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| 7-
31 -05 |
|
 Our River
Picture of the Day ------
is
of Mel and the girls.
That is "Mel" of Mel's
Riverdock Restaurant in Harden, IL. Mel
served us up some excellent food on Saturday afternoon. It is well worth the
trip up the Illinois River. I know the pork chop that I had for
dinner was huge and smoke to perfection. Thanks for taking care of
us Mel ~ And, thanks to Rene (on left in white visor) and Laura (in
purple) for arranging the trip on Mike "D's cruiser the What
Next .
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| 7-
30 -05 |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------ is of
the River Explorer moored at Grafton, IL last Thursday. sent in
by
Darryll Weil out of Woodland Harbor. Darryll wrote in his e-mail
"
It consists of two giant barges that are basically plush hotels and is pushed by
a regular tow boat. For more info on this vessel go to www.riverbagre.com."
Thanks
Darryll.
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| 7-
29 -05 |
|
The
" Girls of Alton Lake" ----
We have some of the best women in the world boating on Alton Lake and here is
our very own Kelly
T..... posing for you and me right after taking a dip in the
mighty Mississippi.
Photography by Marty Henderson of www.fotou.net
.
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FYI
- Towing Boats in Distress ------ I
received the following e-mail about the US Coast Guard Auxiliary policy
on towing boats in distress and it is being posted for your
information.
--------------Salvors
Business --------------
This should be brought to the attention of all Alton boaters that the USCG
Auxiliary has been asked not to interfere with Salvors Business.
You ask, what is a Salvor? That
is a company that makes a living towing boats in distress.
Distress is defined as needing assistance to return to a safe harbor.
The USCG Auxiliary does Maritime safety and when a call goes out for help they
will respond. As of this writing,
the Auxiliarists are no longer allowed to tow a boat in a non-emergency
situation without first contacting their command who, in turn, contacts a Salvor.
This Salvor has up to an hour to provide assistance.
In the meantime, the Auxiliary is only able to stand by the boat in
distress.
I, for one, would not be happy sitting in a boat, in the sun, and in distress
while having to wait on a Salvor to decide if they will do their job while there
is a boat with trained personnel on scene. Maybe we need to contact our governing officials about the
restrictions placed on the Auxiliary. The
Salvor’s have the ability to hear the distress call at the same time as the
Auxiliary. If Salvors want to
conduct their business they say they are in, they should be ready to respond.
Writer
wishes to remain anonymous
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Con
Trios ~ Shrimp Boil and Beach Party ------ The Con Trios Yacht Club is having their
"Shrimp Boil and Beach Party" on Aug 13 behind the Isle of Two
Branch. Members - check out the flyer on the the Con Trios
web site. The link is in the left hand column of this web page.
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CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE
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Dog
Days Of Summer ------
Here are a couple of pictures of two
more "Real
River Dogs" sent in by Mike Lubiewski. Mike writes that they
are his grand puppies.......There is Sandy , the beagle, on the left and Kelty
on the right. Looks like they are right at home on the river........
Thanks for the pictures Mike !
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Jamaica
Daze 2005 Meeting -----
The next planning meeting for this years Jamaica Daze party is on Aug 3 at the
Sand Bar Restaurant at 6:00 PM..... See you there.
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Weekly Fishing Report ------
Here is the Mississippi River portion of
this weeks Missouri Department Of Conservation's Fishing Report.
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Mississippi (above St. Louis): 86 degrees, low, muddy; channel
catfish fair on prepared baits; all other species slow.
Report made on (7/28/2005)
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To view the complete report
.....click
the "Fishing Report" link in the left hand column of this page.
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| 7-
28 -05 (Afternoon Edition) |
|
Our River
Picture of the Day ------
is of a tug
below Clarksville Dam on the Missouri side of the river that was sent in
by John Thomas, who is in the U.S. Air Force. In his e-mail, John
wrote, " I was recently back home on leave (Pleasant Hill, IL ,
which is near the Clarksville Dam) and I took these pictures. It was
good to get back on the river for a little while ! ".........John also
sent a pic of him fishing
in a slough below the dam and a pic of the lower
side of the dam, probably looking towards Clarksville..
Thanks for sharing your pictures with us John - and thanks for helping to
protect our country !
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The
Sand Bar Restaurant has entertainment Friday and Sunday ---- Check
their website for more detailed information. Click on the Sand Bar
Restaurant link on the right hand side of this web page.
