Kim’s Korner:
We left Paducah early. Our other three travel boats were staying another night but we were anxious to get to our next stop, Green Turtle Bay Marina. The first eight miles of the Ohio were more tows and barges. Then something magical happened – we realized we were the only boat in sight. The water was like glass and no barges, tows or boats anywhere – not even parked on the river banks. Deep breath – wow! This is what I’ve been waiting on! We took a right onto the Cumberland River, a much narrower river than the Ohio. We saw several tows with barges but these were the smaller ones – what a welcome change! One tow captain chatted with us on the radio- he was headed to TVA's Cumberland Fossil Plant loaded down with coal and wanted to know about our trip – you meet the nicest people on the water.
We meandered on the Cumberland in 90+ degree heat finally reaching the Barkley Lock and Dam which will lift us 57’. We haven’t been lifted or lowered this much in a really long time. Guess who pulled Overtime into the lock and over to the wall? I did! I’ve been wanting to do this for some time and I wouldn’t have a more perfect time – we were the only boat locking through so no one but David would see me if I totally messed it up but I did great - a big milestone for me accomplished! When the lock opened, we were on beautiful Barkley Lake.
Green Turtle Bay Marina was right there – we have heard so much about this marina since we started our trip. Robin and Charlie on The Lower Place were also arriving later that day so we got together for dinner at Mr. Bills with them. Mr. Bills and Patti’s are side by side restaurants and share a kitchen so the menu is the same for both. They are known for their 2” pork chops and desserts with mile high meringue on their pies. Robin and I were in shock when we first stepped into Mr. Bills – Christmas decorations were everywhere! And I mean everywhere! I had to ask and was told that they start the day after Labor Day putting up Christmas decorations because it takes so long – they had Mr. Bills completed but still had Patti’s and the outdoor lights to do. The food was delicious and we all left stuffed!
The following day our three travel boats arrived as well as other loopers. We celebrated Anne and Tim on Ivanhoe as well as Karen and Mike on Tranquility III – both crossing their wake at Green Turtle Bay. “Crossing your wake” means you have completed the Great Loop which is signified by a different burgee – the white AGLCA burgee indicates you are in the process of the Great Loop, the gold AGLCA burgee indicates you have completed the Great Loop and a platinum AGLCA burgee indicates you have completed the Great Loop more than once. It is hitting home that we are almost done with our loop – we received our gold burgee in the mail but of course, we can’t fly her until we actually cross our wake which is less than 200 miles.
We enjoyed having dinner at Patti’s with the boats we had traveled with for the last week – Rae and Steve on Barefoot Shoes, Linda and Brian on Vehevala, and Kim and David on Skinny Dipper (yes – another Kim and David on the loop). I even splurged and got a dessert called The Boatsinker - how funny is that? I felt like I was going to sink Overtime after eating it!
Today we will begin our journey down Kentucky Lake. We hope to move at a slower pace than we’ve been moving, enjoy some beautiful anchorages and just relax!
Pictures!
Picture of Chattanooga
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Friday, September 22, 2017
Paducah
Kim’s Korner:
We left our anchorage early and finished the 7 miles we had left of the Mississippi River. When we turned into the Ohio River, we were going upstream and our speed dropped but not as much as we had expected. The Ohio River was smooth – not the boiling cauldron of the Mississippi. Soon after, we encountered barges by the hundreds – they were parked in the middle of the river which was just outside the channel. Tows were everywhere as well – many were moving the barges around. This must be a staging area for where barges are kept until needed – I can’t imagine how they keep track of where a particular barge is.
We had three locks on the Ohio. The first one was the Olmstead Lock, which is still under construction and will replace Locks 53 and 52. There were tows lined up at the Olmstead Lock waiting for lockage. Correction – the lock isn’t operational yet so we weren’t actually waiting for lockage but for an escort by a tow through the lock and up to lock 53 due to the construction. We waited less than an hour before being escorted up to lock 53. Fern had told us lock 53 had been removed but not so! We had to wait for a tow with barges to complete his lockage before we were allowed to enter the main chamber of lock 53. This lock was in bad disrepair – I can see why it is being replaced. We then had 24 miles before Lock 52.
