A busy day on the Mississippi

Kathleen on deck again today...I keep thinking we're going to run out of interesting things to post about but not today! We had a busy day traveling from Alma, WI to Latsch Island which is in the Mississippi and connected to Winona, MN and Buffalo, WI by bridges.  

Getting to Latsch required us to pass through three locks - 4, 5 and 5A. We easily passed through lock 4 just after we left Alma and Lock 5 around lunchtime. Here I am at the helm floating through Lock 4.

Lock 5A was a different story. My first question today was, "why 5A?"!  It turns out that the Army Corps of Engineers set up their Upper Mississippi lock and dams numbered sequentially 1-10 and then realized they needed an additional lock between 5 and 6.  Since they chose not to renumber (costs a lot to re-sign?) they named this new lock 5A.  Which brought up my second question - do we call it 5A or 5-alpha?  (we did both on the radio).

We got to lock 5A just as a tug with 3x3 barges was coming into the lock through the downriver gate and we ended up waiting upriver for 1.25 hours for the tug/barge behemoth to get into the lock which it filled COMPLETELY and then to move it out of the lock once the lock was flooded and the upriver gates were open.  We locked down with a canoe that we have been encountering since we got to Alma yesterday.  Here's a picture of the two men and their dog.  Note the deer antlers in the bow and the blue and white sail that is down in this picture:

We passed them again earlier today on the river as they were being detained by the DNR.  It turns out that you don't have to have a permit for deer antlers attached to a canoe unless they are attached to a deer skull and then attached to the canoe, as these apparently were.  The DNR issued a permit and they were on their merry way.  These guys started at the Mississippi headwaters in Itasca MN and are canoeing the entire upper Mississippi through the length of Iowa. We learned this after they caught up with us and we sat chatting and waiting for the lock to open. 

After lock 5A, it was a short 30 minute drive to our slip on Latsch Island.  We are in a lovely marina once again but all of our encounters over these past three days passing active working boaters and watching numerous people launching and retrieving their boats has led to my third question of the day: Are we the only boaters that wear PFD's? (That question remains unanswered, but I'm leaning towards yes.)

The river was so peaceful today. The winds have died down, the leaves on the high bluffs on both sides of the river are starting to turn fall colors.  So much of the river today was surrounded by wide wetlands which gave us many bird calls and sightings of bald eagles just hanging by the river watching for fish.  These wetlands are part of a pretty large National Wildlife Refuge that Latsch Island is a part of.  So we capped off our day with a walk through a tiny portion of it.  We plan to pull out the folding bikes for the first time on the trip to explore Winona, which neither of us has visited and hang out here for an additional night.

Musings on Day 3 of our Mississippi River Leg

Kathleen, here, chiming in. I woke this morning in our spacious v-berth and my first thought was, “I’m one of those crazy people that lives in a tiny house, only it’s crazier because my home is floating.” This was brought on by the fact that we’ve been so excited to get off the boat and see things at the start of the loop that I hadn’t gotten my STUFF organized. So, I was constantly looking through the same 7 bags but unable to find the things I needed. 

As Tony has said previously, we have about 150 square feet of living space on this boat which includes the storage space for boat necessities like Type I life jackets, boat cushions, dishes, food, etc. in addition to our clothes, instruments, games and whatever else one thinks they need. This is 1/10 the living space of our condo which I already thought was small.

I took some time today to finally “move in” to the space. I’ve organized the few clothes, sundries and books I brought, and everything has a home. I’ve already put a few things in the “I don’t need” pile for our trip home later in the week. Which brings me full circle in thinking, “why on earth do I have a condo full of stuff if what I have on the boat is all I need?!” Like I said, feeling a bit crazy. But it is great to be able to take the time to slow down and be deliberate in our choices of things that will be the most useful, and also in keeping our space free of clutter so we can fully enjoy this incredible experience.

Today’s fun involved a short seven-mile trek downriver from Wabasha, MN to Alma, WI. We hadn’t considered stopping here until our dock neighbors in Pepin suggested that we take a look. We got a late start because we were enjoying relaxing in the cool 66-degree weather now that the heat wave has broken. A few observations from our life on the river so far:  1. I’ve always thought Wisconsin was the prettier state to drive a car through, but from the Mississippi River, the MN bluffs are beautiful and definitely beat the scenery on the WI side. 2. I sure appreciate all the work the Army Corps of Engineers does to keep the channels deep enough to travel through. The sand dunes from the dredging piled just inland of the banks of the river on both sides are mighty! 3. We have people moving stuff along the rivers day and night  to fill our houses.  We see big barges moving along the rivers in the dark without lighted buoys, how scary would that be?! And the trains loaded with cargo blow by the marinas ALL NIGHT LONG.

Wabasha, MN

Today we left Pepin, WI, exited Lake Pepin and traveled 7 miles to Wabasha, MN. At the southern end of Lake Pepin, the Chippewa River is still trying to choke off the Mississippi, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in a constant battle to dredge this section of the river to keep it navigable. We passed two dredges, which are basically backhoes on barges, moved by tugboats. In the picture below, you can also see a bulldozer on the left, which moves the spoils to higher ground. 

Wabasha is the setting for the 1993 movie classic “Grumpy Old Men” and its forgettable sequel “Grumpier Old Men.” The town is very proud of this association, and hosts an annual Grumpy Old Men Festival. Fun fact: No part of either movie was actually filmed here.

