March 24-30, 2025 – LaBelle, FL to Stuart, FL

Highlights this week: Crossing Lake Okeechobee and crossing our wake on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) at Stuart– completing our 2nd Loop! Goodbye Gold Looper burgee. We’re Platinum Loopers now!

Monday, March 24, 2025 – LaBelle, FL (LaBelle Yacht Club) to Moore Haven, FL (Riverhouse Marina)

Today, we were underway 2 hours and 50 minutes, going 24 miles (20.6 nm), at an average speed of 8 MPH (7.2 knots). The Ortona Lock added 45 minutes – to go up 8 feet.

With a short journey and checkout time of 11:00 AM, we spent the morning cleaning – Tim on the outside and me on the inside. Good thing we got a head start on cleaning, because as we were doing so, we got a call from our broker, Morgan, saying that a couple wants to see the boat at 4:30 PM today!

Bridge Street Bridge was up as we pulled away from the marina. Last night, we went over this bridge. Our friends from home, Willie, Theresa and Roberta, came to visit. Willie and Theresa are spending the month in Bonita Springs and Roberta was visiting them from The Villages. Last year, they visited us in Tarpon Springs. We had a fun dinner and drinks at LaBelle Brewing Co. Tim had one of LaBelle’s beers on Cabbage Key.

We got to Ortona Lock around noon. We were entertained by an alligator as we waited 15 minutes for the gates to open. As we started into the lock, the lock tender said to watch out for a manatee in the lock. I watched from the bow, until onlookers shouted that they saw it at the other end of the lock. Tim got the watch the manatee from the bow as we raised up 8 feet. These Okeechobee Waterway locks don’t have underwater valves to equalize the water before the gates open. The water just releases with the opening of the gates. These locks are the slowest of all the locks we’ve done.

We didn’t see the manatee as we exited the lock. Maybe he went out when the gates opened. We arrived at Riverhouse Marina in Moore Haven, FL around 2:30 PM and immediately resumed cleaning. Morgan and the perspective buyers arrived at 4:30 PM. They seemed to like HOMES and we really liked talking with them. Hopefully we’ll hear from them again. They live in the area and don’t seem to be in a rush to buy. This evening, we ate leftovers for dinner and relaxed.

Thursday, March 27, 2025 – Moore Haven, FL (Riverhouse Marina) to Stuart, FL (Hooker Cove Anchorage)

Today, we COMPLETED our 2nd Loop! We were underway 11 hours and 22 minutes, going 86 miles (74.6 nm), at an average speed of 7.6 MPH (6.6 knots). We crossed Lake Okeechobee; continued through Stuart on the St. Lucy River; entered the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to complete our Loop; turned around and came back to anchor on the St. Lucy River. We just didn’t want to stop because it was such a beautiful day and the next few days are to be windy and rainy. Our trip duration was 13 hours and 11 minutes.

Our long voyage today had been preceded by three days at Riverhouse Marina in Moore Haven. We booked into that marina from Monday through Wednesday because we didn’t know when the perspective buyers were going to look at HOMES. Since they came on Monday, we used the next two days to do more cleaning and boat projects. Tim made new teak trim for the two pilothouse skylights. It has been on the to-do list since we resealed them in Spring 2023 when HOMES was in indoor storage for the winter. There isn’t much of a town to explore, but we did find a coffee shop not listed on Google Maps.

This morning, we left at dawn with two other Looper boats who joined us last night at the marina. We traveled the short distance to Moore Haven Lock and pulled into the chamber at 7:04 AM. The locks open at 7 AM and the last lock is 4:30 PM.

We pulled out of the lock 15 minutes later into dense fog. Who would think 15 minutes and 4 feet would make such a change in weather. After exiting the lock, we took a right-hand turn onto the Rim Canal. The other two boats sped ahead, but we traveled slower until the fog burned off about 30 minutes later.

I really enjoyed our nearly 2-hour cruise through the Rim Canal before turning left at Clewiston and heading out into Lake Okeechobee. While the right-hand side of the Rim Canal is a made-made dyke, the left-hand side was Florida as it should look- swampy, with alligators swimming and various species of wading birds, like egrets, ibises, anhingas, and herons, feasting on fish or pecking for insects in the mud. I was captivated by it all and glued to my binoculars!

At Clewiston, FL, the Rim Canal has an intersection; turning right goes through a lock towards Clewiston; going straight continues on the Rim Canal all the way around Lake Okeechobee; and going left goes across Lake Okeechobee. We chose left across the lake. Lake Okeechobee is second-largest natural freshwater lake contained entirely within the contiguous 48 states after Lake Michigan. The channel across the lake was narrow and crooked because while the lake is 730 square miles, it is very shallow, with an average depth of 9 feet!

Once across Lake Okeechobee, we had to go through Port Mayaca Lock to enter the St. Lucie Canal, built between 1916 and 1924. The lock master welcomed us to traverse the lock – no lift or drop today. Sometimes there is a 2-foot drop. Its purpose is to help raise the water level of the lake for purposes of retaining fresh water for agriculture, city water and navigation. It also regulates flood water into the Everglades during hurricane season. Unfortunately, the lock can be closed by the Army Corps of Engineers if it sees algae masses, caused by agriculture chemicals, moving across the lake toward the lock. Luckily, we made it through the lock… one more to go.

We changed our plan to moor at the Port Mayaca Dolphins (pylons) for the night when we got into 5 feet of water. Tim immediately pulled away and we decided to continue on and finish our Loop today.
About 3 hours later, we came to our last lock – St. Lucie Lock! After nearly 30 minutes of waiting, we entered the lock for a 15-minute, 13-foot drop down to St. Lucie River.

Five minutes after exiting the lock, we cruised under the Florida Turnpike, with I-95 in the background. About 45 minutes later, we were entering Stuart, passing marinas and homes with yachts that make HOMES look small. We’re back on the east coast of Florida! Our journey through Stuart was eventful. Tim radioed the Old Roosevelt Bridge for a lift. The bridge tender lifted the bridge as we approached and we were happily cruising under when the raised railroad bridge immediately in front of us began flashing red. Tim threw Homes in neutral and radioed the bridge tender, who said we had time to make. At that point, an automated voice came over the radio saying the railroad bridge would be lowered in three minutes! Yes, plenty of time, but a little unexpected drama.

We continued up the St. Lucie River through Stuart and finally around 6:00 PM, the Atlantic Ocean came into view! We turned north on the Intracoastal (ICW) at 6:15 PM – completing our 2nd Loop!

We continued north for a bit and then turned around to anchor in the St. Lucie River to wait out some windy and rainy weather for the next three days. The sun was setting as we finished anchoring. It was a long, wonderful and memorable voyage today!

Sunday, March 30, 2025 – Stuart, FL (Hooker Cove Anchorage) to Stuart, FL (Sunset Bay Marina)

Today, we were underway 41 minutes, going 5 miles (4.5 nm), at an average speed of 7.6 MPH (6.6 knots). This was just a short voyage back up the St. Lucie River– back the way we came on Wednesday.

We had three peaceful nights at Hooker Cove Anchorage. It was a good anchorage to wait out the wind. We used our time to organize and pack to go home. We’ll be home at least two months. We’re hoping the boat sells in that time. We also used the time to relax and reminisce about our two Loops.

Around 11:30AM, we pulled up anchor and retraced our path back to Sunset Bay Marina. We easily cruised under the railroad bridge and drawbridge – less traumatic than on Wednesday. However, the rain hit just as we were docking.

We’ll stay here at Sunset Bay Marina until Tuesday morning. We’re looking forward to walking to Historic Downtown Stuart. We have a coffee shop and multiple craft beer locations picked out to visit. More than one person has said that we should have named our boat “Coffee and Beer!”

On Tuesday, we will be moving about 2 miles to a slip in front of an Airbnb for two months. Being in one spot will make it easier for our broker to show our boat. If it doesn’t sell, we’ll be back in June and head to the Carolinas for hurricane season.

We’ll leave you here. Thank you for following along over our almost 3–year America’s Great Loop voyage! We enjoyed all the likes and comments you made on our weekly Facebook post. It was nice having you along as we traveled 11,084 miles at 7.6 MPH, visiting 19 states, Canada, and all 5 Great Lakes, completing 168 locks and doing 3 overnight crossings. What an adventure!

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March 17 – 23, 2025 – Apalachicola, FL to LaBelle, FL

Highlights this week: Breaking our record for longest journey, which included an over-night crossing of the Gulf and being diverted off course by a Coast Guard helicopter because of the astronauts splashing down; docking at Cabbage Key for a night; and, entering the Okeechobee Waterway.

Tuesday- Wednesday, March 18-19, 2025 – Apalachicola, FL (Apalachicola Marina) to Gulfport, FL (Gulfport Municipal Marina)

Today was our longest ever! We were underway 25 hours and 46 minutes, going 206 miles (179.1 nm), at an average speed of 8 MPH (6.9 knots). Our original plan was to go to Tarpon Springs, but as you’ll read below, after our course was diverted further south, we changed course to Clearwater, FL.

Yesterday, we walked to the Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store for some fresh fruits and vegetables. If you remember from last Sunday, Tim had changed oil in the generator and both engines and were just waiting for a weather window to cross the Gulf. We thought that was going to be Wednesday, but the forecast changed and Tuesday (today) became our day.

With HOMES’s cruising speed of 8 MPH, we need to cruise big bodies of water overnight– leaving and arriving in ports during daylight. So, we departed today at noon.

It took about 30 minutes from leaving the dock to exit Apalachicola Bay through Government Cut and out into the Gulf. Once in the Gulf, Tim set the “heading hold” button and we settled back for our long journey to an anchorage outside of Tarpon Springs… or so we thought! Around 6:00 PM, a helicopter painted like a Coast Guard craft, but no markings, rumbled over us, then swept behind us and back up our left side. They then radioed us, hailing “HOMES,” so maybe they got so close to see our name on the stern. The helicopter captain asked us to divert our course due south for 30 minutes because there was going to be a capsule recovery. He said we may see quite a show off our port bow.

Tim immediately changed course, but the “show” ended up being about 50 miles away – too far away to see. We assumed it was the recovery of the NASA astronauts returning from the International Space Station after 9 months in space. This was confirmed when Tim got a very unexpected phone call from his sister, Laurie, asking if we’d seen it. Her call lasted maybe a minute before cutting off. That call was a freak accident, because we had lost cell and internet coverage when we entered international water, around 3:30 PM – three hours earlier.

We had been considering continuing onto an anchorage in Gulfport once we exited the Gulf at the Tarpon Springs inlet and re-entered the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway(ICW). After our course diversion had us pointing at the Clearwater inlet, our decision was made. Entering at the Clearwater inlet would cut off hours of traveling along the ICW from Tarpon Springs. Gulfport was only about 5 hours south of the Clearwater inlet, which we entered around 10:45 AM. We took turns sleeping last night, so we each had at least 5 hours sleep.

We dodged crab pots for miles on our approach to Clearwater– hence the need to arrive in daylight. Once through the inlet and narrow channel, we turned left – back onto the Gulf ICW. It didn’t take long to remember why the Florida ICW is not our favorite – lots of low bridges, with grumpy bridge tenders who don’t want to lift their bridges if you have an inch clearance, and little boats zooming everywhere!

On our way to Gulfport, we decided to stay at Gulfport Municipal Marina. A long shower and walk into town sounded nice after our long voyage, besides we needed a pump-out of our waste tank. Last year, we anchored for two days near Gulfport and really liked its hippie vibe. Last September, we felt sad watching Hurricane Helen hitting Gulfport. The recovery is progressing, but signs of the devastation remain. Hopefully our support will help the community’s efforts.

Thursday, March 20, 2025 – Gulfport, FL (Gulfport Municipal Marina) to Venice, FL (Crow’s Nest Marina)

Today, we were underway 7 hours and 7 minutes, going 54 miles (46.9 nm), at an average speed of 7.6 MPH (6.6 knots). It was a windy day across the open water of Tampa Bay and 5 bridge openings along the ICW to Venice.

With plans to leave round 10:00 AM, we had hopes of walking into town for coffee. However, when the alarm rang at 7:00AM, we decided sleeping was better! We had to leave around 10:00AM to time our arrival in Venice for after 4:00 PM.

Getting out of the tight marina was an obstacle this morning, but Tim’s slow and controlled maneuvering made it look easy to all the tourists looking on, as they waited to get on their chartered boats.

For an added obstacle, a Sea Tow Boat, pulling a disabled boat, pulled in front of our path. Tim slowed and gave him room. Here, by the fuel dock, Tim had enough room to spin forward and follow the tow boat out of the marina. We were soon closely followed by a sightseeing boat that joined our parade through the narrow channel.

Once headed south again on the ICW, we were soon crossing the mouth of Tampa Bay. The bay was a little choppy on this windy day. Last year, we went up into Tampa Bay and back down under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. This year we just continued through the congested ICW cut and began our day of bridges. Of the six bridges, we had to have four lifted and one swung. The Cortez Bridge, going to Bradenton Beach had bumper to bumper traffic, so it took awhile for the bridge to clear so that it could be lifted – that was one of the grumpy bridge tenders.

About 4:45 PM, we approached Venice and the Crow’s Nest Marina. We were saddened to see the docks where we stayed last March had been destroyed by Hurricane Milton in October. The marina now only has a few slips, but they are rebuilding and the restaurant is back open. The fuel dock is the only spot for us, so we agreed to come after 4:00 PM, when most boaters are done fueling for the day.

Friday, March 21, 2025 – Venice, FL (Crow’s Nest Marina) to Cabbage Key, FL (Cabbage Key Marina)

Today, we were underway 5 hours and 27 minutes, going 37 miles (32 nm), at an average speed of 6.8 MPH (5.9 knots). We traversed through the ICW canal and then followed along behind the Gulf barrier islands, down Gasparilla Sound to Cabbage Key. The wind died down this morning making for a pleasant cruise.

We pulled away from the dock around 8:00AM. It had been a windy night -making us happy with our decision to come to the marina instead of anchoring.

After pulling away from the dock, we began our journey through the angular ICW canal. This canal was excavated from 1965-1967 and created the island of Venice, FL.

As we traveled the channel near Englewood, FL, we saw more boats beached by hurricanes – always a sad sight. The waterway then opened up at Gasparilla Sound and we could see a choppy Gulf as we passed Boca Grande Channel over to Cabbage Key. Last year, we went up to Punta Gorda where we stayed at Fishermen’s Village Marina for a week to spend time with our friends,Janet and Ewan and to get our new refrigerator delivered. Hurricane Milton destroyed part of that marina last October, after being rebuilt from Hurricane Ian in 2022.