Lock 52 had the Ohio River shut down for some period of time just a few weeks ago. We arrived at 2:30 PM and contacted the lock master who told us to pull over to the starboard and throw out the anchor – it would be a 2-3 hour wait. So we did just that and then tried to find what little shade on the boat we could since it was yet another 90+ degree day. Six hours later, in the dark, five pleasure craft (one of which was us) were called into the chamber as well as a tug. Since the lock was in such bad condition, we did not tie off to a bollard like normal – the lockmaster had us float in the middle. An hour later, we were exiting lock 52.
After Lock 52, we continued on in the dark to the new Paducah Marina which was 3.5 miles away. We actually stayed there the first night it was officially open even though we didn’t see any of it since it was dark and late but we did make it there. The marina had agreed to allow two boats to raft off each other (at the same price, of course). When the five boats arrived, there was only room for one boat so two of us tied up on the fuel dock. Those on the dock moved boats closer together to make room and several rafted so we all actually stayed there. We were all very hot, tired and glad to be tied up somewhere with power!
We have really been lucky – we’ve squeaked through several locks before issues were encountered and shutdown. The Illinois River was closed for a week while dredging was performed – remember the barges we saw run aground? Many loopers have been stranded on the Illinois and Mississippi for days waiting for the locks or rivers to re-open after being closed.
We left our anchorage early and finished the 7 miles we had left of the Mississippi River. When we turned into the Ohio River, we were going upstream and our speed dropped but not as much as we had expected. The Ohio River was smooth – not the boiling cauldron of the Mississippi. Soon after, we encountered barges by the hundreds – they were parked in the middle of the river which was just outside the channel. Tows were everywhere as well – many were moving the barges around. This must be a staging area for where barges are kept until needed – I can’t imagine how they keep track of where a particular barge is.
We had three locks on the Ohio. The first one was the Olmstead Lock, which is still under construction and will replace Locks 53 and 52. There were tows lined up at the Olmstead Lock waiting for lockage. Correction – the lock isn’t operational yet so we weren’t actually waiting for lockage but for an escort by a tow through the lock and up to lock 53 due to the construction. We waited less than an hour before being escorted up to lock 53. Fern had told us lock 53 had been removed but not so! We had to wait for a tow with barges to complete his lockage before we were allowed to enter the main chamber of lock 53. This lock was in bad disrepair – I can see why it is being replaced. We then had 24 miles before Lock 52.
Lock 52 had the Ohio River shut down for some period of time just a few weeks ago. We arrived at 2:30 PM and contacted the lock master who told us to pull over to the starboard and throw out the anchor – it would be a 2-3 hour wait. So we did just that and then tried to find what little shade on the boat we could since it was yet another 90+ degree day. Six hours later, in the dark, five pleasure craft (one of which was us) were called into the chamber as well as a tug. Since the lock was in such bad condition, we did not tie off to a bollard like normal – the lockmaster had us float in the middle. An hour later, we were exiting lock 52.
After Lock 52, we continued on in the dark to the new Paducah Marina which was 3.5 miles away. We actually stayed there the first night it was officially open even though we didn’t see any of it since it was dark and late but we did make it there. The marina had agreed to allow two boats to raft off each other (at the same price, of course). When the five boats arrived, there was only room for one boat so two of us tied up on the fuel dock. Those on the dock moved boats closer together to make room and several rafted so we all actually stayed there. We were all very hot, tired and glad to be tied up somewhere with power!
We have really been lucky – we’ve squeaked through several locks before issues were encountered and shutdown. The Illinois River was closed for a week while dredging was performed – remember the barges we saw run aground? Many loopers have been stranded on the Illinois and Mississippi for days waiting for the locks or rivers to re-open after being closed.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Boston Bar Anchorage
Kim’s Korner:
Due to the small number of anchorages, we had to do the best we could when planning our travel stops. We would have a short travel day today in order to make a very long day tomorrow as short as we could – hope that makes sense. Other boats from our anchorage planned to go further but they could because their boats were faster.
