St Louis Mo and Hoppies

The night before we left Grafton a group of us wanted to go over to the Hawg Pit BBQ which is not a long walk but someone called to make sure it was open.  As it turned out they said they would send over a ride for us, there were 12 of us.  This is the ride they sent a 1942 army truck complete with Bales of hay.  They gave us a tour of Grafton before heading over to the Hawg Pit.  A great time was had by all.

The next morning we were planning to leave Grafton early to travel on by St. Louis MO and spend the night at Hoppies, however when we woke up the fog had us socked in for awhile.   It was not until nearly 10am before the fog lifted and we could head out, well us, and 9 other boats.  Most everyone was either planning to stay at Alton for the night or going in to fuel up before heading out.  Alton is only 18 miles from Grafton and located just before a lock. 
As it turned out NautiNell and SweetPea needed to wait on a barge to be locked through first and we would have to wait about an hour so we all had our lunch while we waited. 
An hour turned into 2 hours we really can't complain about the wait as we have been very lucky with the locks to this point, and it was the first time we had to wait.  So at 2pm we really are just beginning our day.  We were locked down and at the next lock we drove right in and were on our way. 

WOW we are now on the Mississippi River how cool is that!

The arch at St. Louis MO quite the sight to behold from the water.

We made it to Hoppies Marine for the night.  Hoppies is a highlight in looping not that its the nicest marina or anything, as a matter of fact Hoppies is jjnot much more than a group of barges on the Mississippi River that you tie up to.  But the reason this is a memorable stop is Fern, Pictured below (in the white top) she is very knowledgeable about everything and anything on the Upper Mississippi, Fern holds court everyday to inform boater of anchorages and hazards on the river.  And there is no fuel for over 200 miles which makes Hoppies a must for some boater.

Fern, Jim, Mike and Twyla marking up their charts for the trip on the remainder of the Mississippi and the Ohio River.