Sabula to Davenport, IA

Today we achieved three new milestones: our first 50-mile day on the water; our first covered marina slip; and we finished our first bag of Jolly Ranchers (the best travel candy ever). It was 50.5 miles and 7 hours down to the Quad Cities (Bettendorf & Davenport, IA, Moline & Rock Island, IL), on another day that started out foggy, then turned gorgeous—75F and light south winds. We breezed through Lock 13, but had to wait at Lock 14 for the American Symphony cruise ship to pass through on it’s way back up to St. Paul.

As we turned into our slip at 1700 hours, the Rock Island Army Arsenal across the river began playing Retreat, the traditional bugle call signaling the end of the workday. We both smiled at the coincidence, and pretended that it was for us. We’re docked at the Lindsay Park Yacht Club in Davenport, IA, under a metal roof. Rain is expected overnight, so the cover should be a nice feature. What was unexpected is that we are literally trapped inside the marina. The docks are gated, and we didn’t receive the code we need to get out of or back onto the property. They’re closed on Mondays and the on-duty manager hasn’t gotten back to us yet. Oh well, stuff happens—all part of the adventure! We did find the (unlocked) bathrooms, gas grills and a very nice deck where we cooked supper. After our cribbage game (Kathleen won a close game) we were treated to a lovely sunset.