Maybe you’ve noticed in some of my photos the strips of rocks that jut out from the banks of the Mississippi. I even saw some that looked like horseshoes. These are called wing dams and are manmade barriers that force water into the fast-moving center channel in order to reduce shoaling and the need for dredging. The Mississippi River has thousands of wing dams and because of the low water level, most of these wing dams are exposed while normally, they are just under the water and can’t be seen.
After five hours, we had reached our Boston Bar Anchorage (37.026800,-89.210398) for the night. It was yet again, a beautiful but 90+ degree day and we were hot. David and I have been so glad we rigged up the capability of using a small window air conditioner to fit over the front hatch that will run off our generator. That way when we don’t have shore power to use the regular air conditioner, we can keep the stateroom cool and be able to sleep well.
Due to the small number of anchorages, we had to do the best we could when planning our travel stops. We would have a short travel day today in order to make a very long day tomorrow as short as we could – hope that makes sense. Other boats from our anchorage planned to go further but they could because their boats were faster.
Maybe you’ve noticed in some of my photos the strips of rocks that jut out from the banks of the Mississippi. I even saw some that looked like horseshoes. These are called wing dams and are manmade barriers that force water into the fast-moving center channel in order to reduce shoaling and the need for dredging. The Mississippi River has thousands of wing dams and because of the low water level, most of these wing dams are exposed while normally, they are just under the water and can’t be seen.
After five hours, we had reached our Boston Bar Anchorage (37.026800,-89.210398) for the night. It was yet again, a beautiful but 90+ degree day and we were hot. David and I have been so glad we rigged up the capability of using a small window air conditioner to fit over the front hatch that will run off our generator. That way when we don’t have shore power to use the regular air conditioner, we can keep the stateroom cool and be able to sleep well.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Castor River Diversion Channel (Little Diversion) Anchorage
Kim’s Korner:
There aren’t many marinas or anchorages on the Mississippi and a lot of the anchorages didn’t have enough water because of the low water levels. We had some long days ahead of us in order to get off the Mississippi River which couldn’t happen quick enough for David.
We left Hoppies Marina and found ourselves headed into a blanket of fog not too far into our journey. Everyone turned on their radar and our lead boat turned on quite a bright light on his mast for us to see and follow. We slowed down and huddled close together so we could see one another. The fog finally cleared and another beautiful, hot day awaited us. We saw lots of white pelicans flying overhead – so pretty! With the current, we found ourselves traveling at 13.5 mph at times which is about 5-6 mph faster than normal.
Tows on the Mississippi are so much larger and more powerful than on the other rivers we’ve traversed. Some had 24 barges with them and they really churn up the water behind them making it quite an adventure when passing them.
We reached our anchorage in Little River Diversion (37.249670,-89.518985) tired and hot but glad that we had survived another day on the Mississippi. We covered 110 miles this day, second only to the Gulf crossing.
There aren’t many marinas or anchorages on the Mississippi and a lot of the anchorages didn’t have enough water because of the low water levels. We had some long days ahead of us in order to get off the Mississippi River which couldn’t happen quick enough for David.
We left Hoppies Marina and found ourselves headed into a blanket of fog not too far into our journey. Everyone turned on their radar and our lead boat turned on quite a bright light on his mast for us to see and follow. We slowed down and huddled close together so we could see one another. The fog finally cleared and another beautiful, hot day awaited us. We saw lots of white pelicans flying overhead – so pretty! With the current, we found ourselves traveling at 13.5 mph at times which is about 5-6 mph faster than normal.
Tows on the Mississippi are so much larger and more powerful than on the other rivers we’ve traversed. Some had 24 barges with them and they really churn up the water behind them making it quite an adventure when passing them.
We reached our anchorage in Little River Diversion (37.249670,-89.518985) tired and hot but glad that we had survived another day on the Mississippi. We covered 110 miles this day, second only to the Gulf crossing.
