Author: SLO Dancer

13 MARCH 2022 – JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
Near the beginning of the St. John’s River, off the ICW

As we reflect back on our recent weeks of cruising and look over the variety of photographs we’ve taken along the way, it occurs to us how many different kinds of bridges we’ve gone under. Most on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) are fixed bridges, which now have a standard 65’ clearance to accommodate larger boats and tall-masted sailboats. There are others that are older and lower and open only upon request (especially railroad bridges). Some of these are what I would call draw bridges, but in the nautical world they are called “bascule” bridges. (I’d never heard that word before, have you?). We’ve also seen some “lift” and “swing” and “suspension” bridges. Here’s some we’ve gone under or through:

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On the St. John’s River we’ve especially enjoyed all the different birds we’ve seen…lots of ospreys and several bald eagles, often in their nests. The ospreys love to build nests on top of the channel markers, sometimes obstructing the marker number, but that means we can see them up close, often a pair, and sometimes with a young fledgling. For several miles, there was a nest on every marker.

           
For the first time, we saw a beautiful pair of sandhilll cranes flying over. We couldn’t get our cameras out fast enough to take photos, but the memory of them gracefully flying in harmonious formation will stay with us a long time. In addition to seeing an abundance of our favorite pelicans, egrets, herons and arctic terns, we’ve also seen a wood stork (on the right below) and added three new birds to our lifetime list: The Anhinga (similar to a cormorant–on left below), the Ludwig (like a small brown & grey heron) (no photo) and the Ibis. The Ibis are bright white, quite tame, often gather on lawns, and sometimes we see them perched together in trees beside the water.

We had never heard of the St. John’s River, but it’s a side trip highly-recommended by many Loopers. It runs from the ICW through Jacksonville and then turns south into north central Florida, paralleling some of the places we visited on the eastern shore. It actually ends up just north of Orlando. (We had to get out a Florida map to figure out where we were.) It is over 300 miles long but is only navigable to cruisers for about 160 miles, ending at Sanford, FL.

We had a wonderful reunion in Sanford for several days with two of our favorite Loopers (Jill and James) whom we met in Peoria, Illinois in September and have been “loop frogging” with ever since. We hadn’t seen them since The Big Bend on The Gulf. AND, we just met up with another favorite Looper/loop-frogging couple (Tricia & Tim) whom we also met in Peoria. We’ve seen them several times in recent weeks—in Stuart, in St. Augustine and now in Jacksonville. These friendships have been so delightful and always do our heart good! We’ve also taught them to play a Chicken Foot version of Mexican Train, which has been a family favorite over the years. Lots of laughter and fun! And, in keeping with one of our topics here, chickens ARE birds, aren’t they?

           
The thing we’ve liked best about the St. John’s River is the peace and serenity that surrounds us almost the entire way. Once south of Jacksonville, the river narrows from 2-3 miles wide to just 100-200 feet. Most of the narrower, winding part is unspoiled wilderness, with beautiful trees on either side (often festooned with Spanish Moss* drooping down), water hyacinth along the edges, and an abundance of birds around almost every bend. *(By the way, we’ve discovered that “Spanish Moss” is not a moss or a parasite but an air fern that is related to the pineapple! Go figure!?!?) The river is actually a series of rivers and lakes “like a necklace of strung beads,” as one writer described it. There are a few small marinas and fish camp towns, but they fit right into the natural environs and add to the charm. There are also a large number of “Wake Free Zones” to protect the manatees, but we don’t mind going slow—for their safety and for our enjoyment. We ARE S.L.O. Dancer, after all!

