We were up and out by 8:00 from IVY. Beardstown is one of the last remaining areas to finally come down from the red stage in the flood zone. We headed south once again passing more barges and their tows. I find it nerve racking when I see these huge tows carrying 12 plus barges. It’s like driving by for over a minute of 15 feet high metal walls. It’s freaky. I don’t think I will get used to it at all. We did see some interesting flood remnants with literally trees in strange areas. We were referring to the movie MUDD where the setting is on the Mississippi. If you’ve seen it remember the boat in the tree? Well, we get it now. The floods waters really do get that high. With a constant vigilance watching for logs and debris the day has been uneventful. Oh, I forgot about the heat. It’s getting really hot now. The sun feels like it burns when it touches your skin. You are always looking for shade or a long sleeve shirt. Sunscreen is a must first thing when you step outside in the morning. The reflection from the water is intense. The current isn’t even close to the Niagara River, as we know that area, but it is strong. It still stinks here because of the water. A constant fish stench. Sorry to the folks who may read this and are from here. We are a bunch of Citiots who have taken fresh water for granted being we live near the Great Lakes. I get why everyone is so protective of our fresh water. Never will I again take those 5 lakes for granted again. So we were going to stay at a possible stop near Beardstown where a tug company rents space for transients on one of its barges near town. “Jeff” from Logsdon stated that just a few days ago a working tug trying to make the corner hit in the very spot where they allow transients to tie for the night. It had never happened before but now he lets all his possible transients know. We decided to anchor down a bit further in Bass Bay. With the water heights so high it wouldn’t be a problem to find a good hold. So now we are here waiting for the forecasted 100 percent chance of rain. I think they may be wrong again because we have a bit of cloud and sun now. An hour ago it had an ambience of dark cloud cover and rain. Thunderstorms and 10 mm of rain are expected but I think we have dodged that one. I was hoping to be anchored before it started. Now we are kicking ourselves for not going the next 60 miles and 3 more hours to Grafton. I think it will be an early to bed and movie night.