As we approached Cabbage Key, Tim radioed the dock master who asked if we could wait until the big tour boat leaves. We recognized that tour boat as the one we took to Cabbage Key last year with Janet and Ewan. So, we hung out in the anchorage across from the channel back to Cabbage Key. The wind had died down to a breeze, so our 30-minute wait was easy and we enjoyed reminiscing of our two days in this anchorage last year.

While making our dock reservation this morning, we also made a dinner reservation for 6:00 PM. That gave us four hours to settle in and go explore the winding, sandy nature trails through tropical vegetation – no cars or pavement on Cabbage Key. The only way to get here is by boat or helicopter. Cabbage Key is an 111- acre ice age sand dune made up of coral debris and shells. It is covered with mangroves and cabbage palms and is part of a series of islands and keys along Pine Island Sound. The Calusa Indians lived here from 100 BC – 1570 AD, surviving 200 years after the arrival of the Spanish. The inn and restaurant sits on top of a Calusa Indian shell mound, 20 feet above sea level. It was built in 1937 as the seasonal home of Alan Rinehart, a producer for Paramount Pictures. Alan’s mother was famed author Mary Robert’s Rinehart who wrote mysteries and a Broadway play that inspired the character of Batman. She is credited with the phrase, “The Butler Did It.” Alan’s wife, Gratia, hosted her cousin, Katherine Hepburn, here.

Cabbage Key Inn and Restaurant is known for its Dollar Bill Bar (with over $70,000 of dollar bills signed by guests and taped wherever there is space) and its association with Jimmy Buffet. Tim and I each had the cheeseburger, since this is where Jimmy Buffet got the inspiration to write his song Cheeseburger in Paradise. Just like last year, I had the delicious signature cocktail– the Cabbage Creeper – consisting of Bumbu Rum, pina colada mix with a coffee liqueur float!

Saturday, March 22, 2025 – Cabbage Key, FL (Cabbage Key Marina) to near Pine Island (York Island East Anchorage)

Today, we were underway 2 hours and 23 minutes, going 17 miles (15 nm), at an average speed of 7 MPH (6.3 knots). We planned a short voyage today just to cut off a few hours from our long voyage tomorrow when we turn up the Caloosahatchee River. Tomorrow we begin our journey across the Okeechobee Waterway – a new waterway for us, with new bridges and more locks.

After the restaurant closed at 8:30 last night and all the tour and pleasure boats left, the key was very quiet. This morning, we walked up to the restaurant for breakfast. We were almost the only patrons and had a nice view of HOMES while we ate. After breakfast, we had one last stroll before casting off.

Just as we were pulling away from the dock around 10:45 AM, the small pleasure boats began streaming down the channel for lunch, which begins at 11:00 AM. With a little patience, we finally took our turn and Tim spun HOMES around, headed up the channel and turned south on Pine Island Sound. There were many boats going fast and causing big wakes for the duration of our short voyage. HOMES has stabilizers, which keep us straight, if needed.

After a short two-and-a-half hour voyage, we anchored near Pine Island. This anchorage is off the channel in Pine Island Sound near the shore of St. James City. It’s not particularly scenic, but Tim did spot a shark swimming by. I made it in time to see the shark before it disappeared lower into the dark-greenish water.

It was a nice evening in the anchorage. Tim cooked a delicious dinner and we watched dolphins playing at sunset.

Sunday, March 23, 2025. – near Pine Island (York Island East Anchorage) to LaBelle, FL (LaBelle Yacht Club)

Today, we were underway 6 hours, going 49.7 miles (43.2 nm), at an average speed of 8 MPH (7.2 knots). Today we enter new water for us – the Okeechobee Waterway. On this second Loop, we have been cruising the same waters since leaving Upstate New York and Canada, with the exception of the Wisconsin coastline to Belmont Harbor in western Chicago and our journey from Hammond, IN through the Calumet-Saganashkee Channel where it met up with the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Tim says he is seeing more on this second Loop because he is more familiar with HOMES and more confident in his skills.

After a good night’s sleep, we were up, showered and ready to start through the Okeechobee Waterway. There is no need to start the generator for heat anymore, but Tim started it once we got up just to keep the hot water nice and hot. The anchor chain came up clean and the anchor came up with just some shelly sand that easily fell off in clumps as I pulled it up. Tim steered HOMES back to the ICW and then we turned east and traversed the narrow channel toward Cape Coral. The mile-long “No Wake Zone” here is called the “Miserable Mile” for go-fast boats. It was just normal cruising for us.

The Okeechobee Waterway is a 152-mile long canal system, with 5 locks. It was built in 1937 to provide a navigable east-west route across Florida, connecting the Atlantic Ocean and St. Lucy River at Stuart to the Caloosahatchee River and the Gulf at Fort Myers. Previously, the only route was around the Florida Keys like we did last year. Once through the cities of Cape Coral and Fort Myers the Caloosahatchee River became more rural.

At noon, we were secured in our first lock – Franklin Lock – waiting for a 3-foot lift. We increased our speed to catch up with some other boats, but that wasn’t necessary. This was a slow lock, plus one gate doesn’t open and the red/green signal is broken. We followed three other boats and two jet skis into the lock. It took the one and only gate several minutes to close. All-in-all it took 23 minutes to go up three feet. 😁 With all of the locks issues, we were just happy to be through

We continued following those three boats along the Caloosahatchee River, sharing two bridge openings, before getting to LaBelle Yacht Club– our stop for today and end of our week.

Here is where we’ll leave you. This coming week, we plan to cross Lake Okeechobee, lock out of the Okeechobee Waterway, travel the St. Lucy River out to the Atlantic ICW and complete our SECOND Loop!

Thanks for reading.

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March 10-16, 2025 – near Stockton, AL to Apalachicola, FL

Highlights this week: Beignets in Mobile; crossing Mobile Bay; seeing dolphins and pelicans again; crossing into Florida; getting back to the Eastern Time Zone; 7 days of being free from water and electric hookup – the new battery system is wonderful; and, surviving another severe storm.

Monday, March 10, 2025 – near Stockton, AL (Alabama River Cut-Off Anchorage) to Mobile, AL (Mobile Convention Center)

Today, we were underway 5 hours and 38 minutes, going 53.5 miles (46.5 nm), at an average speed of 9.4 MPH (8.2 knots). The current was still giving us a nice push. At this point, the current is still more prevalent than the tide. The river turned tidal after exiting the last lock. Despite the push from the current, the duration of our trip was still 6 hours and 36 minutes, since we had to pull up anchor, stop for a railroad lift bridge and tie up to the massive ship cleats at Mobile Convention Center.

Last night, we had a nice evening with our friends on Little Gig. Tom grilled chicken, Kathy made some rice and we brought a plate of munchies to eat while the chicken grilled. Their new puppy, Squirt, was a ball of energy. This morning, we untied from Little Gig, pulled up anchor and pulled out onto the Tombigbee River, which shortly turned into the Mobile River.

This morning, we bid farewell to the Tombigbee River and said hello to the Mobile River. The drizzly, gray morning and 10-minute wait at a railroad lift bridge didn’t do much to enhance the industrial area and high barge traffic, but the Mobile-Tensaw Delta Wildlife Management Area brought a pleasant change of scenery.

When we arrived at the Convention Center wall, we tied up behind Little Gig. They pulled in to wait out a small-craft advisory on Mobile Bay. They were out having lunch when we tied up. By the time they got back from lunch, the small-craft advisory had lifted and we helped them cast off.

After having lunch on the back deck and doing some route planning for the coming week, we walked up to Dauphin Street – the main street of old downtown Mobile. We meandered down this street lined with mostly restaurants and bars. Much of the architecture dates back to the 1840s and 1860s. There were still beads hanging in the trees from the Mardi Gras parades last week. We really like the fun vibe of downtown Mobile! We were here last year in December, before flying home for Christmas and when we came back in February, we had just missed Madi Gras. This year, we missed Marci Gras again by one week, but I think there is always a fun, party-like vibe here. My blog from last year delved into the long, complicated history of Mobile, but I’ll reiterate that the piece of history most important to Mobile is that of being the first U.S city to celebrate Mardi Gras, dating back to 1703! New Orleans didn’t really start celebrating Mardi Gras until the 1730s.

Our walk took us to our favorite craft brewery from last year – Oyster City Brewing Company. We had a great time talking with the two bar tenders and two guys from a ship docked on the river. One guy was French and one was Belgian. We passed their ship right before getting to the Convention Center. They will be leaving tomorrow evening for a two-and-a-half week trip back to France. They work 2 months on and 2 months off and change ships every 2 years

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 – Mobile, AL (Convention Center) to Orange Beach, AL (Bear Point Anchorage)

Today, we were underway 7 hours and 20 minutes, going 60.5 miles (52.6 nm), at an average speed of 8.3 MPH (7.2 knots). Today, we exited the Mobile River, with military and commercial ships lining the banks; crossed Mobile Bay and, entered the intracoastal waterway that will take us from Alabama to Florida and along the Florida panhandle to Apalachicola, FL, where we’ll cross the Gulf to mainland Florida.

Last night was occasionally bumpy as big ships passed in both directions. Nothing uncomfortable, but a reminder that the shipping industry does not sleep.

Before leaving Mobile, we walked up to Mo’ Bay Beignet Co. Last year, we had our first beignets here. They are so good that we stayed later this morning just for them. The puffy, square-shaped, doughnut-like pastries are made to order, from scratch, deep-fried and dusted in copious amounts of powdered sugar. You then dip them in various “sauces.” We chose buttercream sauce, since chocolate sauce is seasonal and not served after Mardi Gras. Cinnamon and buttercream are the most popular sauces.

After beignets, we walked back down Dauphin Street toward HOMES. We stopped at PNC Bank to get more $5 bills. We tip each dockhand with a $5 bill after they help us dock. Once back to HOMES, we untied from the massive cleats, turned and headed toward Mobile Bay on a beautiful, sunny morning.

As we traveled the last few miles down the Mobile River to Mobile Bay, the there were military ships on our left and commercial ships on our right. We learned last year, by visiting the Mobile’s maritime museum, that containerized shipping was invented in Mobile by Malcom McLean in the 1950s. McLean designed heavy steel containers that could be lifted from trucks and neatly stacked on ships, reducing time and labor costs, as well as damage to cargo.

We also saw SS United States, which arrived in Mobile last Monday. It took tugs less than two weeks to bring her from Philadelphia, PA. If you recall from my Philadelphia blog last July, a conservation group was trying to raise money to save her. She had sat on a pier in Philadelphia for decades, but then the company leasing her pier wanted to develop the area, so it raised dockage from $850 to $1,700/day and gave the group an eviction notice when money ran out. This ship was once a source of great national pride. She was the largest ocean liner constructed entirely in the U.S. and on her maiden voyage in 1952, she broke the record for fastest ocean liner across the Atlantic– 3 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes- breaking the record of British Royal Ship Queen Elizabeth. SS United States will now be sunk 20 miles south of Destin, becoming the world’s largest artificial reef, after hazardous materials are removed here in Mobile.

After entering Mobile Bay, the time came that I’d been waiting for…and it didn’t take long – dolphins and brown pelicans! Mobile Bay is 31-miles long by a maximum width of 24 miles. It looks big, but the average depth is 10 feet! We stayed in the 75-foot deep shipping channel, but passed areas that were so shallow that birds were standing on ground. With multiple rivers emptying into the bay and tides bringing in saltwater from the Gulf, this is the fourth largest estuary in the U.S. It’s ecosystem of barrier islands, tidal marshes, cypress swamps, bottomland hardwoods and oyster reefs makes it a haven for fishermen and seafood lovers. Mobile Bay is home to 49 species of mammals, 126 species of reptiles and amphibians, 337 species of fresh and saltwater fish and 335 species of birds.

As we got closer to the to the Gulf, we traveled by Middle Bay Lighthouse and some oil and gas rigs. The geology of Mobile Bay makes it home to oil and natural gas fields. The oil and gas rigs found here are primarily focused on natural gas extraction. Once by these rigs, we made our left turn toward Gulf Shores, AL and the intracoastal waterway.

We continued along the intracoastal waterway to Orange Beach, AL where we found our anchorage for the night at Bear Point. There was a line of crab pots in the anchorage, but we had plenty of room to avoid them. One nice thing about traveling in freshwater for the past eight months was having no crab pots to dodge.

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 – Orange Beach, AL (Bear Point Anchorage) to Santa Rosa, FL (Choctawhatchee Bridge Southeast Anchorage)

Today, we were underway 10 hours and 25 minutes, going 85 miles (74.2 nm), at an average speed of 8 MPH (7.1 knots). It was a long cruising day, made longer from losing our river-current push. However, the weather was absolutely beautiful- sunny and 70s! The only downside was all the troublesome pleasure boaters and tourist boats, but we are in Florida at spring-break time.

With a long cruising day ahead, we were pulling up the anchor with the sunrise. Around 7:30 AM, about 30 minutes after leaving the anchorage, we cruised into Florida.

The beautiful weather, along with dolphin sightings and pelicans diving for fish, made this an enjoyable cruise. When we got close to Destin, it was clear that it is spring-break season. There were parasailing boats crossing the channel and multiple sightseeing boats, including a pirate ship. The rental pontoons were the worst. One cut immediately in front of us and looked confused when Tim laid on the horn. As Tim says: “you can’t fix stupid!” Once past Destin, we were essentially by ourselves again, cruising through Choctawhatchee Bay to our anchorage for the night.

Thursday, March 13, 2025 – Santa Rosa, FL (Choctawhatchee Bridge Southeast Anchorage) to White City, FL (Searcy Creek Oxbow Anchorage)

Today, we traveled 10 hours and 21 minutes, going 83 miles (72 nm), at an average speed of 8 MPH (7 knots). It was a long cruising day through narrow man-made canals, wide bays and shallow lagoons of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and ending at a picturesque anchorage on an oxbow. The weather was beautiful-sunny and upper 60s!

We pulled up anchor with the rising sun. There was no need to turn on the generator this morning since the warm night kept HOMES toasty inside. However, Tim turned it on to ensure we had hot water for our showers.

