Good Morning Mississippi River Cruisers!!  A cool calm day greats us today.  We have an exciting day in store for us.  We are going to finish the Upper Mississippi River and enter the Ohio.  Doesn’t that sound like a day for Loopers?  56°F starts our day.

Looking from the Little Diversion Canal looking into the Mississippi

Leaving the Little Diversion Canal

First thing this morning we are greeted by the “Queen of Mississippi” going north.  Isn’t it beautiful!  No early morning risers drinking coffee from their verandas to wave at us.  Shame.  I was all ready with a hearty and smiling wave.

Approaching the end of the Mississippi River

Making the turn into the Ohio River

We lost our push from the Mississippi and are going north against the southern flow of the Ohio River.  We estimate we are losing 1-2 knots going north.

Into the Ohio River

Kentucky side of the Ohio River

Illinois side of the Ohio RIver

The Olmstead Lock and Dam are under construction.  It will replace Lock 53 and Lock 52 in the near future.  Lock 52 is having work done on it as well.  There is a bottle neck at Lock 53 and 52.  Normally, there are 2 chambers that encompass these locks.  A large chamber for the commercial traffic and a smaller chamber for smaller tows and pleasure crafts.  Unfortunately, we have picked a time when the largest chambers are not working and all boat traffic must go through the smaller chamber.  Large tows must take apart their barges if they can’t fit in the smaller chamber.  Then go back and get the rest of their payload.  A very slow process.  We hope to only wait a short time for a lockage through the Olmstead and Lock 53 today.

Approaching the Olmstead Lock

How did that tree get on top of that tall bollard?

Constructing parts of the dam on land then float it out?

Busy area with construction vessels, tows, and barges

There are 4 pleasure craft – Loopers – here on the side of the Ohio River.  The Lock Master told us to hang back and wait till he calls us.  After an hour, Fryedaze, called to remind the Lock Master we were still out on the water waiting.  It’ll be another hour.  OK.  So we all put our anchors down and waited.  What else could we do?  Again, Fryedaze called via VHF radio and the Lock Master suddenly remembered we were waiting.  It’ll be soon.

We can go in!! After waiting only 2 hours

Olmstead Lock Sign

Beautiful setting as we transit between Olmstead and Lock 53

It is getting later in the afternoon before we finally enter Lock 53.  Skipper Bob mentioned port side tie.  Well, that just can’t happen.  You see?  There is no wall.  In fact, there is no walkway for the lock attendants to walk on top of those round bolsters.  We were told to raft up on the starboard side.  We deployed all of our fenders to be ready on either side.  No problem!

Into Lock 53. Port side tie is impossible

Fryedaze supplied the 30 foot lines to the lock attendants to tie themselves carefully to the rusty metal round bolsters.  I don’t know what else to call them.  BamaDream also supplied lines and Bucket List rafted to them.  What a process.  Especially, since we were only going up 2.5 feet!!  We all could have just hovered in the middle for that short rise.  Alas, the lock attendants in their concern for our pleasure crafts thought a careful 45 minutes to tie up and go up safely 2.5 feet was important.

Starboard side of Lock 53 – Round bolsters

It was so late in the day, we decided to go to Bean Branch Creek Anchorage identified in Active Captain for the night.  It is almost 6pm by the time we anchored.  This is a wide spot in the road, essentially.  Off channel and near the shore line across from a power plant.  Safely anchored, night fell quickly, and off to bed soon thereafter.

Approaching Bean Branch Creek Anchorage

After sundown, the night sky is lit up by the power plant.