Good Morning to All!

Looks like we are passing a town large enough to claim "can ya hear me now;" and therefore Internet strength has at least two bars! This will be brief unfortunately stating that we are four days into our trek to Green Turtle Bay Ky. All has gone well so far with the fuel economy. From last fuel up at Hoppie's Marina it is a 270 mile stretch without fuel or docking. Since the boat gets 2.2 mph with 400 gallons at fuel up (200 gal each side) we have to be a little cautious when running the generator at night and in the morning. That runs on gas as well!

We said good-by to the mighty Mississippi and entered the Ohio River at Cairo Il. at about noon yesterday. To our amazement the Ohio is huge and vast and for some reason it looked like a barge graveyard with empty rusting barges just strewn about and anchored in no obvious rhyme or reason. The main channel was open of course but a very eerie sight to see. Today (Friday) we will reach the mouth of the Cumberland River which we will take tomorrow. That will bring us to the "Land Between the Lakes" in Ky and to our fuel destination Green Turtle Bay!! The marina is so large there that we had to call ahead and make a reservation to dock. I am so looking forward to staying the night there and having a few more comforts of home.

The weather so far has been mostly sunny and warm still! We could not ask for better travel conditions! I fortunately have not fallen off the boat yet and Dad & I have hooked up the little Weber grill to the back swim platform on a pole which I have appropriately labeled "The Redneck Boat B-B-Q." But the burgers and brats the last few evenings at our anchor spots made up for its lack of style!

I will post pictures and some stories upon our fuel arrival; so until then have a great rest of the week and a great weekend!!!

Hello followers!!

Hope all is well with all of you. The above pictures are general Mississippi travel and scenes that are common all up and down the river. Most lock and dams, as shown in the picture, are designed in the same manner. So to take a shot of the 14 locks that we have successfully passed through would get a little redundant! But there is one exception at Keokuk Iowa at lock and dam #19. We dropped in water elevation 40 foot and the lock was 1,200 foot long! That was something to see and be a part of. We have though improved our locking skills by just floating in the center while the water reaches the needed elevation and they open the wall for safe passage through. Rope to hang on to?...we don't need no stinking rope!! (unless they make us hahaha.) A note to future loop travelers....the locks stagger their radio channel between 14 and 12 due to a lot of cross chatter between locks. That would have been good to know at lock #25 in Missouri who we hailed for ten minutes, blew our horn, and eventually ended up googling their phone number and calling them. "hello...knock knock.. this is the boat sitting outside your gate....can ya open the door?! Really??

Dad and I were commenting today how lucky we have been with the weather. Tomorrow is day #9 (Tuesday September 27th) and we have had, at worst case, partly cloudy skies. One morning we had to wait for the fog to lift for about a half an hour; but a cup of coffee and watching the eerie mist float on the glassy water as the sun broke through was a sight I will not soon forget.

We pulled into Two Rivers Marina on Sunday the 24th for fuel, fresh water, and grab a hot lunch at the restaurant there. I want to post a special thank you to that marina and mention the outstanding service and accommodations. Everything we needed was taken care of, the staff were overly helpful, and I could have use the pool if I wanted?! Fantastic!! Way to go Two Rivers Marina!

With the exception of Hannibal, we have been on the hook (dropped anchor) every night. We find a a little slough, inlet, or somewhere off the channel so we do not get run over by a barge. That would be bad. Barge traffic is 24-7 so you just never know. I really enjoy being on the hook. It is completely dark with the exception of the moon and those little pin holes in the curtain of night called stars and planets. It is ultimate peacefulness with just the sounds of fish jumping and an occasional coyote howl. I am so happy I chose to do this trip and with only 8 days behind us I already hope I am able someday to do the other half and complete the whole great loop.

Today we passed St. Louis and I got to gaze upon the Arch. Every time I see it it still amazes me thinking of those last few days of construction when the two parts met. Can you imagine..."Dang Johny...were off about 18 feet....now what?...thank people will notice?" We have now stopped at the famous Hoppies Marina and docked for the evening. It is actually just one large barge with another similar structure attached. There are about 14 boats here with us tonight that got fresh water and a fuel top off. Tomorrow we start the three day, 270 mile trek to Green Turtle Bay Ky. There are no marinas, no docks, and no Internet....and that is roughing it I guess. So that said, the next post will be three or four days from now depending on fuel calculations and speed. I will post immediately when the opportunity comes about and of course more pictures to follow. Talk to all of you very soon and have a wonderful week..God Bless

Picture list:

* The Mark Twain Statue at Hannibal Marina

* A remodeled Victorian style home on our "walk" to the grocery store

* Time travel back a few years....Good ol'e Americana!!

* Hannibal Light House out on the bluff point

* The vast river view from light house point....Nice beach!!

