Chicago to St Louis run 5/4-5/5 Great Loop Run

[Omg8]

Alton will be under water, almost historic flooding going on. I dont know if you will be able to acess any ramps

 

[jcyamaharider]

I have surfed the Mississippi river in very high flood stages so I am a little crazy...... but ( and with all due respect ) you all are VERY CRAZY. No way in hell I would be out there right now.

 

[jcyamaharider]

Historic crests. This would take the #5 spot.

 

[Wisefam22]

See I would argue that these water levels make it more memorable.

Dang kids end of season ball tournaments this weekend :/

 

[bronze_10]

@Nickp98 if you are still planning the run, Alton may not be an option anymore. Getting the boat out of the water over there would be possible but getting there is going to be tricky as Grafton just stopped dispensing fuel today. They are bracing for another 5ft of water and they are already in trouble.
Here is what I figured out so far:
The ski locker can take six 5gal jugs, I have a partially air inflated ballast bag securing the load up front.
I have two more jugs in wet comps, will need to secure those with bumpers and ratchets.
That's about it, might extend our range to 120-150miles? depending on conditions.
View attachment 93151
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Here are some pics from today, add 4-6ft of water on top of it by Sun...
Grafton Oyster Bar parking lot
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Grafton ramp (by the light house)...
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We will probably pull out off on a regular street if we get to Grafton or Alton. Those become "ramps" essentially. Learned this from locals here, it works okay.

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Do you worry about fume build up?

 

[swatski]

Do you worry about fume build up?

Yes. I’ve been checking through the night, with outside temps kind of low there is no issues.In the boat, I could not smell anything under the cover. Inside the truck I could smell gas and had to keep windows open but some of the new ones I have not used before leaked - i would not want to be doing this on a regular basis.

I checked all the cans for leaks at the spout and the vent, glad I did as 5 out of 8 had some leakage, and needed to be reset and resealed.

Hope this going not to be an issue.
Ski locker is not sealed. The jugs are secured about as tight as can be.


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[jcyamaharider]

I have seen channel markers go underwater for 20-30 minutes at a time and then pop up for a quick 10 seconds then go back under. Guessing where these are is not a game I would like to play.

This will defiantly be a trip to talk about for a life time after it is done. There will be some " character building" going on...LOL

 

[swatski]

Do you worry about fume build up?

Also, as far as fuel management this trip is kind of a “dress rehearsal” for us. Our Lake Powell trip later this summer will not enjoy the benefit of having a chase vehicle/ground support crew following us. So, I'm curious about pushing the real life range.

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[swatski]

I have seen channel markers go underwater for 20-30 minutes at a time and then pop up for a quick 10 seconds then go back under. Guessing where these are is not a game I would like to play.

This will defiantly be a trip to talk about for a life time after it is done. There will be some " character building" going on...LOL

Apparently, USACE is also planting a new variety of channel markers in some places.
Why are those black?


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[Mainah]

Apparently, USACE is also planting a new variety of channel markers in some places.
Why are those black?
View attachment 93182

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If we run into one of those you won’t need to worry about recovering from an injury as even dental records won’t be enough to identify who is who.

 

[jcyamaharider]

When you guys get close to St.louis I want to try and meet up if at all possible. I would have an hour and a half drive to get there so I would need some notice.

 

[Betik]

there is something fundamentally wrong with all of us, but I see that more like a asset rather than deterrent

 

[swatski]

there is something fundamentally wrong with all of us, but I see that more like a asset rather than deterrent

What can I say. We have the trip timing thing figured out real well...

 

[robert843]

For those interested in follow along here is my inreach tracking link it should go live early Saturday morning.

Great Loop Chicago

 

[Wisefam22]

I was hoping we would have a 24hr Facebook live feed..

 

[swatski]

For those interested in follow along here is my inreach tracking link it should go live early Saturday morning.

Great Loop Chicago

Don’t forget to put it in “Hell or High Water” mode.

Or it may not work.
(Just kidding. Kind of.)

Seriously. This is shaping to be once in a lifetime kind of a deal we have been waiting for... !!! Right?

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[Mainah]

I am excited for the trip, folks, and to unplug. With Robert having the delorme set up you all may just have to track us and wait to hear about it next week unless Betik gets bored in the truck. I sure it will be fun reading analysis of the tracking later on.

 

[Wisefam22]

I hope @robert843 Has been doing a prep video for this and will release a YouTube video of this experience as well.

 

[Nickp98]

Ok so it sounds like most of us are still doing this trip, right? Are we planning on stopping in Peoria for the night? I have a chase vehicle following me down but won’t be coming south until Sunday so we will probably have to find a ramp somewhere north of Alton.

 

[swatski]

Ok so it sounds like most of us are still doing this trip, right? Are we planning on stopping in Peoria for the night? I have a chase vehicle following me down but won’t be coming south until Sunday so we will probably have to find a ramp somewhere north of Alton.

Yes, that's the plan...
When I was on the phone earlier today, the lockmaster at Brandon actually chuckled and then laughed - at the idea someone would want to be on the river. But the locks apparently still are (have been) working.
We may want to switch to a PM/text tomorrow. We have a slip confirmed at Burnham Harbor for tomorrow.

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