Thursday, October 9, 2008 - 6:45 am

Mark and Gale were up early taking care of some chores in the engine room this morning. After completing their tasks, they took the dinghy out to do some fishing. The skies were bright and sunny and it felt like it was going to be a warm day. They didn't catch any fish, but they enjoyed their time on the water. We pulled anchor about 11 am and continued our southbound journey towing the dinghy behind the boat. While waiting to lock through one of the locks, Gale, who was piloting at the time, had to put the boat in reverse. We heard an unusual noise and realized the dinghy line had been cut. Fortunately, we were able to catch the bowline on the dinghy before it floated too far away and secure her to Adventure once again.

The afternoon warmed up into the 80's and we spent as much of our time outside as possible. We came into the marina at Alton, Illinois, just above Lock 26 and a short jaunt north of St. Louis, before 5 pm. After pumping out, we took an outside slip and had a great view of the highway bridge. Diane made margaritas and we enjoyed our drinks on the upper aft deck of the boat. After freshening our drinks, we walked the docks. Gale had spotted some "Loopers" when we came in and was interested in talking to them to hear where they've been and where they're headed. One couple was from McHenry, Illinois, and the other was from North Carolina.

After happy hour, we called the local grocery store and asked them to send their courtesy car to pick us up so we could gather a few provisions. Ian, a high school senior, was our man and he was good enough to run us back and forth, help carry the groceries into the boat and then deliver us to "Fast Eddie's Bon Air," a fun bar & grill, with a large open area and a live band. After consuming some chicken wings, beef kabobs and a few cocktails, Mark called Ian who was more than happy to pick us up and take us back to the boat. Ian was feeling pretty lucky that he had been working at the grocery store that night as Mark is a very generous tipper!