Bean Branch Creek

October 22, 2016

We woke at 6:30 am to a foggy morning and chilly 41 degree temps. This is a big day for us! We are eager to get off the Mississippi. We're ready to depart at 7:00 but have to wait over an hour for the heavy fog to lift before leaving our private, safe anchorage on Little River Diversion Canal. We needed good visibility to enter the roaring Mississippi which is filled with Tow traffic. Finally, at 8:15, it had cleared enough to leave; or so we thought. Sea Marie left first, then Mucho Gusto, followed by Mystic.

Sea Marie, Mystic & Mucho Gusto
Rafted on the Little Diversion Canal

Waiting for the fog to lift

Leaving Little Diversion Creek Anchorage

I started our navigational program, Open CPN and found that we'd lost everything! The program politely welcomed me as though this was my first time using it. Dave was on deck steering Mystic out of the Canal. I heard the engine slow and yell to him, "What is going on up there?" He tells me we are in a wall of fog again, he can't see 100 feet in any direction. Without Open CPN, we have no way to see where we are, so Dave hangs very close to Mucho Gusto's stern. Henry came on the radio to tell us that we just needed to get to the bridge and the fog would clear. A Tow captain came on next and told us he would wait for us to make it out safely before heading into the fog. So much was going on at once! Dave and Scott were trying to visualize the bridge but couldn't see it. Scott had been keeping a green buoy on his starboard side; essentially going in a circle. Suddenly, Dave realized that were going in the wrong direction. We rotated to put us back on course and carefully inched our way out of the dense fog, greatly relieved to be able to see where we are going again!

It took me two hours to reload all our charts and get our navigation tracker up and running. There may have been some swearing under my breath while I worked but Dave only heard my "YAHOO" when I got it going again. He reminded me of meeting Roger back in Marquette, Michigan. Roger told us that he would get up each morning and wonder what was going to break today! We understand that well!

We arrived at the Olmstead Lock and had to wait for a Tow to slide slowly through in front of us. Water levels on both sides of the lock were nearly equal so we did not "lock" through. Instead, the Lock Master opened the doors and we motored in single file, from one end to the other.

Mucho Gusto follows Tow through Olmstead Lock

Olmsted Lock and Dam

Obey The Rules!

We passed into the Ohio River at 12:45 on Saturday, October 22, elated to be off the Mississippi. Ironically, we would now be fighting a head current of 1-2 mph going up river. At Bean Branch Creek, we anchored in 12 feet of water. We'd traveled 78.9 miles in 10.5 hours. The anchorage was not easy to find in the near total darkness. There are two huge towers directly beside us on land. Funny how the waterway guide does not mention them as landmarks. You can't miss them or the huge Power Plant across the river from us. 

It is quiet and we are exhausted! There will be no rafting tonight. Instead, we are three bobbing boats along the shoreline. The Ohio will rock us to sleep tonight.

Corner of Mississippi and Ohio Rivers

Towers above Bean Branch Creek

River Sunset