(NOTE:
The 2nd Nature Band is not playing this Saturday as previously show on
RiverBill's ---Sorry for any inconvenience)
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| 7-
27 -05 |
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Dog
Days Of Summer ------
Here are a couple of pictures of two
"Real River Dawgs" sent in by Murphy, of the houseboat "MURPHY
II." These pics were taken at the top of the "Isle
of Two Branch." Looks like these Dawgs are really
at home in the water and the boxer must be having some friends over for a swim
party...........
Thanks for the pictures Murphy !
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State
Of Missouri Water Standards ~ Clean Streams ------
You may comment
through Aug. 24 on the recommendations made by the Mo. Department of Natural
Resources on which of our streams will be "designated "for
recreational use" and higher clean-water standards.
Go to STLtoday
to for the complete story. Make sure to check out Gerry Boehm's comments about
Dardenne Creek in the second part of the article.
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Missouri
Department Of Natural Resources Web Link ------ A
link to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources website has been added in
the left hand column under "River Environment and
Conservation". This website contains a lot of good
information -----check it out !
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| 7-
26 -05 |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------
sent
in by Mike Lubiewski, is of a "Future River Rat"
doing some tubing on the Quiver River Slough. Look for more pictures
form Mike tomorrow !
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Drowning
Near Portage Des Sioux ------
According to an article in the on-line Alton
Telegraph a man drown Saturday night after falling from a pontoon boat. Go to the
On-Line
Telegraph for the complete story.
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The
Sunday Iowa Crew ------ Tom
sent us a picture from last Sunday of the river crew at the beach on the
" Isle of Iowa. " Looks like another River
Social ! Keep them pictures coming Tom !
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Dog
Days Of Summer ------
Here is a picture of a real
river dog named "River
Splash" that is owned by Pam and Robert Gundlach. Pam
writes;
" Here at Horseshoe Island even "River
Splash" enjoys the dog days of summer. She just chills out on the
river just like her owners. Splash is a river dog since day one and can't
get enough. She says see you on the water."...................Thanks
for the picture Pam......I say that is one cool dog !
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| 7-
25 -05 |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------
is a shot looking
through Mason Chute across the Illinois River at Grafton that was sent in
by Captain Darryll Weil out of Woodland
Marina. To check out more of his weekend pictures click
here. Thanks for the pictures Darryll.
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Con
Trios Yacht Club ------
I
added pictures from the Grafton Ferry "Full Moon Cruise" to the
photo gallery of the Cont Trios Yacht Club website. Take a look.
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| 7-
24 -05 |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------
is of the some
of the party goers gathering in the parking lot at the Grafton Ferry
getting
ready for the Con Trios Yacht Club "Full Moon
Cruise" on a hot Saturday night. We boarded
the ferry
where there was plenty of food,
of course a raffle
and live
music. A good time was had by all.........A big thanks to the
members of the Con Trios board for making this event happen. Good job
!.....Watch for more pictures on the Con Trios website in the near future.
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Cedar
Hill Harbor ( 7-22-05 ) ------
They just finished dredging the mouth of the harbor at Cedar
Hill........ Dave says "There is plenty of water. Come on up
! "
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| 7-
23 -05 |
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The
" Girls of Alton Lake" ----
We have the best women in the world boating Alton Lake. Here
are 6
Rivermaids ~ soaking up some of that summer sun and making the boys smile
at the same time. Welcome to the weekend !
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| 7-
22 -05 Afternoon Edition |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------
is an action shot taken by Steve Schulte of a jet
ski doing some serious air time. Check out Steve's
website by clicking on his link on the right hand side of this web page.
He is always adding new photo's...... Thanks for this picture Steve !
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Melvin
Price Dam Hydroelectric Power Project ------
There was an article in
Thursday's on-line Post Dispatch about a proposal to build a hydroelectric
power unit at the Price Locks and Dam at Alton. The Price Dam Partnership is
awaiting a decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Go to STLtoday
to for the complete story.
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Portage
Des Sioux Nature Area to Be Dedicated On Saturday ------
There was an article in
Wednesday's on-line Post Dispatch about the dedication of Portage Des Sioux's
new Nature Area this coming Saturday. It is located in the same
area where 33 houses stood prior to the 1993 Flood. Go to STLtoday
to for the complete story.