We were told we would see “hundreds” of alligators on this side trip. Well…we went all the way down to Sanford–160 miles–and didn’t see a one. We looked and looked, with binoculars and without, and saw lots and lots of “log-a-gators” (as Gary called them), but we were beginning to think it was a myth. In the marina there, we think we finally saw one about 50 feet off our dock…but if someone hadn’t told us it was an alligator, with only its snout and beady eyes above the water, we wouldn’t have known. Finally, as we were cruising back up the River, just before Blue Springs State Park (a well known sanctuary for manatees), we saw a fairly large alligator cruising down the river past our boat. Again, it was gone before we could get a photo. AND later, when we got to our dock at lovely little Hontoon Island State Park, there was a young alligator that passed right in front of our bow and another two the next morning. Can YOU tell this is an alligator?!?

All in all, we are very glad we chose to take the St. Johns River side trip. It was a nice break from the constant vigilance of the ICW, with its often-changing shoals and more densely-populated waterway communities. And once again, we found that naturally beautiful and primitive surroundings nourish us profoundly—mind, heart and soul. We hope to find other special sanctuaries along the rest of our Adventure and look forward to telling you about them in the future.

We are glad you are choosing to cruise along with us. We really like being able to share our experiences with you. Next is the Georgia Coast from Cumberland Island to Savannah, and grandson Eldon will be along with us. Stay tuned!

P. S. America’s Great Loop is said to be about 6000 miles long. We have now cruised for over 3200 miles so we are more than half way around. Yippee!!!

28 FEBRUARY 2022 – ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

It’s been three weeks since we started cruising up the East Coast of Florida and we’ve had quite the adventures! Until the last two days of high winds and rain (which delayed our departure), the weather has been glorious—lots of sunshine and not too hot. Here are some highlights and fun facts.

1.  Florida has names for each segment of its extensive coastlines. So far we’ve been (chronologically) on the “Emerald Coast” (northwest, including Pensacola, Destin & Panama City), the “Lost Coast” (aka the Big Bend Coast as it curves around the Gulf of Mexico) & the “Sun Coast” (central west, including Tarpon Springs, Tampa Bay & Sarasota).
Choosing to bypass the Keys and the “Gold Coast,” with its dense population, huge condominiums, yachts and wakes, we went east across the Okeechobee Waterway to the “Treasure Coast” (Fort Pierce to Vero Beach, named for sunken ships), the “Space Coast” (that includes the amazing Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral) and on north to the “Palm Coast” and finally the “First Coast” where we are now—in St. Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States (1513-Ponce de Leon). Much of the Old City is now restored to a likeness of its colonial days and reflects its Spanish heritage. It’s quite beautiful and the Old Town Trolley Tour gave us the perfect overview of its many features and history.

Flaggler College, St. Augustine

2.  The Kennedy Space Center has been an amazing highlight! A bus took us out to the Apollo/Saturn exhibits and, while watching the video of the Apollo mission to the moon, we were sitting in bleachers in front of the actual Mission Control Room used during launches (“the room where it happened!”). It was also very exciting to stand beneath and walk the full length of a rocket used for these launches.

We also learned from a fellow Looper (we just happened to meet the next day who helped design the software for the Space Shuttle) that the reason part of some rockets is orange is because, by not painting it, the payload is reduced considerably!

Another highlight was standing under and walking the full length of the Space Shuttle Atlantis (and learning how a space vehicle was created that could come back to earth and land like an airplane–thought to be impossible).

All in all, we both came away with a far deeper appreciation of all the brilliant people and teamwork involved in our space development and exploration—past, present and future.  It was good to be reminded of Apollo Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s words when he first set foot on the moon: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Let us not forget the important work that has been done and that continues as we seek more answers about outer space.

3. We really enjoyed staying in the marinas at Vero Beach, Cocoa Village and New Smyrna Beach. They are all are relatively small towns with clean and friendly marinas and easy walks to restaurants and provisions (and ice cream!). Most of the more developed areas along this stretch are on the Atlantic Ocean (east) side of the barrier islands. Fortunately, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is on the west side so there are fewer homes and lots of wetlands (and birds!). But that also means there is lots of shoaling, where the sands are constantly shifting on the bottom and are often a hazard to navigation. Sometimes you can see the shoaling and sometimes you can’t, but we know we have to watch the markers carefully when we see birds “standing on the water!” (And also note below the man standing in the water next to his small fishing boat!)

