I've decided to track the rest of our trip a different way. It will be easier for me so let me know what you think!
Pickwick To Chattanooga
Picture of Chattanooga
Monday, October 9, 2017
Pickwick To Chattanooga
Kim's Korner:
I've decided to track the rest of our trip a different way. It will be easier for me so let me know what you think!
Pickwick To Chattanooga
I've decided to track the rest of our trip a different way. It will be easier for me so let me know what you think!
Pickwick To Chattanooga
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Kentucky Lake to Pickwick Lake
Kim’s Korner:
Anchoring on the Kentucky Lake near the Land Between the Lakes has been absolutely beautiful! It reminds me of the Georgian Bay without the rocks. I feel so lucky that this wonderful area is right in our own backyard.
We spent one night in Pisgah Bay and enjoyed swimming and relaxing. We still had several 90+ degree days in front of us and the water felt great. We used lemon juice to get the rest of Overtime’s mustache off since we could reach it while swimming. That evening, David and I dinghied over to where a rock quarry is that was flooded when Kentucky Lake was formed. It is interesting and surrounded by rock walls covered with graffiti.
Two nights were spent in Panther Bay. It finally cooled off and we woke to crisp autumn mornings followed by warm afternoons. We dinghied over to a beach area and guess what we found? Shells! On the Tennessee River – I would never have guessed! Rae and I collected some and the four of us found the trails near a campground we’d been looking for and did some hiking. When we returned to the boat, David and I got the kayaks down and scoured them to be sure we got all the spiders before we climbed in and took a ride around the bay. It was fun to be using them again. Several kingfisher birds were really upset with us and made all kinds of racket – not sure if they had a nest nearby or what but they were not happy that we were there. We also have been seeing these blobs in the water – I googled them and found they are called bryozoan colonies. David and I enjoyed the stars from our pilothouse and listened to an owl in the distance – life just doesn’t get much better. During the night, we heard what we think were coyotes – really spooky! Barking and howling at two different times – I was glad I was on a boat and not in some tent on the ground!
Other nights were spent in Leatherwood Creek, Pebble Isle Marina and Clifton Marina which are all on the Tennessee River.
We entered our LAST LOCK of the Great Loop at Pickwick Lake! We’ll have more locks before we get home but this was the last one of the Great Loop! Oh – what a good feeling that was! We anchored in a really pretty cove by the Pickwick State Park.
The next day we only had 9 miles to go before reaching Aqua Yacht Marina. As we made the turn off the Tennessee River onto Yellow Creek, we crossed our wake! Wow! We planned this trip for five years and it had finally come to fruition and now we were done! Two other boats, The Lower Place and Southern Cross, also crossed their wake the day before. We all got together and changed out our burgees. Along with Barefoot Shoes, who are already gold loopers and Skinny Dipper, we all went to Hagey’s Catfish Hotel to celebrate and have the best catfish ever! It was a good day.
Anchoring on the Kentucky Lake near the Land Between the Lakes has been absolutely beautiful! It reminds me of the Georgian Bay without the rocks. I feel so lucky that this wonderful area is right in our own backyard.
We spent one night in Pisgah Bay and enjoyed swimming and relaxing. We still had several 90+ degree days in front of us and the water felt great. We used lemon juice to get the rest of Overtime’s mustache off since we could reach it while swimming. That evening, David and I dinghied over to where a rock quarry is that was flooded when Kentucky Lake was formed. It is interesting and surrounded by rock walls covered with graffiti.
Two nights were spent in Panther Bay. It finally cooled off and we woke to crisp autumn mornings followed by warm afternoons. We dinghied over to a beach area and guess what we found? Shells! On the Tennessee River – I would never have guessed! Rae and I collected some and the four of us found the trails near a campground we’d been looking for and did some hiking. When we returned to the boat, David and I got the kayaks down and scoured them to be sure we got all the spiders before we climbed in and took a ride around the bay. It was fun to be using them again. Several kingfisher birds were really upset with us and made all kinds of racket – not sure if they had a nest nearby or what but they were not happy that we were there. We also have been seeing these blobs in the water – I googled them and found they are called bryozoan colonies. David and I enjoyed the stars from our pilothouse and listened to an owl in the distance – life just doesn’t get much better. During the night, we heard what we think were coyotes – really spooky! Barking and howling at two different times – I was glad I was on a boat and not in some tent on the ground!
Other nights were spent in Leatherwood Creek, Pebble Isle Marina and Clifton Marina which are all on the Tennessee River.
We entered our LAST LOCK of the Great Loop at Pickwick Lake! We’ll have more locks before we get home but this was the last one of the Great Loop! Oh – what a good feeling that was! We anchored in a really pretty cove by the Pickwick State Park.
The next day we only had 9 miles to go before reaching Aqua Yacht Marina. As we made the turn off the Tennessee River onto Yellow Creek, we crossed our wake! Wow! We planned this trip for five years and it had finally come to fruition and now we were done! Two other boats, The Lower Place and Southern Cross, also crossed their wake the day before. We all got together and changed out our burgees. Along with Barefoot Shoes, who are already gold loopers and Skinny Dipper, we all went to Hagey’s Catfish Hotel to celebrate and have the best catfish ever! It was a good day.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Green Tutle Bay
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!
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!
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
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Leland and Frankfort
Kim’s Korner:
The last day in Charlevoix, we rode bikes with Steve and Rae from Barefoot Shoes, a Kadey Krogen Manatee. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed good Mexican food afterward.
After 10 days in Charlevoix waiting on the water heater and weather, we made our way to Leland for the night. We had delicious, fresh whitefish at The Cove and fun exploring the town and gift shops. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset from our pilothouse!
The next day we headed to Frankfort. It was the day of the eclipse and the day was hazy – don’t think it was due to the eclipse but the pictures I took just didn’t do the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes justice due to the haze. Frankfort is on Betsie Lake and after settling in and watching the eclipse on TV, we decided to bike the Betsie Valley Trail. This trail may be the best one we’ve been on yet – it took us over to the far eastern end of Betsie Lake where it turns more into a swamp, by a creek, thru forests and eventually to Crystal Lake which was crystal clear and gorgeous! The story of Crystal Lake goes that an attempt to create a navigable channel between Crystal Lake and Lake Michigan by way of Betsie Lake caused the water level of Crystal Lake to be lowered by 20 feet (which was 25% of the lake water) in just a few weeks. This drawdown was unsuccessful from a navigational standpoint but created 21 miles of beach around Crystal Lake where 1100 cottages are now located.
The following few days were WINDY – sleep last night was constantly interrupted by sounds of the lines and fenders as well as the rocking of the boat. I included one picture of a boat that had lines everywhere – we totally understand that! We enjoyed going to the beach and watching the waves and the windsurfers – one windsurfer was able to get quite high! We also enjoyed biking over to Betsie Point Lighthouse which took us by the western end of Crystal Lake.
It looks like the weather is calming down enough for us to leave tomorrow (Thursday) – we’ll see. The wind here changes quickly so stay tuned…
Pictures! Leland - Frankfort
The last day in Charlevoix, we rode bikes with Steve and Rae from Barefoot Shoes, a Kadey Krogen Manatee. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed good Mexican food afterward.
After 10 days in Charlevoix waiting on the water heater and weather, we made our way to Leland for the night. We had delicious, fresh whitefish at The Cove and fun exploring the town and gift shops. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset from our pilothouse!
The next day we headed to Frankfort. It was the day of the eclipse and the day was hazy – don’t think it was due to the eclipse but the pictures I took just didn’t do the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes justice due to the haze. Frankfort is on Betsie Lake and after settling in and watching the eclipse on TV, we decided to bike the Betsie Valley Trail. This trail may be the best one we’ve been on yet – it took us over to the far eastern end of Betsie Lake where it turns more into a swamp, by a creek, thru forests and eventually to Crystal Lake which was crystal clear and gorgeous! The story of Crystal Lake goes that an attempt to create a navigable channel between Crystal Lake and Lake Michigan by way of Betsie Lake caused the water level of Crystal Lake to be lowered by 20 feet (which was 25% of the lake water) in just a few weeks. This drawdown was unsuccessful from a navigational standpoint but created 21 miles of beach around Crystal Lake where 1100 cottages are now located.
