Five Weeks - Four Rivers - Four States & Two Lakes

-->Five Weeks - Four Rivers - Four States and Two 
Lakes - We're Back in the South!

 When we left Joliet, Illinois on September 16th, the weather was usually still warm enough by afternoon to change from long sleeves and jeans to tee shirts and shorts.  Today, October 19th, we're docked at Pebble Isle Marina near New Johnsonville, TN and it's 43 degrees with sunny skies, definitely jacket weather.
We've traveled 655 miles by water (which would have been 378 miles as the crow flies), following the bends and curves of the mighty Mississippi, turning north at Cairo into the Ohio River, east into the Cumberland River, then south into Barkley Lake, where we spent three days enjoying Green Turtle Bay Resort and Marina. Great showers and laundry, reunions with Looper friends, a trip to Paducah to see Unfair: Exposing the IRS the day we arrived, a memorable dinner at Patti's in Green Rivers (already decorated for Christmas), and boat repairs highlighted our stay. 
From Joliet, we stopped at Heritage Harbor near Ottawa, Peoria, and Havana, Illinois on our way to Grafton Harbor. It was Octoberfest in Peoria on September 19th, and Eastport Marina loaned us their old "dually" to cross the bridge and check out the action.  One regret: we should have visited the Caterpillar Center first, then gone to Octoberfest to enjoy German music, food and beer. We didn't get to try driving the bulldozer or backhoe in Peoria, but when we visited the River Discovery Museum in Paducah with Canadian friends Susan and Jeff, we each took a turn at the helm of a tow, speed boat, or Coast Guard cutter.   
Friday morning, after Mike installed a new bilge pump float switch, we continued south, with a west turn through a short channel into Kentucky Lake, formed in 1945 when the Army Corps of Engineers built Kentucky Lock and Dam across the Tennessee River and created the Land Between the Lakes. Tomorrow, we turn south again for a three day, 112 mile trip to Pickwick Lake and the beginning of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Although our compass heading shows we're traveling south, the Tennessee River through Kentucky Lake flows north. Instead of the three - five mph current we enjoyed cruising down the Mississippi at a blistering speed of 11.5 miles per hour, we're now cruising against the current, with one lock before Pickwick Landing Marina.
Looking back at our journey through America's great rivers, we remember locks, tows (tugboats pushing as many as 18 barges), and large limbs and trees floating down the rivers.

Three weeks ago, anchored out behind Willow Bend Island in the Illinois River with Eclipse, It Takes Two, Fruitcakes, and Estrellita, we heard a loud thump on the hull just as we were waking up. A large dead tree had snagged itself on our anchor line and was stuck alongside the starboard bow. The channel between the island and the shore was filled with large limbs and more trees.  
Cowboy Mike hurried to the dinghy, lasso ready, to pull the tree away from our bow. As Stel took pictures from the bow of Estrellita, Mike pulled more logs

away from our fleet and dragged them to the opposite bank.  We all hurried to get underway, with Midas Touch last because we still had to take Midas ashore for his morning "get busy" routine.

When we reached Grafton Harbor, just above the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, Andy & Julie on Fruitcakes and Burke & Stel on Estrellita, both faster boats, had already docked, and we were happy to tie up near them, next to Cooyon and near Roxanne, Free Bird, Eclipse, and more Loopers.  We took advantage of the "pay for four days/get three free" deal to visit St. Charles, the St. Louis Arch, the Lewis & Clark Museum and the confluence of the Missouri & Mississippi Rivers. We even rented a car to take Julie and Marian to an immediate care facility in nearby Alton to have Julie's sore ribs and Marian's sore right arm checked out. Pulled ligaments was the verdict for Marian, and with the help of a bottle of Naproxen, the arm is almost as good as new.  We also did some major provisioning at Schnucks, the midwest equivalent of Publix, in Alton. While Stel and Marian filled grocery carts, Mike found a hardware store.  

"Docktails" are a tradition whenever Loopers gather, and with at least a dozen Looper boats in port, we moved our gathering from one of the larger boats to the deck at Grafton Harbor's office/ship's store/winery. It's a BYOB event, and most Loopers also bring an hors d'oeuvre to share. We caught up with friends, shared tales of our adventures (and misadventures), and compared notes on how long we had waited at various locks.    