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Hoppie's
Kim’s Korner:
David has dreaded the Mississippi River since before we left on this great adventure. The Mississippi has a strong current and because the bottom is a series of pits and uneven depths, much of the river looks like a giant boiling cauldron. We went through the Chain of Rocks Canal and passed the big arch in St. Louis. This is another big milestone for us! St. Louis and really all of the Mississippi is very old and industrialized but very interesting with many tows and barges.
It is still very hot! Every day has been over 90 degrees with what feels like 300% humidity! We pulled into Hoppies Marina which is really just a few barges tied together. But… we had power which meant air conditioning and we were all very thankful for that! There are two places on the loop that you just have to stay at or you’ve missed part of the whole character of the loop – Bobby’s Fish Camp on the Tombigbee River and Hoppies Marina on the Mississippi. Fern is the highlight of Hoppies and holds an informational meeting every day at 4:30 PM. So after walking into the town of Kimmswick only to find out the town isn’t open on Monday, we attended Fern’s meeting. By the time the meeting was over, not a person there felt like they would live to tell about traveling the Mississippi!
David has dreaded the Mississippi River since before we left on this great adventure. The Mississippi has a strong current and because the bottom is a series of pits and uneven depths, much of the river looks like a giant boiling cauldron. We went through the Chain of Rocks Canal and passed the big arch in St. Louis. This is another big milestone for us! St. Louis and really all of the Mississippi is very old and industrialized but very interesting with many tows and barges.
It is still very hot! Every day has been over 90 degrees with what feels like 300% humidity! We pulled into Hoppies Marina which is really just a few barges tied together. But… we had power which meant air conditioning and we were all very thankful for that! There are two places on the loop that you just have to stay at or you’ve missed part of the whole character of the loop – Bobby’s Fish Camp on the Tombigbee River and Hoppies Marina on the Mississippi. Fern is the highlight of Hoppies and holds an informational meeting every day at 4:30 PM. So after walking into the town of Kimmswick only to find out the town isn’t open on Monday, we attended Fern’s meeting. By the time the meeting was over, not a person there felt like they would live to tell about traveling the Mississippi!
Monday, September 18, 2017
Alton
Kim’s Korner:
We had a 20-mile journey between Grafton and Alton. A series of beautiful limestone bluffs curve along the river with interesting caves and overhangs. I caught a glimpse of the Piasa Bird, a huge pictograph on one of the cliff faces which represents the legendary “bird that devours men”. On the other side of the Mississippi was “Our Lady of the Rivers”, a huge statue of the Virgin Mary. She gets her name from the fact that three rivers - the Illinois, Missouri, and Mississippi all meet within a few miles of each other.
We got settled in the very nice Alton Marina. Rae and I took off to check out a few stores in town and found some interesting history along the way. Alton is home to the last of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in their famous race for the Illinois Senate in 1858.
We ate at several restaurants while there, two of which are worth mentioning. Fast Eddie’s Bon-Air had a great, fun, bar atmosphere with live music. They offered a limited menu but what they had was very inexpensive and good – and I’m talking $2 hamburgers and $1 fries. The building itself was built by Anheuser-Busch in 1921 to serve as a watering hole on the Mississippi and was called Bon-Air. However, it was sold ten years later as a result of changes in the law that prohibited breweries from owning bars. Fifty years later, Eddie Sholar purchased and expanded the Bon-Air, which was renamed to Fast Eddie’s Bon-Air. Today, the bar is the number one volume bar for Anheuser-Busch in the Midwest.
The second restaurant worth mentioning was Gentelin’s On Broadway which was an upscale-casual eatery and was delicious! We were joined by Sandy and John, Seascape, whom we had not seen in quite a while – it was really nice to catch up with them.
Overtime has a new shine to her! David waxed and shined her and she is looking good!
We visited the National Great Rivers Museum located at the Melvin Price Lock and Dam. It was a great little find! Lots of interesting facts about the bluffs, birds, dams, tows, and barges. We took a tour of the lock and got to see a tow lock through. David also drove a tow with barges through St. Louis on a simulator they had! He didn’t hit any bridges – yay!
