Saturday, September 23 - Alton, IL

Saturday, September 23 - Alton, IL

Alton, our next destination, was only 20 miles from Grafton, so we took it easy and said goodbye to Grafton about 11:30, our first day cruising the Mississippi.

This is the Great River Road, a national scenic highway, that runs along the river.  The bluffs were pretty, quite a change from the flat country we have been traveling through.

 

The Missouri and Mississippi rivers converge just before Alton, and the river gets even wider!

Danny spotted a beaver hut, the first sign of beaver activity in a long time.

Pretty houses and high bluffs as we approach Alton, and the striking bridge.

Three large holes in the side of the hill, pretty houses on the bluff, and one large plant greeted us at the edge of town.

This is Argosy Casino, built on a ship due to gambling laws, maybe?  It was not attractive from the water.

Alton Marina was directly underneath the bridge and our slip was on the corner closest to the highway.  The noise was not bad at all.  The high seawell kept the marina calm, but it Lao blocked my view of the river.  We chose an uncovered slip so we could have a shot at getting TV to watch the Georgia football game.  And it worked!  We got to watch a great game and celebrate a victory.  (31-3, UGA over Mississippi State.)

There was a rally of what we call cigarette boats at the Marina.  Lots of noise and excitement

To celebrate, we packed an ice chest and headed for the pool.  There were lots of friendly folks there and we spent a pleasant hour or so hanging out.  (The pool water was very cold, so I only made it in as far as the steps.)

First sunset in Alton.

Night Views.