September 22 / Day 124 / Hoppies to Little Diversion Channel / 96.8 NM

We left Hoppies at 7 and the goal was a 110 mile run in daylight.  The trees are just beginning to turn colors.

We had a 4 knot Mississippi current with us and no locks on today's route. We passed (head to head) probably a dozen tows along the day.  We usually reached out to them a couple miles out.  We can see them (including tow name on our GPS).  They respond with "meet you on the 'one whistle' (port to port) or the 'two whistle' (starboard to starboard)". It sounds simple and it is but it's VERY IMPORTANT not to make a mistake here.

Mississippi is very serpentine

Typical tow on the Mississippi

We arrived at our anchorage at the Little Diversion Channel about 4:00.

There were two Looper boats when we arrived and five of us total for the night.  We laid anchor for the first time while on the loop.

Observer at anchor

We are out of the current and there is no wind.  It's a little challenging walking Millie without her getting up to her belly in mud.  About 4:30, I approached Looper Chemistry and we got Millie's friend Tilly and crossed the Mississippi for a dog's version of docktails (they played on the beach in and out of the water) for a great 1/2 hour and really had a great time and cooled off.

Millie and Tilly romping in the river

It was in the 90s and humid back on the boat; we ran the generator through dinner to run the AC and cool off the boat, grilled up a pork tenderloin and goal to bed early for another long travel day tomorrow.