Almost to St. Louis

Captain's Log - Day 10

Nothing too crazy to report today.

We saw our guy in the sailboat again today. Chatted with him for awhile as we waited for a barge to get through Lock #25. His plan is to sail the Rattlin Shrouds (not sure what that boat name means ...) to the Florida Keys. Should be a good time, especially once he gets out into the Gulf (assuming the oil doesn't present a problem). Really nice guy. He even offered to arrange a ride to the store with a friend of his once we dock in Alton, Illinois!

As you can probably imagine, the no showering thing reached a critical mass. I was experiencing just a general state of crustiness. While we were still anchored this morning, I hopped in the river, got out and sat on the swimdeck and soaped up, then hopped back in to rinse off. It's a good system! It'll wake you up better than a cup of coffee too!

As we head further south, I'm noticing some changes. At each lock, the accents are getting progressively thicker. There have even been a few times I've had to guesstimate what people are saying over the vhf.

The geography is also changing. Lately we've been seeing these sheer rock faces lining each side of the river. There were bluffs before, but nothing like this.

I've also noticed that nipples tan. My own - I haven't been scrutinizing other peoples' nipples ... Maybe I have too much time on my hands, but my nipples are most definitely noticeably darker. I'm surprised (you may not be) that I've never noticed this phenomenon before ...

I finished Good Omens today! It was good, but I could tell where Neil Gaiman's influence was stronger and where Terry Pratchett's was stronger. I've never read anything else by Pratchett, but I currently prefer Gaiman's style. Definitely a good, and funny, book, if a bit sacrilegious. Please don't read this book and then get on my case because it pokes fun at religion. You know who you are. It's a work of fiction; enjoy it as such.

Next on my roster of books to read is Huckleberry Finn! Unfortunately, it has disappeared (and been added to the casualties list). I'm not sure how that happens. The syrup probably stole it away in the night. Until it resurfaces, I think I'll read Life on the Mississippi (also by Mark Twain) which was highly recommended to us by Matt the Kayaker.

Check out this picture of Grafton, Illinois. If that's their water tower up on the hill, their water pressure must be nearly lethal.

Tonight we're on the hook at the southeastern tip of the aptly, though not creatively, named Slim Island. We're only 12 miles upriver of Alton, Illinois, where we'll be staying for 4th of July weekend. It's a short drive to St. Louis from Alton, so we'll probably spend a decent amount of time there - maybe check out the arch. We'll be in the St. Louis vicinity till the 5th, so look us up if you're in the area!

The river is really high right now, which means that it's very swift and it's picking up logs and dead trees from the shores it's overrun. At night, while were on the hook, we hear them hit the boat and then slide along the sides ... Not awesome.