 he New Orleans-based RiverBarge Excursion Lines regrettably announced last week that they are canceling four trips that were planned this year between St. Louis, Kansas City and Sioux City, IA. The "Show Me" The Big Muddy excursions which were scheduled to run between July 30, 2002 and August 28, 2002 were canceled because of low-water conditions on the Missouri River.
Eddie Conrad Jr., president and CEO of RiverBarge Excursions, blamed the cancellations on a combination of dam control discrepancies, endangered species issues and drought conditions on the river.
 The River Explorer, a three-deck barge passenger vessel, would have been the first large passenger boat to arrive and spend the night at Sioux City since 1876. The city had planned many festivities surrounding the arrival of the River Explorer on August 15th. Many other river communities had also planned activities surrounding the arrival of the 198-guest vessel.
The 600 guests that were already booked on these excursions are very disappointed, according to Conrad. The company expects to loose one-million dollars because of the cancellations. Passengers pay anywhere between $1500 and $3000 depending on the deck and length of passage. Company Vice President Jeff Kindl said they will consider making the trip next year if the Corps begins supporting navigation again.
 The towboat, MISS NARI, that pushes the two 6.5 foot draft passenger barges, has a draft of 8.5 feet, but can light load to 8.0 feet.
The commercial towing companies in the river now are bumping the river bed with barge and towboat drafts of 7.0 feet.
The MISS NARI is licensed by the Coast Guard for passenger use and substituting another lighter draft towboat was not possible at such a late date. There was also a concern that the channel would not be wide enough to accommodate the turnaround operation required for the River Explorer to change direction.
The R/B River Explorer, the only hotel barge traveling America's inland waterways, offers other four to ten-day excursions to seven regions of the country's rivers, including the lower and upper Mississippi River, the Cumberland River Valley, the Atchafalaya River Basin, the Ohio River Valley, Missouri River and along the inland Texas-Louisiana Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. These excursions allow guests to experience the heritage and culture of nearby towns while relaxing in a family atmosphere, complete with home cooking, regional entertainment and land activities.
For more information, visit their website at www.riverbarge.com.
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