Well, I was surprised when I left Alton Marina at 6:30 AM to find the Delta Queen docked just on the other side of the marina breakwater. She's the oldest, and the "grande damme" of the 3 contemporary paddlewheelers. It's only by an act of Congress that she's allowed to still operate commercially--a modern vessel built like the Queen would not meet marine safety standards. The Queen has been modified to make her safe.

The next view is of the stern and giant paddlewheel of the Delta Queen. At one time, more than 1,200 paddlewheelers were operating on midwestern rivers.

Today I'm in Hannibal, MO, home of numerous Mark Twain memorabilia. I'm in the city marina, which has some unattended boats, but I've seen no people there all day. The whole town is rather unpopulated compared to summer-tourist times. The 2 days from Alton to Hannibal have been at the breakneck speed of 4.5 to 5 mph! So I'm now travelling nearly twice as fast as I did from Cairo to Alton.

All this change in current, of course, a result of the 29 locks and dams between Alto and St. Paul. They compress the Mississippi into "pools" where the current is minimal, about 1/2 mph this time of year. I've been through three locks, without benefit of the floating bollards used farther South. Now when I enter the lock, an attendant drops a line to me, which I wrap around a cleat on the top of my boat, about half way from bow to stern. As the water rises in the locks, I have to continually take up the slack in this line, or the HUCK will drift away from the wall, and come slamming back in. It's a little tricky with only myself on board, but so far, no problem.
Here's a shot of the helm station of the HUCK, where I've spent nearly 40 continuous days. Just some of the basic equipment I use: GPS (for speed over ground), depth sounder, VHF radio (mostly for talking to tug captains), radar (for emergency use in dark or fog), autopilot--the HUCK can "steer herself" on a compass course. But the captain has to provide continuous corrections due to bends in the river which the compass can't see. Still, the autopilot gives me short breaks to take care of numerous brief tasks on board.
Also on board there's hot and cold water, a shower, stereo for CD's and radio, stovetop and oven, microwave, refrigerator and 100 gallons capacity fresh water. The engine is a Perkins 3 cylinder diesel providing a maximum of 20 horsepower. I consume between 5 to 10 gallons of fuel per day, depending on how hard I'm pushing the boat.

Tomorrow AM, at first light, I head for Lock 21. I plan to meet my brother, Roger, in Dubuque on Sept. 20. He'll probably hop off at LaCrosse. After that I have no applications for crew, but I'm accepting them gladly. It looks like I should be able to make it to St. Paul by or on the last day of September. Everybody I talk to about the trip says I'm "going the wrong way". Most long haul pleasure boaters are heading south, escaping the northern frost.


Well, I have just a couple of hours left to buy some mementos from the gift shops. I'm definitely interested in Huck Finn stuff for the boat!

Regards and so long till the next Wi-Fi connection. Captain Brion