Fall 2016 Stillwater to Ft Lauderdale

10/12/16  Yep, the cold is coming! Today, it was about 44 degrees when I awoke, and I think the forecast is to be in the 20's for tomorrow. Brrr … it's time to get going!

10/18  1:30 PM Well, it was a frantic few days for the Captain. First, we had crew lined up to help. Then we didn't. Then we did. Then we didn't … I think that you get the picture? Anyway, one of our Summertime Crew has offered her assistance, and it's much appreciated. So, we loaded the groceries, put the scooters back on board, and made it through the 1:30 lift on the bridge …

Our last views of little Stillwater …

Towards the Bridge …

Here's the new skipper, driving us through …

And the new bridge …

Our goal is to make it to Red Wing for the first evening. Sure enough .. here's the first wait for a lock...

It surely was a beautiful evening, though ...

10/19 We're off for Lacrosse. The weather isn't too cool, and there's no wind. It looks to be a beautiful morning as the sun is rising ...

And a view back to the north as we leave the Lake ...

For those that might recall ole John, the knife sharpener guy aboard Beluga. He's tied up in Winona ...

10/20 It's starting to get just a little cooler, but not really too bad. Here's a view as we get to the wide section below Lacrosse ...

The Captain and the morning banana ...

Down to Lock #8 and another wait ...

They call him a Captain?? Here's a couple birds that have taken charge of a grass island ...

One of my favorite little towns in Iowa is Lansing ...

We're headed for Marquette, IA for the evening. It's just down below the bridge ...

Tied to the dock, just above the casino ...

And the view from the wheelhouse ...

Yep, it's Fall in Marquette ...

Well, well, we'll ... It's been a while since I've done any posts, hasn't it? Whew, so much has happened. Well, maybe not that much, but we're still plugging along. Let's see, we've been through Dubuque, but first we had to leave on a beautiful morning from Marquette ...

And go through more locks ...

And get through Lock #11 ...

... into the city of Dubuque ...

Past the Convention Center ...

Into the Ice Harbor ...

                                      

                                                       Towards the Dockmaster's office ...

The view from the Wheelhouse ...

                                      

                                     

                           We took a little walk onto Main Street for some nachos (and a Martini)

Here we are ...

The next day is down to Quad Cities. Just above Quad Cities is a little town called Le Claire. It's a great spot for us to stop and see Fred the Fuel Man. He's a great guy that is so nice to stop out with his fuel truck at odd hours, just to give us fuel. We were s much in a hurry that I didn't get his picture, but I got the truck as he's diving away!

At the dock ...

And, the hard-workin' Crew ...

Le Claire is just above Davenport, and that's where we're going for the evening. We'll have dinner, and on Sunday, it's the big Crew change day. Julie's going back to get back to work, and Dr Howard is riding his motorcycle up from Jacksonville to help out. The new victim (er, help!) ...

We'll need to take down one scooter to get the motorcycle onboard. It's a tough, tough job ...

Notice which bike is in the lead ...

10/24 ... Off we go with the Crew change! Here's a couple shots of a beautiful morning ...

One of the tough things about our daily travel is the waiting for locks. Here's a couple waiting to get in ...

In to Lock #17

Going through the beautiful Burlington, IA ...

Ft madison, the home of Schaeffer Pen, has a unique bridge. It's a turntable style that has the vehicles running on top of the railroad. The sun is just going down ...

And the sun is dipping into the trees ...

We made our way down to Keokuk, and the Keokuk Yacht Club. It's a great stop. I'm now a member and the clubhouse is so much fun. We've met many new friends over the years, and here's our pal Robbie, his wife, and Howard and I ...

It was a fun night (too short) and we're on our way with a late start ...

Lock #19 is the largest drop on the Mississippi River. It's a "double chamber", so tows don't have to beak apart to go through. This leads to no delays, and none for us this morning!

Leading to a happy Crew!

We make our escape!

We were lucky and we didn't have to wait for Locks 20 and 21, but when we got to Lock #22, they were doing maintenance. Divers were in the water checking whatever divers check at locks, and we had to wait. Fortunately, it was only a 30 minute delay, and then we are on our way.

We've got a secret little spot a little farther down river that we like to stay. It's a barge, and the local fleet tow points out the best location for us. It's great! Hmm, no room service?

We're off the dock at 4:30 to be able to get through the lock before the next tow is there. Just as the sun is coming up ...

We're through the lock, and on our way to Alton, IL. It's a suburb of St Louis. It has some beautiful homes and great scenery ...

10/27 ...