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The
Girls Of Alton Lake
------
I changed the name around a bit and gave the "Girls Of Alton Lake" their own page.
There is a new link in the left hand column. Take a look at
"The Summer Collection" of photos we have so far. These
gals of Alton Lake are great !
Will be adding a new picture to the
collection on Saturday ......
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Looks
Like The Old Belle To Me Too ------
Captain Brad Hefferon, of the boat "What Was I Think'N" out of Lake
Center, also sent me an e-mailed about Tuesday's
Pic Of The Day. He writes " I would agree that it looks like
the old Alton Belle. I know that the real old Alton Belle was docked at
a casino in East Peoria, IL. I'm not sure if it is or not, its
been 2 months since I have been up there." Thanks for the info
Brad.
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Weekly Fishing Report ------
Here is the Mississippi River portion of
this weeks Missouri Department Of Conservation's Fishing Report.
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Mississippi (above St. Louis): 84
degrees, normal, dingy; channel catfish good on stinkbaits and nightcrawlers;
flathead catfish fair on live baits and nightcrawlers; all other species slow.
(Report made on 7/21/2005)
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To view the complete report
.....click
the "Fishing Report" link in the left hand column of this page.
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| 7-
21 -05 |
|
Our River
Picture(s) of the Day ------
are of a
few of the boats that participated in last Sunday's Annual Boat
Parade and Blessing Of The Fleet. There was a Viking
in a sailboat plus some other well
decorated boats. One boat
picture even has a good view of the bluffs in the
background. Thanks for sharing your pictures Robert.
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Looks
Like The Old Belle ------
Captain Brian Schaffer sent me an e-mailed about Tuesday's "Pic of the
Day". He writes " Your "Picture of the Day" looks
like the old Alton Belle." And he provided us with a link for
comparison. Here is a Alton
Belle Casino link to compare the Old Alton Belle with Tuesday's
Pic Of The Day. I think he is right. They sure look the same
boat. Thanks Brian..
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| 7-
20 -05 |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------
was taken last weekend behind the Isle of Two Branch of a true River-Rat cooking up
some Mississippi River Cuisine. Table, cooler, grill, umbrella and
everything else needed, right at your fingertips. Staying cool and
cooking up a storm. All I can say is that you had to be there !
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Service
With A Smile ------
Thanks John
for always takes care us while "gassing up" at
Riverside.
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Alton
Marina - More Docks and Fire Protection System Update ------ There was
an article in the on-line Alton
Telegraph about the Alton City Council approving a resolution for a fire
prevention system study and dock design and construction at the Alton
Marina. The fire protection system will be replaced or repaired and an
additional 32 - 36 slips will be added at the eastern end of the
marina. Go to the On-Line
Telegraph to read the complete article.
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Where
Huck Finn Rafted The Mississippi ------ There
was an article in Tuesday's USA Today about this area of the Mississippi River
that includes a lot of interesting web-links to area towns and attractions. To
read the article go to USATODAY.com
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600
HP Pontoon ------
This is not a river picture, but a picture of a 26'
pontoon boat with twin 300 HP Black Max outboards gets a spot on
RiverBill's. Rick Flier took this a few years ago while at Lake
Havasu. The boat supposedly ran 85 MPH.............Thanks for the picture
Rick.
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| 7-19-05 |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------
is of a very large boat
(maybe we should call this one a ship ) heading down-river
on Sunday afternoon. This picture was taken just above the shrine by Willie and Mary
Wade of the boat "Seas the Moment". All that Willie
knows about this vessel is that the markings on it indicated that it was from
Joliet, IL and that the starboard side was very dirty and needs
painting. Thanks for the picture !
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Blessing
of the Fleet
------ The Alton
Telegraph had a good article in Monday's edition about the "Blessing Of
The Fleet" that took place last Sunday. Go to the On-Line
Telegraph to read the article.
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River
Dog Named Oscar ------
Barbara Appel sent us a picture of
a dauschund name Oscar
and his owner, Dana Graff, sun bathing...... Barbara writes that
"Oscar is very popular on Iowa Beach for bumming snacks and umbrella
shade from anybody close by."
Thanks for the picture Barbara !
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| 7-18-05 |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------
I am going to name this one "The
Water Patrol's Worst Nightmare" and some phrases that you just might
hear in this situation are:
~
Who is the captain ?