In about 20 minutes, we were exiting Choctawhatchee Bay and entering the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway canal, known as “The Ditch,” that would take us out to West Bay. The first 8 mile-section of this canal was the most challenging of the 26-mile canal to St. Andrew Bay and is known as “The Little Grand Canyon.”

We traveled past Panama City and back into another Intracoastal Waterway canal, which led us to our anchorage. We passed one barge in “The Ditch.” This was a reminder that the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, completed in 1949, was built to be a protected shipping route for commercial and military purposes from Brownsville, TX to Carabelle, FL. We’re guessing this barge will turn north at Mobile Bay and go up the Tenn-Tom Waterway, since we recalled the name of this tug as one we had seen there.

Once we got to the area of White City, we were nearing the Eastern Time Zone. From about 3:00 PM Central Time Zone, our phones, iPads and electronics went back and forth between the time zones until the following day when we clearly passed over the line. Luckily, time is irrelevant to us. We go with sunrises and sunsets. Our anchorage in a little oxbow was as beautiful as we remembered it from last year. We enjoyed the night sounds of hooting owls and chirping insects or frogs. The bright full moon lit up the anchorage. Tonight is a Blood Moon total lunar eclipse. We think the cloud cover will prevent us from seeing it, so we’ll be asleep at 2:30 AM.

Friday, March 14, 2025 – White City, FL (Searcy Creek Oxbow Anchorage) to Apalachicola, FL (Apalachicola Marina)

Today, we were underway just 2 hours and 15 minutes, going 17 miles (14.8 nm), at an average speed of 7.6 MPH (6.6 knots). Our journey took us out of the Intracoastal Waterway canal, across Lake Wimico to the Jackson River to the Apalachicola River, from where we followed the channel into Scipio Creek to Apalachicola Marina. This will be our home as the Sunday severe storms pass and the Gulf calms down for our crossing.

Since we had a short journey today, we had a leisurely morning, with coffee on the back deck to enjoy the views for a few more hours.

The stern anchor was set in thick mud, so I had to drive HOMES forward to free it, as Tim could pull it up. When we pulled up the bow anchor, we got a surprise! Our anchor pulled up a little anchor. Tim pulled it up on deck. Not sure what we’ll do with it, but we didn’t want to drop it back in for it to cause someone else a problem.

It was getting a little windy as we pulled up to our dock at Apalachicola Marina. This is the first that we have been hooked to water and electric since Demopolis, AL – 7 nights! Tim is pleased with our new battery system.

We have been keeping busy since pulling into Apalachicola Marina on Friday afternoon, including washing and stowing away the stern anchor, lots of laundry, cooking, exploring the town, and changing oil in the generator and both engines. We brought the oil and filters back with us from home. Since HOMES has John Deere engines, we get her engine oil and filters at the John Deere Tractor Dealer in London, Ohio.

Last night (Saturday night), we didn’t get hit with the severe storms that had been forecasted. Fortunately for us, the storms moved above us. We’ll still stay here at Apalachicola Marina until probably Wednesday waiting for the Gulf to calm down for our overnight crossing to Tarpon Springs, FL.

Here is where we’ll leave you. See you next week for our Gulf crossing and start toward Fort Meyers, FL.

Thanks for reading.

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March 3 – 9, 2025- near Aberdeen, MS to near Stockton, AL

Highlights this week: 1) Surviving severe storms on Tuesday; 2) entering a new state- Alabama- only Florida is left and our HOMES adventures will end; 3) completing the LAST LOCK on the Tenn-Tom Waterway; and 4) finding new and old friends.

Monday, March 3, 2025 – Aberdeen, MS (Acker Anchorage/ Weaver Creek Cutoff) to Columbus, MS (Columbus Marina)

Today, we were only underway 4 hours, going 27 miles (23.6 nm), at an average speed of 7 MPH (6 knots). The 1 lock, plus docking at the marina only added 1 hour, making our total trip 5 hours.

We pulled up anchor around 8:15 AM – no use getting up early on a short-distance day. To my delight, the anchor chain didn’t require much hosing off. The anchor itself was caked in mud, but the mud easily squirted off – unlike that clay that stuck to the anchor at our anchorage last Saturday night!

Shortly after pulling out of Weaver Creek Cutoff and starting back south on the Tenn-Tom Waterway, we were hailed on the radio. It was a guy on shore who wanted to compliment HOMES. He has a DeFever on Lake Michigan. Boaters are a friendly group. 😁

By 9:00 AM, we were pulling into our one and only lock of the day – Aberdeen Lock – with no wait. It was another chilly 39-degree morning in the lock. However, in about 15 minutes, we were dropped 27 feet and on our way to Columbus Marina.

The channel back to Columbus Marina is narrow, despite sitting on a wide lake. The dockmaster and a dockhand came out and took our lines. I could hear the dockmaster explaining to the young dockhand every move Tim was making as he slowly and gracefully docked HOMES.

We stayed at Columbus Marina on Tuesday, because of storms, and Wednesday, because of wind. The storms on Tuesday moved in around 3:30 PM and out around 7:00 PM, but fortunately they weren’t as bad as predicted. The was sustain wind was around 33 MPH, but we didn’t feel too many of the 52-MPH predicted gusts. We ended up only getting about an inch of rain, but no hail. Other parts of Mississippi did experience tornadoes and flooding, so we were very fortunate.

On Wednesday, we decided to stay at the marina another day because of 15-20 MPH winds. We took the day to do laundry, cook, and take the courtesy car into Columbus to get some fresh fruit at Kroger. This will probably be our last Kroger. There aren’t too many Krogers in the south. We also stopped at Munson Brothers Trading Post for a delicious pizza and craft beer. We came here last year with another boater.

Thursday, March 6, 2025- Columbus, MS (Columbus Marina) to Warsaw, AL (Crooks Bend Anchorage)

Today, we were underway 7 hours, going 59 miles (51.5 nm), at an average speed of 8.4 MPH (7.3 knots). Two locks and anchoring added about an hour to our day, so the duration of our trip was 8 hours and 10 minutes. The current gave us a nice push, so at one point, we were running about 9.8 MPH and getting 3.77 miles/gal. – boosting our usual 2.5 miles/gal.

Our first lock today – Stennis Lock- was minutes from the marina. Before leaving the mar, Tim checked the electronics and saw one barge coming up in the lock. When Tim called the lock, he was told the barge was just leaving the chamber, so come on in.

We proceeded with our standard procedures: Tim started HOMES’s engines; I checked to make sure there were bubbles (meaning water is flowing and keeping the engines cool and running); we unhooked the water and electric; and untied the lines.

It was a chilly 36-degree morning, but the sun was nice to see. We churned up some mud and may have found the bottom as we spun around at the dock, but the depths were fine once we got into the marina’s narrow channel.

As we approached the Stennis Lock, we saw the barge leaving the chamber and moving up the waterway. As promised, the light was green for us to enter. A great blue heron sat on the lock gate waiting for a fish to get caught on the lock gate as the water went down. His patience paid off because he found a big fish.

It was a nice cruising day. We enjoyed the sun, 50-degree weather, the reemergence of the beautiful American white pelicans and the iconic telephone booth, which every Looper takes a picture of.

After 3 hours, we came to our second and last lock of the day – Bevill Lock. Tim radioed the lock and was told the gates would be open for us to enter. Another lock and no waiting! Now that the sun had warmed up the power cable, Tim was able to coil it up.

Before entering the lock, we cruised past the Tom Bevill Visitor Center, which is an authentic reproduction of a mid-19th century plantation. In a dry mooring in front of the visitor center sits the U.S. Snagboat Montgomery – a 1926 steam-powered sternwheeler. When retired in 1982, she was one of only two snag boats remaining. Besides clearing snags on the inland waterways, her career included assisting in raising the remaining section of the Confederate Gunboat Chattahoochee from the Chattahoochee River in 1964, and being a a movie set in 1984 for the movie Louisiana, staring Margot Kidder. The Montgomery is a National Historic Landmark.

As we exited the lock, the water was confused and swift from the dam. Tim had to up HOMES’s rpms to get through this little section. Fortunately, a nice current pushed us along all day.

Sometimes I look at Google Maps just to visualize where we are in the country. Before starting our Loop in 2022, I didn’t even know it was possible to get to Alabama from Lake Michigan. Now, here we are, passing tows pushing barges and enjoying the water fowl.

Unfortunately, on Sunday, Alabama had more than 160 forest fires burning in 54 of its 67 counties, affecting 4,666 acres. The severe storms that hit the area hard on Tuesday did help alleviate some of the fires. We saw the smoldering evidence near Vienna, AL.

About 20 minutes past the forest fire, we turn up Crooks Bend and anchored near uninhabited Littles Island. It’s ironic that we were traveling in a 15-foot channel at times during the day and when we turned off to anchor, we struggled to find anything shallower than 18 feet. No problem. Deeper water just means we put out more anchor chain. We usually put out 5 feet of chain for every 1 foot of water depth.

This anchorage is literally in the middle of nowhere. We anchored here last year and were able to see the Milky Way. It was too cloudy this year for viewing the night sky, but it was still a beautiful and peaceful night at anchor.

Friday, March 7, 2025 – Warsaw, AL (Crooks Bend Anchorage) to Demopolis, AL (Kingfisher Marina)

Today, we were underway 7 hours, going 60 miles (52.4 nm), at an average speed of 8.7 MPH (7.6 knots). We got a nice push from the current, getting us up to 9.6 MPH without upping our RPMs. One lock and docking added an hour, making it an 8-hour journey.

Shortly after anchoring last night, the wind died down. The anchor alarm showed that we barely moved all night. It was a chilly morning to pull up a muddy anchor and hose off the decks, but I knew coffee waiting for me.

We pulled back out onto the Tenn-Tom Waterway a few minutes before 7:00AM. It took about an hour to get to our one-and-only lock of the day – Howell Heflin Lock. Tim radioed the lock and learned it was ready for us because the lockmaster had been watching us on AIS (Automatic Identification System). We always travel with our AIS on so that tows and other boats with AIS can see us coming. A survey boat with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers zipped into the lock behind us to share the ride down. They were stopping outside the lock to work, so we pulled out of the lock first.

After dropping 36 feet and exiting the Heflin Lock, we were happy to only have two more locks on the Tenn-Tom Waterway. I missed counted last week. There are actually 12 locks on the Tenn-Tom, not 10. It is amazing how the big barges can actually scrape grooves into the lock walls.

With Heflin Lock out of the way, we had a pleasant cruise to Demopolis. The closer we got to Demopolis, the white cliffs of Alabama came into view. The chalk in these cliffs began forming about 145 million years ago, about the same time as England’s famous White Cliffs of Dover. The chalk is a form of limestone made up of the remains of singled-called marine organisms and lime-producing algae. This sedimentary rock prevented water from filtering down through the rock, causing water to pool on the surface, meaning the development of dark, rich soil atop the chalk. Tall grasses grew on the site for millions of years, and their decomposition created a dark, rich humus that proved ideal for growing cotton -creating Alabama’s Black Belt. When Alabama became a state in 1819, settlers flocked to the state to farm the fertile soil. By 1859 Alabama was the “Cotton Kingdom” and among the wealthiest states. At the same time, slaves made up 50% of the region’s population because cotton was a labor-intensive crop.

One mile before we got to Dempolis Marina, we crossed the junction with Black Warrior River – the halfway point on the Tenn-Tom Waterway (Mile 225).

We pulled into Demopolis Marina around 2:00 PM. We docked briefly at the fuel dock for a waste tank pump out and check in. We also signed up to use the courtesy car from 4:00-6:00. By the time we docked, hooked up water and electric, had dinner and talked with our neighboring boaters, Safia and Mark, it was time to go shopping.

We don’t usually turn down an opportunity to get fresh fruits and vegetables. Besides, we may not be near a grocery store for at least a week, so Tim was forced to go to our only option – Walmart. We stayed in Demopolis two days last year, so we didn’t explore this year. We were back to the boat in an hour with our groceries. Safia asked us to get her a bottle of rubbing alcohol. She uses it to clean glass and stainless steel for streak-proof cleaning. I bought a bottle too and will give it a try. She is President/ 100-Ton Master Captain of Maven Yacht Services. She and Mark deliver and captain boats for customers. They had just delivered the boat behind us to a customer. Tomorrow they are off to Florida for another job and then on to the Bahamas for another job. They came over to HOMES and we had a great evening talking and sharing stories.

Saturday, March 8, 2025 – Demopolis, AL (Kingfisher Marina to Campbell, AL (Bashi Creek Alternative Anchorage)

Today, we were underway 7 hours, going 69 miles (60 nm), at an average speed of 9.7 MPH (8.5 knots). With that nice current, our maximum speed was 11 MPH (9.6 knots ) – super fast for HOMES! One lock and anchoring made it an 8.5-hour journey.

We had somewhat of a leisurely morning, since we had originally planned on a short 33-mile journey today. We targeted a departure time of around 9:30 AM. A later departure time was also good because we stayed up later than usual visiting with Safia and Mark and finishing laundry. I can’t remember the last time we stayed up to 11:00 PM. We have been on a sunrise-sunset schedule. 😁

Tim called the lock around 9:15AM and was told it would at least a hour before we could lock through, because of an approaching barge. However, ten minutes later, as we were enjoying coffee on the back deck, the lockmaster radioed and said the barge wasn’t coming until 11:00 AM, so he’d lock us through now. We immediately jumped up, started the engines, untied and headed to Demopolis Lock for a 40-foot drop.

On January 16, 2024, Demopolis Lock closed for four months because a large portion of the upper miter sill broke off. That was just five weeks after we made it through last year! Lucky us! We heard some boaters had their boats hauled out of the water and trucked around the lock. Ugh!

Once we came out of Demopolis Lock, we finally got up close to some American white pelicans. In a few more days we’ll be back to seeing brown pelicans too. Pelicans and dolphins make me smile. I am looking forward to seeing both in the coming weeks.

As we cruised along, we decided to make a longer journey today, since we were going to get to our pre-selected anchorage at 2:30 PM. By traveling longer today and tomorrow, we can cut out one anchorage and get to Mobile a day earlier than planned.

We passed three barges today and avoided the rain that brought us a beautiful rainbow. Our anchorage was about 50 feet off the bank of the Tenn-Tom, across from the mouth of Bashi Creek. Tim turned HOMES into the current and quickly found 7 feet. After dropping the anchor, which grabbed immediately, we prepared to set the stern anchor, to prevent us from swinging into the channel or bank. Once Tim had the stern anchor ready to drop, I backed HOMES up until I saw the bow anchor chain raise. At that point, I put HOMES in neutral and Tim dropped the stern anchor. I then pulled in 25 foot of bow anchor chain, setting the stern anchor. Once Tim put on the snubber, we were ready to enjoy a warm evening on the back deck, getting to see two barges go by.