4. And speaking of “constantly shifting shoals”…unfortunately we went hard aground on one of them in the Ponce de Leon Inlet and had to be pulled off by SeaTow. (Because everyone goes aground at some point, we knew we had to subscribe to both SeaTow and TowboatUS services, hoping we’d never have to use them.) There were actually two SeaTow boats patrolling the area because this happens so frequently (“all the time”). AND, we were also fortunate that there was a highly recommended repair facility nearby (Sea Love Boatworks—great name!) where we had to get our props inspected and repaired before continuing. We were there almost a week, but were able to live on the boat while we were out of the water (aka “on the hard”). We got lots of exercise climbing up and down a 12’ ladder several times a day. There was also a great restaurant nearby plus lots of friendly staff and nice places to walk, including the Ponce Inlet Light

5. One more highlight. We saw a very small ad in St. Augustine for a “Tiny Art Museum.” We didn’t know if it was the museum that was tiny or the art. It turned out to be the art—“art that can only be created and seen by using a microscope, less than 1mm,” all created by Russian artists spending 6-12 months on each piece! There were mini-mini paintings, but we especially liked the small gold sailing ship and the row of 5 gold camels created within the eye of a needle! We were glad we discovered the “Micro Masterpieces Art Gallery” aka the Tiny Art Museum! Wow!

We’re excited about the next part of our adventure—cruising through and beyond Jacksonville, down the St. John’s River to see “the fish camp” side of Florida—the interior sweet water habitats of fisherman and, yes, alligators. (We’ll be okay viewing them from the boat, but don’t think we’ll do much swimming! 🙂 We do like “the road less traveled,” with undeveloped natural surroundings, so away we go!

Mid-March we’ll start cruising up the coast of Georgia and into South Carolina, so stay tuned. Thanks for dancing along with us!

S.L.O. DANCER BACK TO CRUISING AFTER HOLIDAY BREAK

9 FEBRUARY 2022

Wow! The weeks have zoomed by since we last reported in over two months ago, when we’d just completed crossing the Gulf of Mexico off the western Florida Coast. Before heading back to California for the holidays, we especially enjoyed our stay on Captiva Island, west of Fort Myers. We were last there in 2009 and it is still as charming and beautiful as ever. It was fun to be part of the annual South Seas Island Resort’s “Christmas Walk” evenings right next to the Marina:

(As requested, we’ve included here a recent photo of us taken in Captiva.)

Our adventure across the Okeechobee Waterway to the east side of Florida was pretty uneventful (it can sometimes be a challenge because it’s so shallow), and it was an easy cruise up the coast to Fort Pierce, where we stored the boat for six weeks and had some maintenance and repairs done.

(ASIDE: What does B-O-A-T stand for? Break Out Another Thousand…or so…also an expected part of the adventure!)

Our California visit was busier than we anticipated, but we had such a good time—visiting family and a few friends and clients and enjoying the mild California climate. We had doctor and dental checkups and are blessed to continue to be in very good health. It also feels really good to have year-end finances and 2022 tax information sent off to our accountant already. It cut into our playtime a bit, but what a relief! We did get to enjoy our hometown beauty—the green, green hills, Morro Rock, Morro Bay and the Pacific Ocean:

Another highlight for me was participating in my sixth annual 4-day Silent Retreat in early January—an opportunity to go within, set intentions for the New Year and explore various ways to look at my life as I continue to grow, evolve and enjoy my “wisdom years” as fully as possible. Gary and I also loved being “Uber” drivers for granddaughter Maya, taking her back and forth to high school each day when Carolyn and fiancé Drew were in Atlanta for 10 days. It created many special moments and some fascinating conversations. We also had fun visits with Gary’s 3 grandkids who have turned into remarkable young beings. This younger generation is amazingly self-aware and insightful!