The following few days were WINDY – sleep last night was constantly interrupted by sounds of the lines and fenders as well as the rocking of the boat. I included one picture of a boat that had lines everywhere – we totally understand that! We enjoyed going to the beach and watching the waves and the windsurfers – one windsurfer was able to get quite high! We also enjoyed biking over to Betsie Point Lighthouse which took us by the western end of Crystal Lake.
It looks like the weather is calming down enough for us to leave tomorrow (Thursday) – we’ll see. The wind here changes quickly so stay tuned…
Pictures! Leland - Frankfort
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Charlevoix
Kim’s Korner:
We continued our way from Mackinaw City to Charlevoix. If you remember, the sunrise was stunning and I already posted pictures of the Mackinac Bridge. I’ve included the rest of the pictures in this blog of the beautiful clouds and rainbow during the sunrise. The water was very calm which is almost unheard of in Lake Michigan. This lake is known for getting really nasty very quickly. We arrived at the channel leading us into Round Lake and then Lake Charlevoix and had to wait for the bridge to open. The water was a beautiful color and the town was busy with people which made it very inviting. Gail and Bob from The Good Life found us and we rounded up the six looper boats in the marina and had docktails. Unfortunately, they were cut short as a thunderstorm sent us all running for our boats.
As planned, we picked up a rental car. Gail and Bob joined us and we headed to Castle Farms. Castle Farms was built in 1918 by Albert Loeb, the President of Sears & Roebuck Co as a model dairy farm. The farm was shut down 9 years later and fell into disrepair. In 1962, it was purchased and opened as an art gallery. In 1969, the property was purchased and eventually became a summer concert area – see my photo of who rocked the Castle – very impressive list! In 2001, the castle was bought once again and an extensive restoration project began. Many people tour the castle as we did to see the castle, model railroad, gardens and various collections. It has also become a very popular wedding venue and can accommodate several weddings at the same time using different buildings and gardens. Since we still had some time left, we headed to Petoskey which is supposed to be a neat town that many loopers stop at. We were not disappointed. The town, riverfront, and beaches were all very nice and we visited Petoskey State Park in the hopes of finding a Petoskey stone which is a rock that is composed of fossilized coral formed by glaciers during the ice age. The beaches here contain rocks just like southern beaches contain shells. There were so many pretty rocks that I found myself looking for ones that caught my eye as well as Petoskey stones. Gail and I both found several of the Petoskey stones although they weren’t the really obvious ones that the stores sell for a small fortune. We ate at an excellent barbeque restaurant called Pigs Eatin’ Ribs before heading back to the boat.
Charlevoix had an art festival the following day which was really very nice. I made a few purchases and then we took a tour of the Mushroom Houses with Bob and Gail. The Mushroom Houses, also known as Gnome Homes or Hobbit Houses, are an architectural endeavor of self-taught Earl Young. Over two dozen homes and four commercial properties were built from 1919 to 1970 using a variety of rock and stone found in Northern Michigan. Earl Young is known for his wide, wavy eaves, cedar-shake roofs, “icing” at the top of his chimneys, and diamond shaped window panes. As an added benefit, the hotel he designed which we visited had Petoskey stones for sale so guess who got one? The four of us headed back to the boat and shared dinner before calling it a day.
Today the four of us headed to Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore which was 1 ½ hour drive away. We would be passing this by boat as we head south on Lake Michigan but I wanted to experience it more than simply passing by. Plus we had the time and a car which worked out perfectly! The park covers a 35-mile-long stretch of Lake Michigan's eastern coastline, as well as North and South Manitou islands. Chippewa legend has it that an enormous forest fire drove a mother bear and her two cubs into the lake for safety, determined to reach the opposite shore. When the mother bear reached the shore, she waited for her two cubs on the top of a high bluff. The exhausted cubs drowned in the lake, but the mother bear stayed and waited in hopes that her cubs would appear. The Great Spirit created two islands (North and South Manitou islands) to commemorate the cubs, and the winds buried the sleeping bear under the sands of the dunes where she waits to this day. The park is breathtaking! The sand dunes are huge! I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life! From a distance, we could see this huge sand dune – it looked like a snow ski slope only it was sand. As we got closer, we started seeing specs which turned out to be people climbing the huge dune. Of course, David and I had to climb it! Gail joined us and off we went. Most of you know how hard it is to walk in sand – well try climbing in sand – it isn’t easy! Once we reached what we thought was the top, we realized it was not the top at all. So after a short break, David and I started up the next incline. On the way up, a boy maybe 10 or so, was really huffing and puffing and he asked his mother how were these old people doing this? What? Old people? David and me? Can’t be! And yes – we made it to that top only to find out there was another one waiting for us if we chose. But we did not choose. It was much more fun going down the dune than climbing up! And much quicker too! After that, we decided to visit the Maritime Museum in the park and attend a re-enactment of the breeches buoy rescue drill using a Lyle Gun to save Raggedy Ann and Andy from their shipwreck. The park ranger presenting the re-enactment used volunteers and did an excellent job of explaining how it all worked. We then decided to swing by Leland (also called Fishtown) on the way back to check it out. Leland was a neat place and we may well stop there as we travel south on Lake Michigan. We checked out the town, its history and of course, we had to check out the local whitefish for dinner – we couldn’t visit Fishtown without eating the local fish! The fish was delicious, we were exhausted and we still had an hour drive home. It was another good day!
The rental car went back on Monday and a day of chores kept us busy. We were disappointed to learn the water heater would not be delivered until Tuesday afternoon – ugh! Thursday and Friday forecast bad weather days so if we don’t get to leave Wednesday, we’ll be here until Saturday. Tuesday morning we rode bikes over to Fisherman’s Island State Park and walked on the beach – very nice! We also stumbled onto the World’s Largest Cherry Pie – too bad we couldn’t have a piece!
So the water heater did arrive Tuesday afternoon and the technician began work on it. He continues to work this morning and depending on what time he is finished and how the weather looks, we may leave today. We had some fellow loopers who also have a Kady Krogen Manatee contact us yesterday and they are arriving in Charlevoix today so if we stay, we plan to meet with them. So stay tuned…
We continued our way from Mackinaw City to Charlevoix. If you remember, the sunrise was stunning and I already posted pictures of the Mackinac Bridge. I’ve included the rest of the pictures in this blog of the beautiful clouds and rainbow during the sunrise. The water was very calm which is almost unheard of in Lake Michigan. This lake is known for getting really nasty very quickly. We arrived at the channel leading us into Round Lake and then Lake Charlevoix and had to wait for the bridge to open. The water was a beautiful color and the town was busy with people which made it very inviting. Gail and Bob from The Good Life found us and we rounded up the six looper boats in the marina and had docktails. Unfortunately, they were cut short as a thunderstorm sent us all running for our boats.
As planned, we picked up a rental car. Gail and Bob joined us and we headed to Castle Farms. Castle Farms was built in 1918 by Albert Loeb, the President of Sears & Roebuck Co as a model dairy farm. The farm was shut down 9 years later and fell into disrepair. In 1962, it was purchased and opened as an art gallery. In 1969, the property was purchased and eventually became a summer concert area – see my photo of who rocked the Castle – very impressive list! In 2001, the castle was bought once again and an extensive restoration project began. Many people tour the castle as we did to see the castle, model railroad, gardens and various collections. It has also become a very popular wedding venue and can accommodate several weddings at the same time using different buildings and gardens. Since we still had some time left, we headed to Petoskey which is supposed to be a neat town that many loopers stop at. We were not disappointed. The town, riverfront, and beaches were all very nice and we visited Petoskey State Park in the hopes of finding a Petoskey stone which is a rock that is composed of fossilized coral formed by glaciers during the ice age. The beaches here contain rocks just like southern beaches contain shells. There were so many pretty rocks that I found myself looking for ones that caught my eye as well as Petoskey stones. Gail and I both found several of the Petoskey stones although they weren’t the really obvious ones that the stores sell for a small fortune. We ate at an excellent barbeque restaurant called Pigs Eatin’ Ribs before heading back to the boat.
