Beautiful weekend! Fierce water Monday!

Saturday and Sunday were by far the most beautiful days of the trip thus far.  It was also the time for many "firsts".  We travelled 44.5 miles on Saturday and passed through two locks.  There was no wait either time nor any barges to deal with coming in or out.  It was exciting in Lock # 17 as it was the first time we just floated inside the lock rather than hold on to the ropes.

Saturday also gave us our first airplane buzz.  This plane came down upon us twice and although we thought it was going to land it didn't.  It was truly a hoot to have any airplane pilot wave to us.  Perhaps our rig attracted his attention.  This could be because it was the first day we sat on top of the boat and drove from there.

Rick and Roger S. rigged this driving system up long ago but the water had really never been nice enough to ride on top.  The weather was so great on Saturday and Sunday that we spent most of our time above.  The only issue was when we met a barge in a very narrow part of the channel and had to hang back for awhile.  We both felt more comfortable back in the cabin.

We spent the night pulled up in the mud near a little campground in Keithsburg, IL.  We met some wonderful people and talked to a few men who have done this trip.  In fact, it always seem to be the men who have done this trip, no women.  Of course, at least Rick's dream wasn't to do this trip in a canoe!  The guy below started in Minnesota and we have travelled along at close to the same pace for the past few days. He plans to make it to New Orleans rather than taking a left on the Ohio to go towards the Tennessee River.



We made it to Burlington, Iowa on Sunday at a very nice time of day.  This is the town where Rick and I bought our first house.  Rick was very excited to get the motorcycle off the boat and scope out the town.  Ahh, memories!  Ahh, the problems begin! 

 That wonderful motorcycle, the one people have offered to buy for all the way down the river, cut out on him while he somewhere.  He has tried a number of repairs but none have seemed to work.  His day really started badly on Monday when thought the cycle would work and took it to get a few things from the store. He forgot his wallet and had to push the motorcycle back to the boat!!!!

Luckily, we had friends from Keokuk coming to ride with us for a day and that eased the motorcycle pains a bit.

I must explain that our friends from Keokuk love boating but Gene is slightly uncomfortable with the motion of the water, barges, etc.  We had called Saturday to arrange this lovely day assuring them the weather and water had just been wonderful the past few days and it would be a perfect ride from Burlington to Montrose.  The first 1 1/2 hours were great!  Deb and I sat on the front of the boat, took in some sun, laughed and caught up on events from the past few weeks.  Rick was turning over the driving to Gene and they were also laughing and having a good time.

Rick mentioned we might want to move indoors as the waves were beginning to pick up and we might get wet.  We didn't argue but thought it was a little silly.  Within a few minutes, we realized that the day was going to change course.  We just didn't want the boat to change course.

Tomorrow - more on Monday's adventure with pictures.  We are currently off the boat and slept on land for the first time in two weeks.  I rocked all night long (sea legs) and still am a little woozy this morning.  We plan to borrow a car and return to IL to do a little laundry and get a "grandkid fix".  We will return to the adventure later in the week.  I do not plan to abandon ship. 

Taken from above Sunday afternoon.  Approaching the bridge at Burlington, Iowa.  We could see for miles and miles.



First Houseboat Guests!

We began our day in LeClaire at one of the local attractions - American Archeology.  As you can see, Rick is enjoying himself.  It was fun seeing all the items we have seen pictured on the American Pickers.  They were telling us that it takes 12 hours of filming to get 20 minutes of the show.  Not everything is funny!

We put in a little time at the shops and waited for the new distillery to open.  This is a small one started by two brothers not very long ago.  They had a very nice tour, one room, and it was followed by a tasting room.  The company is Mississippi River Distilling Company and it is made by using all local products.





We have travelled only 25.5 miles in the past two days.  We spent Thursday night at the Isle of Capri Marina just below the Casino.  It was very inexpensive and we had water, electricity, showers, bathrooms, etc.  It is amazing how we look forward to REAL SHOWERS.  The kind we don't have to worry about how much water we are using.
While in Moline we took in the John Deere Pavilion and saw a huge dinner cruise boat.  Rick asked if I'd like to go on one of the excursions and I politely declined the offer!

Our goal Friday was to find Ducky's Lagoon on the Andalusia Slough without getting hung up on a wingdam.  We could see on the Nav charts that there was one but it appeared that boats travelled the area.  Our depth at one point was only 2 1/2 feet but after that it was smooth sailing.  We were on our way to meet with one of my former students, Eric and his two children, Lexie and Ryan.

Though many people have mentioned meeting us along the way, these 3 were our first houseboat guests.  This was also the first boat ride for Lexie and Ryan.  They loved checking out everything on the boat and we did give them a short ride in the slough.  Needless to say this event made us a little more homesick for Tyler and Travis, but when we returned from eating at Ducky's we had a phone message from the grandkids.  It must have been one of those mental telepathy moments.