We flew back to Florida on February 3 and have now started north, but before we left Fort Pierce we visited the Navy Seals Museum. Wow! We now have even more respect for the amazingly brilliant, fit and courageous men who’ve chosen to serve our country in this way, on SEa, Air and Land. Bless them all!

           

As much as we loved being in California, we are delighted to get back to “doing the dance” of cruising. It’s taking us a few days to adjust to the changes in time zones and climate, re-provision, clean up the boat and settle back into the rhythm of cruising, and it’s all part of the dance! AND, we now know ourselves well enough to start off at a fairly slow pace as we begin the next segments of our America’s Great Loop adventure…S.L.O. is good!!!

We look forward to sharing more of our journey with you over the next several months, beginning with four weeks along Florida’s “Space Coast” and “Palm Coast” before we head up to Georgia and into the Carolinas, all on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). Stay tuned!

Once again, thanks for continuing to cruise along with us! Welcome back aboard!

7 DECEMBER 2021, TARPON SPRINGS, FLORIDA

Whew! We just completed the last segment of our 240-mile crossing in the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Some Loopers choose to cruise straight across from Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs in one verrrrrry long crossing, but we really wanted to see some of “Old Florida” along what they call The Big Bend (and sometimes called The Forgotten Coast). So we cruised 80 miles from Carrabelle to the very small town of Steinhatchee, then 80 miles to the amazing community of Crystal River (where I got to swim with the manatees!), then 80 miles to Tarpon Springs, a Greek community also known as the “Sponge Capital of the World.” We stayed two nights in each town so we had time to explore and chill in between the long days.

Here are some highlights and observations of our travels along the Gulf Coast.

1. First of all, it was a joy to have daughter Carolyn and granddaughter Maya (now 15 and a sophomore in high school!) drive down from the Atlanta area, where they were spending Thanksgiving, to join us for a few days in Orange Beach (just east of Mobile Bay). They were amazed at how spacious and livable S.L.O. Dancer is. We took them for a boat ride and Maya drove about half way back. She was quite the Apprentice Captain! She was also very good at spotting the red and green markers and buoys—an essential part of staying in the channel to avoid shallow waters (aka shoals). We dined at a famous and highly-recommended place called LuLu’s (she’s Jimmy Buffett’s sister) and that was very fun.

2. Almost every restaurant boasts of southern fried foods—everything from the usual shrimp, fish and chicken to fried okra, fried mushrooms, fried pickles, fried cornmeal (aka “hushpuppies”), fried gator bites, fried almost anything. Our favorite is the fried green tomatoes.

3. We’ve continued to “Loop Frog” with many boaters we’ve met along the way. Today we caught up with a couple whom we first met in Joliet, Illinois, traveled with down most of the rivers and hadn’t seen in nearly a month because they had gone on ahead. We’ve seen 3 of our other favorite couples several times along the Gulf Coast. A special highlight was a Thanksgiving Day potluck at Blue Water Marina in Niceville, FL (near Destin) where many of us enjoyed a huge feast hosted by the local boaters. There must have been 50 side dishes plus a scrumptious air-fried turkey with all the trimmings. It was delightful and we were grateful to be with so many wonderful people—locals and Loopers. This was “southern hospitality” at its best!

4. We’ve been surprised at how many houses have been built along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) as well as strips of high-rise condos and hotels in way too many places, often for many miles at a time. (We prefer to skip these.) It was also fascinating to see the variety of homes, piers, decks and fancy boat storage facilities along the way. And it was sad to see in some areas how much hurricane damage there has been, with parts of houses and piers and stranded boats along the waters’ edge. The high winds stripped thousands of trees of nearly all their leaves (except at the very top) and there are hundreds of dead trees lying right next to the Waterway that could create many hazards to navigation in the future.        