Sunday, March 9, 2025 – Campbell, AL (Bashi Creek Alternative Anchorage) to Stockton, AL (Alabama River Cut-Off Anchorage)

Today, we were underway 9 hours and 49 minutes, going 94 miles (81.5 nm), at an average speed of 9.6 MPH (8.3 knots). The long push yesterday and today was to eliminate one night of anchoring and get to Mobile a day early. With 1 lock and anchoring, the duration of our journey was 11 hours and 19 minutes.

Last night was daylight savings time, so it was dark when we got up at a little before 6:00 AM. Tim got up at 5:00 AM to start the generator. The boat stayed warm all night, but the generator also makes sure we have hot water for our showers. When I was making coffee, I saw a barge going by us. We knew that would mean some waiting at Coffeeville Lock. Both our stern and bow anchors came up easier than expected. The sandy bottom held us tight without the mess caused by a muddy bottom.

We pulled away from the anchorage a little before 7:00 AM and got to Coffeeville Lock at 9:50 AM. As anticipated, the barge was going down in the lock as we approached. As usual, Tim did a great job hovering HOMES in place for 30 minutes. A sailboat came up in the lock, so we waited for them to exit before we entered our LAST LOCK on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway!! It was warmer and clearer than when we came through on December 11, 2023.

The gray skies made it seem cold today, but temperatures were in the high 60s. We wound our way along the wiggly Tombigbee River, meeting several barges going north. The highlight of our day was getting a call on the radio from our old friends on Little Gig! We met them and their friends on Certitude back in Hammond, IL and traveled parts of the Illinois River with them. Both Little Gig and Certitude left their boats at Aqua Yachts Marina in Iuka, MS to go home, like we did. We got a Nebo message from Elizabeth on Certitude a few days ago saying that they still had boat repairs being done at Aqua Yachts, but Little Gig was heading south. Neither have their Nebo on, so we can’t see them; however, this afternoon, Little Gig came zipping up behind us. Tom likes to go fast and travel long days, so we knew they would catch up at some point. We bought a bottle of Tullamore Dew whiskey in Columbus, MS hoping that we would run into them. Tim and Tom enjoyed drinking Irish whiskey on Little Gig one night back in September at Harborside Marina, in near Jolliet, IL.

We finally reached the Alabama River Cutoff Anchorage, around 5:00 PM. Little Gig decided to slow down and join us in the anchorage. Last year we shared this anchorage with our friends Keith and Malinda on Sea Cottage. Keith and Malinda brought their dingy over to HOMES and we had whiskey and snacks. Sounds like we will be repeating that scenario this year with Little Gig.

Here is where we’ll leave you. This coming week we’ll be visiting Mobile,AL; crossing Mobile Bay; and starting our journey along the Florida panhandle.

See you next Sunday.

Thanks for reading.

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Feb.26- March 2, 2025 – Iuka, MS to Aberdeen, MS

Highlights this week: First cruise of 2025; making it through six of ten locks on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway on our way south to the Gulf; and no problems from letting HOMES sit for the last four months.

Saturday, March 1, 2025 – Iuka, MS (Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht Marina) to Fulton, MS (Fulton Lock Anchorage)

Today, we were underway 7 hours and 30 minutes going 59 miles (50.9 nm), at an average speed of 8 MPH (6.8 knots). Our trip duration was 10 hours and 13 minutes, because we had 3 locks and let the engines run for awhile after we anchored, to make sure our anchor was holding in the 14-MPH winds.

This was our first cruise since October 26, 2024. We had a wonderful 4 months at home, which included Nick’s 21st birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and trips to Spain and Switzerland. Now it’s time to head HOMES for Stuart, Florida where we’ll complete our 2nd America’s Great Loop and sell HOMES. We feel that after 2 Loops and 3 years, we’re ready to move on to new adventures.

After getting home from our Switzerland trip on Saturday, Feb. 22, we had a whirlwind three days at home before driving our rental car back to HOMES on Wednesday, Feb. 26th. We needed to get moving because our slip rental was up on Saturday, March 1st and our broker is anxious for us to get HOMES back to Florida to sell. We used Thursday and Friday to replace the Fusion Radio (which hadn’t worked since we owned HOMES), install a new freshwater pump, wash the decks, put on our 2025 boat license sticker, replace the foot switches for the anchor windless, get groceries and return the rental car. Today, Saturday morning, around 7:00 AM, we pulled HOMES out of her slip and headed south.

For this next leg of our journey, we’re traveling the Tennessee-Tombigbee (Tenn-Tom) Waterway – a 234-mile artificial waterway that joins the Tennessee River with the Tombigbee River. We’ll have to go through 10 locks, which will drop us 341 feet before getting to the Gulf.

Shortly after pulling out of the marina, we cruised past Goat Island, where last October I had fun feeding the goats from our dinghy. I only saw one goat as we passed today. Our journey along the Tenn-Tom Waterway today takes us from lakes to narrow cuts.

We approached our first lock of the day – the Jamie Whitten Lock – around 11:40 AM, but we had to wait 25 minutes for the lock to be filled for us. It’s an 84-foot drop, so it takes some time to fill and empty.

Fortunately, the next two locks were set in our favor, so we pulled straight in. Each lock lowered us another 30 feet.

About an hour and twenty minutes after leaving our third and final lock of the day, we came to our anchorage. We could have pulled into Midway Marina where we left HOMES to come home for Thanksgiving last year. However, we like anchoring when possible. It’s nice being your own island.

Sunday, March 2, 2025 – Fulton, MS (Fulton Lock Anchorage) to Aberdeen, MS (Acker Anchorage)

Today, we were underway almost 4 hours, going 29.5 miles (25.6 nm), at an average speed of 7 MPH (6.5 knots). Anchoring and 3 locks only added about 2 hours to our time underway.

Last night, we got a good night’s sleep. The temperature dipped down to 34 degrees, but our stateroom stayed at 58 degrees. Tim got up at 4:30 AM to start the generator, so the boat would be warm when we got up at 5:45 AM to shower.

Tim called Fulton Lock around 6:45 AM and found out that we would be locking down with a barge that was heading our way. We saw the barge about 30 minutes later, so we pulled up anchor and followed him into the lock for a 25-foot drop. The anchor was covered in clay/mud, which gave me a lot of work to tackle with my hand tool and hose. However, the mess was worth having a secure anchor last night in the 14-MPH wind.

The next two locks were set in our favor, so we cruised straight into both for a combined drop of 55 feet. These locks were less leaky than yesterday and there is no wind today, so it was a pleasant cruise.

After finishing our third and final lock of the day without waiting, it wasn’t even 11:00AM! If storms weren’t coming on Tuesday, we’d probably continue cruising. However, we’ll stick to our plan, which gets us to Columbus (MS) Marina tomorrow to wait out the severe storms.

We had a nice hour cruise from the last lock to our anchorage, passing a few barges traveling north. The anchorage we picked is the same one that we stopped at last year. There aren’t a lot of marina and anchorage options on the Tenn-Tom Waterway.

Here’s where we’ll leave you this week. Join us next week as we continue south and deal with some severe storms on Tuesday.

See you next week. Thanks for reading!

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Oct. 21 – 27, 2024 – Near Linden, TN to Iuka, MS

Highlights: Two unique anchorages that provided hiking trails through beautiful fall scenery; seeing the Milky Way; feeding wild goats on Goat Island; and reaching our destination for the holidays.

Monday, October 21, 2024 – Near Linden, TN (Lady’s Finger Bluff Anchorage) to near Beech Creek, TN (Double Islands Anchorage)

Today, we were underway 2 hours and 23 minutes, going 18 miles (15.7 nm), at an average speed of 7.6 MPH (6.6 knots). We began our short journey around 2:30 PM, after a morning of hiking.

Lady’s Finger Bluff is literally in the middle of nowhere. Other than some guys with coon dogs camping across the wide Tennessee River from us, we were all alone. No artificial light meant a spectacular night sky. Seeing the Milky Way is always so special!

In the morning, we were closer to shore than Tim liked, so he pulled up the anchor chain a few feet, pulling us more to the middle of the narrow cut. Even so, we didn’t have to turn on the dinghy’s motor to get to shore. We just ferried ourselves over to shore with the stern line, which was tied to a rock on shore.

We hiked the trail around Lady’s Finger Bluff. The climb to the top was worth the views!

After our hike and some lunch, Tim decided that he wasn’t comfortable with how close we were to shore. When re-anchoring didn’t satisfy him, we just headed on to a new anchorage. It was a beautiful day for a cruise.

Tuesday, October 22, 2024 – Near Beech Creek, TN (Double Islands Anchorage) to Clifton, TN (Clifton Marina)

Today, we were underway 1 hour and 30 minutes, going 10 miles (9 nm), at an average speed of 7 MPH (6 knots). We had a short journey, so we didn’t pull up anchor until around 11:30 AM.

We woke to thick fog. Around 8:45 AM, the fog began to lift and reveal the beautiful fall colors.

We pulled into Clifton Marina around 1:00 PM. We stopped here last year, but it rained for our walk into town. We were looking forward to revisiting the coffee shop, but the marina owner told us that it went out of business. She said locals don’t support local businesses. That is a sad statement. The signs in their yards want to make “America Great Again,” but they won’t start with their own community.

We haven’t been near a grocery store since Grand Rivers, KY (Green Turtle Bay) two weeks ago. I get antsy when I don’t have lots of fresh fruits and vegetables on board, and my supply was looking grim. Clifton doesn’t have a grocery store, but there was a Dollar General 2.1 miles away from the marina. This Dollar General had a little grocery section with some produce. For the second day in a row, we got our steps in!

Clifton, founded in 1840, was an important port on the Tennessee River, so it was significant in the Civil War struggle. In 1862, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest (mentioned in last week’s blog) crossed the river at Clifton with 1800 soldiers to launch his 200-mile raid on Union lines and supplies in order to delay the Union campaign against Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Clifton Presbyterian Church was used as a hospital by the Confederates and used as a livery stable and blacksmith shop by the Union. After the war, the church made a claim for damages and the congregation was compensated with $780 in 1915. The funds were used to construct the present tall steeple.

Our walk took us past the local school. The Frank Hughes School started as a primary school through college in 1906. It is now a PK-12 school with 302 students. According to U.S. News Education, the student-teacher ratio is 11:1; students scored at or above the proficient level for math at 8% and reading at 22%; and 93.7% are white students. In Tennessee as a whole, students tested at or above the proficient level at 28% for both math and reading. In comparison, in the same report, Columbus City School’s high school students tested at or above 29% in math and 10% in reading, with 21% white. I couldn’t find overall percentages for Ohio, only Ohio touting its overachieving school districts.

On Wednesday, we stayed at Clifton Marina. We had planned on a quiet day, but we were soon joined by local boaters coming to the marina restaurant for lunch and 4 Looper boats coming in throughout the day. We spent a lot of time socializing. One of the local couples saw us go by their house yesterday and were pleased when we invited them on board for a tour. Another couple said they were the ones we saw taking our picture as we passed their RV park yesterday.

We did get one project done. Tim deflated my paddle board, since it was 84 degrees today. The board rolls up better when it is hot.

Thursday, October 24, 2024 – Clifton, TN (Clifton Marina) to Counce, TN (Pickwick Landing State Park Anchorage)

Today, we were underway 6 hours and 15 minutes, gong 47 miles (41.1 nm), at an average speed of 7.6 MPH (6.6 knots). Fighting a strong current of up to 2.2 MPH and 1 lock added about and hour and a half, so our trip duration was 7 hours and 41 minutes.

I walked up the hill from the marina in the morning and was pleased to see no fog on the Tennessee River. So, we pulled out of Clifton Marina around 7:40 AM. The fall tree colors are coming out more everyday.

Our journey down the wiggly Tennessee River was uneventful. We only had to go around one tow pushing a barge. Tim did the math and figured that we would get to the lock before the it if we maintain our speed. We had 1 Looper boat in front of us and 6 Looper boats behind us at different intervals.

As we got closer to Pickwick Lock, the current got stronger. Tim increased the RPMs to close the gap between us and the lead boat. We could see Shiloh National Cemetery on the high bank above us. We visited Shiloh last year with two Looper couples. As the old dock hand at the marina told us as he gave us the keys to the courtesy car last year, “Shiloh is a place every American should visit so that we never repeat such an atrocity against fellow Americans.” With 23,000 casualties, the Battle of Shiloh on April 6-7, 1862, was the deadliest battle of the Civil War up to that point. The deadliest battle occurred at Gettysburg, PA in July 1863 with 50,000 casualties. The old dock hand’s words are so true.

When we got to Pickwick Lock, we only had to wait minutes to enter. Jubilee III went in first and then us. We waited about 10 minutes for another Looper to enter the chamber and then the lock master closed the gates – much to the chagrin of the Loopers about 20-40 minutes away. The lock master told them to slow down and he’d have the lock turned around for them by the time they get there. He said he wasn’t waiting any longer. He is a cool lock tender. He talked with us and took our pictures as we rose about 53 feet in the chamber. He takes pictures of every boat that comes through the lock and puts them on the lock’s Facebook page. Unfortunately for boaters, he’s retiring in a few months. He said that he is trying to teach his replacements the importance of being kind and friendly.

Once outside the lock, we took a right to an anchorage in front of Pickwick Landing State Park. The state park’s marina didn’t have any slips big enough for HOMES, but the anchorage still allowed us to take the dinghy to the state park lodge for drinks with Jubilee III. We had a beautiful view of the lock and dam lit up at night.

Friday, October 25, 2024 – Counce, TN (Pickwick Landing State Park Anchorage) to Goat Island Anchorage in Yellow Creek on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.

Today, we were underway 1 hour and 34 minutes, going 13 miles (9.9 nm), at an average speed of 7 MPH (6.3 knots). It was a short journey, but a wonderful day!

Sadly this morning, I made my last pot of coffee with Winans Coffee. Fortunately, our trip home for the holidays is only about a week away. Tomorrow begins the bag of McDonald’s coffee that we bought at Dollar General back in Clifton. Oh the travesty!

After savoring or last cup of Highlander Grogg, we took the dinghy to Pickwick Landing State Park Marina to find some hiking trails.

