Since we updated you one week ago, we have made a tremendous amount of progress…252 nautical miles to be exact! In that span of time, we completed our required portions of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, and touched our 13th state on the Loop.

After a much-needed reset in Alton, Illinois, we set off with a group of nine other Loop boats to make it through the Mel Price and Chain of Rock Locks before passing by The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. Unfortunately, St. Louis has zero places to dock or even anchor your boat in order to check out the city, but the ride past the arch was incredible nonetheless. Despite the amazing amount of commercial traffic in the area, we were able to snag some pictures of our buddy boat, Slacker, then switch spots for them to capture a few of us on Northern Attitude. Luckily, we were blessed with a beautiful blue sky and sunny day! 

Once we were satisfied with our views of the arch, we let the Mississippi River current guide us down to the Jerry F. Costello Lock, where the lock masters are generous enough to let Loopers tie off to the wall for the evening. With low water levels this year, finding viable anchorages has been one of our biggest obstacles, so a night on the wall was definitely welcome. 

Another obstacle coming down the rivers is the dwindling daylight each and every day. The next day, we arose before sunrise to push off the wall at first light. We were met with a small layer of fog over the water, due to cooler air temperatures than the water temperature. What ended up being our second-longest day on the Loop yet in terms of distance (76 nautical miles) was fortunately only a nine-hour day because of the Mississippi’s three-knot current.

The next two nights, we anchored while continuously making our way to Paducah, Kentucky. Upon reaching Paducah, most Loopers let out a sigh of relief from finishing the longest stretch on the entire Loop without a fuel stop, and completing the Ohio River, which is all upstream. We were excited to reach Paducah because Evan’s grandpa resides there, giving us another family member to see along the way. We spent the weekend provisioning in an area that offered just about everything we could need. 

From Paducah, we set off on the Cumberland River, which brought us to Kentucky Lake. Here, we look forward to winding down and slowing our pace for a week or two. With many anchorages in the lake to choose from, we’re in no rush to get through this section. Additionally, there is no rush too far south until hurricane season is officially behind us, which won’t be until mid-November.

Cheers to continuing this ever-changing adventure!