Mike and Yonetta's Great Loop Adventure: Grafton and Starting the Mississippi

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent at Grafton Harbor preparing for the trip down the Mississippi where we filled with diesel, put up the mast, did laundry, borrowed the car for a grocery run, found a beauty shop, and decided it was time to wash the boat. We left out at dawn this morning not only because of the distance today but we have two locks and the temp is to reach 97 today. We will be at the famous Hoppies this evening which is the last place to get fuel for the next 107 miles and the only marina for the next 228 miles. Our trip began this morning with a beautiful sunrise as we passed by the cliffs of Palisades. Palisades I found out is French origin and means cliff of white rocks. They made for a beautiful start to the day. We then entered the upper Mississippi River at mile 218 where we will travel to mile 0 and once again be on the Ohio River for our last leg of the loop to home. At mile 217.9 we crossed the junction of the Illinois River and the Mississippi. Mile 212 brought the statue of Our Lady of the Rivers Shrine into view. She was built in 1951 after the disastrous flood just stopped short of flooding the village of Portage des Sioux. We have gone through one lock already today and at mile 195.3 we will meet the junction of the Missouri River and the Mississippi. The adventure continues.