Charlevoix had an art festival the following day which was really very nice. I made a few purchases and then we took a tour of the Mushroom Houses with Bob and Gail. The Mushroom Houses, also known as Gnome Homes or Hobbit Houses, are an architectural endeavor of self-taught Earl Young. Over two dozen homes and four commercial properties were built from 1919 to 1970 using a variety of rock and stone found in Northern Michigan. Earl Young is known for his wide, wavy eaves, cedar-shake roofs, “icing” at the top of his chimneys, and diamond shaped window panes. As an added benefit, the hotel he designed which we visited had Petoskey stones for sale so guess who got one? The four of us headed back to the boat and shared dinner before calling it a day.
Today the four of us headed to Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore which was 1 ½ hour drive away. We would be passing this by boat as we head south on Lake Michigan but I wanted to experience it more than simply passing by. Plus we had the time and a car which worked out perfectly! The park covers a 35-mile-long stretch of Lake Michigan's eastern coastline, as well as North and South Manitou islands. Chippewa legend has it that an enormous forest fire drove a mother bear and her two cubs into the lake for safety, determined to reach the opposite shore. When the mother bear reached the shore, she waited for her two cubs on the top of a high bluff. The exhausted cubs drowned in the lake, but the mother bear stayed and waited in hopes that her cubs would appear. The Great Spirit created two islands (North and South Manitou islands) to commemorate the cubs, and the winds buried the sleeping bear under the sands of the dunes where she waits to this day. The park is breathtaking! The sand dunes are huge! I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life! From a distance, we could see this huge sand dune – it looked like a snow ski slope only it was sand. As we got closer, we started seeing specs which turned out to be people climbing the huge dune. Of course, David and I had to climb it! Gail joined us and off we went. Most of you know how hard it is to walk in sand – well try climbing in sand – it isn’t easy! Once we reached what we thought was the top, we realized it was not the top at all. So after a short break, David and I started up the next incline. On the way up, a boy maybe 10 or so, was really huffing and puffing and he asked his mother how were these old people doing this? What? Old people? David and me? Can’t be! And yes – we made it to that top only to find out there was another one waiting for us if we chose. But we did not choose. It was much more fun going down the dune than climbing up! And much quicker too! After that, we decided to visit the Maritime Museum in the park and attend a re-enactment of the breeches buoy rescue drill using a Lyle Gun to save Raggedy Ann and Andy from their shipwreck. The park ranger presenting the re-enactment used volunteers and did an excellent job of explaining how it all worked. We then decided to swing by Leland (also called Fishtown) on the way back to check it out. Leland was a neat place and we may well stop there as we travel south on Lake Michigan. We checked out the town, its history and of course, we had to check out the local whitefish for dinner – we couldn’t visit Fishtown without eating the local fish! The fish was delicious, we were exhausted and we still had an hour drive home. It was another good day!
The rental car went back on Monday and a day of chores kept us busy. We were disappointed to learn the water heater would not be delivered until Tuesday afternoon – ugh! Thursday and Friday forecast bad weather days so if we don’t get to leave Wednesday, we’ll be here until Saturday. Tuesday morning we rode bikes over to Fisherman’s Island State Park and walked on the beach – very nice! We also stumbled onto the World’s Largest Cherry Pie – too bad we couldn’t have a piece!
So the water heater did arrive Tuesday afternoon and the technician began work on it. He continues to work this morning and depending on what time he is finished and how the weather looks, we may leave today. We had some fellow loopers who also have a Kady Krogen Manatee contact us yesterday and they are arriving in Charlevoix today so if we stay, we plan to meet with them. So stay tuned…
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Mackinaw City to Charlevoix
Kim’s Korner:
We made our way on Lake Huron, passing Mackinac Island and arriving at the city marina in Mackinaw City, MI. Mackinaw and Mackinac are pronounced the same – ending sound like naw. We took our bikes on a ferry over to Mackinac Island the following day. This was definitely the tourist stop – people, restaurants and gift shops everywhere! It was almost a culture shock as the last few weeks in Canada were spent in the exact opposite. Only bikes, horses and horse drawn carriages are allowed on the island as forms of transportation. I’ve never seen so many bikes! The Grand Hotel which is known for having the longest covered porch resides on the island – it was impressive. Flowers were planted everywhere – even the private homes took part in planting gorgeous flower gardens. The best part was riding our bikes on the 8-mile path around the island. We climbed 207 steps to see Arch Rock where the views were spectacular! The water was beautiful - colors ranging from green to turquoise to blue and at times, I could see gold flecks in it. It was really interesting to see and experience this island for the day but a day was plenty for me – too many people! The following day, we enjoyed riding our bikes on the Northwestern State Trail to Lake Paradise. Another beautiful lake! And let me just say that we have really enjoyed all these biking/walking trails we have encountered – really nice! They are used by snow mobiles in the winter. We also took in Mackinaw City – gift shops, historical landmarks, restaurants, ICE CREAM! And I have to say – it was sooooo nice to go into a grocery store and be able to find the things I wanted. The grocery stores in Canada were nice but they did carry different products than we do which was surprising to me. We love Wheat Thins and even they had a different shape and slightly different flavor to them – who would have thought?
So… cruising is fun but we all know that there are always things that need fixing on a boat. We now had encountered one of those issues that had to be fixed. Our hot water tank was leaking and of course, the tank is in one of those hard to reach places hidden behind the engine that David can’t really see. We were back in the mode where we would turn the water off at the breaker panel when we weren’t using it which is a real pain but a necessity at this point. We located a marina in Charlevoix which is well respected for their service department and made that our next stop. After having the technician look at it, the hot water heater needs replacing as we had expected. Because of its location, to replace it would require a good part of the engine would have to be removed. David was not in favor of this so the plan is to “retire in place” this water heater (sounds like a nuclear plant) and add a new one which will then have to have pipes and electricity run to it. David is having a few other minor things done as well since it looks like we will be here for 5-7 days while parts are ordered and installed. We expected this and I now have a rental car reserved. Charlevoix has a lot of places within driving distance that I would like to see so we’ll take this opportunity to do just that.
I almost forgot to mention – we left at 6:00 AM from Mackinaw City and the sunrise was stunning! It lasted for quite a while due to the cloud cover and I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the Mackinac Bridge!
We made our way on Lake Huron, passing Mackinac Island and arriving at the city marina in Mackinaw City, MI. Mackinaw and Mackinac are pronounced the same – ending sound like naw. We took our bikes on a ferry over to Mackinac Island the following day. This was definitely the tourist stop – people, restaurants and gift shops everywhere! It was almost a culture shock as the last few weeks in Canada were spent in the exact opposite. Only bikes, horses and horse drawn carriages are allowed on the island as forms of transportation. I’ve never seen so many bikes! The Grand Hotel which is known for having the longest covered porch resides on the island – it was impressive. Flowers were planted everywhere – even the private homes took part in planting gorgeous flower gardens. The best part was riding our bikes on the 8-mile path around the island. We climbed 207 steps to see Arch Rock where the views were spectacular! The water was beautiful - colors ranging from green to turquoise to blue and at times, I could see gold flecks in it. It was really interesting to see and experience this island for the day but a day was plenty for me – too many people! The following day, we enjoyed riding our bikes on the Northwestern State Trail to Lake Paradise. Another beautiful lake! And let me just say that we have really enjoyed all these biking/walking trails we have encountered – really nice! They are used by snow mobiles in the winter. We also took in Mackinaw City – gift shops, historical landmarks, restaurants, ICE CREAM! And I have to say – it was sooooo nice to go into a grocery store and be able to find the things I wanted. The grocery stores in Canada were nice but they did carry different products than we do which was surprising to me. We love Wheat Thins and even they had a different shape and slightly different flavor to them – who would have thought?