The dinghy dock was just a short distance from 2.8 mile Island Loop Trails. It was an easy hike and the fall colors were spectacular! The trails had signs pointing out: 1) native trees, like the American hornbeam, which has the nickname of “ironwood” because of its strength and texture; 2) native venomous snakes -cottonmouth, copperhead, timber rattlesnake and pigmy rattlesnake; 3) abandoned cisterns from homes that used to be here. One sign even explained that the popular riverboat village that once stood here, dating back to the 1840s, was called Pickwick because the first postmaster named his post office “Pickwick” in honor of his favorite book – Charles Dicken’s Pickwick Papers, originally published in a series of monthly magazines from 1836-1837.

After our hike out to the end of the peninsula, over creeks, down to beaches and back through the woods, we took the dinghy back to HOMES for our next adventure of the day!

We pulled up anchor around 1:30 PM. About an hour later, we came to the tri-state waters of Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. If we continued on the Tennessee River, we could have gone into Alabama to Chattanooga, TN; however, the Wilson Lock is only letting 5 pleasure boats a day through because its big lock chamber is closed for repairs. We didn’t want to get into that mess, so we turned right to Mississippi and entered Yellow Creek, which is the beginning of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. After the holidays, we will once again be traveling the Tenn-Tom Waterway, which will take us to the Tombigbee River, which will take us to the Mobile River where our journey on the inland waterways will end.

For today, we stop our journey on the Tenn-Tom Waterway at Goat Island. I have been looking forward to this anchorage since discovering it last week. Friendly wild goats live on the island and boaters are allowed to feed them. I couldn’t find an explanation on how or why the goats are there, but it will forever be a highlight of our trip for me!

There were about 7-9 goats from big to little. I fed them 6 apples cut in quarters and a few sweet peppers. A website said they will eat both. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any bananas, which are apparently their favorite. Over our stay, we saw people from at least two other boats come by and feed them. It appears that they are well fed.

After saying goodbye to the goats, we had a nice evening at anchor. We were joined by two other Looper boats. We stopped to talk to Loop Dawg from our dinghy on our way back to HOMES. Tim also did some more practicing with the drone.

Saturday, October 26, 2024 – Goat Island Anchorage in Yellow Creek on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway to Iuka, MS (Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht Marina)

Today, we were underway 30 minutes, going 3 miles (2.8 nm), at an average speed of 6 MPH (5.6 knots). We haven’t gone that short a distance since we’re stopping at every town on the western Erie Canal. Goat Island, like each of those canal towns, was worth the short trip.

We were disappointed that the goats did not reappear on the beach this morning while we had our coffee on the back deck. Another Looper drove his dinghy the 3 miles from the marina to feed the goats. He walked around the whole island and couldn’t find them. I’m so glad we got to see them last night.

Originally, we were planning to stop at one more anchorage a short distance away, but last night Tim got a text from the Randy, the dock master at Aqua Yacht Marina, that said: “Tim is that you at Goat Island? Your slip is ready, so come on in early. We’re having our year-end party with a band and free food.” Our friends on Adrian Leigh, who we met at Clifton Marina, also texted for us to join them at the party. Who could pass up those invites!

Randy met us at our slip. Tim has been texting with him over the last month, first to secure a slip for Oct. 31st – Dec. 8th and then to move our reservation up to Oct. 27th, which then became Oct. 26th, since our slip was ready and a party was happening.

We enjoyed the party. The marina staff served hot dogs, nachos, cookies and a wide variety of drinks. Once we got a little chilly and tired of shouting over the band, we invited Al and Lynn of Adrian Leigh back to HOMES for drinks. They are leaving their boat here for a few months too, while they go home to Savannah, GA.

HOMES will be in this covered slip while we go home for the holidays. The water doesn’t freeze here, but we will still do a little weather proofing during our next 5 days before getting the rental car and heading home.

We will leave you here since our voyages on HOMES are complete for 2024. This coming week will entail cleaning and preparing HOMES for her holiday break, and maybe a little exploring of Iuka, MS. We are looking forward to getting home to celebrate Nick’s 21st birthday!! We also need to vote. After enjoying the holidays with family and friends, we will be back on HOMES for the start of our 2025 voyages back to Florida to complete our 2nd and final Loop.

Thanks for reading and sharing our adventures! See you in January 2025!

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Oct. 14-20, 2024 – Buchanan to near Linden, TN

Monday – Thursday (Oct. 14-17, 2024) – Buchanan, TN (Paris Landing State Park Marina)

Last Sunday, when we left you, we had just arrived at Paris Landing State Park Marina in Buchanan, TN. We opted to stay here through Thursday because we are in no rush and it is a beautiful setting!

We kept busy during our four days. We spent time hiking the trails of Paris Landing State Park.

We also spent time at the Paris Landing State Park Lodge. We had dinner one night with two other Looper couples and went back two times by ourselves to have a drink and enjoy the views. We also met other Loopers for “docktails” on two nights.

We spent most of Thursday cleaning and winterizing HOMES in preparation for her two-month stay in Iuka, Mississippi starting at the end of the month. Since I cleaned in the engine room, it wasn’t easy to get out and take pictures of Tim winterizing the swim platform shower, the windshield wash down lines and the bar sink in the fly bridge. He also washed the sides of HOMES since we were in a finger dock and both sides were reachable. We also pickled the water maker, which entails adding 4 ounces of stabilizing agent (sodium metabisulphite) in a 5-gallon bucket and then circulating it through the system for 10 minutes.

On Thursday evening, we concluded our time at Paris Landing State Park with a pizza delivery and final walk. After pizza, we walked around the aviary, which had two owls, who were either being rehabilitated or unable to return to the wild. We then walked to a pavilion where a section of the Scott Fitzhugh Bridge sits after being saved when it was replaced in 1993 with the Ned McWherter Bridge, which now takes State Highway 76 over the Tennessee River/ Kentucky Lake. Built between 1927 and 1930, the bridge opened to traffic on September 10, 1930. It was a toll bridge until 1939, costing 50 cents to cross – very expensive in the 1930s. In the late 1930s, the bridge was raised 19 feet, before Kentucky Dam flooded the area in 1944 and made Kentucky Lake.

Dating back to the 1800s, the site of Paris Landing State Park was an important spot for the delivery of goods to serve the region’s early settlements. As such, it was key in the American Civil War. Confederate Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and his troops raged terror along this area that we will be traveling in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. He is known for destroying bridges, railway lines and massacring about 300 Union soldiers who were surrendering, most of whom were freed slavers. He surrendered in May 1865 after defeat at the Battle of Selma, AL. Even after the Civil War, he continued his terror, serving as the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan in the early years of Reconstruction. Unbelievably, schools, streets and buildings have been named after him and only some have been renamed. According to Britannia.com, “[M]any white Southerns continue to admire Forrest for his wartime record, common-man origins, and masculine being.”

Friday, October 18, 2024 – Buchanan, TN (Paris Landing State Park Marina) to Near Camden, TN (Upper Rockport Landing Anchorage)

Today, we were underway 5 hours and 14 minutes, going 40 miles (35 nm), at an average speed of 7.8 MPH (6.8 knots).

With our destination being a secluded anchorage with no shore access, there was no need to rush off. We stopped at the fuel dock for a pump out before heading out of Paris Landing State Park Marina around 11:15 AM. The young guy helping us with our pump out visits family in Toledo, OH often, so we had fun talking about our favorite spots in Toledo, like the Toledo Art Museum, Tony Packo’s and Boyd’s Retro Candy Store. The more we travel, the smaller the world becomes.

On our cruise today, we saw evidence showing where Kentucky Lake swallowed up whole towns in 1944 with the completion of Kentucky Dam. In the 1920s, the Tennessee Valley residents frequently endured floods, so convincing them to relocate was not as hard as you would think. Some even welcomed the hydroelectric dam because it would bring electricity to the rural residents for the first time.

The town of Danville was one of the towns flooded when the dammed up Tennessee River rosed 55 feet. However, the 1914 concrete edifice of Old Danville Grain Elevator remains standing.

Before getting to our anchorage, we passed New Johnsonville – incorporated after the residents relocated from flooded “old” Johnsonville, which was about 3 miles downstream. Johnsonville was named after Andrew Johnson, a Tennessee senator who was chosen to be Abraham Lincoln’s vice president. Johnson was the only senator from a Confederate state who did not resign his seat upon his state’s secession. He became our 17th president after Lincoln’s assassination. While remaining loyal to the Union during the war, his post-war Presidential Reconstruction favored the southern states – quickly restoring the seceded states to the Union without protection for newly freed people, as well as pardoning ex-Confederates. This led to his impeachment in 1868 by his own party, but he was acquitted by one vote. He returned to Tennessee a hero after his presidency and was elected to the senate again – the only former president to do so. The unsuccessful Reconstruction allowed pre-war leaders to return to power; slavery to be replaced by “black codes;” and Confederate soldiers, like Nathan Bedford Forrest, to exchange Confederate uniforms for KKK “uniforms.” It took one hundred years and another southern vice-president-turned-president named Johnson to pass the Civil Rights Bill in 1964.

When we pulled into our anchorage around 4:30 PM, we saw that we’d be sharing the anchorage with another Looper boat. Tim had a short conversation with Chug n Tug, who is from Canada. As we enjoyed dinner in this stunning location, we decided to stay here another day.

On Saturday, we had a peaceful day at this anchorage. Tim made cookies and I read. In the afternoon, Tim finally had the time to play with the drone that Nick gave us to use. What a nice day!

Sunday, October 20, 2024 – Near Camden, Tn (Upper Rockport Landing Anchorage) to near Linden, TN (Lady Finger Bluff Anchorage)

Today, we were underway 3 hours and 9 minutes, going 23 miles (20.3 nm), at an average speed of 7.5 MPH (6.5 knots).

Our short journey had us in no rush to leave. A good thing too, because the fresh water pump decided to stop working just as Tim finished his shower. He determined that the switch in the pump went bad, so he made a temporary fix until we can get a new switch. The pump is now hard wired to the main switch, so we have to turn that main switch on and off as needed. A slight inconvenience, but once again, Tim saves the day!

Our short journey took us past the popular, un-scenic Looper anchorage to an unreviewed anchorage in a scenic area with hiking. The anchoring was more challenging than a typical anchorage because this cut is narrow. HOMES takes up the whole spot. Tim put out a stern anchor to keep us straight until the jet skier on shore left and we could get closer to the north shore.

After some dinner and the jet skier leaving, Tim pulled up the stern anchor and launched the dinghy so he could tie a stern line to a rock on shore. He wasn’t satisfied that the stern anchor had set. In the process, the jet ski girl came back and her friend appeared on shore waiting for her. The jet ski was now being towed and she wanted her friend on shore to swim out. The friend was very pleased when Tim offered to take her out in our dinghy.

Tim is now satisfied with our anchoring situation. Tomorrow we will hike the trails up on the bluff. Some fisherman, as well as the jet ski girl, say the hiking trails are worth the climb up the bluff.

Here is where we’ll leave you this week. Next week, we’ll continue our slow journey down the Tennessee River toward Iuka, Mississippi where we’ll leave HOMES for the holidays.

See you next Sunday!

Thanks for reading.

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Oct. 7-13, 2024 – Paducah, KY to Buchanan, TN

Highlights this week: A bonfire on the beach; paddle boarding; a beautiful anchorage; reuniting with old friends; and, a new state – Tennessee!

Monday, Oct. 7, 2024 – Paducah, KY (Paducah City Marina) to Grand Rivers, KY (Green Turtle Bay Marina)

Today, we were underway 6 hours, going 45 miles (39.2 nm), at an average speed of 7.5 MPH (6.5 knots). However, thanks to an extremely long wait at our 1 and only lock of the day, our trip really took 9 hours and 25 minutes.

We pulled away from Paducah City Marina around 7:15 AM. We didn’t have to leave at first light, because we only had about a 6-hour journey. Our travel companions on Keep Calm call Tim “Mr. First Light.” 😁 They had never boated at first light or anchored, so we were breaking them in. However, in hindsight, we should have left at first light.

After pulling away from our dock, we had about an hour cruise fighting against the current of the Ohio River. If we had continued on the Ohio River, we would have eventually made it to Cincinnati, but we turned right and headed up the Cumberland River.

The Cumberland River, like the Ohio River, had about a 2-3 knot current against us. The river is more scenic and narrow than the Ohio River.

The Cumberland River also has tow and barge traffic, because the river goes all the way to Nashville, TN. We passed several stone quarries.

About 5 hours after leaving Paducah, we came to the Barkley Lock and Dam, which would take us up 57 feet to Lake Barkley. We were running ahead of schedule…but that was about to change. The lock master informed us that he was raising up the second barge of a split – meaning that the first barge was already up on Lake Barkley, so the tow and barge, currently in the lock, would join and reattach to that first barge before exiting. After that tow was reattached to its two barges, another tow and single barge had to come back down, before we could go up. We know from experience that this is at least a 2-hour process. The current in front of the Barkley Dam was strong so we dropped our anchor, along with Keep Calm, and waited.

After about a 2-hour wait, the single tow and barge finally emerged from the lock and we entered. At the entrance of the lock there a bioAcoustics fish fence, which is being tested to slow the spread of the invasive carp. This wall of sound and air bubbles is supposed to be a highly effective barrier to keep the carp out of Lake Barkley. However, the carp were jumping everywhere inside the lock, so maybe it isn’t so effective. One carp almost made it into Keep Calm’s dinghy.

Nine other Loooper boats had caught up, so Keep Calm rafted with us, so that everyone would fit.

After exiting the lock, we all filed into Green Turtle Bay Marina, which was just minutes away. After getting settled, Jim and Debbie, of Keep Calm, got a golf cart and we headed into Grand Rivers for dinner. The popular restaurant is Patti’s 1800’s Settlement, which looked like a cross between an Amish Restaurant and Cracker Barrel. We had to pass on eating there, since the earliest reservation was 7:45 PM and it was only 5:30 PM. Therefore, we went up to Between the Lakes Tap House for some food and a drinks after our long day! Keep Calm is staying here until the end of October, but hopefully we’ll meet up again sometime.

On Tuesday, we stayed at Green Turtle Bay Marina. We spent most of the day making plans. We made a reservation at Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht, in Iuka, Mississippi, for November and December, so that we can come home for the holidays. Once we got that reservation, we reserved a car for the 8-1/2 -hour drive home. We had originally planned to copy what we did last year by going back to the boat between Thanksgiving and Christmas and traveling down to Mobile, AL. However, with multiple hurricanes hitting Florida, we decided that holding back and letting Florida recover would be our best option. Besides, I’m looking forward to being home for the holidays!

