Days 36 & 37 - Into Illinois
And my week in review
Before I get started on today, here’s a couple of photos of me inside of Lock #6 a few days back. Wow, I look tiny! Thank you to Jeremy and son and dog for the photos!
Day 36: Guttenberg, IA → Hurricane/Bell Island
Date: August 13th, 2022
URM 616 → URM 599
Distance today: 17 miles
River Time: 4.5 hours
Countdown to St. Louis: 419 miles
Today I got a nice and leisurely start, which was extremely necessary. I’ve been going pretty hard the last few days. I was planning to be on the water at 10 a.m., but that got pushed back a bit by the rain, and by a towboat using the lock. No big deal.
When I got out on the water, I passed the tow as it was emerging northbound. Immediately after, I locked through at Lock #10. Here are some photos from that! Photos by Dan and Deena — thanks guys!
Once downstream of the lock, I was met with stiff headwinds and an abundance of motor boats. Holy cow, there were so many of them on the water today! I guess that’s what a weekend will bring. Well, luckily one of those things turned in my favor: the headwinds let up significantly. I was planning on a 7-mile day, but since the winds were so much more favorable than forecast, I ended up carrying onward!
I’m glad I did, because no sooner than I did so, I met a fellow paddler, Bart. It’s always nice to see another paddler on the water because we are so few and far between. I would guess on average I see 200 motor boats for every paddler I see. Maybe more on weekends. Bart was familiar with the area and gave me the campsite recommendation of Bell Island, which was the ideal amount of miles that I wanted to make. Thanks, Bart!
I passed the small town of Cassville, WI, and saw the ferry service they have in operation there, which loads up and takes cars across the River on a barge. The reason being is that there is a large gap in bridges between the Prairie du Chien bridge and the Dubuque bridge. Around that area I also saw a cruise ship go by: Twilight. These cruise ships will only get larger, especially after St. Louis.
Once I got past Cassville, there was a distinct lack of sandbars, so I was glad I had a pro-tip of where good camping was. I made my way through the Jack Oak backchannel, hoping to avoid some motor boat wake, but to no avail, as they were thick back in there as well. I carried on in the humidity until I reached Bell Island. My map calls it Hurricane Island, so I’ll call it both.
There was certainly sand here, but none of it flat, so I got to work building a little sand trough so hopefully I could sleep a little flatter. It worked to a certain extent — it’s definitely flatter than it was previously!
At camp, I made myself a nutritious supper of broccoli, potatoes, and sardines, sautéed in the cast iron. Yum! Pretty soon after, I called it a night, in preparation of a big day of paddling tomorrow.
Day 37: Hurricane/Bell Island → Island 241 aka Bellevue Beach
Date: August 14th, 2022
URM 599 → URM 562
Distance today: 37 miles
River Time: 11 hours
Countdown to St. Louis: 382 miles
I got an early start today, I had an ambitious goal of 37 miles today, because I knew the winds would be at my back mostly. Best to take advantage when you have it!
My first destination was Lock #11, which was 16 miles downstream. On my way down I encountered a legitimate, large-scale dredging operation. Present was one of the largest (if not the largest) Upper Mississippi River tows, which is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District. It’s obvious when a boat is a Corps boat, as they have the distinctive tan paint. This one was named the General Warren, and it was pushing a housing quarters. When operations this big take place, a large crew lives on the water for days.
I went through Lock #11 without a hitch, and even got to walk up the ladder to see what the lock technicians see. It was a cool experience. Here’s what my canoe looks like from up there:
Into Illinois
Very soon after Lock #11, I was at Dubuque, IA. On the other side of the River, Wisconsin gave way to Illinois. I’m at URM 581, which means I will have Illinois on my left hand side for the next 581 miles, until I arrive at the confluence of the Ohio River. Illinois is a long state!
I paddled on and on, for 21 miles after lunch. It was a long day, but I arrived at a gorgeous sandbar, reminiscent of those near and dear to my heart on the Lower Mississippi River.
There were numerous motor boats all moored here when I arrived, but they all scattered, probably to get to work on Monday. Which means I have this lovely spot all to myself for the night.
Weekly Summary
I thought I’d do a look back at the week, because sometimes it’s easier to see the progress when it’s stretched out to a week. Paddling 20-30 miles a day can seem like a drop in the bucket when I zoom out my map, but multiply that by 7 and it’s more obvious that work is being done!
I woke up last Monday, August 7th, in Wabasha, MN. Now I find myself just north of Lock #12 near Bellevue, IA. Here’s the weekly progress report:
Start Point: Wabasha, Minnesota
End Point: Island 241 aka Bellevue Beach, 5 miles north of Bellevue, IA
Starting River Mile: URM 761
Ending River Mile: 562
Total Mileage: 199
Highlights/Milestones:
Passing into Iowa
Coffee at Lansing, IA
Paddling under the light of the supermoon
River Angel stay in Guttenberg, IA
Locking through Locks #5A to #11
Passing into Illinois
River Log Day 36
615-609: Immediately following Lock #10, there are many good sites. The highlight being LBD at mile 611. Very spacious site, be ready to have neighbors if it is a weekend.
No good sites for ~10 miles following this.
599 - Hurricane/Bell Island: LBD. First viable site downstream of Cassville, WI. Thin sandbar, not too flat, but doable.
River Log Day 37
Nothing good after Hurricane Island until Lock #11.
581.5 - Miller Riverview Park: RBD paid campground right on the water in the City of Dubuque, IA. Immediately following Lock #11. Only real camping option directly after the lock. Lots of RVs.
574.5 9-Mile Island: At the head of the island, there is good sandbar camping.
564 - Hale Island N. : Good sandbar camping at head of the island.
562 - Island 241 aka Bellevue Beach: LBD. Best sandbar in the area, but favorite local spot as well. Spacious and good access. Be ready for neighbors on a weekend.
In the second photo in this entry, at Lock #10, I see you are wearing your U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wide-brim Ranger hat. Is that so the lock operators recognize you as "one of them" to get that extra bit of service? :)
Papa Canot