Above right, Sylvi (in the red shirt) is one of the many wonderful Canadians we've met along the way. On another evening, we enjoyed her husband Simon's description of his career working in the frozen northern parts of Canada to keep the country's "hydro" (electric power) running.                                             

Below left, our view of the Grafton Harbor Marina and Big Kahuna, the upstairs bar and grill where we enjoyed an impromptu concert courtesy of four boating troubadors on their way to Mobile. They have been friends for 40 years, and their virtuosity on guitar, fiddle and harmonica is a real highlight of our journey. At right, the Looper gang on what felt like a summer afternoon in late September.               

                  

A new favorite from Grafton Harbor Marina is a spice mix that turns a box of ordinary saltine crackers and vegetable oil into an addictive snack. We have to keep them hidden from ourselves to prevent over-indulging; it's a good thing that they stay crisp in a sealed container for days.
Another treasured memory of our stay in Grafton was dinner at the Aerie, a winery at the top of a bluff. We rode up in two Gators and back down in a comfortable small bus.
Andy and Julie joined us for visits to the Lewis and Clark Boathouse in St. Charles and the Confluence Tower and Lewis & Clark State Historic Site in Hartford, IL.

Left, hanging sculpture of leaves graces the stairway leading to exhibits at the Lewis and Clark Boathouse.
Below, two of the excellent exhibits depicting life at the time of the expedition. 

 

 Left, the Confluence Tower. Above, fountain at the base. Below, one of many plants in the gardens. The Corps of Discovery recorded much of the vegetation they found on their journey and sent detailed drawings back to president   
                                             Thomas Jefferson.

Above and right, just a few of the many excellent exhibits at the Historic Site.

 Knowing that we would pass St. Louis as we traveled south on the Mississippi from Grafton Harbor and that the city has no places to dock, even briefly, along its waterfront, we used the rental car to visit the famous arch with Andy and Julie. Road construction nearby didn't deter us, and as shown below, Mike got some very creative shots of this amazing landmark, taken from the base as we waited to enter and ride to the top.  From the small portholes, we had a panoramic view of the river.

 

If you have the slightest hint of claustrophobia, don't even think about taking the tram to the top of the arch. The pods seat four people with reasonable comfort; a fifth passenger would have made our ride very, very cozy. 

From the luxury of Grafton Harbor with its excellent "en suite" showers and almost new washers and dryers, it was on to Hoppie's at MM158.5 RDB (Right Descending Bank), 20 miles south of St. Louis near the historic village of Kimmswick. Fern Hopkins is a legend among Loopers in particular and cruising boaters in general for her encyclopedic knowledge of the Mississippi River from above St. Charles (and perhaps farther north) to Green Turtle Bay on Barkley Lake.  She conducts daily briefings for boaters heading down the Mississippi, including safe, protected anchorages, meeting and overtaking tows, the current state of the river, and inside information on the three locks between Hoppie's and Green Turtle Bay. Which lockmasters will work with "PCs" (pleasure crafts) and which have no use for us? Is the water rising or falling and how much? Is there debris on the way from rain or storms upstream? She includes instructions for leaving the dock (several old barges tied together) and crossing the river to the channel: put engine in reverse briefly to dislodge any branches lodged under the hull; untie bow line, then stern line, leave your midship spring line around the cleat; turn wheel hard to starboard; shift to forward as you leave the dock, letting the current push your bow out.

Left and below, two views of the dock at Hoppie's on one of the beautiful days we stayed there waiting for repairs.

Below right, Fern's daily briefing. Pay close attention and take good notes.

Marian attended several in the nearly two weeks we stayed at Hoppie's, learning a bit more each time. Fern's knowledge and advice made one of the most challenging segments of the Loop a bit

easier and much safer. 

Next door to Hoppie's is a horse pasture, location of Ride St. Louis, a hippo - therapy organization, and a home that was the ancestral home of Fred and Mabel Ruth Anheuser. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, on our way back from a walk into town, we stopped by and learned that an acappella men's chorus would be performing later that afternoon. We went on to Hoppie's and returned with three other Looper couples to enjoy an hour or so of terrific music.  
Midas needs regular baths, and Hoppie's dock was a perfect place. He stands patiently while Mike scrubs and rinses.
There's always more to tell, but our travels from Hoppie's to Green Turtle Bay and on toward the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway will have to wait for our next post. Please let us know what you think and ask any questions you have.
Thanks for sharing our adventures with us.