~
B.O.B. - You are in a heap of trouble this time !
~
OK, lets see them life jackets and registration.
~
Where are your numbers ?
~
Anybody down below ? (Hah)
~
Put your hands down ~ I have not arrested you ~~~YET !
~
What is everyone smiling about ? You think this is funny ?
~
Oh Buoy, I don't think I have enough tickets left in this book .
This pic was sent in by Marty Henderson of www.fotou.net
. Check out his website !
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Update
On Captain Jacks ------
I stopped in a seen The
Captain and Denise on Friday at Captain Jack's on Dardenne Slough for an
update on the on-going construction. A fence has been put up around the
outside tiki
bar area and some really good looking fiberglass palm trees are in place
with water misters to help keep everyone cool. The entire tiki bar will be
covered with sand before the opening. They are moving right along
with the renovation and improvements on the bar and restaurant as well as the
entire harbor. Could be open for business in a couple of weeks
!
Jack told me an interesting story that he wants to share with everyone.
The bar / restaurant building originally had a screened in porch that they
decided to improve by replacing the screens with glass windows. Jack found out
that because the building is in a floodplain he needs a "waiver"
from the Core of Engineers stating that the new windows will not impede the
flow of the Mississippi River !
Stay tuned ......there will be more info rollin down the river for us soon
about Captain Jacks..
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| 7-17-05 |
|
Our River
Picture of the Day ------is of one of the boats
decorated for the "Annual Boat Parade and Blessing of the
Fleet" .
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Annual
Parade of Boats & Blessing of the Fleet
Sunday
July 17,2005
Palisades
Yacht Club & Our Lady of the Rivers Shrine, Portage Des Sioux
This
Years Theme:
"JUST
DECORATE - WE'LL JUDGE"
Parade
originates at Yacht Club of St. Louis at 1:30 PM and travels downstream with
an ETA at Portage Des Sioux of 3:00 PM where the parade passes the judges for
a review and then proceeds to the base of the Shrine where Rev. Michael
Sandwig blesses each boat as it passes. Everyone is invited
to a festive awards ceremony immediately following the parade where trophies
will be awarded in 5 categories, Houseboats, Cruisers, Sailboats, Pontoons and
Runabouts. Hope to see you there.
Lynn
Tighe
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CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE
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Weekend
Traffic Congestion ------
If you plan to use Mo. Highway C to get to the
river this weekend, there could be some traffic congestion in old-town St. Peters
because of the the "Old Time Picnic" that is going on. You
might want to consider another route.
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| 7-16-05 |
|
Our River
Picture of the Day ------was sent in by
Sue Moretti. It is of Pat,
John and Kathy at Iowa Island last weekend.
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| 7-15-05 |
|
Our River
Picture of the Day ------was sent in by
Captain Mike. He writes "Another
boat that hit the levee at the top of Bolter Island on Sunday. I took these
PICS Monday morning after the water went down about 8 inches. You can see he
just made it on top. He hit the same levee the fly-bridge boat hit a few weeks
ago that was PIC of the day. We just need to warn everyone since the
levee's are not marked."
Thanks for the picture and info Mike. It should help get everyone's
attention and remind them to be knowledgeable of where the levees are located in this
pool. Always be on the lookout for changes to the
existing levees and new ones. Most important of all, boaters must
know how to read
the water in order to spot underwater obstructions such as levees.
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Hello
From Chicago ------
One
of our fellow river boaters, Greg Moore, moved to northern Indiana
recently because of his job. Greg e-mailed me a few pictures from
his new boating spot ~ Lake Michigan.
Greg writes that he has managed to make the trip from Portage ,
Indiana across Lake Michigan to Chicago 4 times so far. It is
about 33 miles. Greg says you could call this picture "Chicago In The Rear View
Mirror". It was taken by Greg's friend, Gary Bergschneider on Sunday, July
10th.
Thanks Greg for sending the e-mail and the pictures to your friends in St. Louis.
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CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE
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Weekly Fishing Report ------
Here is the Mississippi River portion of
this weeks Missouri Department Of Conservation's Fishing Report.
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Mississippi
(above St. Louis): 82 degrees, normal, muddy; channel catfish good on prepared
baits; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/13/2005)
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To view the complete report
.....click
the "Fishing Report" link in the left hand column of this page.
