The Mississippi River is sure to be a familiar sight for anybody in Monroe County, but few locals have gotten quite as acquainted with the river as boating enthusiast Quinton Clark.

Clark is originally from Delavan, a city just south of Peoria, though he currently calls Valmeyer home.

At 49, he works as a general manager for an ornamental iron company, though he’s developed a major passion in recent years for lengthy boating excursions.

 Clark has enjoyed a number of trips along the Mississippi River and elsewhere, traveling from Minneapolis, Minn., to St. Louis along the Mississippi and taking the Kaskaskia River to the Mississippi then up to Paducah, Ky..

He’s also traveled north to Chicago, boating up the Illinois River before spilling out into Lake Michigan.

Clark’s latest trip earlier this year had him seeing the southern half of the Mississippi as he went from St. Louis to the Gulf of Mexico, to mile 0 of the river and beyond into the open waters of the gulf.

Clark said his boating interest began when he was young.

“It started as a kid. My dad always had a Jon boat or something when I was younger,” Clark said. “I kind of got out of it for a while, and then I ended up buying this boat 13, 14 years ago maybe.”

While he said he didn’t wind up doing much with the boat soon after getting it, he has since started his river-trekking hobby that began with a trip up the Illinois River to Peoria and back.

His current vessel is likewise a fairly humble Jon boat, though altered and improved to best suit his trips.

He said the 19-foot-long boat features a 115 horsepower outboard motor – along with a 9.9 horsepower backup. The boat also comes equipped with a 21 gallon fuel tank in the back paired with a 38 gallon tank in the front – his trip from St. Louis to the gulf only required two pit stops.

He also brings along a GPS chart plotter, VHF radio and Garmin satellite tracker to make sure he’s not left navigating with the stars.

Clark emphasized his interest in traveling on a smaller boat as opposed to some of the larger vessels he’s seen.

The overall experience seems to be closer to a lengthy float trip rather than a cruise.

“I started seeing other guys doing longer trips in small boats, not in big cabin cruisers and that kind of thing, but camping along the river,” Clark said.

He offered some perspective on what his trips are typically like.

A major appeal of this particular hobby for him is how actually doing it is free. While there is a cost in the boat and other equipment, traveling by boat means he gets to step away from home without having to pay to rest each night, also taking advantage of free locks and dams when he travels north.

“That’s what makes being out on the water nice,” Clark said. “It’s one of the few things that you can take off in your boat, stop and throw out an anchor, and it’s free. You’re not paying anybody to stay overnight somewhere.”

Clark also had something to say about food. 

While, like any camping trip, he brings his own food and tends to cook for himself, Clark mentioned a pleasant experience headed up the Mississippi and getting the opportunity to spend each night in a marina or port town, enjoying a nice meal every chance he got.

“I do keep a supply of food and water, more than I expect to use,” Clark said. “Just in case something gets bad and you get stuck out there, y’know. On the lower Mississippi, there’s not much… You won’t see any other recreational traffic very much. It’s all just commercial towboats and stuff. There’s not a lot of places to stop on the lower Mississippi like there is on the upper Mississippi.”

Regarding sightseeing, Clark said that doesn’t tend to be his focus on these trips, though there have been some interesting sights like mile 0 on the Mississippi as well as some wildlife further north.

He also spoke about how long some of his trips have been, with one trip having him navigate 670 miles through many locks and dams and another having him boat about 1,100 miles. Both of these trips took about four and a half days.

One day on the lower Mississippi River saw him boat 300 miles in just one day.

He spoke generally about the freedom that can be found on a boat, with the Mississippi and its tributaries offering access to a substantial chunk of the country.

“It’s definitely the sense of freedom,” Clark said. “There’s not very many people that do it. I’ve read that there’s more people that climb Mount Everest every year than complete the full length of the Mississippi. It’s a challenge that I think a lot of people overlook, but the beauty of being out there on the Mississippi by yourself, fending for yourself, that’s part of the challenge of it.”

Clark’s next trip will start at the intersection of the Missouri River and the Mississippi. He plans to boat up the Missouri in order to hit Kansas City before boating right back.

An even bigger trip is also on the horizon: heading up the Ohio River starting at St. Louis.

Clark isn’t too impatient to get his next big adventure going, though. Better to savor each trip before the new opportunities dry up.