Since there is no docking available in St. Louis, several loopers had hoped to go into St. Louis from Alton. Unfortunately, the verdict on the acquittal of former St Louis police officer Jason Stockley came down and rioting broke out in St. Louis. We were advised not to go into St. Louis. A few did anyway since they had U2 concert tickets only to find out the concert had been canceled and the St. Louis arch was closed.
Over the next few days, more loopers arrived. The night before we departed, we had a huge dock party with more loopers together than we’d seen since the Joe Wheeler rendezvous last October.
Did I mention it’s HOT? I mean hotter than it’s been during the last year! Who would have guessed that in mid-September we would be experiencing 90+ degree weather - the hottest days of the entire last year in Illinois? Crazy!
We had a 20-mile journey between Grafton and Alton. A series of beautiful limestone bluffs curve along the river with interesting caves and overhangs. I caught a glimpse of the Piasa Bird, a huge pictograph on one of the cliff faces which represents the legendary “bird that devours men”. On the other side of the Mississippi was “Our Lady of the Rivers”, a huge statue of the Virgin Mary. She gets her name from the fact that three rivers - the Illinois, Missouri, and Mississippi all meet within a few miles of each other.
We got settled in the very nice Alton Marina. Rae and I took off to check out a few stores in town and found some interesting history along the way. Alton is home to the last of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in their famous race for the Illinois Senate in 1858.
We ate at several restaurants while there, two of which are worth mentioning. Fast Eddie’s Bon-Air had a great, fun, bar atmosphere with live music. They offered a limited menu but what they had was very inexpensive and good – and I’m talking $2 hamburgers and $1 fries. The building itself was built by Anheuser-Busch in 1921 to serve as a watering hole on the Mississippi and was called Bon-Air. However, it was sold ten years later as a result of changes in the law that prohibited breweries from owning bars. Fifty years later, Eddie Sholar purchased and expanded the Bon-Air, which was renamed to Fast Eddie’s Bon-Air. Today, the bar is the number one volume bar for Anheuser-Busch in the Midwest.
The second restaurant worth mentioning was Gentelin’s On Broadway which was an upscale-casual eatery and was delicious! We were joined by Sandy and John, Seascape, whom we had not seen in quite a while – it was really nice to catch up with them.
Overtime has a new shine to her! David waxed and shined her and she is looking good!
We visited the National Great Rivers Museum located at the Melvin Price Lock and Dam. It was a great little find! Lots of interesting facts about the bluffs, birds, dams, tows, and barges. We took a tour of the lock and got to see a tow lock through. David also drove a tow with barges through St. Louis on a simulator they had! He didn’t hit any bridges – yay!
Since there is no docking available in St. Louis, several loopers had hoped to go into St. Louis from Alton. Unfortunately, the verdict on the acquittal of former St Louis police officer Jason Stockley came down and rioting broke out in St. Louis. We were advised not to go into St. Louis. A few did anyway since they had U2 concert tickets only to find out the concert had been canceled and the St. Louis arch was closed.
Over the next few days, more loopers arrived. The night before we departed, we had a huge dock party with more loopers together than we’d seen since the Joe Wheeler rendezvous last October.
Did I mention it’s HOT? I mean hotter than it’s been during the last year! Who would have guessed that in mid-September we would be experiencing 90+ degree weather - the hottest days of the entire last year in Illinois? Crazy!
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
The Illinois River
Kim’s Korner:
The day after Labor Day (Sept 5th), we started our 333 miles, 5 locks, 7-day journey down the Illinois River via the Calumet and Chicago Rivers. We are back into the river system which means barges and tows! We saw more in this one week than we’ve previously seen the entire trip. We were held up several times while the tows would move a barge from one spot to another. In one instance, we had just passed one barge, was passing another, had another really big one headed our way and the one in front of us took a sharp 90 degree turn into what looked like the river bank. We thought he was just getting out of the way for the others when we finally realized he was actually pushing the barge into a small industrial channel. Did I mention he wouldn’t answer us on the radio? It was a bit stressful. Another day, we saw a tow that was pushing 15 barges run aground in front of us. After watching him try to bulldoze his way through, he had us go around him. We heard over the radio that he finally got through only to run aground again. I guess that’s one way to dredge the river.