So… cruising is fun but we all know that there are always things that need fixing on a boat. We now had encountered one of those issues that had to be fixed. Our hot water tank was leaking and of course, the tank is in one of those hard to reach places hidden behind the engine that David can’t really see. We were back in the mode where we would turn the water off at the breaker panel when we weren’t using it which is a real pain but a necessity at this point. We located a marina in Charlevoix which is well respected for their service department and made that our next stop. After having the technician look at it, the hot water heater needs replacing as we had expected. Because of its location, to replace it would require a good part of the engine would have to be removed. David was not in favor of this so the plan is to “retire in place” this water heater (sounds like a nuclear plant) and add a new one which will then have to have pipes and electricity run to it. David is having a few other minor things done as well since it looks like we will be here for 5-7 days while parts are ordered and installed. We expected this and I now have a rental car reserved. Charlevoix has a lot of places within driving distance that I would like to see so we’ll take this opportunity to do just that.
I almost forgot to mention – we left at 6:00 AM from Mackinaw City and the sunrise was stunning! It lasted for quite a while due to the cloud cover and I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the Mackinac Bridge!
Friday, August 4, 2017
Baie Finn to Drummond Island
Kim’s Korner:
Baie Fine (or Finn) is an 8-mile fjord leading to the “Pool” at the far end. We anchored in the Pool which is known for the number of weeds you will find on your anchor when you pull it up. We were not disappointed. While there, we hiked to Artist Lake and Topaz Lake which are located within the Killarney Provincial Park. David climbed down to the edge and jumped in Topaz Lake – it is known as a great swimming hole as well as for its stunning topaz color and white granite cliffs surrounding it. When we went to leave, we were informed that a 15-year-old girl and her dog were missing. Those of us who were there broke up into pairs and went on different trails in the search. A while later, we were notified that she had finally been able to find a spot with cell coverage and had made contact with her family. She was okay and had just gotten turned around on the trails – she was heading back although it would be almost 3 hours before she was back to the boat.
We stopped overnight in Little Current to provision. We had tried to in Killarney but the store was very limited and expensive on what they had. Little Current was the last town that had good provisioning capability before getting back into the US.
We went to Kagawong which is a very small town known for Bridal Veil Falls, a natural waterfall where everyone in town gathers to cool off. We enjoyed ice cream, a refreshing swim in the lake and barbeque for dinner.
We also had to make some decisions since bad weather was approaching. The last place on my list that I really wanted to visit was the Benjamin Islands but due to the bad weather, we decided to skip these islands and begin heading to Drummond Island where we would re-enter the US and clear customs. We wanted to be sure we left enough time to spend on Lake Michigan. We spent one day traveling to Meldrum Bay – the water was like glass and we could see storms on our starboard side but we stayed dry except for a few sprinkles. We spent one bumpy day traveling to Drummond Island. It was bittersweet knowing we were leaving Canada – we had enjoyed our 43 days there very much. It was also a really good feeling to be back in the United States.
Baie Fine (or Finn) is an 8-mile fjord leading to the “Pool” at the far end. We anchored in the Pool which is known for the number of weeds you will find on your anchor when you pull it up. We were not disappointed. While there, we hiked to Artist Lake and Topaz Lake which are located within the Killarney Provincial Park. David climbed down to the edge and jumped in Topaz Lake – it is known as a great swimming hole as well as for its stunning topaz color and white granite cliffs surrounding it. When we went to leave, we were informed that a 15-year-old girl and her dog were missing. Those of us who were there broke up into pairs and went on different trails in the search. A while later, we were notified that she had finally been able to find a spot with cell coverage and had made contact with her family. She was okay and had just gotten turned around on the trails – she was heading back although it would be almost 3 hours before she was back to the boat.
We stopped overnight in Little Current to provision. We had tried to in Killarney but the store was very limited and expensive on what they had. Little Current was the last town that had good provisioning capability before getting back into the US.
We went to Kagawong which is a very small town known for Bridal Veil Falls, a natural waterfall where everyone in town gathers to cool off. We enjoyed ice cream, a refreshing swim in the lake and barbeque for dinner.
We also had to make some decisions since bad weather was approaching. The last place on my list that I really wanted to visit was the Benjamin Islands but due to the bad weather, we decided to skip these islands and begin heading to Drummond Island where we would re-enter the US and clear customs. We wanted to be sure we left enough time to spend on Lake Michigan. We spent one day traveling to Meldrum Bay – the water was like glass and we could see storms on our starboard side but we stayed dry except for a few sprinkles. We spent one bumpy day traveling to Drummond Island. It was bittersweet knowing we were leaving Canada – we had enjoyed our 43 days there very much. It was also a really good feeling to be back in the United States.
Pictures:
Monday, July 31, 2017
Midland through Covered Portage
Kim’s Korner:
While at Beausoleil Island, David looked at the alternator which was only putting out about 11 volts. The alternator had been worked on in Jacksonville and the installation had been poorly done as David found un-crimped connections which had come loose the day we left Jacksonville. He looked it over again while here and found a wire that needed some tightening. Since an electrician was coming to look at another boat, David had him look at the alternator and since we had an old spare as well, he took that to check it out to see if it would work or what it would take to make it work.
We moved to Bay Port Yacht Center in Midland while we waited for the alternator. Guess what? The alternator put out about 14 volts that day – coincidence? While we waited for the electrician and our spare alternator, we had a new town to explore. We enjoyed fantastic ribs at Dillon’s Wood-Fired Pizza with Anne and Tim before they left the next morning – we would catch up with them at some point. We also had a delicious dinner at The Explorers Café during our stay. Midland is known for their murals – the worlds largest is there painted on the side of grain silos in the harbor – very neat! We biked on the Trans-Canadian Trail again and after some really big hills ended up in Penetanguishene, another interesting town on the Georgian Bay.
The electrician returned with a newly refurbished alternator since the old one was no good. The next day, we left for the Ladas Bay anchorage. The Georgian Bay is just gorgeous! The rocks turned to calico – black, orange, and white and have ridges in them from the glaciers that formed them. When the sun comes out, the water is clear and blue.
Our friends, Bob and Gail, on The Good Life happened to contact us and we realized we were very close to one another so they came to the same anchorage. We hadn’t seen them since the Statue of Liberty. At Ladas Bay and then Hopewell Bay the following night, we explored in our dinghies, had dinner and played chicken foot – it was good to catch up with them. I saw a loon land very close to us and Gail got some amazing pictures of it! We visited Henry’s Fish Camp for pan-fried pickerel and haddock. Henry’s is world famous and can only be reached by water or air. We were lucky enough to see a seaplane takeoff while there.
At Eureka Point anchorage, we caught back up with Ivanhoe as well as the other boats we’ve been with on and off since we entered Canada. We dinghied over to Ojibway Hotel, an old historic hotel that is open 70 days a year, for ice cream, walking trails and a few groceries. We returned here several times while we were waiting out the rain.
We finally got to use our kayaks! It’s been since January since we last used them due to the fact there really hasn’t been any opportunities to use them. If the weather is good, we are usually moving with Overtime. If the weather is bad, the weather is bad for kayaking as well. At least the kayaks are up out of our way so it isn’t like we are tripping over them all the time. What a place to get to use them – the Georgian Bay! David located what he called “The Land that Time Forgot”. I thought he was crazy as you had to paddle thru grass and lilies but it was beautiful once you got through all that! And just a little buggy. We also paddled over to what the locals call “The Hole in the Wall” – a narrow channel that small boats can use where locals gather on two very small beaches and jump off the cliffs into the water.
We moved to the Bustard Islands and anchored for two nights, again waiting for the rain and winds to pass. This anchorage is another beautiful setting with a dozen boats anchored here. David had to do a “Mediterranean style anchorage” here where he dropped anchor and then tied the rear of the boat to a tree to keep the boat from swinging 360 degrees, allowing more boats to anchor in an area. After a dinghy ride to explore the immediate area, we enjoyed dinghy-tails (tying all our dinghies together) with other boaters.
