Our thoughts on the trip

Having spent the day cleaning the boat and working on laundry, here are some thoughts on our trip- and advice to anyone taking this part of it.
-The most beautiful part of the trip was the Trent- Severn waterway. While parts of it were undeveloped, it was just beautiful. Georgian Bay was lovely as well. If we had more time, we would have loved to have spent more time there. The locks were not that bad, and the locktenders (male and female) were very friendly. They would ask how far you were going, and either call ahead and notify the next lock you were coming, or even call the next marina to see if they had a spot for you to spend the night. You could also spend the night at most of the locks if you wanted to, although they had no power. We had no problem finding fuel, food, marinas or places to eat on this part of the trip.
-After Georgian Bay we headed for Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Again, we found many places to stay and shop. It was fun to read ahead in the Ports book and decide where to go next. We spent a long weekend in Chicago. The marina was more expensive than we had paid other places, but there was plenty to do so we didn't mind.
-One of the big problems Fran found was finding somewhere to get her hair done. There just aren't many hair salons near the waterfront. I finally found one at Grand Haven, Michigan. I found other women in the same situation- wanting a simple haircut, and unable to find a salon.
-Almost every marina we stayed at offered a courtesy car that you could use to go get supplies. If you needed a part for your boat shipped in, or other packages such as your mail from home you could do that at a marina. We did not anchor as often as others did, mostly because our son Ray in the wheelchair gets bored and wants to get off the boat after a long ride. When we did anchor, it was fine. We used an invertor to keep the fridge running, and used the generator as needed.
-The river part of the trip is another matter altogether. There are so few marinas that unlike the earlier part of the trip, where you had your choice of where to stay- you now wonder IF you will ever find somewhere to stay! Plan this part carefully- it can be well over 200 miles between marinas-fuel-food-towns etc. There are places to anchor, but make sure you pay attention to the various books advice on anchoring spots. We know of at least on boat that had anchored for the night and then had to move for a towboat that was putting barges together. The rivers are without a doubt the least attractive part of the trip. The locktenders were very nice, as were the towboat operators, but you the pleasure boater are low man on the totem pole! The whirlpools and debris in the water will mean someone needs to be watching at all times while you are moving.
-As far as the computer goes, we chose to use the marinas internet service rather than buy a card. It probably depends how important the internet is to you. We were able to connect most days, one way or another. A few times we simply walked to the local library and used their free wifi. I will tell you, when you are anchored in "no mans land", there's a good chance you may have no cell service- at least if you are verizon, I can't speak for the other services.
-Probably of the best part of the trip was meeting people from different parts of the country. Besides just talking to the "locals", and getting their take on the economy, their town and it's history, we also met up with plenty of other "loopers". We went out to eat many times with these fellow boaters, and it was just great. We also tried to sample foods from the different parts of the country: from Chicago deep dish pizza to Fried Catfish and oysters in the South. Sometimes we joked about eating our way around the loop! We went to an annual BBQ in Paducah, Kentucky, and an Octoberfest in Panama City, Florida.
-We had a great time, and look forward to completing the trip in the Spring- going up the East coast, back to New York. If we can help answer any questions if you are planning the trip, please feel free to email us at lissowd@earthlink.net.

New Port Richey, Florida

Today is Frans' birthday, and Bud took her on a cruise! We went 180 miles, and crossed the Gulf of Mexico. We started out from Apalachicola at 8am, and tied up at our dock in New Port Richey at 5:15pm. We got off the boat, cleaned up and went out to dinner with friends to celebrate. Tomorrow We will attempt to wrap up this first half of our trip with our thoughts on what it was like. Glad to be home! Bud, Fran and Ray

Apalachicola, Florida

Ok- getting close now! We went 63 miles today, made it to Millers Marina in Apalachicola. Fueled up, and we are so ready to head for home. Weather forecast isn't promising for tomorrow- we'll see. May have to wait for Tuesday. Bud's antsy, but Fran would rather be safe. Went to an Oyster bar for an early dinner, and tries oysters for the first time. Not bad. Ray stuck with his tried and true Grilled cheese sandwich. He did try a lil bite of Dads oyster, but says he doesn't like it! Hope to see you all soon- miss you! Bud, Fran and Ray

Panama City, Florida

Woke up this morning in Alabama with a Mikey Wannabe on our swim platform! Today we went 120 miles and made it to Panama City. Rays wish has finally come true- we made it to Florida. We stayed on the Intercoastal Waterway today, and probably will tomorrow too. Plan to be home Monday, weather permitting. Miss you all- Bud, Fran and Ray

