Author: SLO Dancer

2 June 2023, last night, back in Dublin

On the way from County Donegal (Ardara) to Derry
(originally known as Londonderry), we crossed over the
border into Northern Ireland (The North) and visited the
Ulster American Folk Park where we learned even more
about the Irish people in early times. There was an original
and typical Irish home—one room about 10×10 with a
fireplace at one end where a family of 9 people had lived
(below). Can you imagine sharing that small a space with 9
other people to live, eat and sleep together? They also had a
replica of one of the ships that was used for the Irish
emigrating to America…it seemed quite sturdy, with small
wooden bunks. There happened to be a Blue Grass Festival
going on that was fun to listen to as we walked around.

By the time we got to Derry, both of us were feeling a bit under the weather (with “pet frogs” in our throats) so we opted to simply rest and not tour the town. One of my distant relatives was born there in 1705, but was one of the early emigrants who lived most of his life in Maine.

The next day, on our way to Belfast, we’re very glad we took a detour to see The Giants Causeway on the north coast of Northern Ireland. It was pretty fascinating to see the 4000 basalt, hexagon-shaped columns going down to the deep blue North Atlantic sea on another beautiful day! These columns were formed during a volcanic eruption 60 million years ago. Legend says the Causeway is the remains of a bridge built between Ireland and Scotland (about 128 miles across the sea) by mythical Finn McCool. There were over 1600 people visiting while we were there, which made
picture-taking a little challenging, but we’re glad it wasn’t a “busy” day when up to 10,000 people visit!

We stayed near City Centre in Belfast—a very nice Holiday
Inn with excellent food and service. We finally got Gary’s
laptop fixed (at the only Apple store in all of Ireland!) and
walked around a bit. The energy felt very different here and
everything except the big hotels (and an old parliament
building, below) looked pretty shabby. Several people
suggested we take the “Black Cab Tour” of Belfast so we
did, with a native Irish Catholic driver who made it clear to us that
the wars here were not about religion, but about the Irish
(who are mostly Catholic) vs. the British (who are mostly
Protestant). There’s still a huge 2-mile long wall between
these two neighborhoods. They call it “The Peace Wall,”
(below) built by the British in 1969 “to reduce The Troubles”
and keep the Irish safe from the gangs and criminals. We
both added our messages of peace. The gates are locked
from 7pm to 5am and it all felt very weird to us. Hatred
seemed to prevail and, frankly, we were both happy to get
out of this area.. We had a nice meal at a restaurant downtown
called Granny Annie’s (so of course we had to go there!) and
spent the rest of the day relaxing before we started the next
chapter of our trip. (Side note: We never did see any sort of
border or signs between Ireland and the North. The only way
we could tell we were in the North is that the signs were no
longer in English and Gaelic, just English.)

We have so many happy memories of Ireland and are
pleased that we chose to spend most of our time in “The
South,” the Republic of Ireland, where joy and love seem to
prevail. We loved the sign over the exit at the Dublin Airport
that greeted us when we arrived: “Bring on the Good Times!”

As we reflect on our stay here, it will be easy to remember all
the “Good Times!” We’ll of course remember the Irish people
and their genuine delight in welcoming visitors. Almost all of
Ireland is green, green, green. The southern part was flatter
and parcels of land were mostly smaller, usually separated
by stone walls. As we drove westward, there were more
mountains and lakes but still lots of lush green fields,
sometimes filled with cows, but mostly sheep. (We wonder if
there are more sheep in Ireland than people!)

The west coast (The Wild Atlantic Way) was more rugged
and rocky, with way more hills and valleys. As we worked
our way to the northwest, there were more trees and actual
forests (and some clear-cutting), the fields were often larger
and the population a bit denser. There were still lots of open
spaces, but often less distance between houses. And when
we got to The North, the fields were more often divided by
hedges than stone walls. In fact, we’ve noticed several
books written about these hedges, many apparently planted
in medieval times.

We mentioned the roads early on. We still need to be very
mindful of driving on the LEFT (and sometimes we still start
to get in on the wrong side of the car—the driver’s seat is on
the RIGHT!). As you can see below, some roads are VERY narrow, some medium (most somewhere in between) and some wide. As the days go by the driving is less stressful…
most of the time. Even on the narrowest roads, however,
there were lots of walkers and signs to remind us to be
cautious. We would not have chosen to walk on most of the
roads!

As is often the case, everywhere we went there was beauty. We came across a stone in one lovely garden with a quote from William Shakespeare: “The Earth has music for those who listen.” Yes, indeed! And we especially enjoyed the beauty of the springtime flowers scattered almost everywhere we went. We had never seen the yellow flowers in the photo on the left, called “Gorse.” But they were plentiful alongside many roads and even as hedges dividing various plots of land.

We haven’t said much about the food on this trip (except the yummy desserts). Frankly, we didn’t enjoy much of the “pub” food (except the hard ciders!) and found most pubs to be very small and very noisy. When first introduced to “a full Irish Breakfast” at Bewley’s in Dublin, we were pretty intrigued. There were scrambled and fried eggs, ham/bacon & sausage, slow-roasted mushrooms and tomatoes, hash brown wedges and brown Irish soda bread, together with little rounds of white and black pudding. We didn’t care much for the puddings, but the rest was okay. And I really liked the brown Irish soda bread. Except that at EVERY SINGLE BREAKFAST in Ireland and Northern Ireland (for 30 days straight) we were SERVED EXACTLY THE SAME THING–sometimes minus the puddings–even at the B&B’s.

Dry cereals were often available as well as “porridge,” together with fruit juice, yogurt and fruit (sometimes fresh, mostly canned). Breakfast was often included in our hotel fare, so we just accepted it. But, at this point, we’d be fine if we never saw or ate another “full Irish Breakfast!”

One of the other things we’ll remember from our memorable times in Ireland is the colorful buildings in nearly every town, large and small, and often colorful murals as well. With the skies a bit “duller” the first three weeks of our trip, it occurred to us that perhaps color is used to cheer people up. In many places, the front doors were brightly painted as well. Any photos we took here could have been taken anywhere we went in the Republic of Ireland. In Northern Ireland…not so much.

We are very thankful that we chose to spend a whole month in Ireland. When we turned in our rental car back in Dublin and the Hertz guy checked out our mileage he said, “Is there any place in Ireland you didn’t go?!?” In 30 days we drove 5213 miles…all on the LEFT side of the road. Wheeeee! 🙂 🙂

We now head to Wales and parts of England. Hopefully, now that both our computers are working again, we can begin to post more regularly. It’s nice to have. you traveling along with us.

Here’s one more Irish Blessing:

May you have love that never ends,
Lots of money, and lots of friends.
Health be yours, whatever you do,
And may God send many blessings to you.

P.S. For some reason, we had lots of challenges putting this blog together. Our apologies if the spacing is off, etc. Having become a “recovering perfectionist,” we’re just going to go ahead and publish this. And hopefully when we hit the “Publish” button, two Download boxes below will disappear. If not, oh well! (And by the way, the practice of “Oh-Well-ness” can be very helpful!) Cheers!

28 May 2023 – Ardara, County Donegal

We then were off to Galway via “The Burren” (the place of stone)—a very barren land of limestone slabs and cliffs, in stark contrast to the lush green hills and valleys so common to Ireland. (Note the contrast in center photo below—with the gray Burren cliffs above the green.) AND, we managed to find some lovely little wildflowers tucked in among the cement-like stones.