After 8 nights at anchorages, we headed to the Sportsman Inn Marina in Killarney to provision before heading out again. On the way, we passed through Beaverton Bay and Collins Inlet which were absolutely beautiful! I took so many pictures – sorry for them all – and I didn’t include a fraction of them. Killarney, originally known as Shebahonaning (“narrow channel”), is indeed a narrow short channel that is bustling with boats, sailboats, dinghies, kayaks, sea planes and helicopters. To provision, we used our dinghy to tie up to the docks of the different stores where we needed to go. Such a different world than I am accustomed to!
The next day, we headed to beautiful Covered Portage Cove for two nights of anchoring. We hiked to the top of the cliffs where a gorgeous view awaited us. The water is an emerald green. We picked wild blueberries, swam and hiked up the other side the second day to an observation deck which overlooked the cove as well. This has been our favorite anchorage so far.
I almost forgot – the alternator is still putting out 14 volts. It must have been the wire that David tightened.
Pictures:
20170716 Midland
20170719 Ladas Bay, The Archipelago, Ontario
20170720 Hopewell Bay, The Archipelago, Ontario
20170721 Eureka Point, The Archipelago, Ontario
20170725 Bustard Islands, Ontario
20170727 Killarney Ontario
20170728 Covered Portage Cove Anchorage
While at Beausoleil Island, David looked at the alternator which was only putting out about 11 volts. The alternator had been worked on in Jacksonville and the installation had been poorly done as David found un-crimped connections which had come loose the day we left Jacksonville. He looked it over again while here and found a wire that needed some tightening. Since an electrician was coming to look at another boat, David had him look at the alternator and since we had an old spare as well, he took that to check it out to see if it would work or what it would take to make it work.
We moved to Bay Port Yacht Center in Midland while we waited for the alternator. Guess what? The alternator put out about 14 volts that day – coincidence? While we waited for the electrician and our spare alternator, we had a new town to explore. We enjoyed fantastic ribs at Dillon’s Wood-Fired Pizza with Anne and Tim before they left the next morning – we would catch up with them at some point. We also had a delicious dinner at The Explorers Café during our stay. Midland is known for their murals – the worlds largest is there painted on the side of grain silos in the harbor – very neat! We biked on the Trans-Canadian Trail again and after some really big hills ended up in Penetanguishene, another interesting town on the Georgian Bay.
The electrician returned with a newly refurbished alternator since the old one was no good. The next day, we left for the Ladas Bay anchorage. The Georgian Bay is just gorgeous! The rocks turned to calico – black, orange, and white and have ridges in them from the glaciers that formed them. When the sun comes out, the water is clear and blue.
Our friends, Bob and Gail, on The Good Life happened to contact us and we realized we were very close to one another so they came to the same anchorage. We hadn’t seen them since the Statue of Liberty. At Ladas Bay and then Hopewell Bay the following night, we explored in our dinghies, had dinner and played chicken foot – it was good to catch up with them. I saw a loon land very close to us and Gail got some amazing pictures of it! We visited Henry’s Fish Camp for pan-fried pickerel and haddock. Henry’s is world famous and can only be reached by water or air. We were lucky enough to see a seaplane takeoff while there.
At Eureka Point anchorage, we caught back up with Ivanhoe as well as the other boats we’ve been with on and off since we entered Canada. We dinghied over to Ojibway Hotel, an old historic hotel that is open 70 days a year, for ice cream, walking trails and a few groceries. We returned here several times while we were waiting out the rain.
We finally got to use our kayaks! It’s been since January since we last used them due to the fact there really hasn’t been any opportunities to use them. If the weather is good, we are usually moving with Overtime. If the weather is bad, the weather is bad for kayaking as well. At least the kayaks are up out of our way so it isn’t like we are tripping over them all the time. What a place to get to use them – the Georgian Bay! David located what he called “The Land that Time Forgot”. I thought he was crazy as you had to paddle thru grass and lilies but it was beautiful once you got through all that! And just a little buggy. We also paddled over to what the locals call “The Hole in the Wall” – a narrow channel that small boats can use where locals gather on two very small beaches and jump off the cliffs into the water.
We moved to the Bustard Islands and anchored for two nights, again waiting for the rain and winds to pass. This anchorage is another beautiful setting with a dozen boats anchored here. David had to do a “Mediterranean style anchorage” here where he dropped anchor and then tied the rear of the boat to a tree to keep the boat from swinging 360 degrees, allowing more boats to anchor in an area. After a dinghy ride to explore the immediate area, we enjoyed dinghy-tails (tying all our dinghies together) with other boaters.
After 8 nights at anchorages, we headed to the Sportsman Inn Marina in Killarney to provision before heading out again. On the way, we passed through Beaverton Bay and Collins Inlet which were absolutely beautiful! I took so many pictures – sorry for them all – and I didn’t include a fraction of them. Killarney, originally known as Shebahonaning (“narrow channel”), is indeed a narrow short channel that is bustling with boats, sailboats, dinghies, kayaks, sea planes and helicopters. To provision, we used our dinghy to tie up to the docks of the different stores where we needed to go. Such a different world than I am accustomed to!
The next day, we headed to beautiful Covered Portage Cove for two nights of anchoring. We hiked to the top of the cliffs where a gorgeous view awaited us. The water is an emerald green. We picked wild blueberries, swam and hiked up the other side the second day to an observation deck which overlooked the cove as well. This has been our favorite anchorage so far.
I almost forgot – the alternator is still putting out 14 volts. It must have been the wire that David tightened.
Pictures:
20170716 Midland
20170719 Ladas Bay, The Archipelago, Ontario
20170720 Hopewell Bay, The Archipelago, Ontario
20170721 Eureka Point, The Archipelago, Ontario
20170725 Bustard Islands, Ontario
20170727 Killarney Ontario
20170728 Covered Portage Cove Anchorage
Monday, July 17, 2017
Kirkfield, Ontario to Beausoleil Island
Kim’s Korner:
We have covered some miles in the last month and all these small towns and locks are running together! We have had to traverse some extremely narrow channels. Before we enter, David makes a Securite call over the radio which announces which channel we are entering and which direction we are heading and to please announce yourself if that will be a problem. Then you just hope that if anyone is in the channel, they’ll let you know. We’ve also had some very shallow canals to travel – these are man-made, cut out of rock and are very narrow as well. Currents make things even more interesting. This area is rock, rock, and more rock – no more soft sand as in Florida. Several of our fellow loopers have missed a buoy, hit a rock which caused damage and has had to wait on repairs. It’s definitely scary but the area is beautiful at the same time.
The last two locks on the Trent-Severn were interesting. The Big Chute was definitely the highlight of the Trent-Severn. This “lock” actually puts you onto this “chute” which lifts you out of the water, over a road and back into the water on the other side. They really have it down to a science and seems hum-drum to them but for me - I definitely had an adrenaline rush after it was over! The last lock is very small and only one boat our size can fit in it at a time. We were warned as we waited on the blue line that when you leave the lock, we would be in very swift currents and have a very narrow channel to go through. We were to give a securite as we left the lock as the channel was not big enough for two boats to pass each other. Oh my gosh! We hit that current and it was like riding a slalom course through that channel – wheeeee!!! David’s arms were sore afterward from having to keep Overtime between the buoys. Crazy!
We are officially off the Trent-Severn Waterway and on Georgian Bay which is supposed to be a beautiful cruising area. It is nice to be done with locks for a while. Our first stop is Ojibway Bay on Beausoleil Island which is a Canadian National Park. It is beautiful here and we have a gorgeous view from our aft deck! This park has docks in several places and we are tied to one of the docks along with six other boats – no power or water. There is an outhouse – that’s about it. We got here just as the rain started – ugh! More rain! I also was disheartened to learn we had lost one of our new fenders – at least we are done with the locks for now.
There is a huge mix of houses here. Near the bigger towns, you will see the big, expensive homes. But most of the time, you will see these awesome small cottages, many on their own island. We assume many of these cottages have probably been in the family for generations. Many of them are only in use during the three months during summer as these lakes freeze during the winter. We have had several 60-degree mornings and we still see kids out swimming while we are wearing our fleece.