Orange Beach, Alabama

Hey everyone! We made it to the Gulf of Mexico. Since I was last able to write, we have traveled 363 miles. We spent last night at a nice anchor, but no tv or internet. The bottom pic is what the Tombigbee river was like- so much debris! The top picture is an oil rig we passed, the next is a fishing boar surroundede by birds. The picture of the ship is a Navy ship coming into port woth escorts. All the Sailors were on deck at attention- it was something to see! We left Mobile bay and came into the Gulf for just a short time before turning into the Intercoastal waterway. We are headed for Pensacola, Florida and are tied up tonite at a marina in Alabama, just a few miles from Florida. The end is in sight for this part of the trip! Love to you all- Bud, Fran and Ray

Demopolis, Alabama

Another day, another state. This part of the trip was so exciting someone had a hard time just staying awake for it!! Could be 'cause we got up at 6am since it was such a long trip today. We went 117 miles today and did 3 locks to get to Demopolis, Alabama. The top pic is limestone cliffs we saw today, they were just beautiful. Lots of white egrets too. The next couple of days is supposed to be really desolute. The next marina, about 100 miles away is called Bobbys Fish Camp!! I kid you not!! About 250 miles til we reach Mobile and the Gulf ! Love to you all! Bud, Fran and Ray

Columbus, Mississippi

Hello everyone! We went 60 miles today and did 4 locks to make it to Columbus Mississippi. Tomorrow will be a long day, over 100 miles and we plan on getting started around 6 am. We will have locks too, one as soon as we get started. The top picture is of a Bald Eagle we saw today. Lots of dead trees and birds along the way. The middle pic is a Heron fishing in the lock. When the water goes down, all these little fish were trapped, and it made for a quick meal! The last picture is a hillbilly campsite along the river. Bud thinks there's a still in with the collection of stuff!! Nice weather the last few days, mid 70s during the day, 50s at night. Supposed to have rain Thursday, we'll see. That's it for now, love to you all- Bud, Fran and Ray

Tenn-Tom Waterway

Hey Y'all- We are really in Mississippi now!! We went 56 miles today and did 3 locks. We did the fourth highest lift lock in the USA. The James L. Whitten lock lifts ( or in our case, lowers) you 84 feet. We went down into a big hole! You'll see a pic of one of the locks, as well as "Gilligan" on the fly bridge! The other shot is of a train that was going ovet our head as we went under the bridge. For those of you having a hard time just figuring out all these rivers, here's a recap of where we've been since Chicago. Leaving Chicago , we were on the Illinois waterway. We were then on the Mississippi until we reached the Ohio River. We took the Ohio river to the Tennessee river, and are now on the Tenn-Tom waterway, which connects the Tennessee river to the Tombigbee river. We will take the Tombigbee to Mobile Bay in Alabama, which will take us to the Gulf of Mexico. Bud says the Gulf of Mexico is about 400 miles from us now. We'll move on tomorrow, more locks, more barges, oh boy! Miss you all- love Bud, Fran and Ray

Pickwick Lake

Hello from the wanderers! Today we finished up the Tennessee river. We are now on Pickwick lake, which is bordered by three states-Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. The marina we are in happens to be in Mississippi, but we were told that if we walk up the driveway and across the street we will be in Alabama!! And if we could throw a rock across the lake we could hit Tennessee! So- you get the idea! We went 118 miles today and did one lock. We started at 8:30 am and did't reach Grand Harbor Marina til 5pm. Long day. We will now start the Tenn-Tom waterway, which has 10 locks total. Oh, boy Fran can't wait! Love you all- Fran Bud and Ray

Pebble Isle, Tennessee

Today we went 73 miles on the Tennessee River from Green Turtle Bay to Pebble Isle. We are in Kentucky lake, one of the largest man made lakes in the world. We are now in Tennessee. Yesterday we went to Paducah, Kentucky with another "looper" couple, and enjoyed to the annual BBQ festival. It was quite something. I saw things there I never knew you could fry!! This morning we had breakfast at the marina and then bought a few things at a farmers market. This looks like a nice marina, they have a small family resturant and we've been invited to join 2 other couples for dinner. Sometimes it seems like all we do is eat our way from port to port!!

