Kaskaskia to Olmstead

Today was going to be a long one.  Because the Mississippi is unusually low, the normal anchorages between here and the Ohio River are too shallow to anchor.  The only barely acceptable one is in the Mississippi just above the junction with the Ohio river, Angelo Towhead.  It is approximately 116 miles away and like I said, barely acceptable.  It would also require us to travel almost 60 miles the following day up the Ohio, AGAINST THE CURRENT, as well as having to go through 2 lock and dams that are there primarily for barge traffic.  We (Sno Daz and us) decided that we would travel at a faster speed plus the speed of the Mississippi (3-4 mph) and see what time it was when we reached Angelo Towhead.  If it was still early, we would proceed up the Ohio an additional 17 miles and anchor at Olmsted, Il, which is the site of a new lock and dam being built to replace the older dams 52 and 53.  That would put us 17 miles closer to our anchorage at the mouth of the Cumberland river the following day.

We will be traveling with Sno Daz leading the way.  Sno Daz is a single engine Diesel Trawler whose top speed is much less than ours, but they go longer on a gallon of fuel.  So we decided to let them pick a speed that they could travel comfortably.  I knew that we could always keep up and after all, it's only fuel and we have plenty for this leg.

We got up early and ready to go by 6:00, but it was still dark, and there was a light layer of fog over the Kaskaskia river.  We waited until closer to 6:30 when it was a little lighter but some of the fog still remained.  Sno Daz made a couple of calls on 16 to passing tows on the Mississippi to check the conditions there.  None of them returned his call.  I could see tows on the AIS, which identifies the tows by name, speed and direction, so I called one directly (by name) on 16 and they answered and confirmed that there was no fog on the Mississippi.  We finally pulled out onto the big river at 6:30.

 

Cindy's observations:  As Sno Daz lead the way it seemed as though we had a personal river guide.  They in turn were comforted that we were equipped with our AIS to help locate and identify the vessels.  We would forward the info to Sno Daz and developed a good working team.

 

There was not much to see or photograph on this leg of the trip,  plus our camera person had not quite recovered from the memory card fiasco.  Wing dams, Weir dams, and bridges were about all there was to look at.  Many wing dams coming out from the bank into the river, too many to count.  Weir dams are under water but far enough under that you can go over them without hitting them, but they make a terrible turbulence and twist you from side to side.  They are always in sharp bends which really makes it interesting especially since you can't see what is coming around the corner.  Unless you have AIS that is, and we do.  It has been terrific, I would recommend it for everyone travelling around barge traffic.

Ciny's Observations:  It seemed as though we were on a theme park ride just waiting for the screams and splash at the end. Yes, we did keep our arms and legs inside the boat while moving at all times.  The softer side of the turbulence was the way the sunlight sparkled on all the ripples at the turns.  It mimicked the flash bulbs of cameras snapping pictures in a stadium for an evening game of your favorite team.  Sand bars along this stretch would be the envy of the Alton Pool recreational boaters.  Our new sport has become a twist on bird watching. With binoculars in hand it's a challenge to find and then read all the day/mile markers. Remote areas are difficult for signs to be kept clear of growing vines and vegetation.  The Mississippi river banks have a lot of rip rap and debris.  We did over hear a tow pilot assuring another pilot the  tow company life jacket he saw floating was EMPTY. Thank you lord, or we would have a terrible tale to tell.

Bridge between Chester,Il and Perryville, Mo

As we passed by Cape Giradeau, Mo, it appeared that they had something going on down by the riverfront.  There was all types of Jon boats running around full of people.  It looked like they were giving rides or something.



Cindy's Observations:  Chester, IL is home to "Popeye" the Sailor man. I did not see him but I could catch a faint aroma of spinach.  The passengers in the Jon boats were wearing their life jackets.  Practicing boat safety is the greatest way to boat!

Cape Giradeau riverfront

 

Bridge at Cape Giradeau Mo.

We arrived at the junction of the Ohio and the Mississippi early enough that we decided to go the additional miles to the anchorage at Olmstead.  The minute we hit the Ohio, I wondered if we had made the right choice.  The AIS was continually giving me the "Dangerous Target" warning for new targets.  Every time I would acknowledge one, it would find another.  The setting sun was also at our back, making it difficult to see the plotter screen and locate just where the threat was coming from.  Luckily, the majority of the tows had stopped for the night because of the backlog of traffic waiting for the locks. 

Cindy's Observations:  Finally we reach mile 0,  the intersection up into the Ohio river separating the upper and lower Mississippi.  Time for a new chart, Ohio river.  This intersection required us to put on our big boy underoos  to navigate past the hustling multitude of traffic.  Dangerous Target was an understatement.  These tows were on a "get-r-done" mission, parked or otherwise.

Ohio river bridge

We managed to weave in and out of the tows and finally reached the Olmstead Lock a little after sunset.  There was just enough light to find a place to anchor out of the channel.  I'm glad we decided to proceed because tomorrow would have been a real long day if we had stopped at Angelo towhead. 

Cindy's Observations:  As we went up river the traffic subsided.  Plus the Ohio is very wide.  The dialogue has changed on the new river.  It has gone from port/starboard side for passing tows to one whistle two whistle side. But they don't give it much thought due to how wide the river is.  Dropping the hook was a welcome relief.  We were mentally and physically exhausted.  We tried our luck at grilling with success.  Sno Daz had also survived the day anchoring in front of us, all was well.