Day 12: Sunday, September 16, 2012

Underway: 7:11 am      Motor Off: 2:40 pm      Miles Traveled: 40      Stayed At: Marina

First Things First: First fresh donuts for breakfast; saw first passenger train; first time someone offered to let us use their car (see Wild Things); first Walmart run of trip; first time buying marina gas (only 20¢ more per gallon); first impromptu marina party.

Mile 405 to Mile 365: Today was a day to meet people and share stories. The day started sunny and cool (46˚) with a light fog coming off the river. We motored a few minutes to Burlington where we stopped to hit the convenience store for coffee, hot chocolate and donuts. Down by the dock we met Bill from “the other side of the tracks”. He was looking at our boat and we started talking. We learned Bill’s life story. He served in the Army in the late 40’s and early 50’s. He made three memorable trips across the North Atlantic on troop transports. On one trip to Korea they delivered a plane load of five gallon jerry cans filled with gas which also served as their chairs on the flight. He got shot at on another visit to the front. One of his brothers was in the Navy and then the Marines for 39 years. Another brother served as a fighter pilot. He lived in California for a while before moving to Burlington, Iowa. He used to walk along the river every day until his hips started giving out. The VA took good care of him when he needed major heart surgery. It sounds like maybe Bill comes from the right side of the tracks.

The day ended as it began with us meeting a bunch of new people with many stories to tell about the river, their lives, and their families. We were having so much fun chatting, laughing and sharing stories that we forgot to have something for dinner. Do a couple of margaritas count for a balanced meal? Thanks Gary, Pauline, Bill, Buddy, Rob, Ann and everyone else we talked with and met. We hope to have many more evenings like this on our adventure.

Wild Things: We motored into the small harbor of the Keokuk Yacht Club and found a place to dock on the end of a long row of covered boat slip where someone getting his boat ready in the next slip helped us get securely docked. Before we knew his name was Gary, he was offering us the use of his truck (a beautiful, white extended cab Ford F150) to make the 2+ mile run to Walmart. Did I mention his name was Gary. We ended up using his truck (with Cindy saying the whole trip “ I can’t believe we’re doing this” and “Be careful – just don’t hit anything”) to make our first Walmart run this trip and, after he and Pauline came back from their boat ride, we sat and had a drink with them dockside. That might have to be the definition of hospitality.

In Passing:  Honeycreek Bar (sounds like a nice place to have a drink), Dollar Island, Bass Run, Money Pocket, TwoMile Island, The Swamps, Dry Creek and Devils Creek.