My husband and I are looking to retirement in two years and houseboating has always been our dream. We actually live on a major river. I want to hear from others that travel the different rivers off the Mississippi. I thought we would start out slowly before trying the Great Loop. But I can't seem to find much about river trips. Like how many fuel stops are there and how far apart. I am interested first starting exploring the Missouri as far as we can go, then the Ohio etc. But am worried about fuel, leaving our boat while siteseeing, replenishing our supplies and repair stops on the way. Anyone with helpful information will be apperciated. Thanks

contact Bobthebuilder. He is our resident travellin fool and has done a trip from Chicago to the Gulf.

That's a big first step! Look up all the marinas on those rivers and just map it out. Get the channel maps too. Some rivers are shallow and have narrow channels.

www.yachtforums.com may be more helpful