In the afternoon, we took the marina’s courtesy car to the grocery store. While shopping, we got a message on Nebo saying that there was going to be a bonfire on the beach tonight. So, I circled back to the marshmallow aisle for marshmallows and marshmallow sticks – which were a big hit at the bonfire. It was a fun evening on the beach, meeting some Loopers whom we had never met.

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 – Grand Rivers, KY (Green Turtle Bay Marina) to Cadiz, KY (Prizer Point Marina)

Today, we were underway 3 hours and 21 minutes, going 24 miles (20.7 nm), at an average speed of 7 MPH (6.2 knots). It was a short side trip down Lake Barkley.

Lake Barkley is actually just a wide section of the Cumberland River, which resulted when the Barkley Dam was completed in 1964. Many towns along the Cumberland River in this area had to be relocated. In addition to the towns of Kuttawa and Eddyville, parts of U.S. 62, homes and cemeteries had to be moved. There are still some concrete foundations and railroad spikes visible underwater, so it is important to stay in the channel.

The lock, dam and lake are named for Alben W. Barkley. If you recall from last week, Barkley was a lawyer and politician originally from Paducah who went on to become Harry S. Truman’s vice president of the U.S. from 1949-1953.

We had a beautiful cruise down Lake Barkley, with fall colors and 80-degree weather! We cruised by the Kentucky State Penitentiary. This beautiful building, completed in 1886, is Kentucky’s oldest and only maximum security facility. Known as the “Castle on the Cumberland,” it houses Kentucky’s Death Row Inmates. The prison is located in what is now “Old Eddyville” and was constructed using massive limestone blocks quarried from a site down the Cumberland River. Italian stonemasons were recruited to construct the original medieval-looking structure.

Next door to the prison are two historical homes. Rose Hill/ Lyon County Museum is a two story Federal Brick Mansion built in 1832 by the grandfather of humorist Irvin S. Cobb (1876-1944), who I mentioned last week was a native of Paducah. It is the oldest standing structure in Lyon County. Also on the property is the home of Dr. George M. Huggans, an early doctor of Eddyville. Dr. Huggans was asked to judge the sanity of William Kelly, who was thought to be insane because he was experimenting with cold air to make a material more malleable and stronger than iron. Dr. Huggans, who was familiar with iron ore, found Kelly to be sane. Kelly won the patent to manufacture steel in the U.S. in 1857!

We had another 2 hours of beautiful scenery, after passing the penitentiary, before docking at Prizer Point Marina. The owners are fellow Loopers who we met in Michigan last year. They said Loopers don’t usually go that far down Lake Barkley, unless they are going to Nashville. Last year, it was too cold to explore Lake Barkley, but this year we had the time and beautiful weather to explore. The marina is part of a KOA campground, so we had a nice place to walk around.

On Thursday, we stayed at Prizer Point Marina and did some route planning, cooking, cleaning and hiking around the campground.

On Friday, we had planned to travel back up Lake Barkley and over to Kentucky Lake to an anchorage. However, we got a message on Nebo from our friends on LaRea who said that they were heading to Prizer Point Marina to join us. We hadn’t seen them since Oswego, NY, so we told them to come on down and we’d stay another day. While we waited for LaRea, we pumped up my paddle board and attached its new seat. We bought this seat a while ago, but haven’t tried it out yet.

La Rea got in around 1:00 PM. After helping them tie up, we sat on their back deck and caught up for a few hours, before deciding it was time for dinner. We were warned by the locals that the restaurant wasn’t good, but that just piqued our curiosity. The food actually wasn’t bad – just all fried. Our chicken wings and French fries were very good, but a little cold because the cook- who was also the host, sever, and dishwasher – had forgotten to make our fried pickles and cheese curds first. He obviously let our dinners sit while he made our appetizers, because they were steaming hot. It was all part of the experience and we had a great time! We didn’t go away hungry. We finished the evening on HOMES, having drinks until we hit “Looper midnight” – which is usually between 7:30 PM and 8:30 PM. Looper days are tiring, so no one usually stays up too late.

Saturday, October 12, 2024 – Cadiz, KY (Prizer Point Marina) to near Benton, KY (Pisgah Bay Anchorage)

Today, we were underway 3 hours and 52 minutes, going 30 miles (26 nm), at an average speed of 7.7 MPH (6.7 knots). I like short travel days because it allows time for coffee on the back deck.

LaRea headed off first because they had to stop at Green Turtle Bay Marina to pick up some packages. However, we’d meet up again at about the same time at the anchorage.

We needed a pump out this morning, which was free. Pump outs can range from complimentary with your dockage to up to $20.00. Since it was free, we tipped to two young guys $10.00 each.

We finished pumping out around 11:30 AM and headed back up the way we had come down on Wednesday. Barkley Lake (Cumberland River) was busier today, since it was a Saturday, sunny and 80 degrees.

About 3 hours later, we came to the Barkley Canal. This 1.5-mile-long canal links Lake Barkley (Cumberland River) with Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River), cutting through the Land Between the Lakes Recreational Area. Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake run parallel for more than 50 miles. Kentucky Lake was created when the Tennessee River was dammed up with Kentucky Lock and Dam. That lock and dam was built in the late 1930s and early 1940s to improve navigation and reduce flooding on the the lower Ohio and Mississippi rivers. It is the largest lock and dam in Kentucky and is 1 of 9 dams owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. It was a major project of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, which invested in infrastructure to benefit the country. Kentucky Lock has more commercial traffic than Barkley Lock, so most Loopers go through Barkley Lock, like we did- even if it is a little longer route to the Land Between the Lakes.

About an hour after emerging onto Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River), we turned off into Pisgah Bay, along with LaRea, and found the anchorage. Reviews say this is a popular anchorage, so we were happy to see it empty, except for a few little fishing boats. Once settled, we headed over to LaRea in the dinghy.

Before dinner, we took the dinghy over to the neighboring old quarry, which is known for its graffiti. We drove along the cliff walls two times. It was kind of like an art gallery. We got a kick out of artwork and sayings.

After exploring, Diane made a delicious chicken dinner and salad! It was another nice evening with Chris and Diane.

Sunday, October 13, 2024 – Benton, KY (Pisgah Bay Anchorage) to Buchanan, TN (Paris Landing State Park Marina)

Today, we were underway 4 hours and 48 minutes, going 37 miles (32.2 nm), at an average speed of 7.7 MPH (6.7 knots). It was an uneventful cruise down Kentucky Lake.

We pulled up anchor and waved goodbye to LaRea. They are headed back to Green Turtle Bay Marina to have their boat pulled out for some repairs.

We continued our journey down Kentucky Lake – beginning in Kentucky and ending in Tennessee. Kentucky Lake is the largest artificial lake by surface area in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River, with 2,064 miles of shoreline. it provides hydro-electric power, besides being a huge recreational area.

We didn’t see any commercial traffic today, but lots of little boats out enjoying this beautiful 80-degree day. Starting tomorrow, the temperatures will be falling into the 60s during the day and 40s at night.

Less than 30 minutes after crossing the border into Tennessee, we turned off into Paris Landing State Park Marina. We stayed here last year, so we are looking forward to the hiking trails and Aviary (a rehabilitation center for raptors, or birds of prey, that are native to West Tennessee). We also plan to head over to The Lodge at Paris Landing. There are 11 other Loopers here, so I’m sure we’ll find someone else to walk over for drinks around the outside fire pit tonight.

Here is where we’ll leave you. Next week, we’ll continue slowly down the Tennessee River. We have 18 days to get to our stop for the holidays in Iuka, Mississippi – which is only about 4 travel days away. So, we’ll be taking our time.

See you next week!

Thanks for reading.

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Sept. 30 – Oct. 6, 2024 – Hardin, IL to Paducah, KY

Highlights this week: Having an invasive Asian Carp jump onto the back deck; cruising by the St. Louis Gateway Arch; staying at Hoppie’s Marina – another iconic stop; and, hitting 3 states (Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky).

Monday, Sept. 30, 2024 – Hardin, IL (Mel’s Illinois Riverdock Restaurant) to Alton, IL (The Alton Marina)

Today, we were underway 4 hours and 13 minutes, going 36 miles (31.7 nm), at an average speed of 8.6 MPH (7.5 knots). No locks today, but we had a unexpected visitor on HOMES.

Since we had a short voyage today, we had breakfast at Mel’s Illinois Riverdock Restaurant and then a walk around the little village of Hardin, IL. We had dinner at Mel’s last night. Both times, the restaurant was full of locals. It appears to be run by three generations of women. This morning, the place was full of farmers waiting for the dew to dry.

We pulled away from Mel’s dock a little before 10:00 AM. About an hour later, we came upon an approaching tow with barges. Tim radioed the captain who told us to pass on the 1 – which is port to port (like passing an oncoming car on the road).

As we were passing the tow, the Brussels Ferry Boat Captain radioed us and said that he’d be crossing in front of us. Once we passed the tow, we saw the ferry and passed behind him, as he had requested.

About 10 minutes after passing the ferry, the Illinois River merged us onto the Mississippi River. for the next 2 days, we will be cruising on the Mississippi River, splitting the border of Illinois and Missouri.

At this point, our scenic cruise turned bizarre… we heard a crash on the back deck! I rushed to the back deck, as the commotion continued. I immediately saw blood and something flinging around. I thought it was bird, but them saw a huge Asian Carp flopping around the back deck! Tim put HOMES on autopilot before struggling to get the fish overboard. It was too heavy and slippery to get ahold of, so when it flopped back over to the swim platform door, I opened the door and Tim gave it a shove overboard. Despite the appearance of a murder scene, the fish was swimming when it hit the water. Never a dull moment!

If you remember from last week’s blog, we cruised through a section of electrified water on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. That electrified section is an attempt to stop these invasive Asian Carps from reaching the Great Lakes and destroying the ecosystem. These carp have no natural predators. They multiply rapidly and all their eating reduces the amount of food for other fish. In the 1970s fish farmers used Asian Carp to control algae and their numbers exploded in the early 2000s. Illinois spends millions of dollars to control the problem. In an attempt to get people to catch and eat the Asian Carp, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has renamed it Copi. We did not choose to keep and eat our uninvited guest.

About an hour and a half after our fish encounter, we came to Alton, IL. We pulled into Alton Marina and got a pump out of our waste tank. We couldn’t get a reservation at our next stop – Hoppie’s – until Thursday, so we’ll be at Alton Marina for three nights. There are about 30 Looper boats here, but we were on the end of B-Dock with local boaters. On our dock was a 27’ Bayliner Sierra Sunbridge – just like Tim’s first boat.

Since we had been moving for the last 4 days, it was nice to have 3 days in one spot. We spent some time cleaning.

And, some time touring around Alton. Alton is the site of the seventh and final debate between Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln on Oct. 15, 1858, in front of 6,000 people from Illinois and neighboring states. At the time, Douglas was one of the most famous politicians and had held the U.S. Senate seat for Illinois for a decade. Lincoln was a little-known country lawyer, but these debates launched him into the national spotlight. Here in Alton, Lincoln said: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Douglas said: “Our Government can endure forever, divided into Free and Salve States as our fathers made it.” Douglas saw slavery as an issue of states’ rights. Douglas won that 1858 Senate race. Two years later, Lincoln beat Douglas in the 1860 presidential election. Lincoln’s inauguration was on March 4, 1861. A month later, on April 12, 1861, Confederate troops fired on Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Two years later, on Jan. 1, 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The Civil War was the deadliest war in American history – more than WWI and WWII combined.

We also found time to get groceries at Schwegel’s Market. This mom-and-pop store is 1.5 miles away from the marina, but they provide transportation for boaters. We shared a ride with the Looper couple on Lady Z. I got my pumpkin for the back deck!

And, of course we found time for two visits to the local brewery – The Old Bakery Beer Co. It was so cold in Alton last year that I bought a stocking cap at The Old Bakery Beer Co. It was the only place where I could find one, so I didn’t care what it looked like.

We finished up our time in Alton with preparing the dinghy for the upcoming cold weather. Alton made us remember that, in a month, temperatures will be dipping down in the 30s at night. Tim unhooked the dinghy’s gas line, ran the fuel out of the motor and put on the cover.

Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024 – Alton, IL (Alton Marina) to Kimmswick, MO (Hoppie’s Marina)

Today, we were underway 4 hours and 57 minutes, going 43 miles (37.1 nm), at an average speed of 8.6 MPH (7.5 knots). We had 2 locks and dawdled around the St. Louis Gateway Arch for pictures, so the duration of our day was 7 hours and 24 minutes.

At 6:45 AM, we left Alton Marina with a group of 8 other Looper boats. We could see the Melvin Price Lock and Dam from the marina. The lock was supposed to be ready for us, but before we could get there, a tow began moving toward the lock on the other side. Commercial traffic always has the right of way; however, this nice captain told the lock master to go ahead and put the pleasure boats through first. Wow, that saved our morning!

After dropping in the massive Melvin Price Lock, we continued on to the Chain of Rocks Canal.

The Chain of Rocks Canal is a 8.4 miles long and was designed to take boats around the shallows at the confluence of the Missouri River with the Mississippi River. We could see the whitewater rapids over the “chain of rocks” as we exited the lock and headed toward St. Louis, with the Arch rising in the distance.

Once we went under Eads Bridge– the oldest bridge on the Mississippi River– Tim and I popped out on deck for a selfie. The St. Louis Gateway Arch was built from 1963-1965. At 630 feet high and 630 feet wide, it is the tallest arch in the world and the tallest monument in the Western Hemisphere. It was built to commemorate Thomas Jefferson’s vision of a transcontinental United States and St. Louis’ role as a gateway to the West. Maybe we’ll come back someday and take the 7-9 minute tram ride to the top to see the Mississippi River from a different perspective.

After the excitement of jockeying around to get photos for friends, we all continued on our way. About 2 hours later, six of our convoy pulled up to Hoppie’s, while the others continued on to find anchorages We made our reservations at Hoppie’s last week because it is a popular stop with only room for 6-8 boats. This is our only stop in Missouri. Hoppie’s Marina is just a few rusty barges tied together with a fuel dock in the middle with a “boater’s lounge.” This is the last fuel stop for about 200 miles. Like the 19’7” fixed bridge, these are the perimeters that determine the height and fuel consumption for a Looper boat.