We are currently travelling in the slough and it is just beautiful.  The water is very smooth, the sun is shining and it is just one of those "it doesn't get much better than this" moments. We don't have much on our agenda for the weekend.  The weather should be nice so there should be plenty of boaters on the water.  We have a few locks to pass through and are heading towards Burlington, IA. 
Have a great weekend everyone.

Le Claire - Home of American Pickers

We have travelled 77.2 miles since I last wrote.  They have been long days and have offered a few new river experiences.  We'll begin back in Bellevue, Iowa.  We had hoped for a nice day on the river when Rick decided that the board supporting our small engine was warped and we could perhaps lose the motor into the water.  Now that was not a pleasant thought!  We did find a small marina in Savanna, Il that allowed us to tie up for most of the afternoon and Rick worked on the boat.  The marina was near a hardware store which was a great help.
Rick was the motor doctor and I was his assistant.  I must tell you that times like these can be very trying on relationships.  Rick doesn't always use his "principal language" when he is upset and faced with this type of challenge.  Luckily, he has the skills to fix most anything and did so on this day.  I later took and walk and went to the local Dollar Store to stock up on needed supplies.

We spent the night at this little Island City.  Needless to say, there was not much to do but it did have a Municipal Courtesy Dock where we could tie up for free.  We did realize from conversations with the locals, that we would need to have the railroad bridge opened for us the following morning as we would not have enough clearance.  This, in addition to meeting many barges, would be firsts for us.

We are getting more comfortable with barge traffic.  Most of the time the river channel is plenty wide and there is no difficulty when one approaches.  We have not ever had one come from behind and we do not travel fast enough to ever pass one.  They do not rock the boat nearly as much as some of the pleasure cruise boats.

While on the river, we did meet the Twilight.  This boat travels between Le Claire and Dubuque.  People get off at night and spend it in a motel in that city.  A group of elderly people are leaving this morning, Rick said.  I am sure that means "older than us."

Yesterday was a long day on the river.  The railroad bridge opened for us at 7:45 in the morning and we arrived at the Le Claire Courtesy Dock at 4:30 in the afternoon.  That time does include a 1 1/2 hour wait to get through Lock and Dam 13 as well as a little stop at the Port Byron Courtesy Dock.  We found nothing on the computer to see in Port Byron, nor did we when we stopped!

Things open here around 10 o'clock.  We have a few places to visit on our list and will then decide what is next.  Rick wants to see the John Deere Pavillion in Moline so that will probably be tomorrow. Take care all.

Labor Day on the Water

We decided to celebrate Labor Day by ordering out.  Have you ever seen such a thing as drive thru boat pick up?  It was a delicious burger and fries from the Ice Harbor Galley in Dubuque.  It is not a fast food place but it does have this specialty.  The docks are not done in this area so we couldn't get off the boat and look around.  It appears to have a great Aquarium and museum which have been improved since we were last here.

We travelled 22.6 miles yesterday averaging about 5.5 mph.  We passed this area which I am sure many of you would recognize as the ski slopes at Galena. I really hadn't thought about it being this close to the water. 
There was also a beautiful sandy beach below that had many people out for a day of Labor Day boating.

We look a little lonely at the Bellevue Courtesy Dock.  This spot was just below Dam #12 and provided us free lodging for the night.  Of course, no electricity or water means that we must search for something to do and someplace to go.  The town is very lovely.  We met a young lady who's mother lives in Keokuk, IA and works for the school district.  She used to be a librarian in an elementary school and now works in the district office, I think. 

We also got some special entertainment.  Take a look at this hot air balloon.  It looked as though it was having some trouble as it got so low and close to the dam.

We thought of the Fireman's Benefit for John Seeman and were wondering who bid/got the balloon ride.  Interestingly, neither of us think it sounds like fun.  Of course, many would never do a boat trip down the Mississippi!

Rick went to sleep fairly early last night and woke up to this beautiful site.  Currently it is 11:30 a.m. and we are once again working our way down the river.  Hopefully it will continue to be a great day for all of you and for us!

Pirates Over 40

The last few days have been slightly challenging.  The heavy rains refused to let up and we spent a great deal of time in turbulent waters waiting on a barge to lock through!  We are currently in Dubuque, Iowa. 
This means we have only covered 33 miles in the past few days.
We truly enjoyed our time our time in Guttenberg.  We visited the local farmer's market and walked around to see the sites.  Rick always enjoys seeing some of the local establishments and the cute names they have. 

After waiting almost a full day of rain, we headed to the town of North Buena Vista.  People had told us that it was a "fun" place to visit and they were to have a special church fundraiser on Sunday that we should not miss.

The town of NBV has a population of about 160.  I think the campground area below makes it total over 1000!