Wildlife – I’ve been hearing loons early in the morning while I’m just waking – they have a wonderful song. I finally saw one and have seen a few so far. Just as we got into the Georgian Bay, Anne spotted an osprey that had just caught a huge fish – so huge, it couldn’t fly with it. The osprey had the fish pinned on a rock with a seagull only a few feet away just waiting. It was very interesting to see – I only wish we knew how the story ended. I also spotted a deer from our window who had come to the bay to drink water around dinner time – so neat! I took pictures from inside the boat so as not to scare him. We are hoping we might see some black bear and moose – we’ll see!
We started out on a hike to Fairy Lake and after only 500 yards, turned back for our thermacells. Bugs, bugs and more bugs! And they were biting! This was really the first time we had used the thermacells and they worked great! I could hear bugs near my ears and things flying into me but nothing bit – whew! We passed Chimney Bay – a popular anchorage – and saw kids swimming and skiing. We continued to Fairy Lake which was beautiful! A momma loon and her chick were swimming – a hawk flew over and the momma let him know real quickly to just keep moving. We returned to the boat for docktails. We even learned that Ray and Leise are good friends of Rob and Glenda, friends who are doing the loop and who we traveled with for a while – it’s a small world!
We also got our dinghy down and took a ride – we finally had a sunny day – Yay! We haven’t had the dinghy down in months and it was great to use it again. We went to Picnic Island for ice cream and checked out Honey Harbour. We’d heard about Canadian weekends on the water and boats and people were out in droves on this sunny Saturday
We have covered some miles in the last month and all these small towns and locks are running together! We have had to traverse some extremely narrow channels. Before we enter, David makes a Securite call over the radio which announces which channel we are entering and which direction we are heading and to please announce yourself if that will be a problem. Then you just hope that if anyone is in the channel, they’ll let you know. We’ve also had some very shallow canals to travel – these are man-made, cut out of rock and are very narrow as well. Currents make things even more interesting. This area is rock, rock, and more rock – no more soft sand as in Florida. Several of our fellow loopers have missed a buoy, hit a rock which caused damage and has had to wait on repairs. It’s definitely scary but the area is beautiful at the same time.
The last two locks on the Trent-Severn were interesting. The Big Chute was definitely the highlight of the Trent-Severn. This “lock” actually puts you onto this “chute” which lifts you out of the water, over a road and back into the water on the other side. They really have it down to a science and seems hum-drum to them but for me - I definitely had an adrenaline rush after it was over! The last lock is very small and only one boat our size can fit in it at a time. We were warned as we waited on the blue line that when you leave the lock, we would be in very swift currents and have a very narrow channel to go through. We were to give a securite as we left the lock as the channel was not big enough for two boats to pass each other. Oh my gosh! We hit that current and it was like riding a slalom course through that channel – wheeeee!!! David’s arms were sore afterward from having to keep Overtime between the buoys. Crazy!
We are officially off the Trent-Severn Waterway and on Georgian Bay which is supposed to be a beautiful cruising area. It is nice to be done with locks for a while. Our first stop is Ojibway Bay on Beausoleil Island which is a Canadian National Park. It is beautiful here and we have a gorgeous view from our aft deck! This park has docks in several places and we are tied to one of the docks along with six other boats – no power or water. There is an outhouse – that’s about it. We got here just as the rain started – ugh! More rain! I also was disheartened to learn we had lost one of our new fenders – at least we are done with the locks for now.
There is a huge mix of houses here. Near the bigger towns, you will see the big, expensive homes. But most of the time, you will see these awesome small cottages, many on their own island. We assume many of these cottages have probably been in the family for generations. Many of them are only in use during the three months during summer as these lakes freeze during the winter. We have had several 60-degree mornings and we still see kids out swimming while we are wearing our fleece.
Wildlife – I’ve been hearing loons early in the morning while I’m just waking – they have a wonderful song. I finally saw one and have seen a few so far. Just as we got into the Georgian Bay, Anne spotted an osprey that had just caught a huge fish – so huge, it couldn’t fly with it. The osprey had the fish pinned on a rock with a seagull only a few feet away just waiting. It was very interesting to see – I only wish we knew how the story ended. I also spotted a deer from our window who had come to the bay to drink water around dinner time – so neat! I took pictures from inside the boat so as not to scare him. We are hoping we might see some black bear and moose – we’ll see!
We started out on a hike to Fairy Lake and after only 500 yards, turned back for our thermacells. Bugs, bugs and more bugs! And they were biting! This was really the first time we had used the thermacells and they worked great! I could hear bugs near my ears and things flying into me but nothing bit – whew! We passed Chimney Bay – a popular anchorage – and saw kids swimming and skiing. We continued to Fairy Lake which was beautiful! A momma loon and her chick were swimming – a hawk flew over and the momma let him know real quickly to just keep moving. We returned to the boat for docktails. We even learned that Ray and Leise are good friends of Rob and Glenda, friends who are doing the loop and who we traveled with for a while – it’s a small world!
We also got our dinghy down and took a ride – we finally had a sunny day – Yay! We haven’t had the dinghy down in months and it was great to use it again. We went to Picnic Island for ice cream and checked out Honey Harbour. We’d heard about Canadian weekends on the water and boats and people were out in droves on this sunny Saturday
Saturday, July 8, 2017
Bobcaygeon
Kim’s Korner:
We keep meeting up with this small cruise ship that cruises on the Trent-Severn Waterway. It was built to fit into the smallest lock and we finally got to see it lock through. The front bow folds up (see picture) to fit into the lock and the top half of the pilothouse lowers to fit under bridges. The cover over the back deck also folds down. You can barely see the captain in the pictures with his head protruding, through a hatch, above the lowered pilothouse roof to maneuver the ship under the bridge into the lock. The top of his head was inches from the bottom of the bridge – I wonder if he gets hazardous pay. It was very cool to watch.
We made it to Bobcaygeon and made the most of the town during the afternoon. First was the Kawartha ice cream factory – yummy! Then it was laundry, grocery shopping, tourist shopping, docktails with about 8 other looper boats that we’ve been running into every other day or so, and grilling out dinner. It was a long day but we accomplished a lot.
We keep meeting up with this small cruise ship that cruises on the Trent-Severn Waterway. It was built to fit into the smallest lock and we finally got to see it lock through. The front bow folds up (see picture) to fit into the lock and the top half of the pilothouse lowers to fit under bridges. The cover over the back deck also folds down. You can barely see the captain in the pictures with his head protruding, through a hatch, above the lowered pilothouse roof to maneuver the ship under the bridge into the lock. The top of his head was inches from the bottom of the bridge – I wonder if he gets hazardous pay. It was very cool to watch.
We made it to Bobcaygeon and made the most of the town during the afternoon. First was the Kawartha ice cream factory – yummy! Then it was laundry, grocery shopping, tourist shopping, docktails with about 8 other looper boats that we’ve been running into every other day or so, and grilling out dinner. It was a long day but we accomplished a lot.
Friday, July 7, 2017
On to Buckhorn
Kim’s Korner:
July 1st is Canada Day and corresponds to our July 4th. There were lots of food, festivals, and fireworks around the area. We spent our last day in Campbellford riding our bikes on the Trans-Canada Trail which took us through some beautiful country and farmland. We saw chipmunks, rabbits, cows, sheep and a hole in the ground filled with eggs – not sure what animal had laid them. It was a great day even though more rain came in during the afternoon – the water is raging here with really strong currents.
We left for Hastings on a beautiful and sunny Monday morning. We locked through six locks (one with a frog and turtle) during our 15-mile day and were hot and tired when we arrived at the top of lock 18. Many of these locks are less than ½ mile from each other so it really keeps us busy the entire time we are moving. Each lock has a small park associated with it and they are really very nice areas. Each side of the lock has a mooring area which has a blue painted line which is the line of boats which will enter the lock next. The rest of the mooring area which is not painted blue is available for an overnight stay or even just day usage. A few locks offer power but all have restrooms that the lock master will give you the code for when you pay him for a night’s moorage. The fee is very reasonable and these lock parks have lots of locals who are riding bikes, picnicking, and fishing. School is out (end of June) so the kids are everywhere having a great time!