* Everyone that knows me, this speaks for itself

* Dad...sorry Captain Steve at the boyhood home of Mark Twain

* Captain Steve at the Tom and Huck Statue

* Inside the home in his bedroom

* The famous Tom Sawyer white wash fence

* Enjoying a beer and a burger!!!

* The view entering Hannibal

* Leaving town Saturday morning at the Welcome sign

* Me with a slight bump in rank driving the boat...Captain Assistant?!

Well....well....well Hannibal Mo. you really impressed the heck out of us. We came around a majestic bluff line filled with trees starting their annual fall colors. The town of Hannibal greeted us after a long day of remote Mississippi scenery. Hannibal was a welcome site and the excitement of having a sit down dinner started to actually feel like a possibility. An excursion boat filled with tourists was docked in the harbor and we were also able to dock along the sea wall where other river boat casino and paddle boats frequent the town....and we parked for free!!! Docks on average charge about $1.25 per foot to stay per night, and we are 48' so I was immediately thinking "I am for sure ordering that big ol'e steak and a glass of Pinot Noir with the money saved!!" We were greeted by two very courteous and helpful gentlemen that ran the Hannibal Boat Club and they offered to buy us our first round at their bar just to hear about our travel plans and our adventures so far. I started the conversation by stating "Well I have not fallen in the river yet....bonus!"

Dad and I enjoyed the restaurant that Anne Balk recommended that first evening. It is called Lula Belle's and was once a famous and "reputable" bordello. Historically it is the first bordello build specifically for its purpose in the 1920's. In the 1950's, due to frequent police raids, the brothel was shut down until it was converted into the restaurant it is today. At any rate, they still had the red light on in the vestibule as we walked in.

Hannibal is famous mainly for being the boyhood home of Mark Twain. The town gave him the inspiration to write his novels such as "The adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Huckleberry Finn." The board fence which Tom Sawyer persuaded his gang to pay him for the "privilege" of whitewashing is right there in city center. We toured the Mark Twain Museum, took pictures by the Tom & Huck statue, the boyhood home, and climbed the many steep stairs to the memorial light house at the top of the bluff overlooking some of the most majestic views of the Mississippi. The view reminded me of another favorite of mine...the overlook at Eagle Point Park in Clinton Iowa with the same vast panoramic feel.

The people, restaurants, bars, and the overall historic feel of the town made it one that will stay in my memory with the hopes of visiting again someday. Maybe because growing up on a small river town myself (Fulton, Illinois) and being "mischievous" like ol'e Tom & Huck had a little bit to do with it. Dang I wish we had one more day and I could have gone on that ghost tour!!

We pulled up anchor early Saturday morning after a quick visit to Java Jive (life really is so much better with a good cup a coffee running through my veins in the morning!) Next stop, a town called Louisiana MO. to get some fresh water for the boat, a fuel top off, and pick up some supplies to keep us "Roll'n Down the River" (Dad needs more milk)!!!

A quick note: I apologise for some formatting issues. Due to lack of Internet service, I would rather get the posts out in lieu of making them look "perfect blog quality". Also, if you are a member of our blog, you should be getting notifications on your e-mail that a new blog is posted. Though you are probably able to read the text, is is just that....text. Please visit the blog so you are able to see the pictures as well.

God Bless!!!

Sunset first evening.

Going through Lock #15 at sunset on the Mississippi River.

Um...Mr Sulu which button controls the warp drive engines again?

Home Port Clinton Iowa

Hello "All-y'All"

Due to the lack of internet connection in the remote recesses of the Mississippi, we apologise for the slight delay in posting! It is beautiful scenery but as you can imagine, with the peacefulness of the river comes a lack of technology! We are on our southbound route with 3 days behind us. All systems are working properly with quite the learning curve on what can be used inside the boat with the engines running, with the generator running only, generator off but running the battery inverter...ahhhhhh stop the madness! I just want a shower and make sure the milk does spoil!! (All of you that know my Dad know the tragedy of no milk on board) hahaha.

So... a few details of the last two days: Sunny and about 75 degrees with a slight breeze....I know, we think it is amazing conditions as well and are counting our blessings (As my good friend Marty Haggerty states to me on a regular basis "Good Lord man you have such a blessed life!" We have passed successfully through 7 lock and dams going down river and each time Captain Steve and I get a bit more in sink with procedure. By the way it is very easy to go through the locks....ya pretty much hold a rope while the water goes down and chat with the dock master. I just love the look on the dock masters faces when we mention that we are going to Grand dunes SC. One gentleman here in Missouri stated "great day in the morning, what would posses an individual to travel that far"?!? To my response, "Cheaper that taking the top off and running it down the road on two 18 wheelers"!

