Sat. Sept 24, 2022.
We arrived 8 miles later at the La Grange Lock after 1 1/2 hrs going at idle speed in very dense fog. At 8: 22 a.m…we arrived at the lock. It was a great drill of instrument reading for me. We could not see anything until the Lock! Much worse than the photo! Six of us pleasure crafts were together. When we arrived – we were put in “time-out” to anchor indefinitely. It was crazy for all us. 8 hours later – did I say eight hours later…we finally were locked through in 25 minutes. A barge takes 2 hours!
All the locks on the Illinois River are behind you. There are 2 locks on the Mississippi River between Alton, Illinois and St. Louis. Then no locks until you get to the Tennessee River upstream from Paducah, KY. You are traveling with the current all the way to Cairo, Illinois. The Mississippi River is much wider than the Illinois River. Enjoy
Thank you.. Appreciate the information. We need a little lock break. Looking forward to the infamous Mississippi and into St. Louis to Alton Marina. Planning to visit the Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion and Fast Eddie’s Restaurant.
Wow tough day- fog and instruments only to eight hours of waiting!
It was a test of patience. We didn’t know how long the lockmaster would keep us waiting. 8 hours is unusually long!