We left the dock at 7 just after the sun came up. It was important to wait until we could see the water clearly because there were a lot of logs, branches, and twigs in the river.

It was clear when we left, but within 30 minutes we hit a wall of fog so thick you could barely see beyond the bow of the boat. Fortunately there was very little boat traffic and we had radar and AIS (a way of seeing and identifying boats) as well as a great horn to warn any boats that might not show up otherwise. It was an interesting 30 minutes of trying to make sure we didn’t hit any debris or anything else. It cleared up then and we thought it would stay clear, but then it came upon us again. This time it lasted more like 20 minutes. It cleared up and then once it again hit, this time for about 10 minutes. Needless to say, the first couple of hours were ones we don’t care to repeat.

When the fog finally lifted for good, this was what we saw.

Along the river you see all kinds of transportation – trains that run right along the river and a riverboat passenger paddleboat.

We pulled into a nice calm channel just off the Mississippi River just before two. There are now 8 boats anchored here! Here’s the view from our back deck. We were able to sit back there for about an hour enjoying a shady late afternoon -until the bugs came out and drove us inside.

Rich grilled pork chops, I made a salad, and then it was time to get ready for another long run tomorrow. We’ve got a routine going now for those days – coffee in insulated mugs, cereal you can eat dry from a baggie while underway, sandwiches and Pringles for lunch, and plenty of water.

And now another sunset, taken from the bow of the boat.