5.  We’ve been astounded at the number of crab pots we’ve had to watch out for and dodge even as far as 40 miles away from shore! We’d been warned about these—you do NOT want to hit them; they can do real damage to a propeller—but it was suggested we turn it in to a “video game” and simply swerve around them. Fortunately they are mostly in straight lines and not attached to one another, so we’ve just had to wend our way through them, especially with so many closer to each port. There have been many times when we thought we’d spotted a crab pot…and then it flew away (mostly cormorants)! So we laugh a lot! AND, it’s definitely been helpful to have 4 eyes on the water at all times as S.L.O. Dancer does what we are now calling The Crab Pot Jig!

6. We kept hearing the term “sugar sand” from those who’d been along this part of the Gulf Coast before. The sand is actually very, very white and looks like sugar. Duh! Yes, there were long beaches of it, but the real contrast came when we saw the dark green pine shrubs growing in this pure white stuff!

7. Wildlife continues to be a highlight wherever we go and the Gulf Coast is no exception. In addition to ospreys, what we’ve seen the most of are PELICANS, but they are gray and often have white heads. (We’ve not seen any white or brown pelicans here.) We even saw a huge flock of them flying high above us, but mostly they are cruising along the water, diving for fish, perched on the day markers and pilings or hanging around the docks where we stay.

We’ve also added two more birds to our life list: a wood stork and a green heron.

8. AND, we have been fortunate to see lots and lots of DOLPHINS–another favorite of mine! They first “welcomed” us at the beginning of the GIWW as we left Mobile Bay, and we’ve seen them almost every day since, even in the shallows near the entrance to the marinas where we’ve stayed. They always bring us such joy. Fellow Loopers shared their dolphin video taken a few days ago. (Many thanks to James & Jill Iverson on Alvin James. Jilly sounds as excited as I get when we see dolphins!) Here it is for your enjoyment:

https://videopress.com/v/6RiEKMua?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

We plan to spend another week here in Florida before flying to California for the holidays, etc. (December 16-February 1—we’ll stay in Carolyn’s guest house since our home in Los Osos is rented for a year.) We’ll soon head south to Sarasota and Captiva Island (where we loved staying several years ago) and then to Fort Myers. From there we will go across Florida to the east side (via Lake Okeechobee and its five locks), ending up about 18 miles north of Stuart at Fort Pierce where we will have some repairs done and store the boat until our return around the first of February.

Meanwhile, as the holidays approach, it seems weird not sending out Christmas cards, but please know how much we appreciate everyone we stay in touch with and that we think about you quite often. We feel so blessed to be on this amazing “Adventure of a Lifetime” and to be able to share our adventure with you. Thanks again for cruising along with us.

May the holidays and the New Year bring you many moments of joy and peace and love, and many, many blessings!

14 NOVEMBER 2021 MOBILE BAY, ALABAMA

We’re pleased to report that we have now completed the Rivers segment of our Great Loop Adventure! Since leaving Chicago on September 16, we have traveled over 1344 miles (a total of 236 hours of actual cruising, thus averaging 7.5 mph) on six different rivers—the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, Cumberland, Tennessee and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. This last one, often referred to as “The Tenn-Tom,” wends its way 450 miles from the Tennessee River, through parts of eastern Mississippi down to Mobile, Alabama. It was completed in 1985 so commerce could avoid the treacherous lower end of the Mississippi River. Its 234-mile long “Canal” section took 7 years to complete and required the removal of 307 million cubic yards of earth—one-third more than the Panama Canal project!

There are 10 locks on the Tenn-Tom and we’re getting quite proficient at hooking S.L.O. Dancer up to the “floating bollards” that allow us to go up or down as the water rises or lowers. Here we are tied up to a typical floating bollard:              

We’ve traveled through 30 locks since Chicago and now find it quite easy to do. I was very nervous the first few times, but Captain Gary is very good at bringing the boat alongside the lock wall and creeping slowly up to the bollard so I can hook the line over it (most times on the first try). It’s usually an easy “chest throw” to get the line over the bollard then quickly shortened and cleated off to hold us against the wall (with fenders out and adjusted to keep the boat from scraping the wall—also part of my job as First Mate). We also wear high-grade headsets so we can easily communicate during this process. Some boaters call these “marriage savers,” because we avoid yelling at each other when reporting measurements and delivering instructions. There are more than 140 locks on the whole Loop—most of the rest coming next Summer—so we’re glad we’ve become quite the lock-through team! It’s all part of the dance!

