Had a great day on the dock yesterday talking to all of our dock mates, some local, some Looper. Got to bed early last night and underway at 0700 this morning. Now on the Mississippi River, our speed increased by at least 3 mph once we merged with the Missouri River. We traveled through two locks on the Mississippi River (Mel Price and Chain of Rocks) without waiting. Traveled about 80+ miles today in 8 hours at about 12 mph average and the fuel meter hasn’t moved! My guess is we’re averaging 3 mpg! We’re at a lock and dam off the Mississippi River for tonight. No power, no water. Three other Loopers were already here and helped take our lines. We tied up bow into the current (upstream) and are running the generator.

The Mississippi River has the color of chocolate milk. And about the same consistency as a chocolate milkshake! The boat looks like it’s been in a mud wrestling contest - yuck! There is really nothing scenic about this leg of the trip - St. Louis’s waterfront is not at all attractive. The arch was cool to see but the cityscape is not so much. Everything else is either farmland behind levies or heavy industry with a lot of barge traffic. As a waterway thoroughfare St. Louis was as busy as NY harbor and with the same amount of choppy water. Tow operators were pleasant and courteous.

More later.