The rusty tow truck wasn’t holding the barges in place this year, but there were other chains and cables somehow holding everything together. Hoppie’s was founded in 1934 by the current owner’s father. This family has been providing fuel, dockage and boating knowledge to Loopers for decades.

The ancestral home of Fred and Mabel Ruth Anheuser is next door to Hoppie’s. Fred’s great-grandfather bought a small brewery in 1860, and the following year, his daughter married Adolphus Busch. Anheuser-Busch Brewery is just 22 miles away in St. Louis.

Last year the Anheuser home wasn’t open, but today it was! It is mostly used as a wedding venue, but the home held many treasures from the couple’s past. Built in 1867, the Anheuser family bought the estate in 1916 and used it as a summerhouse until 1945 when Fred’s father gifted the home to Fred and Mabel-Ruth. Mabel-Ruth died in 2000 at the age of 103. Having no children, she bequeathed the home and grounds to the city of Kimmswick and donated $1.5 million to the city for its upkeep. Fred was the last Anheuser to work at Anheuser-Busch. His cousins, the Busch family, ran the brewery until 2008 when they sold to InBev for $52 billion. Fred, who passed away in 1984, at the age of 81, kept his yacht at Hoppie’s and was known to drink beer with Hoppie.

After our tour of the Anheuser home, we walked over the historic Windsor Harbor Road Bridge (1874-1928), which was moved here in 1930 when the adjacent modern bridge was built. The historic town of Kimmswick was just on the other side of the bridge. Kimmswick dates back the 1850s and is known for it’s preserved historic buildings, quaint shops and restaurants.

At 5:00 PM, Hoppies gave us the evening briefing of the river for which they are known. Last year the briefing was more bleak. She gave us one safe anchorage and told us not to stop until we got there. Anywhere else and “you could die” if barges brake free from a tow. She was more mellow this year. She only said “you could die” once and gave an additional safe anchorage. However, we’ve already routed to the safe anchorage from last year – despite a very long travel day.

After the briefing, we walked back to Kimmswick and had dinner and drinks at LaChance (pronounced La-shontz)Winery, which is in a tavern built in 1770– six years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. A young Ulysses S. Grant frequented the tavern when he was at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis. On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox, Virginia to end the civil war. The couple on Bella, who we went to the winery with, are from North Carolina. Doug, who I’d guess is about 75, said when growing up he was taught to hate Grant, because he defeated Lee. Doug and Nancy said they were pleasantly surprised at how nice everyone is in the north. Cape May, New Jersey especially surprised them because they had the whole state pictured as Atlantic City. I told them that we had our own misconceptions of the south, which have been dispelled, especially after visiting the delightful city of Mobile, AL. The beauty of the Loop is that it requires you to travel through parts of the country where you would never travel to voluntarily because of preconceptions. The beautiful people who we’ve met in the south have dispelled every preconceived prejudice that we’ve had…except Atlantic City is still gross. 😁

Friday, October 4, 2024 – Kimmswick, MO (Hoppie’s Marina) to near Cape Girardeau, MO (Castor River Diversion Anchorage)

Today, we were underway 9 hours and 10 minutes, going 110 miles (95.5 nm), at an average speed of 12 MPH (10.4 knots). We had no locks today and a nice push from the current of the Mississippi River. While last year, this was our longest day to date, this year, it was just another day.

Only one other boat, Keep Calm, decided to do the long day to Castor River Diversion Anchorage, so the two of us left around 6:45 AM. Belle was behind us, so Tim had to maneuver around her, with not a lot of water beside us. However, he did an excellent job. I held the midline as he pivoted the stern out. As soon as we cleared Belle, I released the line. Tim back us up into the Mississippi River, spun around and we were on our way, with Keep Calm behind us.

The Missouri side of Mississippi River was lined with high bluffs. The river is very low right now, so the Mighty Mississippi is narrow with sandy banks extending out further than normal, with some barges and channel markers sitting on the sand.

Even at low water, the Mississippi River has swift and crazy currents. It’s hard to capture the whirlpools that form sporadically and give HOMES a little ride before Tim can correct her. The floating trees and debris were not such a surprise this year. The views were stunning as we traveled along the Mark Twain National Forest.

When we cruised by Cape Girardeau, Missouri, we knew that we were close to our anchorage. The anchorage is in a small river diversion off of the Mississippi River. There were 3 other Looper boats already in the anchorage, who had stayed ant the other safe anchorage last night. We pulled in and anchored. Then, Keep Calm came in, spun around and anchored beside us. We rafted off together to prevent swinging. After we got tied up, Jim and Debbie stepped over onto our back deck and we shared some drinks and food.

Saturday, October 5, 2024 – Cape Girardeau, MO (Castor River Diversion Anchorage) to Paducah, KY (Paducah City Marina)

Today we were underway 9 hours and 34 minutes, going 95.5 miles (83 nm), at an average speed of 10 MPH (8.7 knots). We had 1 lock. We got a nice push on the Mississippi River again today, but had to fight a current up the Ohio River.

We had another early morning. Around 6:30 AM, we untied from Keep Calm, spun around and headed back out onto the Mississippi River behind Keep Calm.

Around 10:30 AM, we came to the confluence with the Ohio River. As we rounded the tip at Cairo, IL, we were at the southern most point of Illinois. There was a tow with a few barges coming down the Ohio River and turning up the Mississippi River – where we were. Keep Calm radioed the tow who told us to go low and pass on his 1. It was much less congested than last year.

Loopers do not go down the lower Mississippi River to New Orleans because it is very commercial with few safe anchorages. So, we turned up the Ohio River and headed under the Cairo Ohio River Bridge, which connects Illinois and Kentucky. The Ohio River had about a 2 knot current against us, so we went from cruising at 13 MPH down the Mississippi River to 7 MPH up the Ohio River. In about 2 hours later, we came to our only lock of the day – Olmsted Lock. This lock and dam project is both the largest and most expensive inland waterway project ever undertaken in the United States.

Once the gates opened, there were lots of debris and dead Asian Carp that we had to cruise through.

Once out of the lock, we had another 3 hours up the Ohio River to Paducah, Kentucky. We had planned on letting Keep Calm raft off us tonight, but when we got to the marina, there was a space for them on the dock. Someone must have cancelled.

There are 12 other Looper boats at the marina, so we had plenty of help with our lines as we pulled up to the dock. After dinner on HOMES, we walked the short distance up to Paducah for a drink at the Paducah Beer Works Brewery. It was a long day, so we called it a day after that.

Today, is our day to explore Paducah – Quilt City USA. Paducah is one of nine UNESCO Creative Cities in the United States and over 300 worldwide. Member cities are designated in seven creative fields: Crafts & Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music.

We started our morning off at Etcetera Coffee Shop in the neighborhood of Lower Town Arts District. We met some nice people at the next table because their dog, like all dogs, loved Tim. We learned that the stray cat, Vincent, who was strolling around, is the unofficial mayor of the neighborhood.

After coffee, we strolled the downtown area, with its beautiful old, well-preserved buildings. There were historical markers everywhere – my favorite things! Paducah is the only major Kentucky city with an Indian name. William Clark, of the famous Lewis and Clark duo, helped establish the town of Paducah. In 1827, he purchased 37,000 acres of land, including the the site where Paducah stands for $5.00. The city was named by Clark when he platted the town in 1827. The village was named in honor of legendary Indian Chief Paduke. The Paducahs, a sun-tribe of Chickasaw Indians, had lived and hunted in this area until it was taken by the Jackson Purchase in 1818. General Andrew Jackson “negotiated” the purchase with the Chickasaw Indian Nation. The 8,000 square miles added the eight western-most counties of Kentucky.

Our afternoon was spent at The National Quilt Museum. As I said, Paducah is Quilt City USA. The museum opened in 1991, receiving its national designation from the United States Congress in 2008. The 13,000 square feet of gallery space and exhibits are a mix of local, national and international quilts, with a wide range of styles and techniques. It was like walking through an art museum. A volunteer befriended us and taught us more about the quilts than was listed on the signage.

Here is where we’ll leave you this week. Tomorrow morning, we’ll head to Green Turtle Bay Marina in Grand Rivers, KY with our friends on Keep Calm and probably a few other Looper boats. Not sure where we’ll be going after that. We need to sit down and do more planning this week.

See you next Sunday!

Thanks for reading.

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Sept. 23-29, 2024 – Hammond, IN to Hardin, IL

Highlights this week: Starting down the river systems; rafting off in locks for first time since last year; mooring up in an abandoned lock and at two restaurant docks – all iconic stops on the Loop.

Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024 – Hammond, IN (Hammond Marina) to Wilmington, IL (Harborside Marina)

Today, we start down the river systems! We were underway 7 hours and 46 minutes, going 62 miles (53.8 nm), at an average speed of 8 MPH (6.9 knots). Locks and lift bridges are back! With 3 locks and 7 lift bridges, the duration of our day was 10 hours and 48 minutes.

When we left you last Sunday, we were in Hammond, IN, after a very soggy day coming across Lake Michigan from Chicago.

On Monday, we stayed put because of the weather, plus we needed to get HOMES in river-system mode. By not going through Downtown Chicago this year, we didn’t have to lay down the whole arch. However, we still had to make some modifications for a 19’7” fixed bridge on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. By taking down the radar scanner and the Direct TV scanner (which we don’t use, but leave there are as a placeholder), we made HOMES 18’5” – just enough!

On Monday evening, when the skies cleared up, we walked on the path along Lake Michigan, which took us across the Indiana-Illinois state line. The limestone obelisk, which marks the boundary, is one of the oldest landmarks in the Chicagoland area. It was constructed in 1838 at the direction of the U.S. Surveyor General. It replaced the pine post that was used in the 1821 survey.

Today, after our gloomy, but productive Monday, we were ready to move! We got up at 5:00 AM to get an early start, but we had a slight delay. While doing checks, Tim noticed that our white running light was burned out. It only took him about 15 minutes get the new bulb installed. Even with that delay, we pulled out of the marina a little before 6:30 AM.

We took a left turn out of the marina and headed the short distance back to Illinois where we entered the Calumet River. This is new water for us, since we went through Downtown Chicago last year. The Calumet River immediately greeted us with the first of many lift and low bridges.

The shorelines were busy with industrial activity. We passed the Chicago Ford Assembly Plant and saw a car carrier hauling Ford Explorers over the bridge in front of us. Growing up in Fremont, Ohio, the Ford plant in Sandusky, Ohio provided lots of jobs, as well as jobs at the many plants producing components for Ford. My best friend, Trina’s, dad worked at Ford and my dad worked at a plant making break parts for Ford. Now, Ford and those little plants are non-existent in Sandusky and Fremont. However this Chicago plant, which opened in 1924, has 4,700 workers. This summer, they ramped up production of the 2025 Explorer.

About an hour after seeing the Ford Plant, we made it to our first lock and only lock on the Calumet River. We caught up to two boats who left the marina before us this morning – Little Gig and Certitude. The Thomas J. O’Brien Lock gently took us down only 5 feet. We followed the other two boats into the lock and tied off to a floating bollard. If you recall from last year, the procedure for these floating bollards is to cleat off one midline, which then floats down with the bollard. In the Erie Canal and in Trent-Severn, we had to wrap a bow line and stern line around cables on the lock wall and hold our lines as we dropped (or lifted). Floating bollards are much easier. The river system locks also require life jackets to be worn, while the other two canal systems did not. Only the Trent-Severn required engines to be turned off.

As we left the lock, we were in the Calumet-Saganashkee Channel – “Cal-Sag” for short. This is a 16-mile channel connecting the Little Calumet River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. It was dug over an 11-year period, from 1911-1922. We encountered our first tow and barge about 10 minutes after leaving the lock – welcome back to the rivers!

We traveled to the end of the Cal-Sag Channel in rain. Around 10:30 AM, as we made a left onto the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. We traveled down this canal from Chicago last year. In 1900, this canal, like the Cal-Sag Channel, were created to reverse the flow of the Chicago River and Calumet River, as a way to send Chicago’s sewage down into the Des Plaines River, instead of into Lake Michigan, since that’s where Chicago got its drinking water. However, besides being a sewage solutions, they were also built to replace an older/smaller canal as a conduit to the Mississippi River.

Just after the confluence, we went under the lowest fixed bridge on the America’s Great Loop – 19’7.”

We next came to the electrified section of the canal, which is meant to prevent invasive fish from getting into the Great Lakes. In 2009, Michigan and other Great Lake states filed a lawsuit seeking to close the canal to keep Asian carp out of Lake Michigan, to protect its sport and commercial fishing and tourism – contributing $7 billion a year to their economies. Illinois responded that closing the canal would upset movement of iron ore, coal, grain and other cargo totaling more than $1.5 billion a year, plus the loss of thousands of jobs. In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the request for closure.

30 minutes later, we came to our next lock – Lockport Lock and Dam. This lock took us 40 feet down to the Des Plaines River for our journey towards Joliet, where we had to have 3 bridges lifted for us.

As we passed the Joliet Free Wall, our passenger, Romeo, became a Gold Looper! Who is Romeo? He’s a little rubber fishing lure that a local guy gave to Tim on the Joliet Free Wall last year. The guy was on a bike with beer in his basket. He looked like he may have been homeless, but Tim talks to everyone. The guy gave Tim this fishing lure that he found on the ground. We named him Romeo, since he came from “Joliet.” 😁 Romeo cruised his Loop on the back deck, but he got a window seat as he crossed his wake!

Last year, we met our flotilla on the Joliet Free Wall. If you remember, the AGLCA group us into flotillas to negotiate the crowed lock traffic caused by the first 3 locks of the Illinois River being closed for maintenance from June 1st to Oct. 1st, 2023.

This year, we chose to pass by the Joliet Free Wall and continue on to Harborside Marina to get out of the congestion of Loopers. There were already 3 boats on the wall and by evening there were 10 more – that’s as big as our flotilla last year! After passing the Joliet Free Wall, the McDonough St. Bridge immediately opened for us. Unfortunately, we had a 1-hour wait at our last lock of the day –Brandon Road Lock. There was a tow and barge locking down in front of us. The lock master said it would be an hour and he was right!

After Brandon Road Lock dropped us 34 feet, we only had about 10 more miles until our stop at Harborside Marina. Because of the duckweed around Joliet, Tim cleaned out our sea strainers. The sea strainers keep debris out of the heat exchangers on our engines – which are kind of like a car’s radiator.