We found the Burren Aillwee Birds of Prey Center enroute, arriving just in time to see a raptor demonstration, first with a Harris Hawk named Juan (flying, center above and perched on my gloved hand below!) and then with a white barn owl. We learned a lot about raptors. Hawks rely totally on their super-keen “tubular” eyesight to hunt their prey; owls rely totally on their super-keen hearing (they can hear a mouse’s heartbeat!!!).

We spent two nights at Flannery’s Hotel in Gallway (the hotel with the best service thus far), and once again took a Hop-on/Hop-off bus to see the sights and learn more about the history of the Galway area. Galway is the midway point of The Wild Atlantic Way (a route 1600 miles long from County Cork in the south to County Donegal in the north). Its Sand Hill Promenade (“The Prom”) is quite popular as is its Diving Tower, Galway Cathedral (below) and Eyre Square where JFK once spoke. Because the weather in Ireland is often a bit “dull,” the tour bus driver shared something we’ll often remember: “If you can see the hills, it’s a grand day!” It was a bit chilly, but we could see the hills! And a grand day it was!

Galway is also the home of the Claddagh {pronounced clad-uh)—an enchanting symbol with 2 hands (symbolizing friendship) holding a heart (love) beneath a crown (loyalty). This is where we were also introduced to 2 scrumptious desserts—one called Toffee Sticky Pudding (left) and the other called “The Eton Mess”—a mixture of berries, custard and chopped meringues topped with ice cream! Gary thought these were a bit too sweet…me? Double Yum!!!

On departure day our left front tire was flat. After calls to Hertz “roadside assistance” and a local mechanic, Gary was able to inflate the tire long enough to get us to a “tyre” shop where “Martin” removed a nail and patched it perfectly for a whole 20 euro. Then off we went toward Westport through the gorgeous Connemara region, admiring its stunning mountains and lakes (and several sheep in the road), to Kylemore Abbey, gifted to Benedictine nuns in the 1920’s. What a beautiful place in an equally beautiful setting that felt very sacred and nourishing.

And then our car wouldn’t start….our key fob would not connect. Hertz “roadside assistance” never called back, but I fiddled with the key fob buttons while Gary went back to the Abbey and, bingo, the car started and we’ve had no trouble with it since. Fairies? Angels? Nuns? Who knows. We were just glad to be able to get to our next stop, at a delightful B&B called Lurgan House in the coastal town of Westport, County Mayo. This was the perfect place to take a much-needed break from driving (and car troubles). We were surrounded by beautiful gardens, could watch sheep (and baby lambs) from the front window, and the breakfasts were the best we’d had so far. Gary found a computer guy who could hopefully help him set a new password but we soon discovered that the security system for the new laptops is way too good, so now we have to wait until we can get into an Apple store in Belfast to solve his computer issues. Oh well!

One of the highlights of our Westport stay was a cruise of Crew’s Bay and its 365 islands, including an island once owned by the Maharishi in the 70’s and another by John Lennon & Yoko Ono (left below)—a perfectly beautiful out of the way place to find peace and respite from the crowds. Most of the islands are not inhabited but farmers boat their sheep there in summer for grazing. We also enjoyed seeing harbor seals (center) and hearing stories about “Croagh Patrick,” (right), said to have been the mountain where St. Patrick spent 40 days and 40 nights in 441 AD. Annual pilgrimages bring followers here and many people climb this 2510’ mountain barefoot! (We just never know what we’re going to learn on these trips!!!)

From Westport we stopped at the “National Museum of Ireland–Country Life”…a fascinating depiction of traditional life of Ireland’s poor who relied on their hard work, skills, the land and each other to survive. We then spent two days at the Clayton Hotel in Sligo—our least favorite stay so far. It looked quite “regal” on the outside. It was built in 1845 as a mental hospital, renovated as a hotel in 2007 and we don’t think much has been done to it since. The walls were too thin (with very noisy neighbors both nights), the food was awful, and we were happy to leave after 2 nights. We DID get to see the nearby Carrowmore Megalithic (Old Stone) Cemetery (complete with cows and bunnies) with 30 of 60 surviving passage tombs and stone circles some dating back to 3700-2900 BC—the New Stone Age. That is OLD!!!

Happy to be on our way to County Donegal, we first went to “Atlantic Sheepdogs” to watch a sheepdog demonstration with last year’s National Champion Moe—a purebred Border Collie (“border” of England and Scotland; “collie” means useful). It was amazing. The owner (another “Martin”) talked a lot about sheep farming in the area and then had Moe bring a herd of 9 sheep up from a pasture, put them through several moves and even herded them through a series of gates with perfect turns and guidance. AND, all of this is done naturally because it’s in the dog’s DNA!! They were born to play with sheep, and the only “training” Moe got was cues from a high-pitched whistle—especially useful when dogs are bringing sheep down off the nearby tabletop mountain (Benbulbin) in “Yeats Country.” Martin is a sheep breeder and allowed us to hold 2-week old lambs. So fun!

Gary was feeling a bit under the weather so we decided to take it easy at our next stop, the wonderful Bayview Country House B&B in the little town of Ardara in County Donegal—and our last stop in the Republic of Ireland. This was another perfect place to take it easy and stay local for a couple of days. Great breakfasts, friendly people, beautiful gardens, convenient to town. We took two short trips and found countryside unlike any we’ve seen before….one to beautiful beaches with unusual colored sand and waters; the other to Assaranca Waterfall through lovely country hills and dales (and lots more sheep!). We also experienced our first sunset, right outside our window at 9:30pm, with our little Dacia (Rumanian) car in the foreground. (By the way, the nights were much shorter up here: sunset was around 9:45pm and sunrise around 4:45am!).

During our stay in this northernmost county of Ireland, we’ve met several people from “The North” (Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom) and they have given us some wonderful travel tips about their country. So on we go tomorrow to The North.
In the meantime, here’s one more Irish Blessing we’d like to share with you:

MAY THE LEPRECHAUNS DANCE OVER YOUR BED
AND BRING YOU SWEET DREAMS!      🙂 🙂

25 May 2023 – Doolin, County Clare
We usually have 4-5 hours between check-out time and
checking in time at our next destination, so I always do some
research to see if there are things of interest we might look
at along the way. That’s how we discovered the FOTA
Wildlife Park. We saw an adorable baby giraffe that was just
4 weeks old, an amazing Great White Pelican over 4 feet tall
and a clever way to exercise and feed the cheetahs—the meat was hooked to a fast-moving rope and pulley about 15 feet off the ground so they had to chase after it.

It was suggested that we stop in the charming town of Cobh
before going on to Cork. We ate at the Titanic Bar & Grill in
the old terminal where the last 123 passengers boarded the
Titanic. We also discovered that Cork has the deepest
natural harbor in the world. We stayed at the Imperial Hotel
in downtown Cork and it was quite elegant, hosting many
celebrities including Charles Dickens, JFK and Grace Kelley.
It also had the nicest breakfast we’ve had so far, with a “bird
cage” filled with pastries, yogurt and fresh fruit
accompanying our eggs and sausage.

We are great fans of Kerrygold Irish Butter so of course we
had to stop at The Butter Museum. We happened to catch
and join a tour for students from Brigham Young University,
got to watch butter being made by hand and even got to
taste it on my favorite brown Irish Soda Bread. Yum! Then
off we went from Cork to Killarney.

