago.
After a month of 6 knot days and 1200 miles on the rivers, 900 miles in car was trivial.While I'm glad to get back to dear wife, Joyce, and family, I'm looking forward to returning to boat and heading to Fla. in early Feb.