Train!!

We’ve been on the move for six consecutive days. One reason is that we’ve had excellent weather, and want to take advantage of it. A second reason is getting ahead of the pack of Loopers that are now stacked up on Lake Michigan. Two of the locks on the Illinois River are closed for scheduled maintenance through the end of September. There are at least 175 Looper boats, plus other recreational and commercial vessels that are waiting for the locks to open and we want to be off the Upper Mississippi before this massive flotilla pours in at Grafton, IL.

But being underway requires daily planning and activity and is tiring, so we’ve been looking for a place to take a day off and rest. Burlington, IA looked promising, but the water level was so low in the marina that they couldn’t even accommodate our shallow-draft MacGregor. Our next choice was Fort Madison, IA, 41 miles from our anchorage, and they had room for us. When we arrived, we knew that it wasn’t going to be a place where we would rest. The marina is undergoing a major renovation. The docks are modern and beautiful, but everything else is in the early stages of rebuilding. The only amenity was a Porta-Potti on the build site that was shared with the construction workers. And of course, there were train tracks next to the marina. We accept that the railroad and the river go hand-in-hand, but still haven’t figured out how to sleep through train whistles. What’s worse in Fort Madison is that the tracks curve near  a bridge and the screeching and squealing of the wheels as the trains slow and turn was deafening. The trains also ran so regularly (in both directions) that we were genuinely curious at how they avoid colliding with one another. The combination of train and construction noise was unbearable, and we left first thing this morning.

Fort Madison was a pleasant town otherwise. We took a nice walk along the river and through town and had a fantastic dinner at Simple Table, a Japanese-Colorado fusion restaurant run by a delightful couple. 

We traveled 18 miles downriver to Keokuk, the southernmost city in Iowa and our last stop in this state. We’re on a wall at the Keokuk Yacht Club, which is preparing for a wedding tomorrow morning, so we’ll probably head out for Day 7 in a row. We both got to take a shower and the club is letting us use their washer and dryer, so all is well. The weather continues to be lovely, with 83F and light-to moderate south winds. So far most of the rain we’ve received has fallen at night. Fun fact: Keokuk is mentioned among funny place names by Krusty the Clown in the Simpsons. Other fun fact: There are train tracks next to this marina too!