More Michigan - a Little Indiana

More Michigan - a Little Indiana - and on to Illinois

Our memories of Mackinac Island are dominated by fudge and flowers. The island is justifiably famous for its fudge, with at least a half dozen shops along the main street and more varieties of fudge than we could count. Of course we indulged ourselves, and it was delicious, but no tastier than Dahlonega's own Fudge Factory. The fudge doesn't stop on Mackinac Island, either; every town along the western shore had at least one fudge shop, plus ice cream. 

One backyard garden on the island is truly a masterpiece, and it's all the work of one man. Stand beside it, inhale the sweet smells, and feel the gentle breeze caress your face.         

"Betty," our usually faithful Ford Lehman engine, had coughed and hiccuped a couple of times as we crossed the North Channel to Drummond Island, so our next stop was Harbor Springs, where a skilled diesel mechanic quickly found the problem - engine-mounted fuel filters that had not been cleaned in the three years we've owned the boat. He replaced the difficult to remove old filters with a newer design; problem solved, with no further issues in the three weeks and 300+ miles since.  We celebrated Mike's 70th birthday with an excellent dinner in Harbor Springs after a much needed trip to Walmart and a pet store in Petroskey, thanks to the use of the marina's van. With our small refrigerator chock full, cupboards and Midas's supply of dog food replenished, and good weather, we cleaned the boat Sunday morning and reached Charlevoix by late afternoon. We were delighted to reconnect with Pauline and Ken, Canadian friends we'd met in Spanish, on Shipperly, when we docked at the very nice municipal marina. Marian found a book store with a going out of business sale - bargains on the latest J.D. Robb novel, Concealed in Death, and on At Home in Mitford for Pauline, whose dad was an Anglican (Episcopalian in the U.S.) priest. Charlevoix is known for the "Fairy Houses" and "Mushroom Houses, which resemble story- book fantasies, and like most homes we've seen along the way, have spectacular gardens. We walked across the bridge the day we left and along the street in front of these homes. The front yards are just as beautiful as the back, which overlook Round Lake, the entrance to Lake Charlevoix. 

Next stop: Leland, a small but charming village, known for Fish Town, formerly the docks and fish processing buildings when commercial fishing was the main industry and now the home of quirky shops and restaurants. Although the town is small, its municipal marina is excellent - with helpful, caring dockhands, a friendly harbormaster, and terrific showers. Transient boaters receive a welcome package with coupons and information on the town. We visited its small museum to learn more of the local history and enjoyed the company of Ken and Pauline plus Carolyn and Harry on Pour-House, former residents of Atlanta and owners of a couple of Thai restaurants there. Carolyn is the consummate shopper, and since they travel faster than we do in their Ranger tug, she had already checked out all the shops along the main block.  We were thrilled to find Morning Glory muffins at the local bakery, and left with a four-day supply.

The western coast of Michigan's "mitten" (lower peninsula) is known for its truly huge dunes. These were visible from our dock at the Leland Municipal Marina.

Leland is full of charming shops and galleries with cool art like this horse and the faces below. Maybe the artist is a fan of CBS Sunday Morning.

Midas likes exploring shops - mainly because many of them have treats. When he's allowed to go in, his first stop is always at the counter or cash register to find any goodies that might be waiting. Although the owners told us he was welcome in this shop, it had quite a few breakable items, so he had to wait outside and look irresistible. 

       The clerks took turns going out to make  friends with him

                                                                      

Below left, one of the shops of "Fishtown," formerly the center of commercial fishing activity and now the home of shops and an excellent restaurant.   Below right, a view of the marina's breakwater and beautiful Lake Michigan beyond it.  Our boat was docked to the right of those seen in the picture.   

                                                                                          

The dunes at sunrise early on the morning we left Leland and continued south toward our next destination - Manistee.

Visits to towns often include a Loopers favorite activity: provisioning.  Some marinas (not many) have a courtesy car, but there's often a grocery store in the small towns along the western coast. Manistee is no exception, and after laundry, our next ashore chore was a walk to the grocery, pulling our folding red wagon.  Our friends Ken and Pauline made the

same trip, and took this photo of the three of us. Midas and Mike waited at the Family Dollar store, our first stop, while Marian cruised the grocery store.  When we crossed the bridge back to the marina, where the docks line the waterfront, Mike and Midas turned left to find a hardware store and Marian returned to the boat.  Rechargeable batteries and charger in hand, Mike and Midas left the hardware store. Sniffing out possible treats, Midas dragged Mike into the Happy Hippy next door, and there our real adventure began.  Robin, who reminds us of Tigger from Winnie-the-Pooh on speed, began asking questions: where are you from? How long did it take you to get here?  Is this your first trip to Michigan?  One of the shops was a shoe store where the world's tallest man, memorialized in an actual size statue in the corner, purchased his made to order shoes.  