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Possible
Traffic Congestion ------
If you plan to use Mo. Highway C to get to the
river this weekend, there could be some traffic congestion in old-town St. Peters
because of the the "Old Time Picnic" that is going on. You
might want to consider another route.
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| 7-14-05 |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------
is a sunset
behind Two Branch Island taken by Captain Darryll Weil out of Woodland
Marina. To check out more of his weekend pictures from Cedar Hill
and Two Branch Island click
here. Thanks for sharing your weekend pictures with us Darryll
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River
Dogs ...Matt and Tux ------
Captain
Glen Sadowski sent us a picture of couple of real RiverDawgs, named Matt
and Tux. He writes " These two will often greet you
when you enter or leave Woodland, especially if you have one of their four
legged friends aboard. They have been on the the river all of their
life. They are the "masters" of Dana, Greg and
Glenn. These guys would rather go for a boat ride than chase
some dumb Frisbee any old day. Matt (left) the a boy and Tux is a
girl"..........Thanks Glenn, for sending in the picture of your
RiverDawgs !
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Annual
Boat Parade and Blessing Of the Fleet ------
is this Sunday. For complete
information check "Upcoming Events" in the upper left hand corner of
this web page. Why not join in the fun ?
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2005
Barge Tour Schedule ------
There is a series of educational barge
tours taking place this summer on the Illinois and Mississippi
Rivers. These tours will visit many river towns including Beardstown,
Alton and Quincy. On the tour a person will experience the
mechanics of river transportation and learn about the connection between the
river, the economy and you. For more information go to http://www.ilcorn.org/2005_Barge_Brochure.pdf
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Farmers
Go To Capital To Support River Projects ------
There was an article in
Wednesday's on-line Post Dispatch about mid western corn growers going to the
capital in an effort to block a late threat to river construction projects. .
Go to STLtoday
to for the complete story.
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Loading
Dock Salsa ------
Ever
want to make some of that salsa at home or on your boat like they serve
at the Loading Dock in Grafton ? The recipe is in Wednesday's STLtoday
.
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| 7-13-05 |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------
is of two
seaplanes in front of Cedar Hill Resort on the 4th of July
weekend. Carrie Ash writes that that they had their own little air
show. The plane in the distance is a 1929 seaplane and it did some
touch and go's on that Monday. Cedar Hill Resort is located about 1 mile below
Winfield Dam on the Illinois side of the Mississippi. Thanks for sharing
your neat picture with us Carrie.
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Update
On Captain Jacks------
Formerly known as North Shore
Harbor. There are a few old classic boats positioned around the
premises for decoration and more decorats to come. The bar is finished, all of the tile is down and the coolers are coming next week.
Keep that your anchor right where it is ~ we will have more info as it becomes
available. .
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Sharks
In The Mississippi------
there is an interesting article in the
on-line In-Fisherman about 2 commercial fisherman from Alton, IL that caught a
"bull shark" in the Mississippi River in 1937. To read the complete
article go to In-Fisherman.com.
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Update
On River Maintenance At The Power Lines In Dardenne Slough ----- the shoring up the river bank by the power lines on both sides of the
slough appears to be complete and there are no visible
protrusions out into the slough. The power lines cross the slough at approximately the UMR 224.8 mile marker.
.
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CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE
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B.O.A.T-----
Break Out Another Thousand .
This
definition of boat was on an e-mail that I received and as most of us
know it sure fits sometimes. I am not sure of the source, but whoever
created the definition must of been having boat problems at the time.
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| 7-12-05 |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------
is a of a tow
and a runabout . I heard that the two vessels had a near near
collision last Sunday right in front of Iowa Island. Captain Gerry
Richardson took these pictures and sent them in. Thanks Gerry !
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Our
2nd River
Picture of the Day ------
is a of the Mississippi
Queen as it navigated its way through Alton pool last Sunday
evening. What a grand
looking vessel. Pictures are complements of Robert Cope.
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Con
Trios Yacht Club ------
The Con Trios website has been updated with a
lot of pictures from the Champaign Brunch, info on the upcoming "Full
Moon Cruise" on the Grafton Ferry and a copy of the latest
Newsletter. If you are interested in joining this boating social club,
see the website for more information.
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| 7-11-05 |
|
Our River
Picture of the Day ------
is a some of the boaters
on Hat Island Sunday afternoon having a river social and staying
cool.
