Day 391       Andalusia Slough Anchorage

Andalusia, IL

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

 Fuel dock at Fairport Landing

 Looking upstream from our anchorage

Looking downstream from our anchorage

It was another good day for Dream Catcher to travel.   The water in the channel sometimes dropped to as low as 6 feet which prevented barges from traveling, so there was no wait at any of the 3 locks.    

We topped off our fuel at Fairport Landing Marina, and then headed to our favorite anchorage in Andalusia Slough.  It was very windy, and Dream Catcher was blown around a lot, but we were glad to be so close to home.   

                 

Total miles: 59       Total bridges:  2       Total locks:  3

Day 390  Big Muddy’s Restaurant

Burlington, IA

Monday, September 19, 2011

 Sections of the new Burlington Railroad Bridge under construction

 The free dock at Big Muddy's

Burlington Bridge from Big Muddy's Restaurant

We fueled up at the Keokuk Yacht Club, traveled for 5 hours, and enjoyed a day with no locks. 

Like the very first night of our Great Loop journey, we tied to the free dock at Big Muddy’s Restaurant in Burlington.  Again we had a great meal with great service. 

So much has happened since that first night!  What an adventure! 

                 

Total miles: 37       Total bridges:  3       Total locks:  0

Days 388 – 389     Keokuk Yacht Club

Keokuk, IA

Saturday, September 17 – Sunday, September 18, 2011

Keokuk Yacht Club

Dream Catcher docked in front of the clubhouse

 It was another 9 hour day, and again we were lucky to boat right in to all 4 of the locks.  There was no waiting for other traffic.  One reason for our “luck” was the low water that had stopped a lot of the barges.   We passed 3 barges that were grounded in the channel, waiting for a dredge.  Of course, the dredges were in high demand, and it would take several days for them to arrive and dig out the channel. 

We were glad to arrive at the Keokuk Yacht Club where we tied to the outer wall where the water was deep. 

Sunday arrived with a lot of rain, but we had no plans to move.  We were waiting for a fuel truck that we had scheduled for Monday morning.  We had a quiet day aboard Dream Catcher.     

                                                   

Total miles:  85      Total bridges:  5       Total locks:  4

Day 387  Two Rivers Marina

Rockport, IL

Friday, September 16, 2011

 Looking toward the Mississippi River from Two Rivers Marina

 Landscaping near Two Rivers Marina swimming pool

Lighthouse at entrance to Two Rivers Marina

It was hard for us to leave our good friends who have become like family as we traveled the Great Loop, but it was time for us to head back up the Mississippi River to our home in Iowa.    Jeremiah will head down the Mississippi with Seamoore (now at Port Charles for repairs) to continue the loop to their own home ports of Florida and Alabama, respectively.   We’ll greatly miss all of our good friends on “The Looper Train”, but we’ll keep in touch and hope to see them again soon. 

 We traveled for 9 hours and fortunately did not have to wait for either of the 2 locks.  Dinner was at the Lighthouse Inn Restaurant which was located next to the marina.  

                 

Total miles: 64       Total bridges:  2       Total locks:  2