Re: Mississippi River

I sail often in a 15 ft. dinghy on the Mississippi above Alton, IL.  From Alton north the river is constrained by a number of dams and during the summer the current is low.  During the spring it can be as high as 6 knots which makes it difficult to maneuver.  The channel is kept at 9 ft. but that leaves a lot more of the river that can be less.  The tow boats are not too much of a problem.  They are constrained to the channel which is clearly marked with red and green bouys and that leaves a lot of river for you to maneuver in.  The water is nearly clear and good for swimming in as long as you trail a rope or are drifting with the current.

Below Alton is another matter.  The Missouri river flows in just above St. Louis carrying a lot of water and silt.  This increases the current and muddies up the water.  Also, there are no more dams to control the current.  People who do take the trip to the gulf only go as far as Cairo where they then travel up the Ohio to Kentucky Lake.  From there the then travel down the Ten-Tom Waterway to the gulf.  Below the Ohio river the Mississippi is mostly a wide straight ditch with a lot of barge traffic.


Jeff S.

Steven Alm wrote:

Hey Rod and Mary,

Have you ever taken a trip down the river?  Mary Ann and I have always
fantasized about a Mississippi voyage.  Do you think this would be doable on
an R22?  There's lots of towns along the way to stop and visit and you could
beach almost anywhere.  It's a commercial waterway and so it's main channel
is maintained at a 12 foot minimum.   We'd go down but not back up.  We'd
have to arrange someone to meet us with a trailer somewhere downstream.  One
downside is that I wouldn't really want to swim in it.  Any thoughts anyone?

Huckleberry Slim
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