A little ways down the river, we had to stay left on the river to avoid the Chain of Rocks and go through another lock. The Chain of Rocks is exactly what it sounds like. Any boater does not want to find themselves crossing the chain. This lock is a must for all boats traveling this segment of the river and was a tie up to a floating ballard. This is safer for the boat than we experienced last summer due to the tension and slack in the line being the same all the way up or down the lock. This was an easy tie up, but I had to keep pushing the bow of the boat away from the wall, even with the fenders down, the very front point of the starboard hull kept touching. That is so nerve-wracking, especially when you've done all you can to be sure it doesn't do that. With each lock, our locking strategy changes just a little bit, in hopes of finding what works best for us and the Cartermaran.
I pulled up the webcam for the Gateway Arch so I could see where it was pointed and what the view looked like so I could send it off to Lori for her to help us out by getting the camera footage of us in front of the arch. She said the top of the arch was missing! It was so foggy that it looked like two pillars crookedly extending upward from the ground instead of a full arch. The view of the boats from the camera isn't amazing, but it is still an obligatory photo for loopers!
Once we got close to the Gateway Arch, everyone went out on the deck for selfies with the arch in the background. Lori was on the website for webcam footage. It was a successful photo session on all fronts, despite flying by- traveling 11.7 knots with the help of the current.
Does anyone know about this parking lot? I noticed it and was super curious. It looks random and sketchy for cars to be parked that close to the river!
Barges off to the sides were hauling even more now that we were further south- 72 (9 wide x 8 deep) and 55 (11 wide x 5 deep)- as the width of the river and channel increased. The wide river definitely makes for easier for passing.
Stopped at Hoppies Marina, primarily because it was the closest option to get to Blue Owl Bakery & Restaurant. We saw on a fellow looper's blog that this place has incredible pies and are known, in particular, for their Levee High Caramel Apple Pecan Pies. The name comes from the tall levee that keeps the city safe from the flooding of the Mississippi River. Since Ben and I aren't huge drinkers, we aren't like other loopers who drink their way around the loop. Instead, we like to eat our way though the loop, trying everything, looking for the thing that could be the best ____ we've ever had! Recommendations from our looper books, looper blogs, Google, and Yelp tend to guide us on these stops.
Hoppies Marina is on the Missouri banks of the Mississippi River with a huge current. Due to this, they had us tie up on the port side, even though our initial approach from upriver was starboard. The marina was a floating barge. Nothing fancy or very big. Our looper books explained that we'd always remember this marina because of how different it is than all the others on the Loop.
Ben and my dad stayed on the boat and topped off the Cartermaran with diesel while my mom, the kids, and I walked the half mile into the cutest little city (I'd consider it more of a town)- Kimmswick, Missouri, population 133. We walked along a dirt road before crossing a railroad track and getting onto a 2-lane road, with a narrow shoulder which we used as a sidewalk as we moved single-file down the road.
The city was 4 blocks by 3 blocks and the bakery was on the corner. Given it's name, it was no surprise that the building was blue- with white trim and white porch railings. Surprisingly, the parking lot was packed full with more cars than I bet even exist in Kimmswick. I wasn't expecting it to be this busy, considering it was 1:00 on a Thursday! Walking in, there were people waiting for tables, but since we just wanted to go to the bakery portion, we were able to walk straight back. Michelle was at the counter to greet us, answer all of our questions, ask us questions, chat, and help us with taking the pie home.
The display case had more options than we were prepared for, and we had some tough decisions to make, but knew whatever we agreed on wouldn't let us down. (Hibbeler- you were a voice in my head and I felt honored to buy and eat these for you!) The Levee High Caramel Apple Pecan Pies (Oprah, the Today Show, Forbes, Food Network, and the Wall Street Journal have raved about these as well!) that were displayed didn't look like they had the caramel topping, so we asked about that. Apparently not everyone likes the topping, so they make them bare and then add on the caramel if someone orders it that way- it is easier to put it on than take it off. You know we HAD to have that on top. Unsure of how these sticky things got packed up and how cumbersome/heavy they would be, my mom and I wondered if we should order a whole pie or if we needed to bring it back as slices. Michelle suggested the mini versions of the same thing. Sold!
We wound up with 2 mini Levee High Caramel Apple Pecan Pies, a strawberry rhubarb mini pie, a slice of key lime pie, and a turtle. Thanks, Michelle, for your help!!
On the walk back, we noticed a sign that said "Fred and Mabel Ruth Anheuser Memorial Estate and Museum" and wondered if it was referring to the Anheusers we thought it was. After a little research, turns out it is! It is tucked away in this cute little city and was left to the city after Mabel Ruth passed away. Now, there are tours and it can be rented for events.
We got back on the boat, waited for a barge to pass, and then pushed off the dock- technically we just had to untie and the strong current pulled us back on track, with some steering on Ben's part.
Immediately after leaving, we cut one of the mini pies into 8 pieces. Everyone liked the pie. The thinly sliced apples, just like how Lori makes hers for the holidays, were a hit, but unlike Lori's, these are made with 12+ layers of apples! It was so visually pleasing to see the layers inside once we cut the slices.
Locks today: 2
Locks of the summer: 11
Locks of the loop: 125
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