Saturday, October 15, 2011

Saturday, October 15, 2011

It was really chilly this morning when we got up--low 40's outside and 60 degrees inside.  I was used to turning on the heat if I got up first when we were plugged in to shore power at Sunnyside, but this morning I had to wait an hour for Joe to wake up and turn on the generator. 

Besides being chilly, it was a WINDY day today.  You can see how windy it was by the flags at Lock and Dam 13



and the water as we (cautiously) approached.


See how calm the water is inside the lock...






We managed to make 62 miles today; we went through L&D 13 and 14 and had to wait a bit at both of them for barges.  The railroad swing bridge at Clinton, IA was closed for a while.  And after we found a marina in Le Claire, IA with water deep enough so that we could safely enter, it took Joe three tries to get Paradise wrestled up to the dock because of the wind.  But at least we finally got a pumpout and water so we can continue to spend our nights "on the hook"--for you landlubbers that means we're anchored out in the river instead of in a marina.

Joe went to put on some music and Phil was taking a break, so I was at the helm for a while.  I was really starting to get into it too, and then Joe came back.  Oh well...




In Fulton, IL they have this windmill right on the waterfront; I don't know if it pumps anything or if it's just for looks, but it's cute.







This area of the river is so different than what I'm used to back home.  On the St. Croix and the Mississippi in MN and WI the rivers are bordered by high cliffs and hills.  Yesterday and today we've seen flat areas and many homes along the river that each have their own boat ramp and beach.  At Camanche, IA we saw a number of homes with sea walls.



Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of the commercial fisherman in a small skiff-like boat throwing out his nets, or the duck hunters in their blinds with decoys strong out along the river.  Or the fancy-schmancy fishing boats that went flying by us yesterday near Prairie du Chien for the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit 2011 World Walleye Championship (37 2-man teams competing for $100,000 in prizes!).  And in the last couple of days we went through some parts of the river that Joe estimated were maybe 4 miles wide--how do you photograph that with a camera that cost less than $200? 
I've finally started baking bread again.  I couldn't do it after I broke my leg, and since we moved onto the boat I was putting it off because I've never baked in a propane oven before and this is quite small compared to the big gas oven I had in our house.  Yesterday I made a loaf of 100% whole wheat bread and today I made breadsticks to go with spaghetti.  In both cases the results weren't pretty but they were definitely delicious; and while they weren't burned, I'll have to figure out how to keep things from over-browning on the bottom.  You RVers and other boaters who like to bake and have small propane ovens, do you have any suggestions for me?  I want to keep baking and I have it on good authority from other boaters that home made baked goods can be bartered for things like home made jam and fresh-caught sea food, but I need to make sure my baked goods are worthy of being swapped.


1 comment:

  1. I wonder if a baking stone pan would work? I got a small one from pampered chef. It's made of pizza stone material but shaped like a bar pan. I've only used it once but it made a nice crust on my biscuits.

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