We took a day off to get laundry done and give Gary a break
from driving, because the following day we did the 111-mile
loop called The Ring of Kerry we’d read so much about, with
several little side trips to beaches, forts, castles and the
fascinating Skellig Ring. We passed through Waterville
where Charlie Chaplin spent many years, and then drove
through Killarney National Park with its beautiful lakes and
mountains. A very scenic day…and lots of driving, so, with a
quick stop at Ross Castle, we were glad to get back to the
Hotel Killarney that evening.

We then drove to one of our favorite stops so far, the little
seaside town of Doolin. For the first time, we stayed in a
local B&B and we couldn’t have felt more welcome. We had
to backtrack a bit that first night to take part in a wonderful
Medieval Dinner at Bunratty Castle. The food was delicious
(4 courses called “removes”) and the only utensil we had
was a knife. So we sipped potato soup from the bowl, ate
spareribs with our fingers, stabbed the chicken and
vegetables with our knife and finally were given a spoon to
eat a tasty apple dessert while listening to superb, costumed
singers accompanied by a Celtic harp and fiddle (video below). We had a
really good time!

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We slept in a bit the next day (as we often do), but we got
moving more quickly when we discovered we could take a
boat tour to see the renown Cliffs of Moher. They tower
some 702 feet above the wild Atlantic Ocean below. The
“weather fairies” have been very good to us most of this trip
and the day we chose to go was no exception. (The day
before the mist was so thick that one could not see them
from the top or the bottom.) The tide was coming in so we went through
some large swells and found we still have our “boaters’
legs!” We spent over a half hour hearing about the Cliffs
(formed 319 million years ago) and the various seabirds that
nest there (over 30,000 pairs), including fulmars, falcons,
choughs, ravens and puffins (which hadn’t arrived yet).

At the boat tour ticket office we picked up a brochure about a
“Music House Concert” and got the last tickets for that night.
We listened to 2 locals who’d been playing their fiddle and
flute together for over 50 years and told many stories about
the importance of traditional Irish music. It played a huge
role in the survival of the poor Irish countrymen. Their music
brought everyone together and they often danced all night
long. I later Googled the name of the man’s house we were
in…Christy Barry…and only then discovered he is “a
legendary Irish flute player” who spent many years in New
York, Chicago and Los Angeles, establishing the original
Irish music there. He’s been back in his native Doolin for
many years and has helped Doolin become a “mini-New
Orleans,” attracting musicians from all over the world to
come sit in on sessions. He is also quite a master at playing
the spoons (click on video below)! What a delightful evening it was!

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The joy and humor from that evening in Christy Barry’s home
and the heart-warming hospitality we felt during our entire
stay in Doolin was very contagious and we are still carrying it
with us.
In closing, here’s another favorite Irish blessing:
May the roof above us never fall in,
And may the friends gathered below it never fall out.
Thanks again for traveling along with us!

20 MAY 2023 – Waterford
As promised, here are a few highlights from our first couple
of weeks in Ireland. Thanks for your patience!
Dublin was a fascinating town. We’re very glad we used
taxis and buses to get around. It would not have been a
good place to start driving on the LEFT as there were many
crazy intersections, buses, horse carriages and tourists plus
very narrow streets and alleyways. We’re also glad we chose
a quiet hotel away from “City Centre.” We were on the
“Grand Canal” and Gary perked up very quickly when he
discovered a LOCK just a block from our hotel. It reminded
us both of all the locks we went through on our Loop
adventure (153!). On our evening walks, we discovered this
was a favorite place for young people to picnic and drink
their Guinness…and for swans to nest.

We love taking the Hop On-Hop Off buses to become more
familiar with larger cities that are new to us. The narrative
gives us a greater sense of the history as well as places we
might want to go back and visit. We passed by the 64-acre home of
Guinness beer where they produce over 9 million pints a
day! One of our favorite stops in Dublin was at the EPIC
Museum—The History of Irish Emigration. The interactive
exhibits certainly reminded us of the sorrow and sadness of
Ireland’s hard times, but just as important, we became more
aware of the global influence the Irish people, their culture
and music have had in the dozens of countries they migrated
to including the U.S.A.

Trinity College was also a highlight. The Old Library Long
Hall (above) was quite a sight to see as was the famous
Book of Kells there—an artistic masterpiece in Latin of
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—an exquisite example of
“written illumination” created by monks as young as 13
around 800 AD. This was part of a 2.5 hour walking tour
where we also enjoyed Dublin Castle built in the 13th Century
(above right). We finished the day at an Irish song & dance
dinner show called “Celtic Nights.” AND, after 5 nights, we
were very ready to get out of the city into the Irish
countryside we’d heard so much about.

Daughter Carolyn spent a wonderful week-long retreat at
Glendalaugh last year, so our first driving experience took us
there. Driving south from the Dublin airport was really quite
easy and, thanks to our GPS, we were able to find our way
there to tour the ruins of a monastery where most of the
buildings date back to the 10 th & 11 th Centuries (below). It felt
very sacred.

We then drove to the very elegant Powerscourt Hotel for one
night. Looking back to that first day on the road, driving from
Glendalaugh to Powerscourt was the most difficult but also a
great training ground for all the days ahead. Some of the
roads were VERY narrow, barely allowing 2 cars to pass,
with very little room to spare and often with stone walls right
at the edge of the road. We learned quickly that you drive
down the middle until you see a curve or a car coming
toward you, then stay LEFT and slow down to pass one
another. We’ve certainly been on more of these narrow
roads, but have been pleasantly surprised at how many
roads are MUCH wider and sometimes even divided (called
“dual carriageways”). Compared to that first day, driving still
requires concentration and teamwork, but for the most part is
a bit easier…and we are getting to be masters of
roundabouts!!!

Before heading to Kilkenny we took time to tour the famous
Powerscourt Estate Gardens. It was a bit cold and rainy, but
we especially enjoyed the exquisite Japanese Gardens there
and some incredible statuary.

In Kilkenny we made a point of having leisurely mornings,
but did take a long walk along High Street and a self-guided
tour of Kilkenny Castle, a Victorian remodel of a 13th century
defensive castle. Portraits and tapestries were especially
interesting.

Then off to Waterford we went, with detours before our 4pm
check-in. First we found the Waterford & Suir Valley Railway
and its narrow-gauge train that took us along the Suir River
(pronounced “sure”) and a beautiful waterway bike path filled
with wildflowers. Then we drove east of Waterford to Hook
Lighthouse very surprised that our GPS took us to a ferry
landing. So off we went on the Park East Ferry to visit “the
oldest lighthouse in the world!” We came across more ruins
of a medieval church built in 1307 that was fascinating. By
the time we got to the Fitzwilton Hotel, we were pretty weary,
but what a fun day!

The Waterford Crystal Factory tour was really fascinating
and something we’d been looking forward to since we first
started planning this trip. We watched master craftsmen take
the molten glass from the 2400-degree fire and then blow
the glass into a mold to create the perfect shape (below, middle). After
cooling and high-end inspections, the pieces were trimmed
and polished. The part that to us required the most skill was
the cutting of the glass to form those famous cut-glass
patterns Waterford is known for. I could have watched this
for hours and was in awe of the precision required and
executed. Etching is also often a part of crystal creations and
there were some exquisite examples of this.

We also enjoyed a walking tour of the “Viking Triangle” and
became more familiar with the Viking raids and invasions as
early as 795 AD until 1014 AD. By establishing trade routes
between Ireland, England and Scandinavia, the Vikings were
responsible for introducing many outside influences (from
Europe and beyond) into society—everything from language,
culture, art and craftsmanship to new goods and raw
materials. Gary posed next to a typical Viking carving.

