Alton, IL to Anchorage at Little Diversion Channel, MO

It was a LONG 150 miles along the Mississippi to our anchorage.

As there are virtually no marinas along this route of the Mississippi, we opt to make the most of the sunny day and push ourselves to the safe anchorage just outside of the city of Cape Girardeau, MO.

We leave Alton behind early, at 7 am.

Before we leave, we call the lock, which is located immediately past Alton. As the current is swift, it is not an ideal location to float holding position or to anchor while awaiting the opening. Receiving the green light from the safety of our slip, is the best way to approach this lock.

We pass under the Clark Bridge one last time and make our way into the lock chamber.

We enter the chamber of the Melvin Price Lock and Dam.

The usual lift of this lock is 15 feet. Today, since the Mississippi is in flood stage, the drop is maybe a foot, almost even with the pool stage upstream. It was a quick lock through! Usually, our rear view, on the way out of a lock, is a large gate door. Today, we still see the city of Alton.

Our next lock of the day is at the Chain of Rocks. It is very important to read and follow this ONE river sign!

The red circle is the dam. As the lock is usually connected to the Dam, it would seem reasonable to navigate towards the dam. But at this particular lock and dam, the lock is miles away from the dam, lying at the southern end of the Chain of Rocks Canal. It is very important to heed the arrow on the sign, and most mariners do. The unfortunate ones missing the signage and disregarding their charts, don’t fare too well. Boats have been lost and lives endangered to those making the wrong turn.

We follow the arrow and take the Chain of Rocks Canal, bypassing the Chain of Rocks area of the Mississippi River.

The Chain of Rocks is a portion of the Mississippi River that is unnavigable due to the exposure of bedrock, which creates a river wide set of whitewater rapids. Not only is this area filled with submerged rocks, but also is home to many concrete hazards and construction rebar. The corresponding dam, along this portion of the river, is a low head dam. This type of dam spans the river but allows water to flow continuously over the top from bank to bank. Although the white water rapids may appeal to kayakers and other recreationalists, it is highly discouraged for anyone to navigate these waters, with or without a boat. Besides the rocks and debris, the dam itself also presents a danger and is called a “drowning machine” as its turbulent currents provide no escape.

We cruise down the 8.4 mile man-made Chain of Rocks Canal, purposely built for vessels to bypass the treacherous portion of the Mississippi. Luckily, we do not encounter any barges along the canal, as it is quite narrow. Situated at the end of the canal, is the lock. The usual lift is 15 ft. Today we are lowered much less.

The Chain of Rocks Lock, also known as Lock 27, moves more cargo than any other structure on the Mississippi River. It is also the southernmost lock on the Mississippi. We are now done with locks…on the Mississippi that is.

We see St. Louis ahead. The riverfront is very commercialized and barges are everywhere.

We pass in front of the famous Gateway Arch. We are able to snap a screenshot of ourselves from the St. Louis earthcam live webcam!

The Gateway Arch is 630 ft. tall and is the world’s tallest arch. Made of stainless steel, it is a monument to the westward expansion of the United State. The arch was completed in 1965 at the cost of $13 million.

Given the size of St. Louis, one would think a marina would be nearby so boaters can stop to visit and explore the city. Unfortunately, there is not. The closest marina is the one we just left at Alton. With its very industrialized riverfront, St. Louis offers no transient day docks or even a waterfront restaurant/bar to tie alongside. Therefore, our St. Louis experience will truly be just a “sightseeing” encounter. We will only experience St. Louis from what we see aboard Prime 11.

We pass another St. Louis bound “sightseeing” cruise. This time it is the Viking River Boat. This river boat holds 386 guests, with every guest room having an outside veranda. This particular cruise is from New Orleans to St. Louis, MO ( ending not at St. Louis, but actually Alton, IL, about 26 miles away). For passage on the 15 day Mississippi journey, it will set your wallet back $9,000 pp.

Once past St. Louis and the industrialized area, we observe some beautiful houses perched on the cliffs in the town of Pevely, MO.

Besides sightseeing the massive Gateway Arch, the spectacular homes and the stately Viking riverboat, we constantly are sightseeing for debris.

No binoculars needed to catch these logs.

Besides the debris, the barges also presented some challenges. As the river current downstream is strong as a result of the flooding, those tows heading upstream are “full steam ahead” pushing their cargo along. This creates large wake for the innocent pleasure boater on a leisurely cruise. Of course, we don’t see many pleasure cruisers out today…I wonder why? 🤔