We have arrived in Kimmswick, sorry, Historic Kimmswick! Meeting us on the dock were the relatives: Elizabeth, Jon and Jane Faul ?
Jon greeted us with a much appreciated case of sterno (the jellied gas we use to make coffee and food when we aren't plugged into a power source at the docks)!!
Jane treated us to lunch at the Old House Steak House (also much appreciated!!). I'd recommend the corned beef (since I can't spell "reuben" to save my life).
The guests and crew spent several hours regaling each other with stories old and new, and generally catching up.
The night was peaceful, in the same sense that living near the "L" tracks in Chicago is peaceful. You get used to the rumble and screech of passing trains pretty quickly. How often did the engines pass? As Elwood Blues put it, "So often, you won't even notice it."
Tomorrow we flow onward toward the Cairo, IL area�.
*Note: We are presently a day ahead of schedule and looking to get even further ahead! Updates to the itinerary will be coming soon! If you're on the visit list let us know by signing into the Guest Book on the home page or email or call�.See you soon!!
Day 8: Faith set out from Historic Kimmswick at approximately 7:45 am, with Eric doing his first stint on the tiller during departure. He managed to bravely run the boat directly into the rocks just opposite the dock. This wasn't really his fault, the Miss has a 5 knot current (that's about 6mph for you lubbers) that really moves you once you're free of the dock. Although we'd planned out exactly how to set off and Eric followed our instructions to the letter the River had other ideas�.as is often the case.
Once we'd freed ourselves from the hazards of the near-shore environment we ran 80 miles down river with Eric at the tiller and another 49 under Brian's watchful eye for a grand total of 129 miles! This is our record to date, wooohoooo!
During the run today I updated this log, and Brian and I fixed a broken handrail, caulked a leaky rudder housing, installed another cigarette lighter (for an extra power source in the cabin, I swear�), got the bowlight working again, and generally tried to look like we were actually working (hehehe).
All along this stretch of river are bald eagles, some nesting. The River itself is aswirl with clouds of sediment carried from everywhere in the northern Mississippi Basin (all of the Midwest). If you lean out over the bow and stare at the water you can watch patterns form as though looking down from above on a dark shroud of clouds. Then you have to remember not to zone out and fall in.
Darkness fell a few miles before we reached our anchorage, the sheltering Island of Bumsguard (we named it). Spotlighting for bouys (they come in red and green, one color for each side of the channel, and have big reflectors), we guided ourselves neatly to an anchorage that allowed us to come within a few feet of the bank. Few enough feet, in fact, that I was able to leap from the bowsprit to shore, set the anchor well up on the bank, and swing back to the boat on the jib halyard in true swashbuckling style. Yea!!!
An important note: JAG, the TV show about Naval Lawyers that Brian has worked on for the past 9 years was formally canceled this week. Bad news for the show (sorry guys!! Great run!!) but good news for us as Brian will be able to continue the journey to the end.
We now sit in this warmly comfortable backwater of Southern Illinois enjoying the peace and quiet�..oh, of a barge passing just over on the river�.well, it's still warm and comfortable and is likely to be pretty quiet in a few minutes.
Sleep well and dream dreams of rocking gently in the cradle of the Big River
MMmmmmm�.
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