A Mississippi River
Institution - Hoppies
From the early days
planning this trip we have heard stories about Hoppies “Marina” on the
Mississippi River. It is located south
of St Louis on the river below the tiny town of Kimmswick, MO. To get there we navigated
the last two locks on the Mississippi River – one at each end of the chain of
rocks canal also passing the confluence of the Missouri and the
Mississippi. Then we floated by the Arch
in downtown St Louis while dodging barges staging for trips up or down the
river. From this point south the barges
can be configured with larger loads than the 15 (3 by 5) loads which fit the
locks up river. A lot of this “re” and “un” packing occurs in the St Louis area
making for a busy stretch of river.
Sadly, St Louis does not have any pleasure boat marinas or even any
place for cruisers or boaters to stop and enjoy the city. Visits here are conducted from Alton or
Hoppies.
We pulled into the
famous riverside Hoppies marina about 1 in the afternoon – making 11 MPH on the
river after the last lock due to the strong river current in our favor. Hoppies is a unique marina with a long
history of serving river traffic. The
current establishment is run by “Dame” Fern Hopkins and consists of multiple
barges tied to the bank while floating on the river offering fuel, electric
hook ups, and places to tie away from the passing barges. Truthfully the
amenities are basic, thin, and rustic, but this is the last marina for 250
miles heading down river. Fern is famous for her nightly briefings where we listened and took notes on her advice for the
suitable anchorages and conditions we could expect down river. She has lived here her whole life and keeps a
close eye on the water using her network of guests and tow operator friends to
provide up to date information on water levels, current, and obstacles. For us
the news was not good as water levels are currently low, so we planned a few
long days to get to the lakes. Complicating our trip will be several lock
closures so stay tuned to find out how long it takes us to pop out on the other
side…..
Rustic but functional and full of fun friends
From Hoppies docks,
there is a ramp and steep hill to climb and a short walk into the town of
Kimmswick. This town is also interesting and a huge tourist draw. The community dates back to before the Civil
War and owes its revival to the patronage of Lucianna Gladney Ross an heir to
the 7UP Company. She had spent time in her youth in the area and began
revitalization in the late 70s. Today there is a vibrant community of shops and
restaurants housed in 44 historic buildings.
We enjoyed lunch at the Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery famous for its
Levee-High Caramel Apple Pecan Pie – the pictures and Steve’s smile say it all.
Even he had to bring leftovers home. We were disappointed to miss the Thursday
tour of the Anheuser estate next to the marina but did enjoy their horses used
for therapy and a view of the house from the river.
After a couple nights in
Hoppies and fortified with brunch at the Blue Owl, we reluctantly unhooked the power cord – our friend in the days of 90+
degrees – and headed down river in a convoy of fellow loopers hoping for cooler weather and swift currents.
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