Clinton Marina to Port of Dubuque, Iowa (aka The Ice Harbor)

The difference between 2021 and 2018 is measurable on the river, especially when looking at the Candlestick Lighthouse, at the Clinton Marina. 

See what drought conditions can do:

SATURDAY travel...more on this below.  Hazy sky and flat light -- difficult for Dan to see in this light condition.  Our 1st lock and dam #13 was the complete opposite of our struggle of the day before.  SMOOTH-- PERFECT!!  

Traveled by thousands of pelicans gathered on shore, in the water and gliding in groups above the water.  

Pelicans have a wing span of 9 feet.  It is amazing to see them gliding over the water.  They rarely flap their wings.  We see the all-white pelicans in large flocks heading south.  We saw them as we traveled on the upper Mississippi and then in Florida.  We watch them diving and catching fish.  Beautiful birds!!

Lots and lots of lily pads!

More sightings of dredge working during these drought times...

Fountains of sand!

Piles of sand deposited on the shore.

The lodging quarters for the dredge workers.

Lock and dam #12 at Bellevue, Iowa, was a repeat of the challenging locking of yesterday minus the move to starboard-- we were not happy.  Another challenge we were forgetting:  Weekend Water Warriors were on the water in Full Force (!!), waking us nonstop with every pass. 

Hurray for Dan's steady hand.

Boats enjoying the exposed sand shore during the drought.

Due to the drought, there were long exposed sandy beaches and boaters snuggled up to the shore.  Personal watercraft zooming and some maneuvering like a rodeo rider with 3 aboard.  WILD!!  THE MOST SCARY MOMENT FOR US WAS AS WE NEARED DUBUQUE:  A pontoon boat loaded with people was on our port, another fast boat had just passed on our starboard, THEN, A 36-foot (approx.) boat came FLYING BETWEEN THE PONTOON AND US!!!  ALL ABOARD WERE LAUGHING and WAVING AT US -- SCARY!!  Dan said, “Didn't we learn, in Florida, not to travel on weekends?”  So...Sunday and Monday -- sitting out travel and restoring us -- the humans and the dog.

Dan and Tori sitting out on the dock next to the tug in the Ice Harbor.

Davenport to Clinton, Iowa

Laurie & John Liljequist drove to the new Bridge to wave us off — SWEET.

New bridge being built in Davenport.

One of the paddle boat excursions for river tours on the Mississippi River.  The paddle is mostly for show, we believe.

What we learned on the Loop was to travel on the water when the waves were 1-2 feet and winds 10-15 mph.  I have been challenged to apply this guide to the river.  The winds were calm as we started out but grew through the day to at least one foot and on our stern so we were surfing. Our 1st lock of the day was #14 Le Claire (the town of the TV SHOW American Pickers, if you are interested).  This locking for us was one of the WORST EVER!!  IT WAS THE WIND!!  OUR PORT SIDE WAS BEING PUSHED AWAY FROM THE LOCK WALL!!  ESPECIALLY THE STERN (NO STERN THRUSTER).  The lines the lock master had tossed to us were impossible to hold and pull ourselves to the wall.  LOTS OF VOLUME OF FEAR AND CONCERN — THIS WAS NOT WORKING!  FINALLY the lockmaster suggested we move to the starboard wall, where the wall gave us shelter from the blow.  PHEW.  

Traveling to Clinton went well with the wind on our stern.  

New house on pilings, taking advantage of river views.

The triangle shape and trail behind it, is the Gammel Dansk.  The screen is also showing the collision avoidance of what we were passing at that moment (see next photo).  We have our AIS alarm set for one mile to give us time to get out of the way of oncoming traffic.  Deep water — 15ft.  The colors are set on NIGHT with 100% brightness.

Oncoming barge.

We arrived at the Clinton Marina — which in 2018 was in FLOOD conditions but in 2021 DROUGHT and SHALLOW water.  We arrived at the fuel dock with a bit of a hard landing with the current and wind combo.  (Fuel in Davenport was noted $4.75 for non yacht members.  Here in Clinton it was $3.59 a gallon.  We filled.)

In 2018 the water was up to the door at the lighthouse!

