In particular, let’s talk about the water of the Upper Mississippi. We cruised a small section from Alton to Cairo Illinois at the convergence of the Ohio and Upper Mississippi and the start of the Lower Mississippi.
While wider than the Illinois River, the Upper Mississippi is still intimate feeling. It is perhaps half a mile across and it carries a heavy sediment load so yes the water is brown. Visibility might be six inches. I left a gallon of water on the bow to slosh off the dogs’ mat one morning. Two hours of sitting undisturbed resulted in a gallon of clear water and 1/4-1/2 cup of sediment.
The turbulence in the water surprised us. It seethes and boils down a relatively shallow bed averaging 15-17 feet deep. Upwellings, riffles and whirlpools are common. John was in despair as our wake was frequently snakelike, despite the autopilot, as the current shoved Moon Dance from side to side. The current was about three miles an hour. We congratulated ourselves for planning our trip during low water. It must be as miserable as everyone says at flood stage with 7 mph current.
We frequently saw the Corps of Engineers performing maintenance on the river; dredging and building wing dams and weirs. The wing dams direct the flow towards the channel to speed it up and scour the bottom. They are visible at low water levels. Weirs, on the other hand, slow the flow to encourage sediment to drop out and can be driven over.
Hats off to the Corps for their work on a never ending task.
Moon Dance IV 
Not many Americans here in Canada who have done the loop talk positively about the Mississippi. It’s actually the part they dread. They love Canadian journey saying it’s the best of the whole trip. Interesting perspectives. Don’t drink that water…haha.
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