Day 136 Hoppies

We left Alton fairly early with a couple of recently met Loopers. The mighty Mississippi is an industrialized, muddy river loaded with debris and logs. The current is strong and the "tows" are many. You have to pay attention. It's not romantic nor pretty. We passed through St. Louis and saw the arch. Quite a sight. Went by a lot of wing dams (pic 2), which are long piles of rocks that deflects or control the direction of the channel flow. Made it to the famous Hoppies. This marina is a few vintage barges hooked together and attached to land - kind of. There's some sheds, a gas pump and lots of old chairs to sit in and visit with fellow Loopers. It's the last gas stop and dockage for many miles - let's say it has lots of character. Fern and Hoppie are legends along the river. They know it like they know the back of their tan, leathery hands. At 4:30, she gathers her guests and advises everyone on boating updates, where to anchor and how get down the river safely. At dusk, John built another bonfire and we gathered around and ate dinner. Didn't see many tows during the day, but quite a few passing us now - rocking us to sleep.