                                                                         

 

 

As they walked back toward the boat, stopping in most of the shops along the way, Robin said, "We have to go get your wife and then you all have to go to the art exhibit at the Ramsdell Theatre."  Since we volunteer at the Historic Holly Theater in Dahlonega when we're not "looping," this turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. In addition to the art exhibit, we were treated to a tour conducted by one of the members of the board of this vibrant community theater.  From the outside, the building looks almost like an early 20th century factory, re-purposed as a theater and art center.  While it has undergone restoration and renovation over the years, it was built as a theater, plus a large ballroom on the second floor and exhibit hall on the main floor, entered from the first set of steps. The theater entrance, just visible in the photo, is to the right.   

Built in 1902 - 1903 by local lawyer and philanthropist Thomas Jefferson Ramsdell, the idea of a theater was not welcomed by the grand dames of the town, who feared it would bring an unsavory element to the town. Ramsdell built the theater anyway, and his son, Frederick Winthrop Ramsdell, 
a talented artist, painted the murals which grace the two sides of the lobby.  Note the sheer garments worn by the "Greek" goddesses; their faces are portraits of the town's prominent ladies, the women who had voiced their opposition to the theater.

Above left, from Wikipedia: The famed theatrical artist Walter Burridge, scenic artist who painted sets for The Wizard of Oz, painted the front drop curtain entitled A Grove Near Athens that is still being used today.   

                                                                                             Above, Mike's photos show the beautifully restored auditorium, somehow reminiscent of Atlanta's Fox Theater on a much smaller scale.  
Below, pretend you're standing on the 34 foot deep by 60 foot wide stage and looking straight up.  Since Mike has performed in four plays at the Holly and knows firsthand how cramped our stage is, especially when a show has a large cast (like My Fair Lady, Big River, or Hello, Dolly!), he was drooling at the space the Ramsdell performers have. 

We've now traveled on from Manistee through Pentwater, Grand Haven (more wait for good weather days) and St. Joseph's in Michigan, then on to Indiana: Michigan City and Hammond. We spent five days in Hammond, once again waiting for fair skies and gentle breezes instead of unseasonably cold temperatures, rain, and very strong winds.  Finally, we continued west on September 14th, hoping to see Chicago from the water, but work on one of the bridges - closed for repairs - meant we had to turn around, travel about 10 miles back the way we had come, and continue down the Calumet River/Cal-Sag Canal. This is primarily an industrial area, not at all scenic, sometimes smelly, and dominated by very large "tows," which consist of a tug boat pushing up to six or more long barges, some of them "double-wides." Our trusty Waterway Guide warns that as we go further south and enter the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, the tows will get even larger.  They have the right of way, and pleasure craft skippers know not to defy them; we won't win.  We caught up with fellow Loopers who left Hammond about the same time we did at the Lockport Lock, where some had been waiting for two or three hours for several northbound tows to get through. These locks are much larger (100 feet wide by 600 feet long) than those on the Erie Canal and the Trent-Severn Waterway, both now used almost exclusively by recreational boaters, and it takes much longer to fill the lock for northbound/upbound traffic and to drain it for southbound/downward bound boats. We had a 40' drop at Lockport, and it took 30 minutes to descend. Nine cruising boats and one tow filled the lock, and the cruisers (most of us Loopers) traveled together to Joliet, where we all tied up overnight at the free dock adjacent to Bicentennial Park.  This wall also has free power - and we'll probably stay a few days while we wait for flooding downstream to subside. 

One almost final note for regular readers of the blog, who already know that our Golden Retriever Midas is an integral part of our crew and an endless source of entertainment and joy.  During our time in Georgian Bay and the North Channel, we anchored out more than we stayed in marinas, and Midas had to go ashore at least twice daily to "get busy."  He needs a little assistance to get down the almost vertical ladder from the aft deck to the dinghy, but he's mastered getting back up all by himself.  We're proud of our terrific therapy dog, and we can tell he's also proud of his accomplishment.

http://youtu.be/g8Za8xSnlcw

Who knows what our next adventure will be? We do know that we'll find good friends along the way and that each day will bring new experiences to enjoy, new challenges to overcome, and memories to last a lifetime.