Our first stop was the town wall in Joliet where 16 Looper boats tied up for the night. We enjoyed docktails with everyone, caught up with old friends and met new friends. The following morning, five boats traveled from there to Heritage Harbor Marina in Ottawa where we had the best dinner at their onsite restaurant. Six Looper boats left bright and early the next day. Four of us planned on staying at an anchorage. We were a little concerned as the water level looked really down from normal but after calling a lock master, he assured us the water was within 1/10” of normal. The first boat began his approach to the anchorage and ran aground. And he was stuck – no getting out of it. Another boat tried to pull him out and didn’t have enough power. So the most powerful boat (Islandia) of the six tried and was eventually able to pull him out. See the video – I’ve seen lots of boats that have gone aground but this was the first time I’d ever seen one pulled out – kind of scary. Needless to say, we ditched that anchorage and headed to the nearest marina which ended up being the Illinois Valley Yacht Club in Peoria. We stayed there a couple nights and enjoyed some very good food and company at their onsite restaurant.
The LaGrange Lock has been closed to traffic for several months now except for nights and Sundays. We were trying to reach this lock for a Sunday passage. We stayed overnight tied to a barge in Beardstown which was about eight miles from the lock. Yes – we had to actually pay to tie to this barge – no power or water, just a tie. Which at this point, we were glad for as we were a little too nervous about anchoring since we didn’t trust any of the depths after our friend ran aground. The first thing the following morning, eight Looper boats left the barge and headed for the LaGrange lock where we had to wait less than 30 minutes before we were able to lock through – Yahoo!
We had 80 miles left on the Illinois River. At this point, we saw much fewer barges and the river was really beautiful! We enjoyed viewing many birds - bald eagles, white pelicans, snow geese, white egrets, blue heron and lots of seagulls. The Illinois River is known for its Asian Carp. These fish jump out of the water like crazy as you go by. I saw a small fishing boat go by close to shore and hundreds of these fish were jumping all over the place in his wake - really weird to see.
We stayed overnight at the Illinois Riverdock Restaurant in Hardin with three other Looper boats. We enjoyed a really nice dinner at the restaurant with everyone and turned in early – we were exhausted! The next day, we slowly made our way to Grafton Harbor Marina enjoying the beautiful fall weather. We saw no barges – it was nice to be able to just relax and enjoy the ride! Grafton is the meeting point of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. When we leave Grafton, we will officially be on the Mississippi River.
The day after Labor Day (Sept 5th), we started our 333 miles, 5 locks, 7-day journey down the Illinois River via the Calumet and Chicago Rivers. We are back into the river system which means barges and tows! We saw more in this one week than we’ve previously seen the entire trip. We were held up several times while the tows would move a barge from one spot to another. In one instance, we had just passed one barge, was passing another, had another really big one headed our way and the one in front of us took a sharp 90 degree turn into what looked like the river bank. We thought he was just getting out of the way for the others when we finally realized he was actually pushing the barge into a small industrial channel. Did I mention he wouldn’t answer us on the radio? It was a bit stressful. Another day, we saw a tow that was pushing 15 barges run aground in front of us. After watching him try to bulldoze his way through, he had us go around him. We heard over the radio that he finally got through only to run aground again. I guess that’s one way to dredge the river.
Our first stop was the town wall in Joliet where 16 Looper boats tied up for the night. We enjoyed docktails with everyone, caught up with old friends and met new friends. The following morning, five boats traveled from there to Heritage Harbor Marina in Ottawa where we had the best dinner at their onsite restaurant. Six Looper boats left bright and early the next day. Four of us planned on staying at an anchorage. We were a little concerned as the water level looked really down from normal but after calling a lock master, he assured us the water was within 1/10” of normal. The first boat began his approach to the anchorage and ran aground. And he was stuck – no getting out of it. Another boat tried to pull him out and didn’t have enough power. So the most powerful boat (Islandia) of the six tried and was eventually able to pull him out. See the video – I’ve seen lots of boats that have gone aground but this was the first time I’d ever seen one pulled out – kind of scary. Needless to say, we ditched that anchorage and headed to the nearest marina which ended up being the Illinois Valley Yacht Club in Peoria. We stayed there a couple nights and enjoyed some very good food and company at their onsite restaurant.