We head now to the magical west coast Irish town of Doolin
and a visit to the famous Cliffs of Moher. And everywhere we
go, there are lush green fields, dozens of herds of both
sheep and cows, sweet towns filled with colorful buildings
and some of the friendliest, happiest people we’ve ever met.
Everyone seems to have a twinkle in his/her eye that is very
contagious. Here’s to more of all of this, together with
another favorite Irish blessing:
May peace and plenty bless your world
With a joy that long endures
And may all life’s passing seasons
Bring the best to you and yours.

Thanks for traveling along with us!

It’s been almost 8 weeks since we returned to California from our “America’s Great Loop” adventure and we’re gradually getting into a new groove. We both miss the wondrously slow and nourishing “boating lifestyle”…and Gary misses being on the boat even more than he expected. I think he would have liked to do the Loop again. Me? Not so much, but I am VERY grateful that we did it and that together we created so many wonderful memories.

The most frequently asked question we’ve been asked both during and after this “adventure of a lifetime,” is, “What was your favorite part?” Our first thought has always been, “There are so many—it’s hard to choose just one.” So we’d like to share some of our favorites with you…like I said, there are a lot of them!!

SHORT VERSION:
* The rivers, especially the Tennessee, St. Johns (FL), Dismal Swamp (NC), the Sassafras (MD), the Hudson (NY), the Richelieu (Quebec) & the Rideau (Ontario)
* The small towns
* The unspoiled places of natural beauty and the wildlife
* The friendly, helpful people we met along the way—both locals and fellow Loopers.

LONGER VERSION, STATE BY STATE, FROM START TO FINISH:

MICHIGAN: Spring Lake, Manistee (best steak @Blue Fish), Leland, Charlevoix and Mackinac Island (where we officially began and ended).

Mackinac Island – August 2021 Mackinac Island – September 2022

WISCONSIN: Menominee, Egg Harbor, Manitowoc and the Milwaukee Art Museum.

ILLINOIS:  Chicago River through downtown, barges (and their friendly, amazing “tow captains”), Heritage Harbor @Ottawa (best briefing), Ivy Club @Peoria, Logsdon Tug @Beardstown and Grafton (best marina gift shop).

MISSOURI: Alton, Kimmswick (Hoppie’s & Blue Owl restaurant).

KENTUCKY: Paducah with its amazing murals & National Quilt Museum (especially the stunning and moving 9/11 tribute wall, below right. And yes, the middle photo below is one of many exquisite contemporary quilts).

TENNESSEE: Our first Fried Green Tomatoes, Pickwick Landing State Park.

ALABAMA: Joe Wheeler State Park, Fairhope (& Eastern Shore Art Center), daughter Carolyn & granddaughter Maya overnight visit.

MISSISSIPPI: Aqua Yacht @Luka (top of Tenn-Tom-best full-service marina), Looper fun at Columbus, White Cliffs at Demopolis Lake.

FLORIDA-WESTERN: Thanksgiving @Niceville/Bluewater Bay Marina, Crystal Springs (swam with manatees), Sarasota (Jack’s Marina, Ringling Museum), Captiva (South Seas Island Resort and the Mucky Duck), dolphins, variety of birds.

FLORIDA-EASTERN & CENTRAL: National Navy UDT-Seal Museum (Fort Pierce), Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral), New Smyrna Museum of History, lower St. John’s River & Hontoon State Park.

           

GEORGIA: Grandson Eldon cruises with us for a week-Jacksonville FL to Savannah, Midway (Sunbury Crab Company); Carolyn & Drew visit.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Beaufort, McClellanville, Georgetown (Rice Museum).

NORTH CAROLINA: Shrimp Boats, Oriental (friends visit), Dismal Swamp.

VIRGINIA: U.S. Navy ships tour (Norfolk), Colonial Beach (Oomboom-best restaurant), Reedville, Yorktown, Tangier Island.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The view from the harbor, flowers, visits with college friends and family.

MARYLAND: Solomons Island, St. Michaels, Sassafras River, Chestertown.

DELAWARE:  Kathy’s Crab House honoring all veterans, Delaware City.
NEW JERSEY: Liberty Landing, Statue of Liberty, visits with NAPO buddies.

NEW YORK:, NY Skyline, tours of Culinary Institute of America & West Point, daughter Laurie & her 5 kids overnight visit, Upper Hudson River,

            Laurie, Campbell (12), Drew (10), Avery (17), Ty (19), Emerson (15)

VERMONT:  Otter Creek & Vergennes, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

QUEBEC, CANADA: Chambly Canal (Richelieu River), Hotel Frontenac (Quebec City), Beluga Whales (Saguenay River), Notre Dame Cathedral (Montreal),

           

ONTARIO, CANADA: Parliament Building & Canadian Museum of History (Ottawa), Rideau Canal, Trent-Severn’s Kawartha Lock & Big Chute, Island Homes & Killarney Lodge (Georgian Bay), Kagawong & Spanish (North Channel).

           

STATISTICS:
We went 7,500 statute miles, spending 350 days on the water (622 engine hours), with 168 stops (151 marinas, 9 walls and 8 anchorages). We averaged 10 mph while visiting 19 states and 2 provinces, cruising 25 major rivers and waterways, plus parts of Lake Michigan, the Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic Ocean (New Jersey Coast), Lake Ontario and Lake Huron. Wow! And yippee!! The map below shows our route, passing the Erie Canal entrance and going north through Lake Champlain to the St. Lawrence River (top left), except for our side trip on the St. Lawrence River to the Saguenay River about 50 miles east of Quebec City.

(Photo taken in Wisconsin at the Manitowoc Maritime Museum – September 2021)

We continue to pat ourselves on the back and reflect on what we accomplished. It really was quite amazing…and definitely an “Adventure of a Lifetime!” We give thanks every day for the whole experience. We are grateful that we had such a reliable and comfortable boat, that we worked so well together as Captain and First Mate throughout the trip (and we still like and love each other very much!!!) and that we met so many wonderful people along the way.

We are also very grateful that you chose to cruise along with us. Thank you for cheering us on…that meant a lot to us!

We have several ideas for our next adventure(s) and perhaps we’ll share some of those experiences with you down the road. In the meantime, blessings always!

For all of us, may every season be a season of giving thanks and special memories!

Mackinac Island, Michigan
16 September 2022

Yes, we crossed the North Channel, with some very fun small-town stops along the way, AND we returned to the U.S.A. via Drummond Island on Wednesday, September 14 (after 78 days in Canada), AND, most importantly, on Thursday, September 15 at 11:50 a.m. we arrived on Mackinac Island, where we officially started our American Great Loop Adventure 392 days ago!!! So, in boating terms, this is where we “CROSSED OUR WAKE!” WAHOO!!!

Gary’s t-shirt reflects that sometimes we feel pretty “Loopy;” my shirt shows the most common route of America’s Great Loop!

There’s a tradition in the AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association) that while you are “in progress” on the Loop, you may fly a white AGLCA flag on your bow (called a burgee). (This also makes it easy to identify other Loopers when docked and creates many friendships…a very nice bonus!) AND, when you cross your wake, you are entitled to fly a GOLD AGLCA burgee. If you choose to do the Loop more than once, you are entitled to fly a platinum burgee. There are some Loopers who have gone around multiple times…there’s even a book called, “Once Is Not Enough!” We now know that you can’t possibly see everything the first time around. However, we feel very satisfied with what we have done…quite proud, actually…and we are content to just do the Loop once.

