As we start a new set of waterways, we also start a new set of learning opportunities. Last week, we left you at the free Peoria city dock, which was a great spot for us to re-provision. With every store you could think of, we made sure to cover it all, from Costco to PetSmart, gearing us up for long days ahead on the inland river systems. 

From Peoria, we made a relatively short jump to Havana, Illinois, which was our first time anchoring in several weeks! One of the small obstacles to overcome in the beginning stages of the rivers is a lack of marinas. Luckily for us, we’re no strangers to anchoring, but for other Loopers who have not had much practice in anchoring overnight, this is a new experience. It felt great being back on the dinghy, which is one of Ripley’s favorite things. 

We actually had some of our YouTube subscribers, Chris and Casey, reach out and invite us to dinner while in Havana. This was especially cool because who would have thought we’d have people following us in even the smallest of towns, such as Havana, with a population of under 3,000. We were spoiled with gifts and a delicious Mexican dinner, which warmed our hearts for the miles to come.

Leaving Havana brought on a long day, which was not in the original plans. Plan A was to cruise to the La Grange lock about 35 miles away and anchor just south of the lock near a sandy beach, which would be perfect for Ripley to use for bathroom breaks. However, after an easy lock-through process, we realized the sandy beach had “No Trespassing” signs, which we remembered reading about on the Great Loop Facebook page to avoid. Instead, we decided to keep moving forward without an exact idea of where we’d anchor for the evening. This ended up taking us another 40 miles south, which meant dropping anchor under the moonlight. Without any marina facilities available, we had to be mindful of a safe anchorage out of the channel and away from any towboat traffic that could be moving in the night. 

Ripley was a massive trooper on that long day, so we decided to keep our Thursday run under 10 miles. It was a nice break before finishing our week in Alton, Illinois. Upon passing Grafton, Illinois, we officially touched the Mississippi River, ending our time on the Illinois River. Reaching the Mississippi was special for us, as this is our “home” waterway. It’s where we grew up boating, just a few hundred miles north. Sadly, the Mississippi River current is one of the strongest, making it nearly impossible for our boat to overcome and visit our hometown. 

We spent the weekend in Alton, where we did a much-needed deep clean on both the inside and outside of the boat. We even stumbled upon a catfish tournament and were absolutely amazed at the size of some at the weigh-in. It was crazy to think those size fish are swimming under our boat as we cruise!

This upcoming week, we will cruise the Mississippi River and hopefully reach Paducah, Kentucky…our 13th state on the Loop!

Cheers to continuing the adventure!