Then the lockmaster wanted us to “float” through the lock. That would normally be OK, but the winds were gusting to 25 and “floating” became “rock & rolling” and a real challenge to keep the boat from crashing into the lock walls. Two of the boats were able to tie to the lock wall, but two of us (including Monk’s Vineyard) rode it out. It was a very entertaining experience, one that Linda did not enjoy.
Along the way today, we spotted a couple of bald eagles and hundreds (maybe thousands) of white pelicans. There were also a few owls, and other sorts of hawks along with the ubiquitous herons and sea gulls.
We checked out our first potential anchorage – McKee Creek, and that didn’t look too promising the way the wind was blowing. Shortly after passing this area we reached the westernmost part of our trip (didn’t take the exact coordinates though). We pressed on to the recommended Railroad Bridge at mile marker 61.6. We had a current of about 1 knot downstream and the wind was blowing 25 upstream, so anchoring was a bit of a challenge. The current finally won out and we settled in for the night.
We had come about 45 miles today and passed through one lock. We only had 3 barges to deal with today, so that was a good thing.
Gerry cooked some sausages on the grill while Linda made fried potatoes, peppers, and onions. Tasted pretty darned good after a long day.
No “Happy Hour” with the rest of the fleet today. We are all anchored over a mile long section of river front and well spread out.
Gerry put the mast up, so we will have the anchor light up high tonight and get the radar running again. Our buddy boat with the Automatic Identification System (AIS) that is able to see the tugs and big boats (along with their name, course heading, and speed) will be leaving us on Tuesday to go back to Colorado for a few days, so we will feel more comfortable having the radar back in action. We ordered an AIS online this morning and hope to pick it up next week when we get to Green Turtle Bay in Kentucky. It will come in handy for the rest of the Loop – we were pretty spoiled having it available for the run down the Illinois River.
It will be an early night to bed and short run of about 34 miles tomorrow. Then, it will on to the Mississippi and a new set of challenges.
It was a misty morning in the anchorage. Here is Second Star and Christina Diane
The fog cleared quickly and we were soon ..... rollin' down the river
This is Beardston. You can tie up at the barge, but we hadn't been traveling long so we pressed forward
A bit of industry along the way
More pelicans ....they were standing in the very low water and seemed to stretch for miles
This is the very large barge we had to wait for at the lock
The LeGrange wicket dam
Floating in the lock .... well, not really floating. Gerry got quite a workout trying to keep the boat going forwarding and in the center so we didn't bang into the lock wall.
This is where we anchored. Right next to the railroad bridge. It will not rate very high on our list of all-time favorite anchorages.
Another view of the anchorage
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