We’ll share all the totals and other thoughts in another report later, but meanwhile, we wanted to share a few highlights from our enjoyable trip across the North Channel.

The day before we started this segment of our trip, you may recall we were at the beautiful and classy Killarney Mountain Lodge Marina & Resort (which is at the end of Georgian Bay and the beginning of the North Channel). It was September 8th—the day that Queen Elizabeth II died. It was quite touching to see the resort’s very large Canadian flag flying at half-mast.

A few days later, Gary chose to attend a small Anglican Church in Kagawong, Ontario. At the service, a large portrait of the Queen was displayed, draped with the appropriate black band of mourning across it. Prayers were said for the Queen and it was quite an emotional experience for many in the congregation. It meant a lot to be able to witness this in a country that is part of the British Commonwealth.
The church itself had quite the nautical theme…the pulpit was shaped like a bow and their was poignant Scripture from the Old Testament on a banner in the small sanctuary.

           

The North Channel was similar in some ways to Georgian Bay. Both are located across the top of Lake Huron, both have many, many islands filled with pine trees (and rocks seen and unseen), well-placed markers (!!), lots of little inlets, anchorages and several small towns. It is also quite beautiful. However, it was much less populated, with very few waterfront “cottages” except in or near the few villages. There were no “island homes,” which meant there were fewer opportunities to have “rocktail” parties! Unlike Georgian Bay, there was very little boating/recreational activity except for a few small fishing boats and kayaks and an occasional Looper boat. There were fewer narrow channels and navigation wasn’t nearly as intense. This cruising ground was much more relaxing and very beautiful!

          
The First Nations people have been in the North Channel area for more than 9,000 years. We especially enjoyed visiting both Little Current and Kagawong because they are on Manitoulin Island where 40% of the population is of “aboriginal” origin and many are still fluent in their native language. There is a keen interest now in teaching the language to the younger generations and to preserve the culture of these First Nation peoples. At the little Anglican church, there was a wonderful illustration of the Tree of Life reflecting this local culture. We also learned that Manitoulin Island, which sits between the North Channel and Lake Huron, is the largest fresh water island in the world! 

           
We went through our last Swing Bridge at Little Current, Ontario. It only opens once an hour so we were pleased to arrive just 15 minutes before noon and got right through.

           
We visited the small town marinas at Spanish (above) and Blind River, but our very favorite stop on the North Channel was the village of Kagawong (from the Ojibwa word that means “where mists rise from the falling waters”). Not only did we enjoy the remarkable art studios of Richard & Barbara Edwards, but we loved going through their Old Mill Heritage Museum. Both were housed in the original pulp mill that shipped pulp down to Chicago for use in creating paper for the early Sears Catalogs! The townspeople are still quite proud of this. We just never know what we’re going to learn when we visit these wonderful, remote places!

      
Another highlight of the week (for me) is that Captain Gary shaved off his beard! After 13 months of it being covered up, I can now see my honey’s sweet face again! Whee!!! Another cause for celebration!!!

           
As we travel to beautiful Charlevoix and then to Traverse City (where we will leave the boat to sell), we will begin to fully take in all that we’ve learned, all the wonderful people we’ve met, all the natural beauty that surrounded us so often, and all the ways S.L.O. Dancer has kept us safe and comfortable as our amazing “home away from home.” We also know we will continue to savor this “Adventure of a Lifetime” for the rest of our lives.

We continue to be grateful that you have chosen to cruise along with us. That has made us especially fun to share our journey with you.

Stay tuned for a bit more information (I’m still compiling various statistics), as well as a few insights and afterthoughts. Blessings always!

P.S. #1 – (Written September 23, 2022 from Beaver Island, Michigan) As you can see, it has taken us awhile to get our most recent Blog posted. Since this was written, we had two very rough cruising days especially from Mackinac Island to Charlevoix, MI (on the Eastern shore of Lake Michigan) where weather kept us an extra day. Charlevoix is another one of our favorite towns and we were docked just a block away from downtown, so it was a great place to be “stuck.” Fortunately I’d gathered some boxes so we could start the packing process. We finally got to Traverse City on Monday, September 19—our last cruising day. (We both felt pretty sad about that…more later.) We spent the next three days packing and, by late Thursday, all boxes were packed, offloaded and shipped, donations were made to a local food bank, the boat was spic and span and ready to sell…and we were pretty wiped out! 

One of our favorite Looper couples recently retired to Beaver Island and invited us to spend the weekend with them before flying back home to California. (We first met them in Peoria, IL, spent many days cruising together down the rivers to Mobile; saw them again 3 different places in Florida and have kept in close touch ever since.) Their cozy and beautiful home in the remote southern end of Beaver Island right on Lake Genavereth has been the perfect place to “do nothing” but simply enjoy our friends, take in the beauty and relax. (Photos above). (I slept 14 hours the first night we were here!) Today we took a wondrous walk through their fern-laden forest of cedar, pine and birch trees. What a wonderful way to renew and restore before heading home! We fly home Monday (9/26) and hope to write some more in the next week or so. Cheers!

P.S. #2 (Written from Los Osos, CA September 28, 2022). We are home!!!

I love this airport sign that greets us each time we arrive back in San Luis Obispo (aka SLO). We definitely live in “The California Less Traveled!” We are still pretty weary from the last two weeks of final cruising, packing, shipping, cleaning, traveling, etc. and now we have lots to do to get things back in their places after storing all our bedroom and bathroom stuff in the back bedroom (my project/craft room). How grateful we are (a) that we leased our home for a year while we were gone; (b) for all the amazing experiences we’ve had in the last year and (c) to return to our home overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean, Morro Bay, Morro Rock (below) and the peaks and farmlands of the Los Osos Valley. Now we know there is beauty of some kind everywhere we go, as reflected in many of the photos we’ve included in our blog posts.

We’ll write more sooner or later. We head to Colorado October 5-10 for my 60^th college reunion (Colorado College, Colorado Springs), so it will probably be after that before we post anything more. Thanks for your patience! Cheers!

KILLARNEY, ONTARIO

8 SEPTEMBER 2022

We’ve heard about Georgian Bay for several months, many boaters calling it  “the finest freshwater cruising in the world,” for its rugged and pristine landscape as well as its many protected anchorages and inlets and its friendly small towns. Located to the north of Lake Huron and some times called “The Sixth Great Lake,” the area was once a major Algonquin-Huron First Nation trade route.

The most striking feature of Georgian Bay is its topography. Land both above and below water consists mostly of granite outcroppings. Often referred to as The 30,000 Islands, in reality it should be called The 100,000 Islands because there are so many that are quite small (but still a hazard to navigation). Regardless, it is also the largest group of fresh water islands in the world.

When we first entered Georgian Bay, we were both a bit apprehensive since we heard so much about all the rocks. As a result, we chose to do a very S.L.O. dance. Sure enough, within the first half hour, seeing so many rocks just outside the channel added a bit to our apprehension. Many were just barely above the surface–some very sharp (like sharks, left below) and some that looked like the humps of whales!

However, and more importantly, we were also told over and over, “Be sure to stay in the Small Craft Channel!” Fortunately, that Small Craft Channel is VERY well marked, on both our electronic charts (updated every week) and on the water. So our apprehension disappeared quite soon once we saw those markers guiding us through the various outcroppings, seen and unseen. (As I continue to gleefully remind Captain Gary, “I just LOVE markers!!!”) Not only are there green buoys (the top being square in shape and referred to as “cans”) and red buoys (the top being triangular in shape and referred to as “nuns”), but there are often “day markers” (same colors and shapes) posted on land, and sometimes “range markers” that help boaters line up their course.

