Alton

Captain's Log - Day 11

Had a good sleep in today before we covered the remaining 13 miles to Alton, IL.

I am happy to report that the first thing we did when we got to Alton Marina was fuel up the boat without ramming the dock - for the second time! There were some crazy currents that made it a bit tricky, but we went with the flow (literally) and pulled it off without a hitch!

After refreshing, non-river showers, we hit up Fast Eddies Bon Air on the recommendation of one of our neighbors in the marina. Fast Eddies is pretty cool! They have half pound burgers for 99 cents, fries for 99 cents, and shrimp for 29 cents apiece - among other reasonably priced menu items. An order of a burger, fries, and half a dozen shrimp was only $4.50! The place was huge and it was packed! Definitely check it out if you're ever in town.

This one's for Donna! Check out this VW place! Reminds me a bit of that hippy's place in Zearing, Iowa.

I'm happy to report that we finally have visitors! Nealy, Megan, and Melissa Melanie came and we watched Alton's fireworks from the boat! Alton puts on a good show (sponsored by Toyota).

While Nealy was here, I rediscovered one of the dilemmas that we (I'm talking about men) face. After escorting her to the restroom that's a ways down the dock, I waited outside. The entire time, I was trying to find that delicate equilibrium between not looking like I'm stalking the women's restroom and wandering off entirely. Tricky stuff. Are there any general rules that you can apply in these situations?

Post fireworks, Simon, Mike, Megan, and Melissa Melanie took off to pick up Amber from the airport. The dock was packed with old, drunk boaters, so Nealy and I took the opportunity to check out the Argosy riverboat casino for awhile. Didn't wager anything. I gotta save all my luck for the river - can't squander it on slot machines!

Casinos offer some fascinating people watching! It seemed that most of the people in there were elderly or in poor health. Interesting ...