The locks on the Tenn-Tom are all of similar design and the same size (600’ long and 110’ wide to accommodate commercial barge traffic), but they vary in height. The shortest drop was 25 feet, and the tallest lock we went through a few days ago lowered us a whopping 86 feet, so the gates were very tall as you can see below, with other “Loopers” leaving the lock behind us.                                   

AND, because it takes awhile for every boat to get “secured” and to get through these taller locks, sometimes I get out a long-handled brush and swab the decks!

Cruising through “America’s Heartland” has been a great joy…we really like river cruising. However, we’ve been a bit disappointed that this year’s fall coloring has been delayed. We’ve had some glimpses of gold, orange and red leaves among the greens and have found it all quite beautiful, especially near the White Cliffs of Epes, which are chalk cliffs said to have been deposited about the same time as the White Cliffs of Dover. (It’s amazing what one learns on these adventures!)                               

Herons and snowy egrets are drawn to the locks, especially when the lock operator sounds the horn indicating the gates are opening. For many weeks, we couldn’t figure out why this was so, but we discovered that these birds feast on the small fish that get trapped in the gates’ metal superstructure. Pretty clever! And here we thought they were hanging out to welcome us to their territory!                               

The lower end of the Tenn-Tom is supposed to have lots of other wildlife, including deer, fox, armadillos, opossums and alligators (yes, alligators!), but, all we saw were a few large turtles sunning themselves on the logs along the shoreline. We also saw our first kingfisher hovering over the water and catching a fish. Really fun!

Because we continue to travel with a very special group of friends who’ve been “Loop Frogging” with us as far back as Peoria, Illinois, there have been many nights when laughter rings out from our restaurant tables or our “docktail” parties. Of course we are meeting and enjoying other Loopers, but the love and laughter felt among this particular group is quite special and we feel very blessed.

Here’s something else that made us laugh: A phone booth right on the levy, out in the middle of nowhere!  Maybe it works, since there is rarely cell service (and no internet) on this Waterway!

We’ll now spend a few more days in and around Mobile Bay—2 more on the west side on Dog River, 3 on the east side, in a unique “intellectual and art” community called Fairhope and then a few days in Orange Beach (where daughter Carolyn and granddaughter Maya plan to join us for a few days right before Thanksgiving). Then we head for more adventuring along the Gulf Coast and the Gulf Intracoastal Water Way (GIWW) to and across Florida before heading back to California 12/15-2/1-ish.

We loved our travels around Lake Michigan, we loved our travels down all the rivers, and I’m sure we’ll love the next segments as well.

Sending waltzes and tangos and many blessings your way as we continue our delightful S.L.O. dance! Thanks again for dancing along with us!

21 OCTOBER 2021, JOHN WHEELER STATE PARK, ROGERSVILLE, AL

We are now attending a 4-day annual “Rendezous” of the America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association (AGLCA), which has been an important resource for us since first pondering this adventure a year ago. It is through the AGLCA that we found our amazing boat broker (and therefore our boat), our surveyor, our training captain, our boat insurance, our boat mechanics and endless online forums and printed publications that have helped us learn about, plan for and travel on this amazing adventure.

We are at beautiful and peaceful John Wheeler State Park surrounded by scenery similar to what we’ve found all along the Tennessee River—green, lush, and well-preserved, with an abundance of birds. (There’s a flock of about 30 white pelicans making their home across the marina from us here.) As we think back on this segment of our Great Loop Adventure and review the pictures we took, we realized we could see far more homes along this river than anywhere else. We were intrigued with the variety of sizes and styles. Here’s what we mean…

P.S. Our next adventure takes us from the Tennessee River 448 miles south down the Tennessee-Tom Bigbee Waterway (called the Tenn-Tom) to Mobile, Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico Coast. We’ll be dancing between the Alabama-Mississippi border most of the way. There are 12 locks on this segment and a mixture of marinas and anchorages that take us through some deep and beautiful wilderness. We understand there is little if any cell or internet coverage, so we won’t be posting again until after November 16. In the meantime, we’ll be thinking of you and taking in the beauty to pass along to you later. Blessings always!

