Day 19 - Thursday, October 9, 2003 - Having now traveled 480 miles on its river journey to the Gulf of Mexico, the Abby Normal and its intrepid crew are now sitting out a rainstorm at the Port St. Charles Marina near St. Charles, Missouri. Temperatures have been mild and in the 80's this week. - Select Chart 13 to see their location on the interactive map at the right.

Day 20 - Saturday, October 11, 2003 - Today the Abby Normal passed thru the gigantic "Chain of Rocks" canal, which measured 600 ft wide by 10 miles long and locks that helped the crew bypass a 12 ft drop in the river's elevation. There were many rock swirls in the stretch of river south of St Louis, MO, which made navigation quite treacherous, and the river's current has increased to 3 knots. Stayed the night at beautiful Alton Marina in Alton, IL. - Select Chart 13 to see their location on the interactive map at the right.

Day 22 - Monday, October 13, 2003 - Left Hoppies Marina where the Abby Normal and its crew spent the night camped on the river at Hoppies Marine, which was just a bunch of old barges tied together on the river in Kimmswick, MO; services were limited, but refueled here, since it was the last fuel source for about 100 miles. - planning to camp out on the river again tonite near Cape Girardeau. - Select Chart 14 to see their location on the interactive map at the right.

These maps will help you monitor our progress, learn about the geography and diversity of American life in the communities along the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, TomBigbee, and Mobile Rivers. We hope you enjoy experiencing this fantastic journey on your local PBS television station!

Click on the numbers to your right for more detailed maps of our journey.