The LaGrange Lock has been closed to traffic for several months now except for nights and Sundays. We were trying to reach this lock for a Sunday passage. We stayed overnight tied to a barge in Beardstown which was about eight miles from the lock. Yes – we had to actually pay to tie to this barge – no power or water, just a tie. Which at this point, we were glad for as we were a little too nervous about anchoring since we didn’t trust any of the depths after our friend ran aground. The first thing the following morning, eight Looper boats left the barge and headed for the LaGrange lock where we had to wait less than 30 minutes before we were able to lock through – Yahoo!
We had 80 miles left on the Illinois River. At this point, we saw much fewer barges and the river was really beautiful! We enjoyed viewing many birds - bald eagles, white pelicans, snow geese, white egrets, blue heron and lots of seagulls. The Illinois River is known for its Asian Carp. These fish jump out of the water like crazy as you go by. I saw a small fishing boat go by close to shore and hundreds of these fish were jumping all over the place in his wake - really weird to see.
We stayed overnight at the Illinois Riverdock Restaurant in Hardin with three other Looper boats. We enjoyed a really nice dinner at the restaurant with everyone and turned in early – we were exhausted! The next day, we slowly made our way to Grafton Harbor Marina enjoying the beautiful fall weather. We saw no barges – it was nice to be able to just relax and enjoy the ride! Grafton is the meeting point of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. When we leave Grafton, we will officially be on the Mississippi River.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Pentwater, MI to Whiting, IN
Kim’s Korner:
Michigan has “Safe Harbors” every 20 miles or so down the coast of Lake Michigan where boaters can take cover if needed. Many of these are small tourist towns that include beaches, restaurants and gift shops that are a magnet for vacationers. We made an overnight stop in Pentwater, then moved on to Muskegon where we met up with Barefoot Shoes again. While there we visited the USS Silversides. From watching many WWII movies, it was interesting to actually see the inside of a WWII submarine. It has very small quarters!
We headed to Grand Haven for an overnighter to see the music, fountain and light show they put on every night during the summer. We met up with Charlie and Robin from The Lower Place there, whom we hadn’t seen in a while. We had front row seats from our boat for the show and it was not a disappointment!
It’s funny on this loop how you meet fellow loopers and then you won’t see them for a while and then run into them again down the way. We have run into friends we’ve not seen in many months. We even ran into two of the five couples we crossed the Gulf with back in December. When you travel with another boat, it is sad when you part ways for one reason or another. It’s always a nice surprise when you run into them again. It’s fun to think back on good times and memories that were shared with friends but sad because you haven’t seen them in a while and don’t really know if you ever will see them again. Anyway – I didn’t mean to get all mushy but it is an interesting aspect of this Great Loop.
We next stopped overnight in South Haven. We met up with Barefoot Shoes and managed to get the sisters in slips side by side for a photo shoot. It’s funny to see people’s reactions as they walk by and see two Manatees together. The Lower Place, Tranquility III, Tango Papa and PharmLife were also there.
At this point, let me say that I have really enjoyed Michigan, the towns we’ve visited and the people. The water in Lake Michigan is just beautiful and the beaches in each town are really nice! And as an added benefit – there is no salt! But… the weather here changes so fast and the lake can really make for a bumpy ride – I get a great core workout! Because of this weather and the impending Labor Day weekend, which tends to be very busy on the water, we decided to forego a few Michigan stops we had wanted to make and head to Michigan City which is actually in Indiana.
We stayed in Michigan City three nights due to wind and waves. I enjoyed shopping at the outlet mall - I haven’t seen one of those in a while! We enjoyed quite a large number of loopers at a pizza party thrown by boat Gemini as she had just crossed her wake. Some of us girls went to visit the Barker Mansion, a historic home of a family that was quite influential in developing the area. It was a good stop!