The range markers are quite ingenious and often appear in order to assist larger ships to stay in a narrow channel. When you see these range markers aligned (left, above), they look like they are right on top of each other, when in fact (right, above) they are often installed as much as 200 yards apart, one behind the other. When aligned, you know you’re on the correct course.

AND, every day before we leave (and the night before when we’re first going over the route), we check to make sure which side the markers are supposed to be on. Generally speaking, when going downstream, or toward a large body of water, the reds are on the left and the greens are on the right. When going upstream, or away from a large body of water, the reds are on the right (aka “Red Right Returning”) and the greens are on the left. However, sometimes they change during the course of a day, especially entering and leaving inlets and marinas, so it’s essential to review this to make sure we’re on the correct side of the markers in every moment. Sometimes, it is quite the dance! For quick reference, we even have reminders on the helm that we switch every time the markers switch. (Note the green and red balls on either side of the electronic “chart plotter” below. They are made of heavy cord using a knot called a “monkey ball.”)

Here’s one of Captain Gary’s favorite reminders, especially in places where the markers are so critical, “Always do your best to never get on the wrong side of a nun!” 🙂 So far we’ve been very good at staying on the correct side. It makes for a much safer journey!

Most of the islands in Georgian Bay today are either Park Reserve lands or in private hands, utilized as “cottage” properties, which we’ve talked about before…in Ontario, almost every home on or near the water is called a “cottage.” Those below are also referred to as island homes. Here are two of our favorites:

Another delight was watching seaplanes land and take off throughout the day at three marinas where we stayed—Henry’s Fish Restaurant (people flew in for lunch or dinner), Parry Sound and Killarney Mountain Lodge, where the owner flies in and out on his own seaplane.

          

By the way, the Killarney Mountain Lodge—a very popular destination resort here in Ontario, at the end of Georgian Bay/beginning of The North Channel—has got to be the fanciest, classiest place we’ve stayed on the entire Loop. The buildings inside and out are amazing, and so is the landscaping, which so beautifully incorporates the many rock outcroppings. There also happen to be dozens and dozens of red chairs facing the beautiful surroundings. Canadians love their red chairs!

           

One other highlight of this adventure is the amazing art we see in almost every town—in galleries, but especially outdoors. Midland, Ontario (where we rested a few days after the Trent-Severn Waterway and at the beginning of Georgian Bay) is a perfect example of homegrown creativity. It is famous for its murals, including “North America’s largest outdoor historic mural,” beautifully executed on massive grain elevators overlooking the town docks where we stayed.

Another large mural depicts an amazing lighthouse, which cleverly incorporates the building’s window into the mural. All the murals reflect the town’s history.

           

And, of course, as in so many other places, there is beauty, beauty, beauty everywhere. So dancing SLO-ly through the pristine and unspoiled Georgian Bay allowed us to really enjoy it and soak it all in. 

           

For the next week, we’ll cruise around in The North Channel, said to be yet another place of stunning beauty. Then we’ll drop down to Mackinac Island (around September 15, depending on the weather) and soon be on our way back to California. Wow! What an adventure this has been…AND, we’re not done yet, so we’ll continue to take one day at a time as we enjoy our final cruising days on our beloved S.L.O. Dancer.

MIDLAND, ONTARIO
29 AUGUST 2022

Peoples of what Canadians call the “First Nations” traveled the original route of the Trent-Severn Waterway more than 3,000 years ago. It was first built for commercial and military purposes and took almost 90 years to build. The first lock was built in 1833; the last lock was completed in 1920. It is now a paradise for recreation and pleasure boating that extends 240 miles (twice as long as the Rideau) from Trenton (where the Gateway Bridge above is located) to Port Severn, Ontario—the entrance to Georgian Bay. It includes a series of narrow canals…some of them VERY narrow…together with 44 locks that connect many rivers and lakes (large and small) through beautiful countryside and charming little towns. There are also over 150 dams and dozens of bridges of all kinds. The “swing bridges” are particularly fascinating as they swing open to let boaters through. Some are very old (below left–all the way open); some relatively new (right, just beginning to open). If a swing bridge is closed, boaters are asked to give three short blasts of their horn to request an opening. We rarely had to wait very long, which was nice.

The first thing we think of when we look back on this segment of our America’s Great Loop Adventure is its natural beauty almost everywhere. Many of the narrow passages (below) remind us of Virginia’s Dismal Swamp with its unspoiled, lush green foliage and crystal clean waters (although there is lots of “seaweed” in some places).

As we got closer to the end of this Waterway, deciduous maples and cottonwoods gave way to lovely white pines (right, above). And in between all of it were an amazing variety of “cottages”…homes of all sizes along the water, with docks and slides, and often an abundance of water toys. Some of the most intriguing cottages are called “island homes”—homes atop their own small island (below). Our favorite place for these was stunning Stoney Lake, and many of the island homes were quite stately and beautiful. There was even an Island Church, only accessible by boat (below right)!

          

So many homes we saw had at least two Adirondack chairs facing the water…and most of them were red. And we finally solved “The Mystery of the Red Chairs!” A few years ago Parks Canada began a program of placing a set of red chairs in their parks AND “these chairs are always placed at a point where there is a great view.” The tradition obviously caught on as, ever since we entered Canada, we’ve spotted hundreds of cottages with these Adirondack chairs…and most of them are red, but not all of them. We loved the grouping in the third photo below!

    

As we cruised by (always S.L.O.-ly in populated areas), it felt like every family living on the water was enjoying their own little piece of paradise.

Two other things we’ve noticed: (1) About 60% of all waterfront properties fly at least one Canadian flag. AND (2) (after passing so many cottages and boats) You don’t have to have a giant cottage or a giant boat to have a lot of fun! What a joy to see so many people enjoying this beautiful Waterway. There’s a very playful but peaceful energy in these small cottage communities.

The variety of boats we saw was also fascinating—slow boats and fast boats (some way too fast, including lots of wave-runners who loved to jump our wake!)…also small boats, medium boats (like ours) and large boats. In the middle part of this Waterway we saw dozens of houseboats—mostly rentals–so we were told to keep a keen eye out for these as many had inexperienced captains. We only saw two that we gave a wide berth. The largest boat we saw was a tour boat called the “Kawartha Voyageur” which we passed on both the Trent-Severn and Rideau waterways. It is 24’ wide and 108’ long (and the locks are only 110’). The lockmasters are really good at coordinating its passage. In fact, it was getting ready to come into the locks at Lake Simcoe just as we were coming out, and it waited for us!

As with the Rideau Canal, many of the locks on the Trent-Severn are still hand-operated by Parks Canada personnel, using gears, chains and levers that open the wooden gates. Some of the locks have larger gates that now use hydraulics to operate. There were three locks that were truly spectacular. Two of them (at Peterborough and Kirkfield below) were “lift locks” whereby boaters slowly enter one of two water-filled chambers called “pans.” A gate closes on each pan and, as one pan goes up (powered by gravity), the other goes down, counter-balancing the other. Peterborough (top 2 photos) gets the most attention because it is the world’s highest hydraulic lift–it took us up over 65′ in just two minutes! However, we were more exhilarated by the lift lock at Kirkfield, (the second set of photos) perhaps because, for the first time, we were going down instead of up. We proceeded into a pan suspended nearly 5 stories in the air. It was fun to stand on the bow and look way down on the water below us and watch our descent!

