We left Paris Landing on a beautiful morning and made our way down Kentucky Lake into the Tennessee River. We stayed in a great little marina in Clifton, Tennessee. We did some teleworking the next day, and left in the late morning, heading for Pickwick Lock and Dam. They have had a lot of rain this summer, so the water was pretty high and the current was against us. Nonetheless, we persevered and made it through the lock and down to the Aqua Yacht Safe Harbor Marina. Since yours truly was born and raised in Memphis, we had family drive the not quite two hours to come pick us up for a long weekend. Unfortunately, that involved a funeral, but I'm glad that I was there to bid my longtime friend a fond farewell. We spent another few days at Pickwick Lake and departed there on September 30. We found an excellent anchorage spot down the Tennessee Tombigbee waterway near Midway marina in Fulton, Mississippi. We got an early start on October 1 and headed to Columbus, Mississippi, which is about 70 miles down the Tenn-Tom waterway. The hubby has a work emergency so he has to fly back to DC this weekend. He will return on Monday, so I'm sure I can get some things done without him underfoot. We plan to stay in Columbus for another week or so, as I have a big work project coming up. We had already planned to fly to DC for the Columbus Day weekend to move the little we have left to Jacksonville, FL for the winter.
Century Club: PJ Kaiser
Hide Aweigh arriving at Clifton, TN
There are artsy tigers all over Memphis (for the Univ of Memphis Tigers mascot)
Tenn-Tom Waterway
The Whitten lock has an 84 ft depth and is the fourth deepest lock in the US
Thebes RR bridge, Thebes, MO
National quilt museum in Paducah, Kentucky
Great restaurant with excellent steak!
Here is the excellent steak!
Cool neighborhood liquor store near Green turtle Bay resort
You just can’t resist fudge
Once again, you just can’t resist fudge
Cool fishmarket
The moon rise over Lake Barkley, Kentucky
Entering Kentucky lake
Bridge over Kentucky lake at land between the lakes national recreation area, Kentucky
Raptor rehabilitation area Paris Landing State Park, Tennessee
We were able to get off work for a few hours on Thursday afternoon so we made our way from Alton, Illinois down through St. Louis and to Happys marina, the last fuel stop for 200 miles to Paducah, Kentucky. We had filled up in Alton and the river gave us an extra four not of current, so we did not need fuel when we got to Happys. After spending a night there, we shoved off and made our way to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. We anchored near a railway bridge at Thebes, MO. On Saturday, we made the trip all the way to Paducah, and enjoyed a lovely dinner and a really cool downtown area there. On Sunday morning, we headed toward Green Turtle Bay Resort in KY. Rather than take the shorter route and go through the dam at Kentucky lake, we were advised by many many people to take the longer route up the Cumberland River and over to the dam and lock at Lake Barkley. This is because the shorter route is always congested with lots of tows and such. It was made very clear to us that pleasurecraft are not exactly welcome. After going through the lock, Green turtle resort was just on the other side. We spent a couple of really fun days there, and on Tuesday morning, departed for Paris Landing State Park. They have an owl aviary, in which park rangers and zoologist are caring for injured birds of prey
There is a Bald Eagle on the bank
Sunset at anchor near Beardstown, IL
More sunset
Sunrise!
We had a stowaway... Asain Carp jumped in the boat. It's a pretty common occurrence
The Hardin Bridge at sunrise
Picture-perfect day for a cruise
Grafton sights
Grafton Winery
Funky bars line the streets
Pere Marquette Cross is where Marquette and Joliette are said to have landed
Reubel Hotel is reputed to be the most haunted building in Illinois
The view from the Aerie Winery, atop the big hill in Grafton
We left Peoria and made it to the lock, just before the lockmaster was going to close the door. (They are really good about getting people through and on their way). We proceeded to Beardstown, IL, loving the calm river and lots of bald and golden eagles everywhere!!. We anchored just downriver from there and had a million stars after a beautiful sunset. We arose the next morning early to make the LaGrange Lock with several other boaters. We enjoyed another lovely day and stopped at Hardin, IL, where we were told "the best brisket in the world" is served at Mel's Dockside Restaurant. Three other Looper boats stopped there for the night as well, and we made new friends over dinner. I do believe that I ate the best brisket I have EVER tried that night!! The next morning, everyone headed down to the funky town of Grafton, which touts itself as the "Key West of the Midwest." Having spent quite a bit of time in Key West, I can kind of see where they get that. Here, we said goodbye to the Illinois River and hello to the Mighty Mississippi.