July 4th, we headed for Peterborough which is a bigger town than we’ve seen since we started the Trent-Severn. We had so many Canadians wishing us a Happy Fourth of July – it surprised me that they even knew – it was such a nice gesture! We moored at the bottom of lock 20 and took off on foot to lock 21 which is the infamous Peterborough Lift Lock. Built in 1904, this lift lock is the highest hydraulic lift lock in the world and the largest unreinforced concrete structure. It is like two sheet cake pans side by side – as one side goes up, the other side goes down. Only eight of these lift locks exist in the world and we will be lucky enough to lock through one more while on the Trent-Severn. I include pictures here of our walk there – you will see more when we actually lock through it in Overtime. Peterborough also had a Boater’s World store which I took full advantage of. These locks are much smaller than we are used to so they pack boats in like sardines and we have found we need all six of our fenders on one side to adequately protect Overtime while locking. Not only do we need to protect her horizontally but also vertically so we have to place a few fenders high and a few low. This is great as long as we can always lock and moor on the starboard side or the port side, but you know the saying “Nothing’s Ever Easy” so between tying up to the blue line to wait on a lock, actually locking through, and tying up to moor for the night, I was swapping fenders constantly and NOT a happy camper as a lot of times, I had only minutes notice to do this. So I happily spent some money at Boater’s World for some additional fenders and supplies 😃. Now I have fenders on all four of Overtime’s corners and 4 on one side which I can easily move to the other side as needed.
The next day we took off for Young’s Point. We locked through the Lift Lock – it was very cool! The actual movement only lasted two minutes. We did 7 locks this day and can’t tell you how many times I said to David – “I’m so glad we bought those extra fenders!” The locks are getting busier and busier now. When exiting a lock, the canal can sometimes be very narrow with boats lining each side. Sometimes I wonder if we’ll even fit! I just keep my mouth shut and watch David work wonders. Then there are the rental houseboats that we are now seeing and have been warned about for months. Avoid them at all costs - people rent these houseboats, don’t know how to drive them and will basically play bumper boats with them. Even the lock masters use loud speakers to warn boats waiting on the lock to “get your boat poles ready to protect your boat” – the lock gates open and out comes a rental houseboat. It’s actually pretty humorous – but kind of scary at the same time - just totally different experiences than I’ve ever even known existed! We are also running into the fact that this area is very busy with locals as well so everyone is jockeying for a place on the wall to stay for the night. The lock master will call ahead to see if there is room at a lock ahead of you – of course, there is no guarantee the spot will be there when you arrive but it does help knowing if you might have a chance. We were searching for an anchorage since every lock around us was full. At the next lock, the lock master informed us that some boaters had left the bottom of Lock 27 – we arrived exhausted (again) but the spots were still there when we arrived – thank goodness!
There is a trading post right at Lock 27 that Anne and I had wanted to go to. We’d heard it was a must but we arrived at 6:00 PM which was closing time. Since the locks as well as the store both open at 9:00 AM, Anne and I were there waiting for the store to open. It really was a neat place – they had furniture, clothing, housewares, and snacks – really nice! I found David a Canadian t-shirt (yes, for those of you who know David well – it was a Life is Good t-shirt too) and for myself? It was Kawartha mocha and chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone for breakfast! Oh – life is good! So we paid and rushed back to the boat to lock through. Yes, Anne and I were finishing up our ice cream cones as we locked through – I bet we weren’t the first to do that! Today was a beautiful journey through Stoney Lake which reminded us of the Thousand Islands in NY. We got separated from our buddy boat, Ivanhoe, at one of the locks due to the fact only one of us would fit with all the other boats that were waiting. They went on ahead in order to scope out any available wall space – they got in on upper lock 31 (Buckhorn, Ontario) and started talking to other boats to see who was leaving when in order to make room for us. They found a houseboat that would be leaving in a few hours so we luckily got a spot at lower lock 31 and with the help of the lock master, locked through and made it to the vacated spot once the houseboat left before anyone else got there. Let me explain – there was power available at the upper lock - not so at the bottom of the lock. We plan to stay here two nights due to rain (again). It’s good to get the blog caught up again!
July 1st is Canada Day and corresponds to our July 4th. There were lots of food, festivals, and fireworks around the area. We spent our last day in Campbellford riding our bikes on the Trans-Canada Trail which took us through some beautiful country and farmland. We saw chipmunks, rabbits, cows, sheep and a hole in the ground filled with eggs – not sure what animal had laid them. It was a great day even though more rain came in during the afternoon – the water is raging here with really strong currents.
We left for Hastings on a beautiful and sunny Monday morning. We locked through six locks (one with a frog and turtle) during our 15-mile day and were hot and tired when we arrived at the top of lock 18. Many of these locks are less than ½ mile from each other so it really keeps us busy the entire time we are moving. Each lock has a small park associated with it and they are really very nice areas. Each side of the lock has a mooring area which has a blue painted line which is the line of boats which will enter the lock next. The rest of the mooring area which is not painted blue is available for an overnight stay or even just day usage. A few locks offer power but all have restrooms that the lock master will give you the code for when you pay him for a night’s moorage. The fee is very reasonable and these lock parks have lots of locals who are riding bikes, picnicking, and fishing. School is out (end of June) so the kids are everywhere having a great time!
July 4th, we headed for Peterborough which is a bigger town than we’ve seen since we started the Trent-Severn. We had so many Canadians wishing us a Happy Fourth of July – it surprised me that they even knew – it was such a nice gesture! We moored at the bottom of lock 20 and took off on foot to lock 21 which is the infamous Peterborough Lift Lock. Built in 1904, this lift lock is the highest hydraulic lift lock in the world and the largest unreinforced concrete structure. It is like two sheet cake pans side by side – as one side goes up, the other side goes down. Only eight of these lift locks exist in the world and we will be lucky enough to lock through one more while on the Trent-Severn. I include pictures here of our walk there – you will see more when we actually lock through it in Overtime. Peterborough also had a Boater’s World store which I took full advantage of. These locks are much smaller than we are used to so they pack boats in like sardines and we have found we need all six of our fenders on one side to adequately protect Overtime while locking. Not only do we need to protect her horizontally but also vertically so we have to place a few fenders high and a few low. This is great as long as we can always lock and moor on the starboard side or the port side, but you know the saying “Nothing’s Ever Easy” so between tying up to the blue line to wait on a lock, actually locking through, and tying up to moor for the night, I was swapping fenders constantly and NOT a happy camper as a lot of times, I had only minutes notice to do this. So I happily spent some money at Boater’s World for some additional fenders and supplies 😃. Now I have fenders on all four of Overtime’s corners and 4 on one side which I can easily move to the other side as needed.
The next day we took off for Young’s Point. We locked through the Lift Lock – it was very cool! The actual movement only lasted two minutes. We did 7 locks this day and can’t tell you how many times I said to David – “I’m so glad we bought those extra fenders!” The locks are getting busier and busier now. When exiting a lock, the canal can sometimes be very narrow with boats lining each side. Sometimes I wonder if we’ll even fit! I just keep my mouth shut and watch David work wonders. Then there are the rental houseboats that we are now seeing and have been warned about for months. Avoid them at all costs - people rent these houseboats, don’t know how to drive them and will basically play bumper boats with them. Even the lock masters use loud speakers to warn boats waiting on the lock to “get your boat poles ready to protect your boat” – the lock gates open and out comes a rental houseboat. It’s actually pretty humorous – but kind of scary at the same time - just totally different experiences than I’ve ever even known existed! We are also running into the fact that this area is very busy with locals as well so everyone is jockeying for a place on the wall to stay for the night. The lock master will call ahead to see if there is room at a lock ahead of you – of course, there is no guarantee the spot will be there when you arrive but it does help knowing if you might have a chance. We were searching for an anchorage since every lock around us was full. At the next lock, the lock master informed us that some boaters had left the bottom of Lock 27 – we arrived exhausted (again) but the spots were still there when we arrived – thank goodness!