Green Turtle Bay, Kentucky

So here we are relaxing at Green Turtle Bay. Last night we went up and had a nice dinner at the yacht club. Ray wasn't so sure he wanted to go, but he was glad he did! They had live music, and he just loved it. They were all very nice, and we had a great meal. The last several days we have passed more tow boats and barges than you can imagine. We had no idea so much stuff was moved by barge. We have seen one huge towboat pushing as many as 20 barges at one time. When we come upon one in the river going the opposite way, Bud has to call them and ask which side they would like him to pass them on. The drivers all have a southern drawl, and can at times be hard for us to understand. They also have their own language! Passing port to port they call "one whistle", and passing starboard to starboard they call "two whistles". The same when we are behind one and want to pass them, Bud calls and asks which side and when they tell him to pass on two whistles, he knows to go around them on their starboard side. What's really funny is that they all call him Cap'n, (in their southern dralw) and it cracks me up every time! We also asked about where all these tow boats get their names. We were told they are named after girl friends, sisters, wives etc. There are more female names then male, and it looks like the male names are somewhat "famous" people. For example, we passed one called the Ralph E. Flagg. Haven't seen anything like the John F. Kennedy, but we assume these names must mean something. That's the trivia for today, miss you all! Fran, Bud and Ray

Green Turtle Bay, Kentucky

So here we are in Green Turtle Bay, Kentucky! It's been a long couple of days! From Alton to here we put on 294 miles. We left Alton Monday morning, and made it to Hoppies Marina early afternoon. This was to be the last marina for over 200 miles. Basically, it was 4 barges tied to the side of the Mississippi river! It was run by Hoppy and his wife Fern, who appeared to be in their 70s, but still pretty active. The pic of the group of us is all us "loopers" gathered at Ferns "meeting". She held it at 4:30, and explained what we should expect on the upcoming trip down the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. She's quite a character to say the least! They have been manning this marina for 32 years. We left Hoppies marina early Tuesday, and made it to mile marker 7.9 on the Mississippi, just before it meets the Ohio, to anchor for the night. We had another cruiser that we had met at Hoppies raft off us for the night. As Bud says, we were somewhere between the middle of nowhere and no place in hell!! We left there early Wednesday morning and arrived at Green Turtle Bay mid afternoon. We plan on relaxing here for a few days. The one pic is off our "class" at Hoppies. There is also one of the arches at St. Louis as we went by. The shot of the dumptruck unloading scrap metal into a barge we just found interesting. And finally, we passed every day this tugboat the WENDY L. those of you in the family will understand WHY we found that SO interesting!! Not alot of stuff to see on these rivers, so we had to make up our own fun! That's it for today, love to you all- Bud, Fran and Ray

Alton, Illinois

Friday we left Peoria headed for the mighty Mississippi. We had been told to expect a long trip with not much to see but nature, and boy were they right. We never realized that there was still so much undeveloped riverfront in the United States, but we saw plenty of it! At one point we were excited just to see a pile of turtles on a log! Since this was such a long stretch of wilderness, we decided to make it a long day Friday. We traveled from

Peoria, Illinois

Tonite we are in Peoria. We went 57 miles and did no locks. We did see our first white pelicans, though. Who would know- pelicans in Illinois??!! More barges, more trees and water. We have seen the "jumping" Asian Carp, though, and they are pretty interesting. Big- and boy do they jump! We plan on leaving here tomorrow, and have been told there's not much in the way of marinas foe a few days, so we may have no internet. Love you all- Bud, Fran and Ray

Chicago to Spring Valley

The last 2 days we traveled 114 miles and did 6 locks. The bottom 2 pictures is our trip through downtown Chicago. The top pic is one of the many barges we have seen. These barges push pretty much anything you can imagine, from garden mulch to backhoes to garbage. Not much fun passing the latter!!

We left Chicago bright and early (7:30) Tuseday Morning. We wanted to get an early start since we had to do the dreaded fish barrier on the Illinois waterway, and deal with the Coast Guard. Turns out it was no big deal. We were met at the entrance of the "electric barrier" by the Coast Guard, handed a paper flyer explaining it, and then had to phone in for permission to go through. Once granted, we drove the 7/10th of a mile and met another Coast Guard boat at the other end. We also had to phone in again to let them know we were through. They only let one boat at a time proceed. Really, you can stand at one end and see the other, that's how close it is! And some poor boats paid $600. to be towed through this! We're glad they stopped that!

