We left Lighthouse Point Marina in Aurora, Indiana at 8:30, just as the fog began to lift off the Ohio River. The sun poked through the 42 degree morning air, greeting us on our second day as Loopers. There was a bit more debris floating in the water, calling the first mate to be on the lookout for logs for parts of the morning and afternoon. Around 9:00, Karen spotted an eagle perched in a tree, confirmed by a sighting with the binoculars. Oh, the birds we hope to see on this trip! The winds were blowing 2mph from the SW (wind on our bow) and there was a 1 mile an hour current trying to help us down the river. Around 9:25, we heard a thud, and we knew that we must have missed seeing a log. Sure enough, we could see it floating behind us. We stopped the boat to inspect the prop. We could detect no damage and so carried on. By 10:00 the fog had completely lifted and the sun was shining warm and bright. We stopped at Turtle Creek just east of the Markland Lock and Dam for gas. We determined that this would be a good spot to stay in the future! Then on to the Markland Lock and Dam...where we waited for 2.5 hours to be locked through to the other side of the dam. We'd read that the lock was working with only one chamber instead of two, and that we should expect delays. As a pleasure craft/recreational vessel, we have to wait until all emergency and barge traffic have been locked through. We waited for four barges to lock through, and then it took us close to an hour to lock through - dropping 24' to the next pool of the Ohio River. While we waited, we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the warm sun in the cockpit. Karen had a chance to talk to her mom on the phone and even started a new book. Tony worked on marina reservations for the next leg of the trip. Once we finished up at the lock, around 3:00, we decided not to make the 72 mile run to Louisville as we'd planned. We'd heard so much about Madison, Indiana from friends and family, so we decided to find a marina there and spend the night and make the remaining 44 mile trek to Louisville in the morning. Around 5pm, we docked our boat at Rivercrest Marina and then walked into Madison to explore the town and grab a bite to eat. We ended up at The Red Pepperoni restaurant. And what a cute town to explore! What a great unplanned stop! We hope for many more of them along the Loop! We're learning how to be flexible and go with the flow. Something that doesn't always come easy. I forgot to tell a story from yesterday, so if you want to read it, go back to yesterday's updated post!