10/3/2016
Finally, it was time to continue our adventure on the Mighty Mississippi. We were greeted by Our Lady of the Rivers as we went by. She stands in Portage des Sioux, MO at the confluence of the Illinois, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. The monument stands as a tribute to all who have lost their lives to the river waters in the area.
This wasn’t play time, with huge logs floating down the swollen river. We had to keep a sharp eye out at all times to avoid them. Many float just below the surface. This is not a rare occurrence here, we almost always had dangerous floating debris in sight. Pearl Lee was a handful to steer with the swift current causing all kinds of turbulence. On the plus side, we had plenty of water under us.
As we passed Alton, IL we were greeted by the Piasa Bird. An ancient bird/monster described by early explorer Pere Marquette: “While skirting some rocks, which by their height and length inspired awe, we saw upon one of them two painted monsters which at first made us afraid, and upon which the boldest savages dare not long rest their eyes. They are as large as a calf; they have horns on their heads like those of a deer, a horrible look, red eyes, a beard like a tiger’s, a face somewhat like a man’s, a body covered with scales, and so long a tail that winds all around the body, passing above the head and going back between the legs, ending in a fish’s tail. Green, red and black are the colors composing the picture. Moreover, these two monsters are so well painted that we cannot believe any savage is their author; for good painters in France would find it difficult to reach that place conveniently to paint them.”
Before we knew it, St. Louis was in sight. Pearl Lee normally cruises under power at 6-7 mph, but the Mississippi was in a hurry. We were traveling at 10-12 mph with a couple peaks even faster! It’s exciting seeing bridges we have crossed by car from the “other” side.
Of course we also got to see the famous Gateway Arch in St. Louis from the river. Unfortunately St. Louis, like so much of the Mississippi, really doesn’t have facilities for pleasure boats. We had to look fast as there was no stopping, and not much slowing, possible.
As we continued down the river we were well ahead of “schedule” due to the current. At the advice of many cruisers were stopping at Hoppie’s Marina in Kimmswick, MO. Hoppie’s is really just a couple of old barges, but they have fuel. Fern, the owner, gives a briefing every afternoon on the state of the river and facilities farther down. We were moving so much faster than anticipated that we were the first to arrive at Hoppie’s.
Some cruisers don’t have the fuel range to skip Hoppie’s (we did). Some cruisers don’t study guide books (we did). So we felt we could 
have safely skipped Hoppie’s, but only you can decide for you and your boat. We found docking in the swift current at Hoppie’s to be pretty dangerous, both through our experience and watching others come in. There are also some wing dams just down stream to be wary of. We were there on a Monday, when the entire town closes down. So there really was nothing there at all. We talked to Fern, and some other cruisers, and mostly relaxed.
Previous: Grafton
Next: Grays Point, MO