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Mississippi
Queen Docks At Alton
------
According
to an article in the on-line Alton Telegraph the Mississippi Queen docked at
the Alton riverfront last Friday to the sounds of old-time jazz music and
the applause of about 70 greeters.
To read the complete article go to the On-Line
Telegraph.
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| 7-10-05 |
|
Our River
Picture of the Day ------
is a shot of the boats
at Hat Island yesterday afternoon.
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| 7-09-05 |
|
The
"River Girls of Summer" Collection ----
We have the best women in the world boating with us on Alton Pool. Here
are 4
Rivermaids ~ staying cool, working on their tans and enjoying the beauty
of Alton Lake. Welcome to the weekend.
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Links
----
I
fixed some broken links on RiverBill's to the "Mo State Water Patrol"
and the link to UMR
Nav Charts . Thanks to the Captain Brian of the boat
"Called In Sick" for sounding the alarm that the link to
the " Mo.
State Water Patrol" site had changed.
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Lost
Key ----
One of our river friends lost his key while swimming at Iowa Island on
Tuesday 7-05-05. It floated out of his pocket. The key was
attached to a white Styrofoam float with a yellow wire tie. The
float is about 4 inches long and 3/4 inches in diameter. If
you retrieved it from the river see the "Lost and Found" for
info on contacting the owner.
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|
| 7-08-05 |
|
Our River
Picture of the Day ------
is of the sun
setting behind the trees of Two Branch Island yesterday evening.
Have a good weekend and boat safely !
|
|
Weekly Fishing Report ------
Here is the Mississippi River portion of
this weeks Missouri Department Of Conservation's Fishing Report.
|
|
Mississippi
(above St. Louis): 82 degrees, normal, muddy; flathead catfish fair on live
baits; channel catfish fair on prepared baits; all other species slow. (Report
made on 7/7/2005)
|
|
|
To view the complete report
.....click
the "Fishing Report" link in the left hand column of this page.
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| 7-07-05 |
|
The
"River Girls of Summer" Collection ----
We have some of the
best women in the world boating here on Alton Lake and the very first
"River Girl Of Summer" is one of them. A beautiful river
mermaid named Beads. Even that lone beam of sun light found its way
across the water and up the sand to shine on our Rivermaid
! What a picture.
Photography by Marty Henderson of www.fotou.net
. Check out his great work !
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More
Pics Of The Love bug -----
Taken by
Captain Ron Meier, of www.ByOwnerYachts.com,
as the Love Bug was motoring through Mason Chute last Saturday.
Thanks for the pictures Ron.
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Click on pictures to enlarge
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Alton's
Riverfront Amphitheater ------
There was an article in
Wednesday's on-line Post Dispatch about the redevelopment of Alton's
Riverfront. The project will include an amphitheater, a pedestrian
bridge, a landing
for large riverboats and more. Go to STLtoday
for the complete story.
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Commentary
On The St. Peters Levee ------
There was a well written commentary in
Wednesday's on-line Post Dispatch about the St. Peters levee war. Please
take a minute and go to STLtoday
and read it.
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|
| 7-06-05 |
|
Our River
Picture of the Day ------
is of "Herbie", the Love
Bug, rolling on the
Mississippi River last weekend. The pic was
sent in by Kathleen Tackett and Eric Williams of Portage. Kathleen wrote
that this was the talk of the river last weekend among their group of "Riverizers".
Their river crew spends a lot of time at the new sand bar beach across
from Sherwood Harbor that they have named Willaimsburg !
Thanks Kathleen and Eric for sending in this one of a kind river picture.
(
Note: Kathleen would not let our frequent river pic submitter,
Robert Cope send in his picture of the Love Bug. )
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Darryll's
4th of July Pics ----- Darryll
Weil writes "Spent the weekend of the
Fourth on the Mississippi anchored out behind Two Branch Island.
After anchoring in an area with varying water depths Doug from Gin Bucket II
waded about 200 yards upstream and found a nice level area big enough for all
the boats. We all weighed anchors and moved on up! That was our
last move for the rest of the weekend. .
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With all the wonderful food we brought, especially
Gary and Kathleen's Prime Rib Feast, we ate like we were on a Cruise Ship.