Wabasha is also home to the National Eagle Center, a non-profit dedicated to the protection of North American eagles, primarily bald and golden eagles. It is the permanent home to bald eagles from the area that are injured and deemed non-releasable back into the wild due to the extent of their injuries. We toured the center and watched an interesting presentation with one of their winged “ambassadors,” as they are called. Fun fact: the term “hoodwinked” is a word from falconry, where a hood is placed over a bird’s head to trick it into thinking it is nighttime in order to calm it. 

It was another uncomfortably hot day, well into the 90s and humid. We did a fair bit of walking around to see the town, and sought welcome relief in air conditioned spaces, including the eagle center, public library and Herb+Arrow restaurant, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner. The heat is supposed to break tonight when a cold front rolls through.

First stop—Pepin, WI

After leaving Hansen’s Harbor, we made a short, 10-mile run down the lake to Pepin, WI. Fun fact: Mile 770 near here is the widest point on the entire Mississippi River at 2.5 miles across. Another fun fact: Lake Pepin was formed at the end of the last Ice Age, when the Chippewa River dumped so much debris into the Mississippi that it formed a natural dam and backed it up for 22 miles.

Pepin County, WI is the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the setting for her book Little House in the Big Woods. There is a museum in town and a replica of the family cabin on land once owned by the Ingalls. 

Like Lake City, the train runs right through town, and the tracks are about 75 yards from the marina. If you zoom in on the pic below, you can see Dragonfly at the dock through the slats of the moving rail car.

Thanks for all of the wonderful party pics that you’ve shared with us! Here are a couple more that we love!

We’re underway! And our friends and family are the best!!

Shortly after 1:00 PM today, Dragonfly & crew departed from Hansen’s Harbor to start the Great Loop! More than 30 of our dear friends and family drove 1+ hours, got bad directions from Google Maps and braved a heat advisory to see us off. We were so touched by all of you who joined us for the cookout and send off, and by all of the well wishes from those who could not attend. Matt & Carol Green came up from Madison, and the long-distance award goes to Nancy Rydholm, who traveled from Yakima, WA. After final hugs, Danielle and Amy cast off our lines for us, to applause, cheers and waves! Thanks to all who made the start of our adventure so special!!

A surprise visitor, and a family outing!

So we knew that Danielle was coming home from North Carolina to see us off tomorrow, but we were totally surprised when Amy showed up in St. Paul yesterday!! Her first mate job in Maine finished early and she came home to join the send-off celebrations. We loaded up food and final gear and drove down to Lake City for a family outing on Dragonfly. Anchoring off Hok-Si-La beach, we swam, ate lunch, relaxed and swam some more on a hot Sunday.

Dragonfly is loaded and ready!

Three days until we cast off the lines and all of the boat upgrades on the to-do list are complete! Gear is stowed and, except for some food and personal items on departure day, Dragonfly is ready to take us on our journey! Here is a quick photo tour of the boat:

On the bow are the new Mantus anchor mounted on a bow roller, and the spare Danforth anchor and line on the bow pulpit. On the top of the cabin is a grab bar bolted to the mast step, with a line running to the bow pulpit which act as handholds when working on the foredeck.  On the aft end of the grab bar is a pole for the anchor light and AGLCA burgee. All of the dock lines are new and the shore power cable and fenders are clean and bright. Between the cabin top and cockpit you see the new dodger, which has a zip out front window and bug netting.

On the second pic you see the dodger connected to the Bimini top, providing sun protection. There are vinyl side and back panels and bug screens (not shown) which completely enclose the cockpit in bad weather or keep it ventilated. Also visible on the starboard stern rail is our Magma propane grill.

Down below, the dinette is to starboard, between the v-berth (top left) and the head compartment (off-screen right). Under the seat at the bottom right is a large locker where we store our non-perishable foods and galley supplies. Under the forward seat are four, five-gallon water jugs for drinking, cooking and washing dishes.

Under the table is storage for games, musical instruments and toaster oven.

This is our galley, with a 12-volt refrigerator at the bottom left and storage on the bottom right. Our single-burner butane stove is kept out of the way underneath when not in use. On the countertop are a SodaStream, Brita pitcher, dish, utensil and other storage.

We store things wherever we can. There are lockers under every seat and cushion, where tools, spare parts and other supplies are kept. This five-drawer bin is from Menards, and is attached aft of the of galley over the battery compartment. We have a Victron battery monitor that sends  data to our phones and iPads via Bluetooth to manage our electrical use. Dockside power, the 16-amp alternator on the outboard and the 50W solar panel on top of the dodger supply all of our electrical needs.

Here is even more storage, on the door of the head compartment. It’s just a large shoe bag, but it holds a ton of stuff!

There is just enough room to do your business inside the head compartment. We have a C-Head composting toilet, which eliminates the need for a holding tank and pump outs at marina service docks. 

Under the cockpit there is a king-sized berth that we use exclusively for storage. Just under the ladder is our laundry hamper, with a duffel bag on the right. Behind the duffel are two Brompton folding bicycles, extra blankets and the cockpit enclosure side and back panels and screens. Behind the laundry bin are cockpit seat cushions and backrests. To the left is another clothes duffel, a two-person inflatable kayak and paddles, books, knitting supplies and spare parts.

We hope we’re not forgetting anything. So excited to start the trip on Labor Day!!