We were on the Mississippi in just a few minutes; the bluffs are quite beautiful at the junction of the Illinois and the Mississippi.
Its only 60 miles to Hoppies, two Locks but with the current so it was an easy day. We had about an hour and a half delay in the locks and still made the trip in just 6.5 hours. The current adds about 2-4 miles per hour.
We went through Alton, IL and then the biggest lock on the Mississippi. St. Louis looks cool from the water, but they do not offer any dock or marina.
Hoppies is quite a place, and the last place for gas for about 200 miles. Fern has run the dock for the last 30 years and has a talk with boaters every afternoon at 4pm. She details the where we can anchor on the way down and what to look out for along the way. Due to the low water condition and construction many of the anchorages are not available. Our choices for tomorrow are 60 miles or 160 miles. We decide to head out early and make a decision at the 60 mile point.