The day went pretty smooth after that until we reached the lock at Dresden. Commercial boats (barges mostly) have the right of way, and we wound up waiting 5 hours before we could go through. There were 3 barges, and they sure move slow! We anchored, I fixed dinner, and then we put Ray to bed. We finally got our turn at 9pm! We kept going in the dark, looking for a spot to tie up and found a little town dock with a launching ramp and a few fishermen. No power, but by that time we didn't care! The fishermen were very nice, but the apparently they fish at night and sleep during the day! Today we came to Spring Valley, and are staying at a very small but nice boat club. We are between Joliet and Peoria, closer to Peoria. There is a boat tied behind us from Lake Huron doing the loop, and we went part of the day with a boat from Watertown also doing the loop. They had been on the water since mid-June!

That's it for today- love to you all, we miss you! Bud, Fran and Ray

chicago

Here we are in Chicago! The top picture is of the Sears tower- now named the Willis Tower 'cause some company bought the naming rights! Guess that's a big contraversy here, and most folks here still call it the Sears tower. In case you didn't know, The Sears tower is the worlds tallest building. The second picture is Soldier Field, the stadium where the Chicago bears play. This weekend there was a 2 day U2 concert- 60,000 people each day, and we could hear the music from our boat. Our boat is there, someplace if you can find it! The last shot is us of course, with the Chicago skyline behind us. We also went to Shedds Aquarium, the second largest aquarium in the world. We've had a great time here, but plan on leaving in the morning. Love to you all- Bud, Fran and Ray

Chicago

We made it to Chicago!! Only went 35 miles today, but the end of the lake was a little bumpy. Amelia flew from Rochester and has joined us for the weekend. Today we hiked to Navy Pier, had lunch and toured the shops. Tonite we are going to look fo some authentic Chicago deep dish pizza. There's also a huge 2 day U2 concert tonite and tomorrow- at Soldier Field near our boat. For those of you who are as ignorant as we were- Soldier field is the stadium where the Chicago Bears play. Til tomorrow- Bud, Fran and Ray

Michigan City, Indiana

This is the lighthouse at the pier entering the harbor in Michigan City, Indiana. We are spending the night here before going on to Chicago in the morning. We traveled 100 miles today, and have now broken the 1000 mile mark for travel. Amelia is joining us in Chicago for the weekend, and we are looking forward to that. We also received good news- The Coast Guard has decided that it's ok for boats to go through the electric fence on the Illinois river without being towed. We still have to get their approval to do so, but at least it won't cost us $500.00!!! For our friends on the East coast- we are now in a different time zone- one hour behind you. Love to you all- Bud, Fran and Ray

We spent today hanging around Grand Haven. Bud worked on the boat a lil bit and Fran did some laundry. The top pic is of the Grand Haven Marina taken from the back of our boat. The bottom pic is one of the Coast Guard buildings as you come into the harbor. This city has the biggest Coast Guard station on Lake Michigan, and it is big! We went out and had a nice dinner with 2 other groups of "loopers". One couple is from Washington DC, and the other couple is from Colorado, but bought their boat in Florida and started the loop from there. It was great fun to compare notes about our trip so far, and we sure feel like the beginners! Tomorrow we plan to head for Michigan City. Love to you all- Bud, Fran and Ray

Grand Haven, Michigan

We traveled 118 miles to get to Grand Haven , Michigan, which is about 3/4 of the way down the eastern side of Lake Michigan. We didn't get in until around 4pm, so we tied up, relaxed and cooked dinner. We plan on exploring this town tomorrow, it looks like quite a place! More tomorrow.... Bud, Fran and Ray

Frankfort, Michigan

Today we had a long boat ride. We went from 8:15am til 3:30pm, 130 miles in all. We are now at Frankfort, Michigan- about 1/3 of the way down the eastern side of Lake Michigan. We went under the Mackinaw bridge ( pictured here). No stop by the Coast Guard, apparently that was yesterday- they have an annual "walk the bridge" every labor day! We saw loads of lighthouses, here is the one at the entrance to the harbor at Frankfort. We fueled up, went to the grocery store, and had a nice dinner at the same restuarant Bud went to 3 years ago. Plan on heading out again in the morning! Love to you all- Bud, Fran and Ray

Mackinac Island

Today we are at Mackinac Island in Michigan. We traveled 48 miles in a fog bank to get here! This is a pretty awesome place! There are no motor vehicles allowed, and the only way to get around is on foot, by bicycle or horse & buggy. Right ahead of us, which we will pass under tomorrow is the Mackinac bridge, which connects the upper and lower penninsula of Michigan. It appears that you have to notify the Coast Guard that you want to pass under the bridge, give them your documentation numbers and the number of people on board. They then escort you under the bridge. Too much! Love to you all- Fran ,Bud and Ray

