We had originally planned on staying in Grafton for 2 weeks, but decided to switch our plans up a bit and leave earlier so that we would have time to take a side trip over to Chattanooga, TN on our way south. We left Grafton after work for a short trip down to Alton, IL for one night. There were some really pretty sights along the way!
The marina we were at in Grafton no longer had fuel because a previous flood had decommissioned the fuel dock, so we had to go to the next town up to get more diesel for our long trip. Alton is the last stop for fuel for about a 200-250 mile stretch until Paducah, KY and is the longest stretch without fuel on the entire Great Loop! We even had to fill up our 4 extra jerry cans of diesel so that we would have enough.
There were a bunch of other "Loopers" in the marina when we arrived, so we met up at the pool and then had two couples over for some pizza and wine!
Unfortunately, we didn't get time to explore Alton this time around but the pool there was open until midnight and the showers were spider free, which counts it a good stop in my book!