After a couple days in Grafton, we cruised down to Alton, where we are spending a week, working on the boat, getting packages, mail, and provisions. We also filled our 2 150 gallon tanks to the brim with diesel fuel, as there will be NO FUEL for about 250 miles when we leave here on Thursday. Luckily for us, the Mississippi has a current that will help us along! After passing the ST Louis Arch, we plan to spend Thursday night at Hoppies Marina on the Mississippi River, at anchor on Saturday at the Thebes Railway Bridge in Thebes, MO, and the Paducah, KY Marina on Sunday.
Some loopers having a get together
Sunrise over Lake Michigan
The Chicago skyline approaches
Sunrise over Lake Michigan
Excellent local pizza chain
The planetarium is getting a new roof
This is the view after going through the ChicagoHarbor lock
This is at the Joliet municipal dock
There are lots of barges to make room for. The technical term for them is “tows”
We jumped from the cool haven of New Buffalo, Michigan to Portage, Indiana. The marina was about a mile away from any kind of civilization, so we rode our bikes into the closest piece of town that was mostly retail establishments, including a Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World. We also grabbed dinner at a local barbecue joint and then turned in early so we could do a little teleworking and cruising to the town of Hammond, Indiana the next day. We were there for two nights and met a bunch of Loopers who are staying there as well. Just about the only thing near the marina within walking distance was Horseshoe Casino. Neither the hubby nor I have been in a casino in years, despite the fact that we lived within a 15 minute drive of the National Harbor MGM casino for a long time. Our luck was not too bad, but it was not good enough to make us want to go running back to a casino anytime soon -LOL.
after Hammond, we grabbed a mooring ball in Monroe Harbor in downtown Chicago. Chicago really has a magnificent skyline and seeing it from the water makes it pretty special. Lake Michigan was not being very cooperative, as we were getting bounced all over the place. We got on land and saw a bunch of sites, ate Chicago pizza and steak, And wandered around the Navy Pier. We did this for a couple of days and then had enough of the bouncing. We left a little earlier than expected and went through the lock at Chicago Harbor and proceeded on to the river system, starting with the Illinois River. We made our way to Joliet that night and then proceeded to Heritage Harbor Marina in Ottawa, Illinois on Sunday night. Today, we will be in downtown Peoria and will explore the city.
The lighthouse at Ludington Michigan
Traveling by moonlight on Lake Michigan
Grand Haven, Michigan
They do lighted fountains dancing to music every night during the summer in Grand Haven, Michigan
Storm approaching from the lake in South Haven, Michigan
Cool downtown Street in South Haven, Michigan
St Joseph
We left Ludington on August 23 and made our way to Grand Haven, Michigan for one night. We then headed to South Haven, Michigan for 2 nights and spent one night on the municipal wall at Saint Joseph. After leaving there we made our way to New Buffalo, which is located pretty much at the south end of Lake Michigan. All of these towns are absolutely adorable, each one of them has its own little flair that makes each special. The people are amazing, as is the food and beverage! Tomorrow, we will be saying goodbye to Michigan and hello to Indiana, which occupies very little waterfront on the lake.
On Aug 14, we anchored in the beautiful Portage lake. The stars that night numbered in the billion, I think, and we were treated to an amazing show by the annual Perseid meteor shower. The next day, we headed to Manistee, where we explored and worked until Tuesday morning. Then, we made our way to the city of Ludington, where we planned to stay for the rest of the week. Initially, we were going to head south on Saturday, but the forecasted 3-5 ft waves were an incentive to stay put for a couple days more.
The ride to Presque Isle was near perfect, as was the bay where we anchored. We took the dinghy to shore and checked out the old and new light houses. We also ran into an old Looper friend, so that was pretty cool too. The next morning, we had a great ride up to Mackinac Island, where we met up with some more friends and checked out the really cool town for a couple of days. When we left Mackinac Island, the seas were perfect, but there was a lot of fog. It's a good thing we have a really good radar. We made our way down to the really cool town of Charleville located on Lake Michigan. We were able to stay there one night, but the rest of the nights were booked, so we had to find a marina further away from town that had space. It was OK, as it allowed us to catch up on boat work and stuff like that. Today is yet another beautiful day to be out on the water and enjoy Lake Michigan. Neither my husband nor I have ever been on this lake before. We are headed to Frankfurt, Michigan for the night.