Drummond Island

Yeah!! We're back in the USA!! We traveled 98 miles - a good part of it in fog- to get from Little Currant, Ontario Canada to Drummond Island Michigan. We are near the upper penninsula of Michigan in Lake Huron. Took us 6 hours to get here. No town, just a marina, but we fueled up and plan to relax and take off again in the morning. Love to you all- Bud, Fran and Ray

Little Current, North Channel

Today we traveled 65 miles and came to Little Current in the North Channel. We had to wait to get under a swing bridge, which only opens on the hour. It is the only bridge that will take you to Manitoulin Island.

Tobermory, Ontario, Canada

Here are 3 pics from our visit to Tobermory. There is a ship stationed there that takes people and vekicles out to the big island of Manitoulin. This island is a big vacation spot for Canadians in this area, with lots of cottages. There is only one bridge that you can take, the only other option is this ferry. We watched them load-pretty cool- the bow goes up and you drive your car in! The other pic is of us tied up in the harbor of Tobermory. The last pic is of Flowerpot Island, A big tourist attraction here. You have to take a tour boat to get to it, it's a "wildlife" island with hiking trails and the like. There are 2 naturally made limestone towers or "flowerpots" that we could see as we were leaving .

Tobermory, Ontario

Hi everyone! Today we left Owen Sound and went 75 miles to get to Tobermory. This town looks awesome! It is located on the Northwest end of Georgian Bay, just before you enter Lake Huron. Due to the many wrecks in the area, and the wonderfully clear water, Tobermory is the wreck-hunting, SCUBA diving capital of the Great Lakes. We are tied to the town docks, and there are loads of cute looking shops, so Fran plans on having a good time!! We may spend 2 nights here and relax a lil bit, since we've been on the go every day since we left. Weather is perfect- warm and sunny. Here is a picture of our Navigator as the Boat piles up on the ROCKS with him hard at work!!!!!

Love to you all- Fran, Bud and Ray

Heres a shot of Ray and Bud on the flybridge as we crossed Georgian Bay. It was cold, and Ray was all bundled up! Then we enjoyed dinner on the patio overlooking the marina.

Yeah!! We made it through the Trent-Severn Canal system today. We did the last lock this morning- yes Fran is celebrating with wine tonite!! We then cruised Georgian Bay, and can see why Canadians call it the 6th Great Lake. It's big, and feels alot like you're on Lake Ontario. It was rough on the "east side when we started out, but calm on the "west side when we arrived at Owens Sound. This place is the largest city on Georgian Bay. The marina we are at has 450 slips and a nice restuarant where we ate dinner. Today we traveled 80 miles and did one lock. Tomorrow we will head for another port on Georgian Bay, don't know where yet. Love to you all- Fran Bud and Ray

Port Severn

Well, we made it to the end of the Trent- Severn. We did 3 locks, and put on 45 long twisting miles. Tomorrow we will do lock 45, which is the last one on the Trent canal system. Fran will probably break out the wine! Our thrill of the day was riding the Big Chute marine railway system. They actually put your boat in a sling, lift you and the boat out of the water and ride you down a hill over land to the next body of water. Words can't do it justice. We are going to try and send pics, the lockmaster was nice enough to take our camera and snap a few for us. Tomorrow we head for Georgian Bay. Love to you all- Bud, Fran and Ray

Orillia, Ontario

Hey everyone! This first pic shows the boys enjoying their Saturday night ritual- boys campout!! The next pic is of us passing another boat in one of the canals. Several of the canals to get between lakes are so narrow that you are told to announce that you are entering if you are larger than 40'. You can't see who's ahead of you- and sometimes it's a close squeeze to get by! Saturday we left Bobcaygeon, headed for Lake Simcoe, but the weather was so bad we decided to spend the night at lock 39. We were allowed to stay at locks for free, but there's no power. We ran the generator, and they do leave the washrooms unlocked. There was another boat staying there as well. No internet last night, tho and very poor cell service. Since leaving Bobcaygeon we have done 9 locks. We did the second highest hydraulic lift lock in the world- remember the highest was in Peterborough-this one was in Kirkfield. We have now reached the summit of the Trent-Severn. This is the highest place in the world a boat can reach above sea level under it's own power. We are now going down, and the last few locks have been lowering us. Orillia looks like a nice good sized town, so we'll get a few supplies here. Love to you all, Fran, Bud and Ray