catching up about Hoppies

A few post ago I referred to "Hoppies Marina" on the River as being an "interesting place".  I came across a few pictures that I want to share.  Now, after being tied to a junkyard barge, and anchoring out, Hoppies really did seem like (at least) a place to reconnect with loopers and see some "local color".

This is a picture of the marina.  There were no spas, pools, OR bathrooms here.  I looked out our boat window into a barge with a bathroom stall on it with the door open.....but when I inquired the answer was "Oh, that hasn't worked in years"....ok, then......However, you can get a Uber to drive you to town if you wish.  We didn't wish, but am now reading (day late, dollar short) that it is the "smallest" town in the USA.....maybe the Uber would have been worth it?  The  "dock" also had an old phone booth on it, lots of holes, (watch your step) and just plain junk around.  However, it is the ONLY game in town for hundreds of miles, so all the loopers go to Hoppies and have gotten to know Fern and Hoppie on a personal  basis. 

This is Fern, and at 4:30 pm every day, she "holds court"......She gives you the latest update on the river and the locks coming up.  She does this all for a "few glasses of wine" and a cigarette (she does have her own, if you don't offer)

As you can see, the loopers take her quite serious....although I questioned whether she has the SAME speel every day???  (Fern is sitting in front of the phone booth.  As you can see it is presently a lawn chair storage area)  Anyway, she does call down to other "locals" and seems to have the scoop as to what locks are holding people up, etc.    She suggested that when we are held up for a long time, we should tell them that " legally" they MUST lock us thru on the 3rd cycle (ie: after 3 commercial loads have used it)...I said to Capt Bob, Ya, YOU tell them that and we will be sitting here waiting ALL night AND the next day!  Maybe Fern can get away with talking to the lock master like that, but I'm NOT Fern,... although I am thinking about becoming her in my "retirement" from boating.  I said to Bob, ..."all we need is an old barge and some line and we would be sitting on a gold mine"....hey, charging $1.50 a foot to tie up has to be lucrative, there sure is not much "overhead"...just don't know where we can get a phone booth.... and  I do like the "free wine at 4:30pm" benefit!  So that's the story on Hoppies Marina.....just another interesting stop on the muddy rivers!  God Bless the Great Lakes and the Michigan Waterways Commission!!