The most unusual of all the “locks” is called The Big Chute (4 photos below) where Parks Canada helped us pilot our boat onto a large, partially submerged “railway lift,” supported our boat with huge yellow hydraulic “slings” and then took us in that railway cart (via two railroad tracks and a series of huge cables) from a pool of water at one level of the Severn River (where the Big Chute Marina is) over a highway (yes, over land!!!) into another pool 58’ below where we could then continue on the Severn River to Port Severn and beyond. Quite the adventure! And yes, it’s really fun to stand on the bow! (Smaller boats don’t need the slings so they only show in photo #3 below, taken from S.L.O. Dancer.) There have been several “mechanical problems” with the Big Chute this summer including one just before we were to arrive there, but Parks Canada managed to find and install a new hydraulic pump and threats of delays or even “closed for the season” were immediately lifted. Whew!

We have now gone through our final lock on this journey—a total of 153—50 in the USA and 103 in Canada. Two things we’ve especially liked about most of the locks in Canada is that they are (a) very easy to tie up to inside the lock, and (b) there’s a very good “wait in line” system before entering a lock.

(a) There are rubber-coated cables attached to the lock walls at both the top and bottom (see below), so you just thread one end of the line around the cable, pull it through and bring it back to cleat off on the boat—one a little behind the bow (#2 cleat) and one at the stern. This required a bit of dexterity on my part because, while Captain Gary was maneuvering the boat to make it easy to catch the cables and tie a line off (first up front and then in the back), I would zip from front to back, go down the 5 steps on the stern and get the stern line around another cable and tie that off. Then Gary would cut the engines and tend the stern line while I went back to the bow. This worked really well, but was a bit wearing when we had to go through up to 8 locks in a row! (I’m glad I have very strong legs!!!) Fortunately, lock attendants sometimes help facilitate this process by either taking a line or extending the cables toward the boat. This is especially helpful when entering the lock going downstream; the locks are filled to the top and the cables are down at the waterline.

(b) At each end of almost every lock there are cement walls with large cleats that allow boats to tie up/moor. Sometimes we’ve stayed overnight at these walls. AND, the best part is that on these designated walls there is a “blue line.” If your boat is on the blue line, then you are telling the lockmaster that you are ready to enter the lock. After hours (most locks close at 5pm), boats can moor overnight on the blue line only if they intend to enter the lock first thing in the morning (all locks open at 9am).

So if we come to a lock that we want to go through and the gates are closed (and sometimes there is a red light telling us to stop (as in the photo on the right), we tie up at the blue line until the gates open and the light turns green (or we are beckoned by one of the Parks Canada lock attendants). Unlike locks in the USA that monitor and communicate via VHF Channel 16, Canadian locks do not use VHF radios. Most instructions are given by hand or by yelling. Occasionally a lock attendant will walk down the blue line to give specific instructions. Attendants are also very good about assigning you to a specific wall and specific cable in the lock. All in all, once we mastered “the Canadian way,” locking through made for many easy, stress-free days! Thank you, Parks Canada!

Another fun thing: A lot of the small towns we’ve cruised through have fascinating names…many of them with First Nation origins. Our favorite was the town of Bobcaygeon. (This is where the first lock on the Trent-Severn was built, and where we stayed at a Marina that opened in 1909!) We thought it was named after someone named Bob, but later found it came from the Ojibwa words “bob cajwin,” meaning, “narrow place between two rocks where water washes through.” Who’d a thought!

And another: Have you ever heard of “butter tarts?” People have been raving about them ever since we entered Canada, so we finally bought some at an upscale bakery in Peterborough. They’re about 4” across and come plain, with pecans or with raisins. Neither one of us thought they were that good—way too doughy with not much flavor; we much preferred the lemon bars and the fresh-out-of-the-oven sourdough bread!

And finally, our “Wildlife Report.” We continue to see lots of seagulls, cormorants and families of Canada geese (who parked themselves overnight on the dock next to ours one night and were way too chatty!). In addition, we’ve loved seeing more swans and loons, as well as an occasional eagle and kingfisher. We also saw a turtle basking on one of the many rocks that lurk just outside the very well-marked channels. (We sure do love the markers that tell us exactly where the channel is! Yes, indeed!)

While checking out the Big Chute we saw a sign that said, “Warning, Bears in the Area,” but we didn’t see any. Chipmunks and black squirrels danced around nearby while we ate our breakfast one morning on a restaurant patio. And that’s the end of our Wildlife Report…Oh wait! How about a photo of Captain Gary with a beer? How about that year-long beard? Pretty wild, don’t you think?!?

          

This blog is a bit longer than most, but the Trent-Severn was a bit longer than most. So there! Now we’re at the east end of Georgian Bay and from here we’ll go across to the North Channel (both above Lake Huron) where we’ll then drop back down into the USA at Drummond Island and go another 50 miles to Mackinac Island (where we complete our Loop aka “cross our wake”). After that, we’ll head to Traverse City, Michigan, where our awesome broker who found our boat will find the perfect buyer. We plan to fly back to California somewhere around September 25.

We continue to have a glorious time and really look forward to our final weeks on the Loop. We send blessings to anyone cruising along with us and look forward to sharing a bit more about this amazing adventure…maybe even a few “afterthoughts.” Stay tuned!

*(Pronounced REEdoe, rhymes with Speedo!)

6 AUGUST 2022 – Kingston, Ontario, Canada (NE corner of Lake Ontario)

The route the Rideau Canal follows has been in use since the beginning of recorded history. Native Americans used this route to get from the Ottawa River (current city of Ottawa) to Lake Ontario (city of Kingston), before Champlain traced the route in 1615. Opened in 1832, the Canal was “one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19^th century.” It was a major artery for regional commerce for a long time until the completion of the St. Lawrence canal system and the introduction of railways and steamboats. Now its 125-mile waterway “is a boater’s paradise” (100,000 pleasure boats a year), made up of a series of beautiful lakes and rivers connected by canals and locks. It is the oldest continuously operating canal in North America. Its other claim to fame is that, in the winter, it is the longest skating rink in the world!

                       

Almost all of the locks are still operated manually, just as they were 190 years ago, and most of its original technology is still intact. Parks Canada hires mostly college students to operate the valves and gates (and sometimes the swing bridges), and it’s fascinating to watch them crank the handles that move the chains through various gears. Through all 45 locks, we enjoyed their friendly and helpful assistance

                     

There are often tourists and locals watching the boats go through the locks (and sometimes you don’t realize they are there until the water rises enough to see over the top!). Some of them are very chatty and very curious about where we’re from (California?!?), where we’ve been and where we’re going. Most have never heard of America’s Great Loop. And, if they are local, we love how they light up when we tell them how fortunate they are to live in such a beautiful place. It’s very true!

Locks vary in height, with waters rising or falling from 4 to 50 feet. The average is about 22’. Sometimes it takes more than 30 minutes to go through each lock, depending on how short or tall it is (obviously it takes longer to fill and empty the tall ones) and how many boats are in the lock at one time. We didn’t realize this when we left Ottawa the first day (above)—it took us 9 hours to go 23 miles because there were 16 locks (often with 4-5 other boats) and a 6 mph speed limit the whole way in between! (S.L.O. Dancer certainly lived up to her name!) We did fine, but were pretty weary, so we stayed 2 nights at the next marina. We’ve really learned to pace ourselves and know to rest a bit after long/strenuous days. And now we also know not go through more than 6-7-8 locks per day! Here are a few pictures from the locks, etc.