We were met by J.D. and many other campers.  J.D. owns the campground and currently the gas dock.  He gave us a golf cart tour of the entire area and even treated us to some homemade wine that he has purchased over the years at the church silent auction.
The night on the boat was very rocky and little sleep was had by either of us but we were ready to check out the picnic on Sunday morning.

We were in line for the food by about 11:00 in the morning. They were hoping to serve about 2000 meals.  We decided that the stuffing served was about the best we have ever had.  The silent auction goes until 5:00 and we figured we needed to get going so did not stay the day.  Mistake!









We hurried towards Dubuque and the river seemed to get very wide and when the wind picked up, it was also very rough.  When we contacted Lock #11 they told us to hurry to lock through before a double barge.  We cannot hurry in this boat!!!  We spent almost 3 hours fighting the wind and the waves waiting to get through the locks.  We were accompanied by many other boaters but that really didn't help.  At one point the life jackets even appeared and Rick put one on to do something outside the boat.  This was the second time I thought about abandoning the trip.  I am sure there will be more!

After getting through the locks we were amazed at how calm the waters seemed.  It simply amazes us how the river can change so quickly.  We spotted Dubuque/Yardarm Marina and discovered they had an open slip.  It just so happens they were having "Pirates Night" and wonderful music provided by a group called Pirates Over Forty!  Most of you can guess that most songs played were by J.B.

We finally got a great nights sleep.  It got into the forties last night, but this morning the sun is shining and it looks like the rain has passed.  We plan to check out the Ice House District of Moline as there are docks where we can stay.

Dubuque is the home of Clarke where our nephew, Chase Gregory, goes to school.  It is beautiful in this area but I imagine he is running alot more hills in this area than he could ever find in Central Illinois!

Best wishes to all until next post.

Stormy night in Guttenberg, Iowa

Went through our third lock yesterday.  It was our biggest drop yet, but we are getting the hang of it.  We are lucky that we haven't had to wait on a barge yet.  The average wait, they tell us, is about 2 hours.

Yesterday we travelled about 20 miles in the rain.  It was sunny part of the time and very humid.  I'm sure it is nothing like the weather you have experienced further south.

We have beautiful scenery to entertain us.  I am posting some of it today.  We love looking at the bluffs, caves and beautiful homes.  Of course, there are the typical river homes that would be more our style.

We have yet to get into the water.  We are so used to lake boating and swimming that this is a major change for us.  Most people are fishing and really think it is unusual that we are not.  If we were, we could probably catch our dinner each day.

Last night we took a walk in Guttenberg and stopped at a local pub.  We met so many nice people.  Two of our new friends are Pat and Jack.  Jack is retired and Pat is a second grade teacher.  Pat happened to grow up in Ft. Madison, Iowa.  This is the town in Iowa where Rick and I first lived.

Last night was not very pleasant.  The nice rain turned into a terrible storm.  Lightning, thunder, and a rocking boat do not make for a very pleasant sleep.  Luckily we were tied up at a marina.  If either of us had motion sickness or a fear of storms, this could have been a trip stopper.

You can see our boat at the 165 marina in Guttenberg.  Rick got an ez up to put on the roof to give us shade.  The only problem is that the wind likes to whip it around and we are afraid of losing it.  He is working on some type of reinforcement this morning.  Yes, as always, he has a project or two to keep him busy.

Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend!

Rolling Down the River

So we have been on the river for three nights. We have been on the boat for Five nights. Our adventure began with Keith and Jill delivering us to La Crosse and leaving us on Monday morning with thoughts of us being on the water soon. NO SUCH LUCK ! The boat was put in the water soon after the kids left but would not run. OKAY, SO WE NEEDED A NEW WATER PUMP FOR THE LOWER UNIT.

One night more in the water waiting to take off and I was getting a little worried. Next morning they fixed everything and we took off.

We are travelling about 5 miles per hour and getting about 7 miles per gallon of gas. We have been through two locks and have yet to meet a barge. We have gone 66 total miles down river but travelled more as we backtracked to get to a certain town.

We have met great people. We docked the first night along side the lock and dam #8 and the following night on the bank in the town of Harper's Ferry, IA. Had a wonderful deluxe pizza that even had kraut on it.

We are in McGregor tonight and enjoyed chicken at the local hangout.

The view of the bluffs are unbelievable.  We sit on top of the boat and down below to enjoy the ride.  Rick lets me drive quite a bit as he gets very antsy and has to be doing something.  Me, I can read or just enjoy.

Our cell reception isn't great.  Call, text or email anytime.  I just don't know when we can get it.  Enjoy your weekend.  Our stop for tomorrow will be just after Lock #10.  Gutenberg, IA

By the way, for those of you used to the river, does this boat look familiar?  We used to watch it lock through in Keokuk, we think.

Thank you for getting us started.  Love to all our family and friends.