Finding a slip also was a challenge — we were not assigned any specific one and again the wind and current were not our friend.  In the slip, Dan took Tori ashore.  I set about hooking up our electric and doing my settling-in tasks.  We were in an outer, "deeper water" slip but found the closest electric outlet post to have only 50 amp. power... Our boat uses 30 amp.  I tried our power adapter without success.  I called up to the marina office for help to move our boat to reach a working outlet.  Two young men and a neighbor boat owner offered to help, so 4 of us held lines and — against the wind and current — moved our small boat to the other side of the slip.  Another PHEW.  Electric connected, settled in, showers and laundry next.  Time to unwind a bit.  We both wanted another hotel for the night — “full" was the reply.  There was Cordova raceway having a race and multiple reunions we were told.  No room at the inn.   

Clinton Marina at sunset.  Moonlight restaurant on upper floor.

The evening was relaxing and pleasant as we met up with Ralph and Ann, Gold Loopers we met in 2018 in Sabula, Iowa, when Ralph asked, “Can I help catch your lines?” as we entered our slip at the marina.  We became fast friends from that moment forward, as stories were shared. 

They were delivering our replacement Gold Burgee to us!!  Greg & Doreen Youngberg — parents of Greg — were also joining us for dinner.  Lots of pleasant conversation and delicious food made for a sweet ending of the stressor of the day.  When we returned to the boat, Dan put up our Gold Burgee right away!!

Anniversary Day!

Laurie and John Liljequist picked us up in the a.m. and even brought us a few needed supplies — eggs and milk, plus girl scout cookies!!  YUM!!  THANKS JOHN and LAURIE!! 

Boat tasks — clean up our tiny space which clutters easily...we prepared our planned travel for the next morning.  

In the evening, we went to dinner with a cousin we met in 2018 in our last visit if Davenport.  Robert Danielson's Grandmother was a sister to our Grandmother (Rosalie Wilhelmina Freeman Lewis, AKA Mary Lewis).  A good time was had by all.  ’Til next time.  We didn't take any photos —bummer.  (In 2018, we did find my (Mary's) Great Grandparents’ Graves in Rock Island.  That was a special find!)  

We married on 8/5/80.  This photo was 2012 at our recommitment ceremony at Barbara and Bill Young's.  The dog pictured with us is Oriel, Dan's 1st Seeing Eye Dog.

Muscatine Harbor to Lindsay Yacht Club in Davenport, Iowa

Departed Muscatine Municipal Harbor at 7am.  It was 60 degrees by morning.  Dan felt we were pushing some mud as we exited.  Later I checked our glass and filter in the engine compartment — no mud visible. 

Note the light blue and lines down their center—these are wing dams to help the angle of the water flow.  THESE ARE TO BE AVOIDED.  See the water depth—8.9 feet below us.  Shallow water conditions.

One of the few sailboats seen — again it is too shallow to sail on this river, especially this year.

Buoys and concrete blocks ready to place or replace others.

Passing barge ... see below to get a sense of how big it was!

Nearing Davenport

Goal of this day was Lindsay Yacht Club in Davenport, Iowa.  We passed through Lock and dam 16 and 15/15A.  (I am not noting all our L&D’s.)  We arrived at Lindsay shortly after Lock 15/15A — the current was pushing and so it was a bit of a challenging entrance.  Once behind the jetty, water was calm.  The marina worker directed us to our slip. 

Greg & Doreen Youngberg had a couple of friends, Laurie & John Liljequist, who offered to help us in any way they could.  We were feeling desperate to sleep in an air conditioned space and a regular bed.  So...Dan made a hotel reservation in town.  Laurie and John picked us up and delivered us to the Radisson.  We did find food nearby and returned to our hotel room and soon to sleep.  Twelve hours later we woke.  This was medicine — SLEEP. 