Of course there was also the usual libations :-) Had our own air show
compliments of the vultures and four of the F-15 Strike Eagles flew over us
enroute to the air show at the Arch. Crusher put on a fireworks display
Sunday night from the puppy boat (after we got Bear out of it so he wouldn't
catch fire). Other than Crusher getting caught in the current and Gary
and Sue having to go get him with their boat, me overheating the main engine
Monday and Say Steel and White Trash making contact it was a great weekend.
Click
here to check out all of the pics
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2005
Jamaica Daze Meeting ------is
at 6:00 PM this evening at the Sand Bar Restaurant at Lake Center
Marina. Appetizers and finger foods will be available for
purchase.
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| 7-05-05 |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------is
of a jet
ski catching some air.
This picture was taken by Robert Cope of the boat "Slow Ride".
Thanks for the picture Robert.
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Iowa
Beach Last Sunday -----
Tom and Sandy sent us a
pic of some of the boaters hanging
around in the water last Sunday at Iowa Beach. Thanks for the
picture Tom.
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Mussel
Harvest Contracts Available -----
The
Illinois Department Of Natural Recourses has announced
that contracts to harvest commercial mussels will be available for a portion
of the Illinois River from Grafton to the LaGrange Lock and Dam at river
mile 80.1 from July 15 to Aug 31. The Illinois River was been closed to commercial
harvest since 1994 because biologists believed that the zebra mussel would
cause extermination of native mussel species. In recent years, zebra
mussels have declined while native mussels are holding
steady. For complete information go to Illinois Department
of Natural Resources Press
Releases
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Auxiliary Lock Reopens At Alton ------ There
was an article in Saturday's on-line Alton Telegraph with information about the
auxiliary lock reopening at the Melvin Price Lock and Dam after a closure of
nearly nine months..
To read the complete article go to the On-Line
Telegraph.
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| 07-04-05 |
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Happy
Fourth Of July -----
Our pic of the day is your own personal fireworks
display going off above the Clark Bridge in Alton, IL. ...Click the sky above the Clark Bridge with your mouse to add additional fireworks........Each click adds 1 more sky rocket.......A big thanks
goes out to Captain Gary Bowers for the animated fireworks and to Steve
Schulte for the great picture.
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Hat
Island Cajun Fest ------A pic of
Gene-O
and Ron at
the Cajun-Fest on Hat Island on Sunday. Jambalaya , crawfish,
cold beer and river friends.
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| 07-03-05 |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------is
of some boats
hanging on an anchor and rafted together behind Two Branch Island
yesterday. A fine way to spend a Saturday
afternoon.
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| 07-02-05 |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------is
of some of the houses on Dardenne
Slough. Notice the one on the right hand side of the picture has a
tree going through the deck in front of the house.
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Added
New Links ------
I added a couple of new links in the column on the left for those of you that
like to fish. Check out the "Illinois Fishing Message
Board" and the "Missouri Fishing Message
Board."
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| 07-01-05 |
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Our River
Picture of the Day ------is
a Thursday night Group
Picture from Iowa Beach yesterday evening. Good friends with the
glow of a the sunset in the background and a rising moon behind the
clouds.
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Moon
Phase Chart ------
We have added a Moon Phase Chart to RiverBill's in the box at the top of the page
that contains the river levels and weather.
Now, the after dark river travelers will know what kind of moon to expect for their
journey's...........Thanks Captain Gary Bowers for making this possible !
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Lost
Drivers License Returned ------ The
picture to the right is of Dave returning Mike's lost driver license last
night on Iowa Beach. The story goes that Mike lost his license
last weekend on Hat Island and Dave found it. Going by memory of
the picture on the license, Dave spotted Mike at the Thursday night party and
returned it. Way to go Dave !
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CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE
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ITCS
Memo 2274 - Marine Events / Closures ------issued
on 6/30/05 lists the river closures for July 2 - 4. Click
here to view the document.
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Alton
Fireworks ------
There was an article in
Thursday's on-line Post Dispatch about the upcoming fireworks display at Alton
this Sunday. Go to STLtoday
to for times and information
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Weekly Fishing Report ------
Here is the Mississippi River portion of
this weeks Missouri Department Of Conservation's Fishing Report.
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Mississippi (above St. Louis): 83
degrees, normal, dingy; flathead catfish fair on live baits; channel catfish
fair on prepared baits; all other species slow. (Report made on 6/30/2005)
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To view the complete report
.....click
the "Fishing Report" link in the left hand column of this page.
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~~~ RiverBill's Archives~~~
