We are Grafton bound for our first mail pick up day and a stop at the end of the Illinois River. The last seventy miles of this river are remarkably beautiful with abundant wild life, rock bluffs and small river towns. Once in Grafton we made a trip to the local post office where our son, Bart had sent our first batch of mail.Art and Nancy, a couple we met through our blog, came to meet us while we were…
After two nights anchored out at Bath Chute the Coast Guard finally opened up the last portion on the Illinois River so we pulled up anchor mid-day and headed down stream for a short 42 mile day. Progress!We anchored off the side of the Illinois River with the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge as the backdrop. This makes three days without being off the boat. Here is Jim fending off a huge log from the back of the boat.Today we went…
Monday morning finds us, along with seven other Loopers, still anchored here in Bath Chute. We are all waiting for news that the river is finally open - as of 10:00 am it is still closed. Six inches to go before they open this section of the river. If we get word of it opening mid-day we could leave and move a little bit south.Early this morning we had a thunderstorm and a downpour of rain but it appears to…
We got up early to assess a minor engine concern and after changing fuel filters we departed Peoria for our anchorage 61 miles south called Bath Chute. The waters in this stretch are still in flood stage, however very navigable. When we came upon the Peoria Lock and Dam we could see that it was mostly underwater as we had heard. They had lowered the wickets so we floated over the dam area (to the right of the lock), it…
We were the first boat to leave Heritage Harbor on Friday morning after we heard that more of the river opened up down stream. We left for Peoria and our first mail pick-up on the trip.Today was a special day as it is our Anniversary (sixteen years). Three years ago we celebrated this day on this very same stretch of water at Hamm's Holiday Harbor, a very rustic marina. We were happy to be going to IVY Marina in Peoria…
Our trip to Heritage Harbor in Ottawa was only 46 miles and took us eight-and-a-half hours. The weather has continued to be hot and sunny. We went through three locks total. The first lock was a piece of cake, easy in, easy out and no waiting. Locks two and three were another story. The tug and barge traffic had backed up some because of the lock and river closures we caught ourselves right in the middle of barges locking through…
After the Illinois River subsided some, making boating down the river safer, the U.S. Coast Guard opened up enough of the down stream waters enabling us to leave Joliet. We departed the free dock along with Good News leaving three boats behind, Foreign Exchange, Toronto; Amy K, NY; Shore Thing, CT and Markelle of FL. We left early and headed down river to Heritage Harbor in Ottawa, Illinois.
We arrived here last Wednesday and planned a couple of nights stay at most. In reality, tomorrow we will have been here a week now. Jim says that it is time to go.We have been waiting for better reports from the powers that be on the river as to whether we can get very far south or not. Every morning we wake to different lock or river closings or delays. The aftermath of the flooding has put a little wrench…
Last night, we had a Looper get together on Andy and Mary's boat, "Good News." We all brought food and grilled out. These impromptu parties are the best. They always involve good food and lively and informative discussions. We think that since we all must share a passion for boating and adventure (or why would be out here doing this?) so right away we have a commonality which is always an icebreaker when meeting new people.This morning Mary, Charlotte and…
Going on three days on the free wall in Joliet. Five boats left here this morning which left three of us, Kismet, Good News, Foreign Exchange, for most of the day until Amy K arrived late afternoon. Jim had a great idea on how to use up our box full of small change. There is a Harrah's Casino just across the river from where we are tied up. It was a short, but fun way to get rid of that change.Also…
Other than the two days of heavy rain we've had hot or warm, sunny weather. It was in the high eighties yesterday. The water levels have been another thing altogether. Basically, the remnants of hurricane Ike flooded much of the upper river system, therefore we had to stay in Chicago for three extra days before the Chicago lock opened to let us into the river.Yesterday, when it finally opened (this is a little lock - only a two-foot drop) we…
After anchoring out Wednesday night behind Navy Pier we lifted the anchor only to find a gigantic wad of seaweed on it. Once we got the seaweed off we traveled the short distance to DuSable Marina, three blocks from Michigan Avenue, for an expected three nights dockage. We've enjoyed walking around Grant and Millennium Parks as well as up and down Michigan Avenue, a couple of days it was under the protection of our umbrella due to the heavy rain.On…
After waiting four days for a good day to cross Lake Michigan we departed our anchorage in Holland to head first south and then west across the lake. It was a pleasant ride but long, about 12 hours. We decided to anchor out our first night in Chicago since we were arriving so late in the day and it turned out to be an excellent idea. We are the only boat in an anchorage spot just behind Navy Pier. It…
We left Ludington this morning after closely watching the weather. It was nasty yesterday and we did not want to get caught in any bigger waves than we had already experienced so far on this trip. It was a good call and it was a little better than our first few days but not calm by any means. We were surprised to see "Stargazer" and Ginger and Laura anchored right next to us. They were some of the first "Loopers" that…
We 're not sure if we're getting used to the bigger waves or they actually were slightly smaller on day two. We had a short day today only six hours on the water, stopping in Ludington, MI.While entering the Ludington Municipal Marina we notice that we were being closely followed by a Coast Guard boat and immediately after tying up to the dock they requested to board our boat. It was all harmless and they asked if we would permit…
Anxious, we left under the cover of darkness so that we could travel as far as possible on our first day of our second "Loop." It started out just fine with one to two-foot waves, however once we got through the Leland Narrows the waves increased to three to four-footers with the an occasional six-footer. Seventy-four miles was long enough for our first day, especially with all the bouncing around. We spent a quiet night at anchor in Frankfort with…
We woke up to high winds and big waves today - remnants of hurricane Gustav. Therefore we have decided to postpone our departure by a day or so, in hopes of calmer seas. By doing so we'll be able to spend a little time reflecting on why we're heading out a second "Loop."The bottom line is that we love to travel by boat while experiencing the beauty and sounds of America, learning about our history while meeting new and interesting…
Could it be a conspiracy that our friends have called or talked to us about just one more going away dinner or party? I suppose they might be thinking that if they plan enough stuff we will be too busy and won't be able to leave before the snow flies. In reality we have had many tears shed while saying goodbye to our immediate family and close friends over the last few weeks.All we can say is... nice try guys.
Every year at 1:00 on Labor Day the residents of Charlevoix congregate on the bridge which spans Pine River Channel. They come together to celebrate the end of the summer season and to say goodbye to all the "Fudgies" who are leaving town across the bridge in droves.A short sing song poem is read with the crowd chanting in unison while thanking the tourists but expressing delight in reclaiming their small town. It is all done in good fun.
We squeezed in a sunset, dinghy cruise, the last of the season. For us it will have to last us until we venture home again in the summer of 2008.
Our sons Bart and Skyler graced us with some valuable face time this month. We tried to show them a good time while visiting us at differnt times recently. My (Lisa's) brother Jem and his wife Patti came up to visit us before we left. They brought Barby with them. Our friends Wade and Susie drove north all the way from North Carolina to spend a few days with us on the new Kismet.
Our friend Gary helped Jim run the lines to the TV from the Track It unit. It all went together without a hitch. Thank God!
