Day 63 and 64 – Alton, IL to Hoppie’s Marina (Kimmswick, MO) - September 7-8, 2011

Today is a short travel day compared to what we have in store for the next few days.  We plan to get down the Mississippi and up the Ohio as quickly as possible because there are no marinas and no places to purchase fuel for the next 240+ miles of the trip (except for Hoppie’s where we are stopping for the next two nights).

We have two locks on the Mississippi and we lock through them both today.  The first lock (Mel Price Lock and Dam) is quick and we ride the lock with two other pleasure boats and one small tow.  The second lock (Chain of Rocks Lock and Dam) takes us a bit longer because we have to wait for a tow to catch up and lock through with us.

As soon as we get through the lock, we begin to see St. Louis.  The river here is EXTREMELY busy with tow and barge traffic and the current is VERY fast.  This section of the river feels very unfriendly to pleasure boats and reminds us why we are moving through this section very quickly.

Hoppie’s Marina is probably one of the few places where almost every Looper stops.  It is the last place to buy fuel for the next 228 miles.  Hoppie’s has been owned by the Hopkins family since 1930.  The marina is three 100 foot barges tied into the high stone cliffs with cables.  Charles Hopkins (Hoppie) and his wife Fern have been running the marina since 1973.  They know their marina and the Mississippi River like no one else and the smart boater listens to them on how to tie their boat safely to the barges.  Fern also gives a talk to Loopers each afternoon on what to expect on the remainder of the Mississippi River and the Ohio River.  We listened to Fern’s talk on both days we were there and although the Mississippi is intimidating, we are ready to depart.

We had a fabulous lunch at the Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery in Kimmswick the second day at Hoppie’s.  This restaurant is only open for breakfast and lunch and features an amazing selection of desserts.  The Blue Owl has been featured on the Food Network and “Paula’s Party” with Paula Dean.

            Miles: 32.7      Bridges: 11      Locks: 2

looking back at the New Clark Highway bridge from inside the
Mel Price Lock - you can see the back lock door just coming up
behind the green barge

the  gates opening on the Mel Price Lock

this is the Missouri River entering the Mississippi River

the Gateway Arch in St. Louis

The Gateway Arch

Boreas with the Gateway Arch in the background

this is a wier dam along the Mississippi - a wier dam forces
the water to the middle of the river and helps prevent
sedimentation in the river