THANK-YOU GREG, DOREEN, LAURIE AND JOHN FOR HELPING THE HUMANS AND THE DOG

Burlington, Iowa to Muscatine

We departed Burlington, Iowa city dock at 5:35am, heading to Muscatine Municipal Harbor Marina.  Shortly after we left the dock we were in THICK FOG!!  We put on our radar on our Chartplotter, and trusted our AIS to alert us of other boats on the river to avoid collisions. We could NOT SEE more than feet ahead of the bow.  I (Mary) took the wheel and followed my Chartplotter for guidance, plus my phone app of Navionics to guide us safely through the fog.  At 6:30am we were near the #18 lock and dam but were told a barge was in the lock and we would have to wait.  It felt like a Sherlock Holmes movie with the thick, spooky fog.  As the barge exited towards us — silent monster barges slowly passed our port, barely visible — then the pusher tug came glinting as it caught sunrise light.  By 8am we had exited the lock.

Chartplottter view vs....

...What it looks like compared to the Chartplotter guidance.

  

Loading a barge... so much manufacturing and methods of delivery on the river system!

Excel Marine, tug company — like their logo!!

We made it to Muscatine, Iowa.  The Municipal Harbor Marina.  We called ahead and were told there was 3-1/2 to 4 feet of water.  Our boat draft is 3-1/2 feet.  We made it in and stirred the mud... probably pushed some mud but the boat was still afloat above the ground.

Keokuk Yacht Club to Burlington, Iowa

We departed Keokuk Yacht Club after a 3 day stay. 
 Keokuk Yacht Club, as we departed.

Our goal was Burlington, Iowa.  We had thought we could stay at the Bluff Harbor Marina but were told, ”You will be pushing mud to get into the marina”  due to the drought conditions on the Mississippi River.  We were given permission to tie up to a public dock near a bridge.  “No water, electricity or bathroom" but we had a dock and ability to take Tori off the boat and PLENTY of water below our keel.  

Burlington public dock near boat ramp.

We were sad to see a restaurant that we ate at in 2018 as we began the Great Loop — Big Muddy's — had "permanently closed”.

Hannibal, Missouri to Keokuk, Iowa

We departed Hannibal at 6am to head towards Keokuk, Iowa.

Sunrise on the Mississippi River as we departed Hannibal.

  

We had three Lock and Dams to get through, which is always an unknown for time to lock through if a barge is within the lock or will enter before us.  All went smoothly with the 1st two — #21 and #20.  

When we got to #19 at Keokuk, a barge got ahead of us so our wait "would be an hour to 1-1/2 hours,” we were told.  So...we found a boat club near the lock that said we could come ashore to let Tori relieve herself.  While we were tied up waiting for the L&D, another boat tied up next to us and commented on our WASHINGTON state flag, our dinghy that says BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, AND our familiar style boat — Nordic Tug.  I took Tori up the metal staircase and Dan began a conversation with the other boat occupants.  They had moved to Keokuk from Issaquah, Washington. They LOVE being back in her home town.  We felt very connected with our history of the Seattle area and understanding too why we moved to the Midwest...
pricing out of the real estate market.  

We got word that we could soon enter the lock so we departed the South Side Boat Club and new friends.  Floating bollards in this lock.  We watched in horror a woman also in the lock, attempting to lasso the bollard.  I was sure she would fall in — scary. 

New friends, Washingtonian transplants to Iowa.

Finding the Keokuk Yacht Club, we settled in...for 3 nights.

Two Rivers Marina (Rockport, Illinois) to Hannibal, Missouri

We departed TWO RIVERS MARINA and made it only as far as Hannibal, Missouri.  The temperature was going to 98 degrees plus and with the high humidity it felt like 106 degrees.  We found the Hannibal Municipal Harbor and tied our boat to the end of the docks.  We could see we were stirring mud below us as we came to the dock.  NEXT — FIND A RESTAURANT, HOTEL and stay COOL.  BEST WESTERN had all we needed.  That evening there was a thunder storm with winds up to 60mph.  We were happy and safe in the hotel.  Tori would have been frantic with the thunder.  

Heavy sections to place in the openings of the levy, to block the flooding.

Levy wall and entrance to the Hannibal harbor.

The next morning we returned to the boat for a 6am departure and found, sadly, that our GOLD LOOPER FLAG AND POLE WERE GONE!!  BUMMER!!  We ordered another and will soon have a Gold burgee flying again.

Pause in Progression up the Mississippi River: Two Rivers Marina

To catch up on our progress up the Mississippi River, against the current...