There is a trading post right at Lock 27 that Anne and I had wanted to go to. We’d heard it was a must but we arrived at 6:00 PM which was closing time. Since the locks as well as the store both open at 9:00 AM, Anne and I were there waiting for the store to open. It really was a neat place – they had furniture, clothing, housewares, and snacks – really nice! I found David a Canadian t-shirt (yes, for those of you who know David well – it was a Life is Good t-shirt too) and for myself? It was Kawartha mocha and chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone for breakfast! Oh – life is good! So we paid and rushed back to the boat to lock through. Yes, Anne and I were finishing up our ice cream cones as we locked through – I bet we weren’t the first to do that! Today was a beautiful journey through Stoney Lake which reminded us of the Thousand Islands in NY. We got separated from our buddy boat, Ivanhoe, at one of the locks due to the fact only one of us would fit with all the other boats that were waiting. They went on ahead in order to scope out any available wall space – they got in on upper lock 31 (Buckhorn, Ontario) and started talking to other boats to see who was leaving when in order to make room for us. They found a houseboat that would be leaving in a few hours so we luckily got a spot at lower lock 31 and with the help of the lock master, locked through and made it to the vacated spot once the houseboat left before anyone else got there. Let me explain – there was power available at the upper lock - not so at the bottom of the lock. We plan to stay here two nights due to rain (again). It’s good to get the blog caught up again!
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Campbellford, Ontario
Kim’s Korner:
The sun was out and there was no rain in the forecast for the day – yes!!! We left with another boat, Ivanhoe, and headed to Campbellford where we planned to stay for at least a few days as more rain was headed our way – ugh! The Trent-Severn Waterway is very narrow at times as our boats will at times run on a narrow canal which is separated from the Trent River where the falls and power plants are. With all the rain, spots exist that have very strong currents. It was a perfect day for traveling – the sun was out and the scenery was beautiful. We were so glad we had waited to travel in the sun as we were able to enjoy it much more than if it had been raining. We have enjoyed talking with the students at the locks – they are always interested in our trip and are a good source of information about the surrounding towns. All of them that day told us we had to get a cream donut at Dooher’s Bakery in Campbellford.
I saw more swans! This time they were usually grouped in pairs and several had youngsters with them. Again, the pictures don’t do them justice but I have really enjoyed seeing them. One flew right in front our boat which was cool.
When we reached lock 11, we could see the Ranney Falls Suspension Bridge on our right. As we entered lock 11, the gate in front of us was massive! Oh yeah – this was a double lock! Once we were lifted and the massive doors opened, we moved right into lock 12 and were lifted further. Cool! Before we could leave lock 12, they had to position the swing bridge so we could exit. I felt like we were in a giant puzzle. Not far ahead was our destination – the Campbellford City Wall.
Once we got tied up, power run, and paid, we got the bikes off and headed up to the Ranney Falls, the suspension bridge, and Ferris Provincial Park. We wanted to get as much in while the sun was out as we could – rain was forecast for the next four days. We enjoyed that, found a restaurant for dinner, and attended a free concert with Tim and Ann from Ivanhoe. It had been a very good day!
The next day, we went into town during a rain break and had one of the delicious cream donuts from Dooher’s Bakery – and they were delicious! We also found the World’s Finest Chocolate Factory Outlet which was a really dangerous place for me 😋. We got back to the boat just as the rain started again. David had a missed call from friends, Rob and Glenda, who actually live 30 miles from where we were. Rob and Glenda are on the Great Loop and we met them Thanksgiving Day, traveled a while together and haven’t seen them since Fort Myers in February. They are currently having boat repairs done and happened to be at home so they came for a visit. It was great to see them! If only Bob and Sharon had been there! They drove us to the Empire Cheese Factory and we loaded up on cheese and butter tarts, which are a Canadian pastry that is to die for! From there, we toured and sampled the Church-Key Brewery which is a micro-brewery in an old church – really interesting. This area is mostly farmland with rolling hills and cattle. Last, we went to Healey Falls which was quite impressive with all the extra rain water. We have such a good time – another good day on the Loop!
The sun was out and there was no rain in the forecast for the day – yes!!! We left with another boat, Ivanhoe, and headed to Campbellford where we planned to stay for at least a few days as more rain was headed our way – ugh! The Trent-Severn Waterway is very narrow at times as our boats will at times run on a narrow canal which is separated from the Trent River where the falls and power plants are. With all the rain, spots exist that have very strong currents. It was a perfect day for traveling – the sun was out and the scenery was beautiful. We were so glad we had waited to travel in the sun as we were able to enjoy it much more than if it had been raining. We have enjoyed talking with the students at the locks – they are always interested in our trip and are a good source of information about the surrounding towns. All of them that day told us we had to get a cream donut at Dooher’s Bakery in Campbellford.
I saw more swans! This time they were usually grouped in pairs and several had youngsters with them. Again, the pictures don’t do them justice but I have really enjoyed seeing them. One flew right in front our boat which was cool.
When we reached lock 11, we could see the Ranney Falls Suspension Bridge on our right. As we entered lock 11, the gate in front of us was massive! Oh yeah – this was a double lock! Once we were lifted and the massive doors opened, we moved right into lock 12 and were lifted further. Cool! Before we could leave lock 12, they had to position the swing bridge so we could exit. I felt like we were in a giant puzzle. Not far ahead was our destination – the Campbellford City Wall.
Once we got tied up, power run, and paid, we got the bikes off and headed up to the Ranney Falls, the suspension bridge, and Ferris Provincial Park. We wanted to get as much in while the sun was out as we could – rain was forecast for the next four days. We enjoyed that, found a restaurant for dinner, and attended a free concert with Tim and Ann from Ivanhoe. It had been a very good day!
The next day, we went into town during a rain break and had one of the delicious cream donuts from Dooher’s Bakery – and they were delicious! We also found the World’s Finest Chocolate Factory Outlet which was a really dangerous place for me 😋. We got back to the boat just as the rain started again. David had a missed call from friends, Rob and Glenda, who actually live 30 miles from where we were. Rob and Glenda are on the Great Loop and we met them Thanksgiving Day, traveled a while together and haven’t seen them since Fort Myers in February. They are currently having boat repairs done and happened to be at home so they came for a visit. It was great to see them! If only Bob and Sharon had been there! They drove us to the Empire Cheese Factory and we loaded up on cheese and butter tarts, which are a Canadian pastry that is to die for! From there, we toured and sampled the Church-Key Brewery which is a micro-brewery in an old church – really interesting. This area is mostly farmland with rolling hills and cattle. Last, we went to Healey Falls which was quite impressive with all the extra rain water. We have such a good time – another good day on the Loop!
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Frankford, Ontario
Kim’s Korner:
We left Trenton hoping to get through 12 locks to Campbellford since the day looked like a perfect travel day. As we all know, forecasts are not always correct and while we were in lock 3, a downpour came. Since it didn’t last long, we continued on. As soon as we pulled out of lock 6, we heard thunder and the sky was dark so we decided to tie up to the wall. Each lock has four walls available to stay on- two above the lock and two below. Some have power, most do not. Luckily we had power! Another downpour came – so glad we pulled over - we would have been miserable. Looking at the forecast now, thunderstorms are likely till 7:00 tonight.
The rain continued into the next day as well. The water level is already so high here and water is just standing in people’s yards. We stayed put and enjoyed going into town during rain breaks for some delicious Italian food at Dimitri’s.
We left Trenton hoping to get through 12 locks to Campbellford since the day looked like a perfect travel day. As we all know, forecasts are not always correct and while we were in lock 3, a downpour came. Since it didn’t last long, we continued on. As soon as we pulled out of lock 6, we heard thunder and the sky was dark so we decided to tie up to the wall. Each lock has four walls available to stay on- two above the lock and two below. Some have power, most do not. Luckily we had power! Another downpour came – so glad we pulled over - we would have been miserable. Looking at the forecast now, thunderstorms are likely till 7:00 tonight.
The rain continued into the next day as well. The water level is already so high here and water is just standing in people’s yards. We stayed put and enjoyed going into town during rain breaks for some delicious Italian food at Dimitri’s.
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