The only marina facilities at Lansing were pretty primitive for transients. Our slip was out at the end of the first dock and was not protected by the main channel. The bathrooms were rough. You had to pay to use the shower. There were no other sailboats, but 3/4 of the slips had houseboats and of course being a holiday weekend all were staying in their houseboat in the marina. Population in Lansing is 912. Very busy mainstreet with interesting shops, especially that variety store. You wouldn't believe it, if I told you.
Monday morning (Memorial Day) we headed for Marquette, IA at 7:50a.m. Population of Marquette is about 400 residents. It was very warm sunny with highs in the lower 90's. We welcomed the weather that day. It was fairly windy, however, with winds in our faces gusting to 40 mph at times. Makes for very slow speeds. Our average speed was about 3.5mph. This made for a long 28 miles and we arrived in Marquette at 2:00. Since it was Memorial Day the river traffic was heavy with speed boats, jet skis and the barges continued to travel the river. All the boat wakes and the high waves(some 3' -4') from the wind made for some rocky motoring, but we were still happy to be dry & warm.
Casino at Marquette
There was a flea market in the city park right next to the marina in Marquette and lots of people walking around, driving in cars & motorcycles as well as people trailering their boats out at the ramp. By 7:00, things were quiet & all had gone home. Nice quiet marina, but again we were not protected from the main channel, although it was nice being the only people spending the night.
After breakfast at the nearby cafe, we packed up & motored on down the river to Guttenberg, IA. Only a 20 mile trip for us. We left Marquette about 9:30 and arrived in Guttenberg at 2:30. Passed through one Lock just on the north edge of town. The weather was warm, clear skies and the wind to our backs helped move us along at a good clip. We docked at Clayton, IA for about 15 minutes as we touched base with Gale & Maureen. They were heading from Chicago to Clear Lake & we were planning to rendevous somewhere with them. They called to say they were still down near Galena, IL so they would meet us at Guttenberg. We pushed off in Clayton & headed south.
This is just on the south edge of Clayton. Caves were dug into the side of the hill during WWII and munitions/supplies were stored here. Now they store grain (soybeans & corn).
It is a very busy area where barges are being loaded with grain from the caves.
Wildlife seen along the way.
Okay, so it isn't all so wild.
Very disappointing marina at Guttenberg. Our trusty Quimby's book, said the newly constructed marina would be complete by Spring 2010 with showers and wifi. Not so... no showers, no wifi and not even a dumpster to empty our wastebasket. And to top it off it was about $7.00 more than anywhere else we stayed. They said next time we come by, we should make a reservation. Okay, but if you are transient you don't know until you get there that you will be staying. Hmmmm? If you are transient, how do you get in touch with city hall, so that you can call? Something for them to think about. There are approx. 1,800 people living in Guttenberg.
Okay, off to Dubuque and better facilities, for sure. How can you beat swimming in a heated pool while you are doing the laundry? And the bathrooms... luxury hotel comfort compared to any we've seen, yet. All this at American Marine at Dubuque Yacht Basin on City Island. The marina office is in "Catfish Charlie's River Club" restaurant. Fantastic food. http://www.catfishcharliesdubuque.com/
In the May 2010 issue of Outdoor Life magazine, Catfish Charlie's was ranked #2 in the United States as one of the top 10 restaurants you can reach by water!
But this would be a great place to eat even if you aren't into "the river" thing. They even serve people who arrive by car, motorcycle, or anyother type land vehicle.
Now if the heated swimming pool, the front row slip and the great food weren't enough, Catfish Charlie comes down to introduce himself, asks questions about our trip/plans and offers to loan us a car, or get anything for us that we might need. (we plan to stay here until Monday a.m.) We truly appreciate the offer. Excellent hospitality from Charlie, Diane and all the people we've met at this marina. Heavy competition for the folks we met at Pepin, WI. http://americanboatingcenters.com/custompage3.asp?pg=5
They sell lots of boats here and have a "ship store" with parts & service, too.
We will be here until Monday, touring with our Des Moines friends over the weekend, so we'll add more later about Dubuque. The population of Dubuque is approx. 93,000.
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