Downtown Tawas, MI
Cool paintings on the side of a building
A group of Loopers, having Docktales
Super-neat artwork at Mangoes Tequila Bar, Alpena, MI
Alpena City Hall
Visitors Center, Alpena
"Little Red" Lighthouse at Alpena Harbor
They say that the weather on the Great Lakes can turn bad at the drop of a hat. Whoever "they" are, they are not lying! The unpredicted 6 foot swells that we ran into during a pop-up thunderstorm on Lake Huron prompted us to go to small marina in Port Austin on the Saginaw Bay for shelter for awhile. A couple of hours later, the Bay had calmed significantly, so we headed across to Tawas City. We dont normally travel at night, but our visibility was good and radar and AIS worked well. We arrived around 1130 pm and had assistance tying up from some partying boaters on the dock. Additionally, a small craft advisory was issued for the entire area for Sunday, so it was a good thing we went to the cool little harbor in a neat little town when we did, or we NEVER would have made it across the Bay.
We met up with some other people doing the Great Loop, also known as "Loopers". Of course, everywhere we go, we meet up with Loopers so that makes it a lot of fun. The weather on Monday morning was perfect for cruising, so we made our way up to Alpena, Michigan, yet another fabulous spot! A couple of days ago, we had torn out the flooring on the bridge and the aft deck. A friend who lives in the area let us borrow her car and we went to Home Depot and bought new outdoor carpet. The rest of the week we spent on various boat projects, and teleworking, of course! On Friday, we plan on anchoring out in the cove at Presque Isle- I can't wait!!
Edited to add: Watching the weather is important. We will head to Presque tomorrow (Saturday), as there are 3 ft swells at 3 seconds on Thunder Bay now and storms in the forecast right now. Tomorrow morning looks near-perfect.
Downtown Cleveland
Rock and roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland
Cleveland Lighthouse
A beautiful day to sail on Lake Erie
Moored at Put In Bay, Ohio
Put In Bay at night
Toledo Lighthouse
Toledo Lighthouse
The seventh Street bascule bridge and the top of the US customs house in Port Huron, Michigan
Tasty beverages at the brewery
Fueling up for the trek north
The Bluewater Bridge spans from the US over to Canada. If you zoom in, note the line of trucks waiting to get through Canadian customs
Hello Lake Huron!
Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, circa 1829
The weather was amazing for a trip across Lake Erie to Put In Bay, Ohio. We got a mooring ball for the night and caught the water taxi to town, where we had drinks and dinner and wandered around, looking at the sites and people. That place is known as a party town and we can certainly see why – LOL! There are bars everywhere! The next day, Monday, we made our way to the Western shore of Lake Erie to a small hamlet called Toledo Beach. We stopped at a marina there for the night and then proceeded the next day up the Detroit River, to Jefferson beach, where we spent the night and worked the next day. We took advantage of the beautiful weather and crossed Lake Saint Clair and proceeded up the St. Clair River to the beautiful little town of Algonac, Michigan, where we spent a couple of nights. On Friday, we cruised up to Port Huron, just south of the entrance to Lake Huron. That is a super cute town too! This morning, we're fueled up and are currently cruising north on Lake Huron. It is a great travel day! We expect to anchor somewhere on the top of the thumb tonight. Tomorrow, we will be heading up to Saginaw Bay and the popular town of Towas for a few days.
We stayed one night in Dunkirk and then headed down to Erie, PA for the night. We anchored in a pretty cove at the Presque Isle State Park. We took the dinghy out for a spin and stopped at the Commodore Perry monument, as well as checked out a houseboat community. We got an early start the next morning and went to Ashtabula, Ohio, where we spent the day at the city dock and worked(yes, we actually DO telework full time). We got out to explore a bit and then went to Fairhope, Ohio to anchor for the night. The next day, we had a beautiful cruise to Cleveland, where we spent Friday and Saturday nights. We checked out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the great waterfront, and met other Loopers.