SIDE NOTE: Lots of women wear tank tops & shorts while boating. After decades of California sun exposure and several skin cancers, you can see above that I choose to wear a hat, long pants and long-sleeved shirts. And, our rule is that whenever we’re on the decks and underway, we wear a life jacket. It’s all part of our self-care!  🙂 P.S. Can you find Gary? He’s in the yellow shirt over my shoulder, tending the aft line!

Most of the Rideau winds its way through farmlands, swamplands and lovely vacation areas, with an abundance of trees. The weeping willows are quite lovely. We now know that many Canadians (and Americans) vacation here. In Canada they call it “cottaging.” We also found out that a “cottage” here describes a home “larger than a cabin” that is on or very near the water. We’d never heard of this before, have you? When not cruising through narrow channels or skirting islands, we saw lots of large lawns, parks, beaches and other play areas along the water’s edge, as well as lots of kayakers, fishermen and small power boats. We even saw a few seaplanes! We’ve also noticed that on ALL the rivers we’ve been on in both Quebec and Ontario, red Adirondack chairs are quite prevalent.

           

During the first few days of our week of traveling down the Rideau we didn’t see much wildlife beyond ducks and seagulls. Oh wait, of course! We’ve seen several flocks of Canada (!!!) Geese! A huge flock flew over us midway through the Canal. Sometimes they hang out on the lawns around the locks, and we especially enjoyed a large group that paddled by us at one of the marinas.

We’re very pleased to report that during the last two days on the Rideau we saw lots of loons! It was hard to photograph them because they are very skittish and, once our boat got close, they quickly disappeared under water. We also came upon a heron on one of our docks and later a mama and papa swan and their two teenage signets who came quite close to our boat. Very fun! There are also several elegant white swans here at the marina at Kingston.

          

We’ve now gone through a total of 110 locks and are getting quite good at entering, securing our lines to the lock wall then casting off to exit. All part of the adventure and no longer out of our/my comfort zone! Yippee!!! 

All in all, I think we both agree that the Rideau Canal has been one of our favorite parts of this Great Loop Adventure…beautiful, peaceful, soothing…with lots of happy and friendly people—Park Canada employees, boaters and locals. It’s a very stress-free and a wonderful way to travel from Ottawa to Lake Ontario.

Our next big adventure is the Trent-Severn Waterway, which goes from nearby Trenton all away across the top of Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay—another “one of the most beautiful places” on the Loop. It will probably take us about two weeks or so…there are 44 locks along this 240-mile waterway. We continue to be so grateful that we’re on the perfect boat for us and are doing so well. S.L.O Dancer is just the right size for this trip and just keeps purring along…and so do we! Stay tuned for our next report from Georgian Bay.’

28 JULY 2022 – OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA

The past two weeks have been filled with more wondrous adventures and interesting experiences. The more time we spend in this part of Canada, the more we appreciate its rich history, its culture and its variety of art and architectural treasures. Above is the spectacular skyline of Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

We enjoyed our stay in Montreal—a large, modern city of 1.5 million people with many older well-preserved historic buildings including the Notre-Dame Basilica where we spent time with dear Looper friends, listened to a special organ concert and took in the sacred beauty of its stunning stain glass and awe-inspiring interior.

As we approached Montreal from Quebec City, we were particularly fascinated by a very tall and unusual tower jutting out at a very odd angle…and realized later that it is part of the Montreal Biodome created for the 1956 Olympics, which we saw from atop Mount Royal on our 2-hour Gray Line Bus Tour.

 From our boat on the St. Lawrence River From Mount Royal

FUN FACT:  Hockey was invented in Montreal. It is said that two enterprising students at Montreal’s McGill University not only invented the hockey puck but the general rules of the game of hockey as it is known today. It was March of 1875 that the first “organized” game in hockey history took place and a national passion was born. By the time the National Hockey League was formed (1917), the 8-year-old Montreal Canadiens franchise was already the pride of Montreal.

We also discovered that the metropolitan area of Montreal is made up of over 380 islands and that Mount Royal is the city’s center. It has an altitude of 233 meters (764’) and no building in Montreal may exceed this height.

It wasn’t until we left Montreal that we realized how large Montreal is. It took us four days by boat to navigate around it onto the Ottawa River! That in itself was quite the adventure as we passed (or were passed by) several large cargo ships and tankers who were making their way to and from Lake Ontario.

We then found ourselves in a very large St. Lawrence Seaway Lock (big enough for these big commercial ships) with over 30 other pleasure boats! We were rafted together in rows of three or four and it took nearly two hours to go through the loading, elevating and unloading. The first boats in are the first ones out, and each must carefully tie up (to the wall or to another boat) and then untie when it’s time to move on. Patience is obviously pretty important, plus some times it’s really fun to visit with those on boats tied up near us as we all work together to make sure boats are secure and well-fendered. Below you can see how boats are “rafted” up.

We went through two other locks on our way to Ottawa. The Carillon Canal Lock had a very unique guillotine gate that we had to go under as we entered. (That was kind of creepy!) We were the last boat in, so we watched it lower behind us so they could fill the lock with water. It only took about 40 minutes to get in and out of this lock as it was quite a bit smaller and there were fewer boats. 

Once we’d gone through several fairly large and wide lakes, cruising the Ottawa River toward Ottawa (97 miles) reminded us a lot of the Upper Hudson River and Lake Champlain Channel… lots of trees, scattered homes of various sizes with large lawns sloping down to the water’s edge…all very beautiful. The only surprise is that we’ve seen very few birds…only occasional seagulls and cormorants. We did see one kingfisher and they are very fun to watch as they hover like a helicopter over the water before diving for small fish!

Our stay in Ottawa has been filled with sightseeing, relaxing, provisioning and some extensive planning for the next leg of our journey. Once again we chose to take a two-hour Gray Line Tour of the area and that was great fun! Ottawa is the Capitol of Canada, and it was exciting to see the Parliament building (below) on Parliament Hill, “the home of Canadian democracy and a symbol of national pride.” There are many statues and monuments surrounding it, including a Centennial Flame and Peace Tower. We drove along the Rideau Canal (our next big adventure), popular shopping and eatery neighborhoods and lovely parks, and passed many embassies as well as the home of Prime Minister Trudeau at 24 Sussex Drive perched above the Ottawa River.

A favorite stop was at the Canadian Museum of History. The building itself was a marvel both inside and out and, even though we didn’t see all of the exhibits, we especially enjoyed an animated movie called “The Seven Laws of Life” in which a young man goes on a vision quest and is introduced to the Seven Laws: Respect, Love, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Humility and Truth. There was also an amazing collection of totem poles.

We’re really glad we chose to spend time in three of Canada’s biggest cities–Quebec, Montreal and Ottawa–and we did enjoy each of them, but we are now very ready to get back to places more remote and less traveled.

As mentioned before, our next big adventure is cruising down the Rideau (Ree’doe) Canal from Ottawa to Kingston, Ontario. It’s supposed to “one of the most beautiful places on the Loop,” so we’re very excited to begin. We’re not sure how many stops we’re going to make–we may go slower; we may go faster. One of the best things about the Loop is that we don’t have to be in any hurry and, if we want to change our schedule, we can! It’s a pretty nice way to live and we continue to enjoy this wondrous boating lifestyle. We hope you’re enjoying it too as you cruise along with us. Blessings always!