July 2nd- About 2300 hours I stepped out of the pilot house of the Theresa Wood and walked out on the upper deck.
Behind the boat, the lights of Quincy, Illinois receded into a bright cluster. On either side of the river, the outline of the heavily treed banks closed in on the city and contrasted like a black cutout against the transluscent night sky. The stars were out, growing stronger and brighter the further north the boat pushed its tow. At the bow of the boat, the searchlights moved restlessly over the tow. But at the stern, the vessel churned up nothing but tranquility and the steady hum of loyal engines.
The Theresa Wood's crew spends hours a day making locks and rearranging tows in the heat of the summer and freezing cold of the winter, painting and cleaning the boat. I imagine a moment like this is priceless.