We made our first fuel stop at Keokuk Iowa at the Keokuk Yacht club after about 150 miles into the trip. It was refreshing to step onto land and have a few drinks at the bar there! We met two fellow "great loopers" Carl and Glenda Wiese from Iowa who have been traveling with us off and on during our first four days. I have to give a shout out to Mr. Robbie Means who we shared some great river stories with us while we were at Keokuk. My cheeks still hurt from laughing! By the way, just a quick note from that marina, there is a little green button by the fuel stop that winds up the 50' fuel hose! I found it after manually rolling up about 40'. To my dismay and embarrassment, the whole bar watched me huff, puff, and swear while I learned my lesson the hard way....as always!

The trees are starting their fall colors here in Missouri and the river this morning (Thursday) is like glass. We turned on the generator so I could fix up a big breakfast to last us till dinner tonight at Hannibal MO. Per our conversation with Anne Balk, who grew up around the area, she mentioned a nice restaurant with a little bit of history that we will be sure to enjoy. Looking forward to a big ol'e steak and a nice glass of Pinot Noir!!

Hello followers!

First things first...a special thanks to my Aunt Hellen Schrader, my cousins Melissa Diesch and Suzanne Sampson for a bit of a family reunion at the marina restaurant yesterday for lunch. Dad and I had a great great time getting caught up and laughing about old times. I am just happy those memories still exist in the deep recesses of my psyche!! Thank you Ray and Kayla Rippy for being such great boating neighbors and friends. I am sure we will come across something borrowed from you and be sure to return it! We were thrilled that you, Ray, Al DenBeston, and Anne Balk were there to send us on our way down the mighty Miss this afternoon (I promise I will take care of Dad as you mentioned this morning Al). One of Dad's good friends and mine as well, John Skornia. He has through the years made our boating experiences more enjoyable (and at most times possible)!! The Fulton and Clinton Marina would not be what it is without all your support and maintenance skills. A special thanks to you John. I saved Jim Woods for last today since he located our position on the trip and met us on a dock to wave and take a few passing pictures of the boat next to I-74 bridge at the Bettendorf IA Marina....Umm....Wow that was really cool Jim!!

Ahhh the smell of the Mississippi; the smell of countless boating memories from childhood and adulthood. Those of you that have grown up on the water can relate to the rush of emotions and nostalgia that it brings. Today we left Fulton Illinois Marina on a sunny 75 degree summer afternoon. With 5 days of constant prep work, I was getting the feeling that this day might be a bit more down the road. Both engines roared to life at 12:45 pm and we were south bound and heading for....wait...there has not been a train on the railroad bridge for days right? Well there is one now and moving like 1mph!! The problem with this is that we do not fit under that bridge without it swinging open for us. Well at any rate, we got at least a half a mile down the river in the first hour of the trip after the passing of the train with a good laugh and a comment of "isn't that ironic" from me of course. We passed through 2 lock and dams and logged about 50 miles. We have just set anchor for some dinner, a few beers and some R&R. The enjoyment and excitement of that first day was everything that my father and I could have wished for. Lets hope that the anchor stays positioned while we sleep and the scenery is not completely different when we wake up!!

Hello family and friends,

For those followers of our blog who I have not had the distinct pleasure of meeting, I am Bradd Stuart, the navigator on board the S.S. Lin II...and galley "chef". I am the proud son of Steve and Linda Stuart from Fulton Illinois and who are now residing in the Charlotte, NC area. My father is the captain of this boat and we are about to embark on a once in a lifetime venture traveling from Clinton Iowa to Grand Dunes, SC. We will be leaving port tomorrow morning (Monday September 19th) after five days of final preparations of the vessel for for the trip.

Before going into detail on the prep work and some posting of a few pictures of our "hard" work,
I would like to give a shout out to my Mom & Dad for making this trip possible, the support of my sister and her family Brady and Carlo (including a great evening before we left Charlotte NC watching the a Bears victory)!! Marty, Beth, and Jeanne Haggerty from Atlanta who made the traditional Labor Day festivities one to remember...as always!!! A shout out to my new friends Jessica and Paul Mizenko, also from Atlanta, who even though did not have a actual Labor Day party....wow what a blast I had at their house that Sunday evening!! A special thank you to the friends from my home town that I had the honor to spend some time with: Stephanie and Ken Wainwright, Jim and Billie Woods, The family of David and Sue Wiersema, Terry and Shawna Sikkema, the family of Stacey and John Dail, and of course Jim and Anne Balk who let us borrow their car for the week and a hosted a wonderful last evening in town before we leave port.

All systems are a go for tomorrow! All 42 foot of gorgeous floating fiberglass, equipped with two full bedrooms and two full baths passed the check lists, start ups, and is fully fueled. Let me tell you....the sound of two 8 cylinder marine engines starting up.....as Dad would say "Oh Yeah Baby"!! Can not wait for tomorrow and many postings and first pictures to come. Thank you for following our post everyone!!!!