All systems are go. We plan to depart Polestar Marina, St Charles, MO, around 11:00 this morning,July 22nd. We are doing the last minute cleaning (gotta look good floating down the river), getting fuel, water and a pump out but most important waiting for the FedEx guy to bring us the spare fuel filters we might need on this voyage. Better to wait a couple of hours now than be a couple of days sorry later. Here's the plan for this week (you knew there'd be one):

Tuesday we will travel almost 64 water miles down river, go thru the Melvin Price lock #26, enter the Chain of Rocks Canal and through the Chain of Rocks Lock and Dam #27, past St Louis before docking at Hoppie's Marine in Kimmswick, Mo. Because we are going with the current we hope to get about 12 mph. We had heavy rain last night so the current might actually be stronger. We'll see. And doesn't that whole Chain of Rocks sounds just peachy....I'm more than a little skittish...Floyd on the other hand is grinning from ear to ear and is itching to get started.

Wednesday and Thursday are longer days with no marinas for night docking and very little access to fuel. We plan to spend Wednesday night at the Kaskasjia lock and dam where they say mariners can tie up to a floating guide wall or anchor in a small cove. On Thursday we can get fuel in Cape Girardeau but there is no overnight docking for transients. We