GLORY DAYS ON THE GREAT LOOP: FERN HOPKINS, LIVING LEGEND (AMONG LOOPERS)

DAY 105 FRI. ALTON TO “HOPPIES” (KIMSSWICK, MO)
M FOG COOL PM CLOUDY COOL
DEP. ALTON 06:50 ARR. HOPPIES 11:50
D. 44.4 / 2080.4

The fog lifted enough to get under way just before 7:AM. We called the Melvin Price lock and Go Forth was already there, but they held it for us so there was no waiting. We even got to use the commercial or Main side (this lock has a separate chamber for rec. vessels). From the lock we enter the “Chain of Rocks Canal,” which sounds more ominous than it really is. From the canal we enter the “Chain of Rocks Lock, then re-enter the Miss. River, and soon pass the famous St. Louis Arch. From the water, St. Louis is a very industrial dirty city. We are doing 9.4 smph thru the water, but 13.2 smph over the ground. That equates to a 3.6 smph current giving us a terrific boost in speed. We docked at Hoppies following Fern’s instructions, and were rewarded with a “well done.” Hoppies is named for its owner, Fern Hopkins. She is a cruising legend, 80 years old and holding daily training sessions for customers on how to deal with the Mississippi River. At 1:15 we walked a short distance to the Blue Owl Restaurant, another famous place in the tiny town of Kimsswick, MO. With nothing around for miles it was hard to believe the place was packed, until we saw the attraction. They are known for their desserts, especially their pies which are always fresh and homemade.
At 4:30 Fern held her training session. She told us about areas of extreme turbulence where your boat will “dance.” When we experienced this I dubbed it the “Mississippi Mambo.” You have to hold on to the wheel and power thru as the boat wants to turn sideways to the current, and twist in the eddies. Its something you have to experience to really understand. Unfortunately, we have 3 such experiences ahead of us. Another point she made is to meet tows in the straight-aways, not on curves as the tugs prop wash will blow you into a bank. I wish I knew about all this before we started this trip!