Even though we had planned to stay in Michigan City for the long weekend, a weather window opened up so a group of us headed to Hammond Marina in Whiting, Indiana which is 15 miles east of Chicago. We could see Chicago the entire way although it was quite small when we left. It was a nice surprise to see Tim and Anne from Ivanhoe – we haven’t seen them in almost a month! The big draw here is the Horseshoe Casino where we enjoyed a delicious (and free) buffet and did a little gambling afterward just for fun. Since we visited Chicago two years ago, David and I aren’t sure we’ll go into Chicago – we both feel we did it justice then. But since we’ll be here a few days, we may change our minds – we’ll let you know!
Pictures:
Pentwater, MI
Muskegon, MI
Grand Haven, MI
South Haven, MI
Michigan City, IN
Whiting, IN
Michigan has “Safe Harbors” every 20 miles or so down the coast of Lake Michigan where boaters can take cover if needed. Many of these are small tourist towns that include beaches, restaurants and gift shops that are a magnet for vacationers. We made an overnight stop in Pentwater, then moved on to Muskegon where we met up with Barefoot Shoes again. While there we visited the USS Silversides. From watching many WWII movies, it was interesting to actually see the inside of a WWII submarine. It has very small quarters!
We headed to Grand Haven for an overnighter to see the music, fountain and light show they put on every night during the summer. We met up with Charlie and Robin from The Lower Place there, whom we hadn’t seen in a while. We had front row seats from our boat for the show and it was not a disappointment!
It’s funny on this loop how you meet fellow loopers and then you won’t see them for a while and then run into them again down the way. We have run into friends we’ve not seen in many months. We even ran into two of the five couples we crossed the Gulf with back in December. When you travel with another boat, it is sad when you part ways for one reason or another. It’s always a nice surprise when you run into them again. It’s fun to think back on good times and memories that were shared with friends but sad because you haven’t seen them in a while and don’t really know if you ever will see them again. Anyway – I didn’t mean to get all mushy but it is an interesting aspect of this Great Loop.
We next stopped overnight in South Haven. We met up with Barefoot Shoes and managed to get the sisters in slips side by side for a photo shoot. It’s funny to see people’s reactions as they walk by and see two Manatees together. The Lower Place, Tranquility III, Tango Papa and PharmLife were also there.
At this point, let me say that I have really enjoyed Michigan, the towns we’ve visited and the people. The water in Lake Michigan is just beautiful and the beaches in each town are really nice! And as an added benefit – there is no salt! But… the weather here changes so fast and the lake can really make for a bumpy ride – I get a great core workout! Because of this weather and the impending Labor Day weekend, which tends to be very busy on the water, we decided to forego a few Michigan stops we had wanted to make and head to Michigan City which is actually in Indiana.
We stayed in Michigan City three nights due to wind and waves. I enjoyed shopping at the outlet mall - I haven’t seen one of those in a while! We enjoyed quite a large number of loopers at a pizza party thrown by boat Gemini as she had just crossed her wake. Some of us girls went to visit the Barker Mansion, a historic home of a family that was quite influential in developing the area. It was a good stop!
Even though we had planned to stay in Michigan City for the long weekend, a weather window opened up so a group of us headed to Hammond Marina in Whiting, Indiana which is 15 miles east of Chicago. We could see Chicago the entire way although it was quite small when we left. It was a nice surprise to see Tim and Anne from Ivanhoe – we haven’t seen them in almost a month! The big draw here is the Horseshoe Casino where we enjoyed a delicious (and free) buffet and did a little gambling afterward just for fun. Since we visited Chicago two years ago, David and I aren’t sure we’ll go into Chicago – we both feel we did it justice then. But since we’ll be here a few days, we may change our minds – we’ll let you know!
Pictures:
Pentwater, MI
Muskegon, MI
Grand Haven, MI
South Haven, MI
Michigan City, IN
Whiting, IN
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