On July 27 and 28, we stayed at Two Rivers Marina in Rockport, Illinois.  We were under a covered boat slip.  We had hoped to visit the STORY WALK, a sculpture park in Louisiana, Missouri, but the temperature was 95+ with high humidity.  The water temperature was 88 degrees.  When we last visited in 2018, as we began the Great Loop, it was October and cool… not this time.  In 2018, the marina was flooded and a challenge to get on and off the docks.  This visit was a drought condition.  And Two Rivers Marina has NEW MANAGEMENT AND A SWIMMING POOL!!  

On the morning of July 28, as we walked to the office, one of the workers was holding an extended arm and a tight grip on an upside down snapping turtle that had been removed from the pool.  YIKES!! 

We were welcomed to an every-evening gathering under a shelter overlooking the boats in the marina — Two Rivers Marina Boat Club members: "JOIN US"!

Grafton Harbor to St. Charles, Missouri (John's Boat Harbor)

We departed from Grafton Harbor to begin our travel north on the Mississippi River, against the current.  We went a short distance to St. Charles, MO to John's Boat Harbor to get our impeller replaced.  

Entrance into the private John's Boat Harbor.The Gammel Dansk on end of dock near the boat ramp.  We were told that in 2019 the water was flooded beyond where this picture was taken.
It flooded their offices behind where I stood.View from our boat to the Mississippi River - barges and pusher tug
heading south.

We stayed one night and then departed for TWO RIVERS MARINA in Rockport, Illinois.  As we entered Lock and dam #25 — the lockmaster on the wall above us said, “YOU HAVE BEEN GONE A LONG TIME!!”  I said, " Yes, we started in 2018.”  HE REMEMBERED US from 2018!!  He said, "I wasn't working here at this lock then, but I met you in Louisiana,  Missouri and talked with you."  He then said softly, “He's blind, right?”  I confirmed.  DEFINITELY REMEMBERED US.  We shared our boat card with him — of us in front of the Statue of Liberty and a print of my SPARROW painting.  A SWEET MOMENT for him to recall the Gammel Dansk and crew.

Floating Bollards

This is a floating bollard that allows boaters and the tugs to wrap a line around the bollard.  

The bollard floats up and down so boats can tend their lines on the bollard.  This type of bollard eliminates hanging on to a cable secured at the top of the lock chamber.  As the water level descends you must tend your line — Never NEVER tie the line to your boat because, if you are inattentive and fail to tend the line, your boat with line tied to the boat cleat may hang on the lock wall with no water below.  The lock workers are always checking to see if your line is free and not tied to the cleat of your boat.  The floating bollards eliminate the hassle of tending lines.  Just float with the bollard by throwing one line around the stem of the bollard and wait for a ride up or a ride down. 

Construction Tug and Lincoln in Beardstown, IL

Gammel Dansk ties on to a Logsdon Tug Services construction barge
in Beardstown, Illinois.  

Dangers everywhere.  This sign was posted right next to the Gammel Dansk.

This is the land of Lincoln.  A young Abe Lincoln made his reputation as a young and upcoming lawyer.  He was the defense attorney in what is referred to as “The Almanac Trial.”  Google that.  We went to the courthouse where the trial was held.  The courthouse was built in 1844.  We also visited and stood in the town square park where Abe Lincoln and Stephen Douglas held a public debate.  Many old brick buildings in the town still survive from that era.  We had no amenities at the barge.  However, the people were incredible in helping us.  One of the unexpected positive experiences on the Loop.

Grafton, Illinois: Completing the Loop!

Captains Mary and Dan upgrade to a Gold Looper burgee after successfully completing 6200 miles on the rivers lakes and waterways of America!

The crew of the Gammel Dansk: Mary and Dan and Tori the Seeing Eye Dog in Grafton, Illinois. 

We crossed our wake on July 21, 2021.  We are now privileged members of the group to call ourselves GOLD LOOPERS!!!

The 1982 #50 Nordic Tug Gammel Dansk and Mary, Dan and Tori the Seeing Eye Dog traveled these 6200+ miles together to become Gold Loopers.

Grafton, Illinois, fireworks as we celebrated crossing our wake.  Mary celebrated by praying thankfully that our Loop was completed and we are close to home.  Dan celebrated by ordering margaritas two at a time.