09/04 - 09/07 - Mississippi River Gathering

Hello to all, Jan and Lee aboard the "Tully B" will not be able to join the great group of people that we have enjoyed so much for the past two years, at this years Mississippi Gathering. We will truly miss seeing all the friends we met on the Mississippi. I hope that Tex will save us a bowl of homemade ice cream for the time that we meet again. The good news is that during the time that you all are on the Mississippi, we will be up in the Great State of Alaska enjoying fine cuisine, fishing, sight seeing, and a little bear hunting aboard the Yacht Sikumi. I was the successful bidder at the annual Safari Club International convention auction for this cruise and the only dates that we could make work conflict with the gathering. Look up Sikumi Custom Alaskan Cruises on the internet to get a look at the boat.

We hope that we can once again join our friends on the Mississippi next year. In the mean time we plan on making our annual trip to Northern Lake Huron starting the week before and ending the week after the Forth of July. If any C-Brat is interested in cruising the waters East of the Mackinaw Bridge during that time, we will be there and we would love to have you join us there. Send us a PM if you are interested. Lee and Jan
 
Hello All,
We are planning to join the group as well, busy this summer but don't want to miss this one, sounds like too much fun.
Jim and Julie
 
Laura and I will not be able to attend the gathering, which sounds like a lot of fun. Our youngest son and daughter-in-law are having their first baby (another boy) early September (our third grandson) and we want to make sure we are home. Hope you all have a great time. :cigar Thanks Tex and Ken for organizing the event. Hope to see you next year. 8)
 
This is our first year in our C-22 and will be our first gathering. Looking forward to meeting some fellow Brats and learning a few things, too.
 
On Friday, Sept. 5th, there will be a cookout at the Marina for all the C-Brats at the gathering. It is our good fortune that the crew from Attica, NY (Terry, Jay & Bob) of the Last Dance will be providing "the best dogs and drats this side of the Mississippi River". They will also be providing 2 kinds of special mustards, catsup, horseradish sauce and 2 containers of sweet midget pickles.

Pat and I will supply the plates, silverware, etc. and probably a side dish or two. If anyone else has a specialty they would like to share it would be appreciated.

We have enjoyed these in the past and look forward to the pleasure again.

If anyone who is planning to attend but has not signed up, please do so soon so that Terry can get an idea of how much of the good stuff to bring.

Thank you Attica NY guys in advance and know that everyone will be looking forward to the great fixings.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in September.

Ken & Pat (Pelican)
 
Outstanding, I remember those sausages that Terry, Jay and Bob brought from New York and they were very tasty.

I will bring the Ice cream freezer.
 
Count us in! The last 2 Mississippi gatherings in Dubuque were great but thanks to the hard working crews from Bixbys Cub and Pelican, the Alton gathering is going to be better than ever. We have been looking forward to this for a whole year.... we wouldn't miss it!
 
We're planning to be there. Let me know if anyone needs any on site coordination, as we're in the St. Louis area.

Les and Kel
 
Anyone have exact recommended directions coming down from the Madison Wisconsin area, that is once one is in Alton. (I can find Alton ok, unless somebody has some better suggestions due to road construction or traffic flow! :-) Colby
 
Driving directions to the Alton Marina and ramp:

If you're driving from Madison, I assume you'll be coming in on I-55. Exiting at Hamel and taking highway 140 west into Alton is probably the most direct route.

From US67 in Alton, turn south onto Henry Street, which is about 2 blocks west (upstream) of the large US67 bridge crossing the river. As you approach the levee on Henry, veer left to the boat ramp, which sits under the bridge itself, or right to the Marina. There's no trailer parking in the Marina parking lot, but there's room to park your trailer and vehicle at the ramp area.

When we've stayed at the Marina previously, we've left the trailer at the ramp and parked our truck in the marina parking lot (the ramp area and marina are connected by sidewalk).
 
THanks Les. I assume the parking at the ramp is safe? Would there be any reason to unhook the trailer and driving the vehicle over to the marina? I'm also assuming they are not to far apart. Colby
 
Colby,
Yes, you should be able to leave your trailer connected. When I call to make my marina reservations, I'll ask if they have any suggestions given the number of people who will be here (assuming Tex has not already made other arrangements with the marina).

Les
 
Hi Everyone,
Pat and I figured we needed a little time on the water and decided to hit the Illinois River for a few days. (who needs an excuse) After two days we ended up on the Mississippi River and decided to take a left hand turn and ended up in Alton. We visited the tourism office and were given a lot of information and maps of the Alton area that we thought might be useful to our fellow C-Brats. Naturally we stayed in the Alton marina, what a great place. Naturally we had to eat so we ended up at Fast Eddies (go figure) and while there, a huge rain storm came over and actually flooded the streets. When we returned to the marina, the Pelican sat in it's covered slip and was nice and dry. How nice is that? Naturally Pat had to see if the casino still accepts money (they do) so we walked over and donated to the cause. We verified a few things with the marina and headed home after two days. A quick 500 nautical miles and meeting with great people sure makes for a great trip.
Can't wait to see all the C-Brats in September.

Ken and Pat, (Pelican)
 
Sounds like a great trip Ken. The Alton Marina is like a County Club on the river.

Nicest rest rooms that we have ever seen at a marina. And a swimming pool and 2 hot tubs, bar-b-que pits and all slips are covered and in the shade.

See you and Pat there in September.

Tex and Sharon
 
Brenda and I have logged 13,940.9 water miles on our boat "Falcon" ( 22 C-Dory, 75 HP + 9.9 HP Hondas and locking through every lock and dam in Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, and some on the Era Canal . Now we are land locked and holding for a much anticipated Mississippi River C-Dory Gathering on Sept. 5th to Sept. 6th. There are opportunities to cruise from Alton, Il, up and down Mississippi River, Missouri River, Illinois River, and of course seeing the St Louis Arch from the river is a must see.
 
We will just be visiting this year. I suffered a broken back and we haven't even put the boat in the water yet. We have a room reserved in town and look forward to seeing everyone. Till then. Eric and Leslie Stormzand
 
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