Fall 2019, Stillwater To Ft Lauderdale

10/27/19  Today is the last day in town and we had just a little work to do. We finished up at 2:00PM and we shoved off at 3:25PM. Although the temps weren't too bad, we thought that it was cold. Silly us in thinking this way. Who knew what was ahead? We made it into Red Wing and found our spot for the evening that will set us up for fuel in the morning. It was a good day for a start ...

10/28  We filled up with a great, new fuel vendor, and got underway for La Crosse. We've got 6 locks ahead of us and there's much tow traffic, so we don't expect to do great on timing. Here's the Red Wing Bridge as we're leaving town ...

The day wasn't too bad for the weather, and we were fortunate to have a nice day as we came up to Trempaleau ...

Good weather makes for a happy crew ...

We made it all the way to Lock #8 and there's a great spot to tie off behind the lock wall. A little dinner and it's off to bed ...

10/29  It was a little cold last night and we woke to some snow on the deck. We thought that this was crazy ... snow and boating? Hmm, there may be more to come ...

The day warmed up and the ride got better ...

It became so nice that we could even be outside without a coat!

The scenery above Dubuque ...

10/30  We were off the dock pretty early so we could be down to LeClaire, IA, for a full delivery. Our friend Fred sold his business, and now Kelly is filling Fred's role. The timing worked out with the locks, we loaded our fuel, and we motored down to the Casino Dock to tick in for the evening.

10/31  This is not what we want ... SNOW! The temp was about 27 degrees and the wind was blowing about 20 mph. This is not fun! We've got about 110 miles to make it to Keokuk, and we'd like to be in earlier than later. Here's Lock #15, the first of 4 for the day ...

And the view from the wheelhouse ...

Lock #17 ...

There's no way we're riding out there!

We arrived in time to have a great evening with our friends, Robbie and Dian, and talk about all the years at Keokuk.

10/3  We left the boat at Keokuk for a few days to return to MPLS for a wedding. This was an event that I wasn't going to miss, and it was great to see friends and enjoy a very special day.

Pete had to go back to his life and family, and I picked up our new crew, Bill and Pat. They're looking forward to the ride, but I wish that it would be warmer!

11/6  We're off to Louisiana. It's 4 locks to go and the weather is pretty good. We've got only about 80 miles, and that should leave us with an early arrival. Here's our view for the night ...

10/7  Today, the destination is Alton, IL. It'll be another easy day with only 2 locks, and the weather's good, too. The trees are looking pretty good here!

And the view of town as we're approaching ...

We had a little time to walk into town and see a few places. The Irish Pub was a "must see", of course!