We ended our rainy evening sharing food and drinks with our traveling buddies – Certitude and Little Gig. The marina restaurant was closed, so we met at Little Gig for a nice evening of sharing stories.

Wednesday, September 25, 2024 – Wilmington, IL (Harborside Marina) to Ottawa, IL (Heritage Harbor Marina)

Today, we were underway 3 hours and 59 minutes, going 31 miles (27 nm), at an average speed of 7.7 MPH (6.7 knots). The 2 locks added 2 hours to our day.

Despite being a short day, we got up early and left at 6:30 AM with Certitude and Little Gig. They had planned on going further that us today, but actually ended up at Heritage Harbor Marina with us when they learned that they would have to raft off at Henry Harbor Marina.

As expected, Dresden Island Lock had its lock gates open for us to enter. We called ahead and knew that no traffic was coming. It was a beautiful morning! As I stood on HOMES’s port side, I notice an eagle’s net in a tree and then saw an eagle fly from that tree to join another eagle at the top of a pine tree. I wonder if they enjoy watching us as much as we like watching them? It looked like they were watching us.

As we pulled into Dresden Island Lock, we were told that only two floating bollards were working, so Little Gig rafted off Certitude. Since I don’t have to hold the line with floating bollards, my hands were free for morning coffee.

After dropping 21.75 feet, we emerged onto the Illinois River. This river is rural, with patches of camp grounds running along the banks in front of farm fields, as well as barges being loaded with grain from huge silos.

Around 10:20 AM, we caught up to Certitude and Litte Gig, as they waited to enter our last lock of the day – Marseilles Lock. Certitude and Little Gig had been waiting a long time for a tow and barge to lock through. Since we travel slower, we only had to hover about 20 minutes before entering the lock. Tim talked with the lock master, who is also the AGLCA harbor host for Heritage Harbor Marina. He will be presenting the river briefing tonight at Heritage Harbor Marina.

After dropping 24.25 feet, we exited Marseilles Lock and traveled the short distance to Heritage Harbor Marina. We filed in behind Certitude and Little Gig. The marina was at 120% capacity, so we were docked along side a party pavilion. A hose and electric box were stretched out to the pavilion for us. We may have been behind the Looper pack up in Lake Michigan, but we’ve found them. Ugh! We aren’t large-group people.

After getting checked in and settled, we walked up to the marina restaurant, Bluegill Boathouse, for dinner. It was called Red Dog Grill last year. At 5:30 PM, the AGLCA harbor host (the lock master who we met at Marseilles Lock) did a briefing on the river systems – Illinois River, Missouri River, Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River – suggesting stops and navigation alerts. We had the same briefing last year, although it was after our flotilla day and we were all very tired. We met our friends on Raina VI here and traveled with them down the rivers and have kept in contact with them since. They bought us dinner when we were in their hometown of Kingstown, Ontario back in July. They have their boat out of the water in Florida for hurricane season and will head to the Bahamas in December or January.

Thursday, September 26, 2024 – Ottawa, IL (Heritage Harbor Marina) to Henry, IL (Henry Harbor Marina)

Today, we were underway 5 hours and 35 minutes, going 46 miles (39.9 nm), at an average speed of 8 MPH (7.1 knots). We had 1 lock, adding an hour to our journey.

We left the marina around 7:00 AM, in a slight fog, with 5 other Looper boats. We had an hour-and-a-half convoy up to Starved Rock Lock. The lock was open and ready for us – as expected, since we called the lock master before leaving the marina.

Starved Rock Lock only had two floating bollards working, so we had to raft off. HOMES is always the boat on the wall because she is so big and heavy.

After dropping 18.7 feet, we proceeded out of the lock, passing Plum Island Eagle Sanctuary on our left. Starved Rock State Park looks like a nice place to visit – 18 canyons, 13 miles of trails, with cliffs of sandstone slicing through tree-covered sandstone bluffs.

After exiting the Starved Rock Lock, it didn’t take long for the other 5 boats to zoom ahead of us. They were all going to Peoria to wait out the “possible” wind from Hurricane Helena predicted for Friday. We are stopping at Henry Harbor Marina, as planned. It was a relief when we were finally traveling alone again. Some Loopers are like children with their first set of walkie-talkies. The self-proclaimed leader of the group thought he needed to call out every floating log and approaching tug – even though he didn’t have AIS, so the tugs couldn’t see him. Therefore, we were happy to pull off into Henry Harbor Marina and be done with the endless, nonsensical chatter on the radio. We laughed when they were kicked off two channels by tow captains telling them to “take it to a different channel.” 😁

Henry Harbor Marina is unique because we tie up inside the old Henry Lock. This old, abandoned lock hasn’t been used since 1927, but in 1870, it was the first lock on the Illinois River. Before the old lock and dam were constructed, the Illinois River was low enough to be forded near Henry. It is an honor to tie up inside this historic lock, but we many be among the last boats to have that honor. The city of Henry is currently trying to renegotiate the lease to get rid of marina. The owners are looking to move their marina to a new location up the river.

After tying up and chatting with the owners of the marina, we put the radar scanner and Direct TV scanner back on top of HOMES’s arch.

With that big job out of the way, we walked the short distance into Henry to get groceries. We got some fruits and veggies at Mackinac Island, but haven’t done a big grocery run since Thronbury, Ontario on September 8th.

Later in the evening, we walked back up to Henry to have dinner at Grandma’s Bar. Last year, the marina owner made a bonfire and gave us s’more fixings, but this year, the city is making them get permits every time they want to have a bonfire. Clearly, the city is making a power play. I was disappointed not to toast marshmallows, but we got to play Xtreme Bingo at Grandma’s Bar. We thought Grandma’s Bar looked sketchy from the outside. However, when we walked inside, Madonna was playing on the jukebox, and the locals couldn’t have been more friendly. We didn’t win any Bingo games, but it was a fun evening!

Friday, September 27, 2024 – Henry, IL (Henry Harbor Marina) to Creve Coeur, IL (Kuchie’s on the Water)

Today, we were underway 4 hours and 29 minutes, going 37 miles (32 nm), at an average speed of 8 MPH (7.1 knots). No locks today!

No other boats joined us in the historic old lock. It’s sad how many Loopers cruise by this wonderful stop. The group we were traveling with yesterday wanted to be in traditional marinas because of the Hurricane Helena. We agree with the owner of Henry Harbor Marina when she said: “But, we’re in Illinois!” It makes sense that the Loopers in lower Illinois, near St. Louis, Missouri are staying put, since storms are swirling over that area. The marinas at Grafton, IL and Alton, IL are at full capacity for this weekend. Hopefully they will all be cleared out when we get there on Monday.

We pulled out of the old Henry lock a little before 7:30 AM. We were not deterred by the predicted 18-20 MPH winds, which never came.

The water was wide today as the river went through Upper Peoria Lake and Peoria Lake. However, wide does NOT mean deep! The channel through here was 11-17-feet deep, but just outside the channel it could be 2-feet deep!

After Peoria Lake, the Illinois River narrowed down again, as we cruised into Peoria – the largest city on the Illinois River and 8th-most populated city in Illinois. We stayed at the Ivy Club in Peoria Heights last year, but this year the water levels are too low for HOMES to get into the marinas in the Peoria area. We did get to see the progress made on the new McClugage Bridge. Last October, we saw the bridge span, which had been floated from downstream, waiting to be lifted into place. It is slated to be completed by Spring 2025.

After passing through Peoria, Tim radioed Peoria & Pekin Union Railroad Bridge for a lift. If we hadn’t have put the radar scanner back up, we would have made it under the bridge by 1 inch. The friendly operator asked us to slow up, so that he could get a trained cleared. In a few minutes, he told us to come on through.

After cruising under the railroad lift bridge, we were only minutes away from our dock at Kuchie’s on the Water. This is a free dock, as long as you eat at the restaurant. We have been looking forward to this iconic stop on the Loop, which we missed last year. There is only room for about two big boats, so we were relieved when all of those Loopers from yesterday went into marinas instead of stopping here.

We didn’t waste any time before walking up to see the iconic Kuchie’s on the Water. We share pulled pork nachos, which may have been the best nachos we’ve ever had! We had a great time talking with the waitresses and a local couple who want to do the Loop in a few years.

We went back to Kuchie’s for dinner and drinks. Actually, my drink was my dinner. I had Kuchie’s famous Shipwreck Bloody Mary, topped with a cheeseburger slider, bacon, olives, shrimp, tomato, meatballs, Colby Jack cheese and a celery stick– voted best Bloody Mary in Peoria 6 years in a row. I’ve never had a Bloody Mary before, so I can’t really compare, but the drink and food on top were delicious!

Saturday, September 28, 2024 – Creve Coeur, IL (Kuchie’s on the Water) to Beardstown, IL (Logsdon Tug Service)

Today, we were underway 7 hours and 27 minutes, going 67 miles (59 nm), at an average speed of 9 MPH (7.9 knots). We received a nice push from the current. However, a lock, a railroad lift bridge, and slowing for barge traffic and a dredging site still added about 2 hours to our day.

We pulled away from Kuchie’s dock around 6:30 AM, just as it was just getting light. The Peoria Lock was only 10 minutes away and the gates were open. We called the lock before leaving, so this wasn’t a surprise.

Peoria Lock was built in 1938-39 as part of the effort to make the Illinois River navigable from Chicago to the Mississippi River. The drop is only 10 feet, so we just hovered in the lock, instead of tying off to a floating bollard.

As I’ve said, the river is low. It’s not uncommon to see docks and barges sitting up on the riverbanks. Today, we passed a dredging site, which is working to keep the channel at its 11-18-foot depth. This equipment continues its way along the river. We happened to meet a tow and barges at the exact point of the dredging site, so we scooted between the two.

The first railway

Our first railroad lift bridge, near Perkins, IL, was already up, so we cruised under. Even if these bridges are up, you must call the bridge tender to make sure it isn’t going to go down while you’re under it. We also got to see several bald eagles sitting on the banks and even an American White Pelican! We first saw one of these pelicans in the Western Basin of Lake Erie last year. These pelicans migrate through most of Illinois, from breeding in Canada to wintering along the Gulf of Mexico.

As we neared our last railroad lift bridge of the day it too was up; however, it was up because a tow and barges were coming. We radioed the barge captain and he requested that we either go through fast or wait. He seemed appreciative when we chose to hang back. Once under the bridge, we could see Logsdon Tug Service – our dock for tonight!

We were surprise that we were alone at this iconic stop in Beardstown, IL. Logsdon Tow Service’s office was closed, so we put $56.00 ($1.00/foot) into an envelope and dropped it in a metal box near the office. We wasted no time climbing the steep stairway up to town.

We were wasting no time because we wanted to visit the Old Lincoln Courtroom and Museum. We missed visiting here last year by about 10 minutes. Despite weaving through a fair that was going on around the town square, we still got to the museum an hour before closing. We had a personal tour by a local lady, who appeared, from the comments she made, to be in her 90s. She had a wealth of knowledge about Beardstown and Abraham Lincoln.

On the second floor is the courtroom where, on May 7, 1858, Abraham Lincoln successfully defended Duff Armstrong on murder charges. In 1858, Lincoln was already a well-established attorney and was running for the U.S. Senate against Stephen Douglas – a race he would lose, but he would be elected president two years later. Lincoln took on this murder case for free because Armstrong’s parents were long-time friends of Lincoln. This trial is known as the Almanac Trial, because Lincoln used an almanac to prove there was no full moon – showing that the prosecutor’s eye witness couldn’t have seen the murder clearly in the light of the full moon. The 1939 movie Young Mr. Lincoln, staring Henry Fonda, is loosely based on this trial. This is the only courtroom where Lincoln practiced that is still used as a courtroom today. It is only used once a month for hearings, but it seems to be an honor for those who get to practice here.

After dinner on HOMES, we walked back up to Beardstown to get pastries from La Familia Bakery Panaderia & Taqueria. We came here last year with three other Looper couples after we had dinner at Little Mexico. Beardstown has a large Hispanic and Latino population. A large pork slaughterhouse, formerly Oscar Mayer, is a major employer and has attracted a substantial immigrant population.

Another great stop!

Sunday, September 29, 2024 – Beardstown, IL (Logsdon Tug Service) to Hardin, IL (Mel’s Illinois Riverdock Restaurant)

Today, we were underway 7 hours and 40 minutes, going 64 miles (56nm), at an average speed of 8 MPH (7.3 knots). A long wait at La Grange Lock and 1 lift bridge added over 3 hours to our day.

A little before 7:00 AM, we pulled away from Logsdon Tug Service, after untying from the massive cleats on the barge.

La Grange Lock is an hour away, so it was too soon to call the lock about barge traffic, although Tim didn’t see anything on the radar. Unfortunately, when we got to La Grange, a tow was just pushing barges into the lock. We know that means about a 2-hour wait… and it was!

The locking procedure is tedious: 1) the tow pushes the barges into the lock; 2) the tow unhooks from the barges; 3) the barges are lifted in the lock; 4) the barges are wenched out of the lock; 5) the lock is lowered for the tow; 6) the tow comes up in the lock; 7) the barges are reattached to the tow; and, 8) the tow and barges go on their merry way.

After hovering for 2 hours and 10 minutes, we entered the lock. It is only a 10-foot drop, so we just hovered in the middle of the lock. As we exited the lock another tow and barges were waiting to come in. We were so glad that we made it before him! Coming out of the lock, the port side lock gate didn’t open all the way. We heard the lock master tell the waiting tow that he was calling maintenance. We may have just dodged a very long day!

The rest of our cruise was uneventful. We passed several tows and barges going in the opposite direction. One captain radioed to say that HOMES is “a fine looking rig!” We had one lift bridge, which the bridge tender lifted immediately for us. He said he was watching us approach and knew we’d need a lift. The traffic that had to wait for us problem felt a little like we did at the lock; however, we only took a few minutes to go under – not 2 hours and 10 minutes.

We pulled up to Mel’s Riverdock Restaurant around 4:30 PM. We spun around to dock into the current. Another iconic stop on the Loop, which we missed last time. The docks of the iconic stops are usually this bad.

Here is where we’ll leave you this week. After breakfast at Mel’s tomorrow morning we’ll make our way to the Upper Mississippi River and Alton, IL, where we’re staying at Alton Marina until Wednesday morning.

See you next week!

Thanks for reading!

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