The National Quilt Museum, Paducah, Kentucky

Although we passed through Paducah, Kentucky quite a few days ago, I keep thinking about how inspired and moved I was by the exhibits at The National Quilt Museum. I’d never heard of this museum and assumed it was a display of traditional, high-quality quilts from years ago. All I knew was that it was a “must see,” so several of us Loopers visited on a Sunday afternoon. 

I still haven’t quite found the words to describe what we discovered…very few “traditional” quilts and an amazing variety of extraordinarily creative works of art, including an entire gallery paying tribute to the tragic events of September 11, 2001—those who lost their lives, those who saved the lives of others and the countless ways that people came together at a time of such sorrow and disbelief. I tried to pick out some favorites at this Museum, but the more I’ve reflected on this experience, the more I realized that the photographs I took would speak far more than any more words other than a few descriptive captions. Because the 9/11 gallery was the most moving and most powerful, these photos are toward the end. Hopefully you will agree that The National Quilt Museum is a “must see!” AND, if you don’t ever get there, at least you can see some examples of these amazing creations.

ROLLING DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI & UP THE OHIO WITH BARGES

11 OCTOBER 2021 – PADUCAH, KY

We made it!  We were told that cruising down the Mississippi River and up the Ohio River to Paducah, KY was one of the hardest and “most tiring” segments of this adventure called “America’s Great Loop.” Well, guess what? It was much, much easier and way more beautiful than we expected. Maybe it had to do with the Monarch butterflies and soaring Bald Eagles that seemed to appear at just the right time, guiding us safely down this “challenging” leg each day.

The Mississippi River System is the third largest river system in the world. Beginning as a trickle at Lake Itasca, MN, it flows 2,348 miles to the Gulf of Mexico and is divided into two distinct sections: the Upper Mississippi and the Lower Mississippi. The dividing point is its confluence with the Ohio River.

So we traveled the lower quarter of the Upper Mississippi, from Alton, IL to Cairo, IL (pronounced Karo). The river meanders through areas of high limestone bluffs, past broad flood plains, rich farmlands and a great number of towns, large and small. Migrating birds (including the American Bald Eagle) have made it the largest and most heavily traveled flyway in North America.

Other than weather, there are two things that make the Mississippi River a bit daunting: the powerful and constant current (3-4 knots compared to just 1 knot on the Illinois) and the barge traffic. Commercial traffic (including barges) has priority over “pleasure craft” (love that description—our p.c. sure brings us a lot of pleasure!). Therefore, p.c.’s often have to wait up to 4-6 hours to get through a lock and frequently have to wait for other p.c.’s so the lockmaster can send several through at a time. This can be a challenge in places where the river is narrower and/or the combination of wind and current makes it difficult to “hold steady” when waiting for locks. AND, we’re happy to report that there was little or no waiting at all 4 locks we had to go through the last several days.

Yes, there were lots and lots of barges, but fortunately many of them were parked along the riverbanks or even anchored in the middle of the channel (with plenty of room on either side to get by). We saw hundreds of these empty barges (top two photos above) in various “fleeting” areas, especially near the confluence of the Ohio and the Mississippi. We were told that most of these barges are awaiting the corn and soybean harvests. Then the barge traffic will be “crazy.”

In the meantime, every working tow captain we spoke with was friendly and courteous as we asked permission to pass and whether they preferred we pass on their starboard (right) or port (left) side. Barges travel in groups called tows, which are pushed by a towboat, and are usually lashed together with huge steel cables. It was fascinating to watch how these masters of the rivers navigate around curves and in and out of locks. A 15-barge tow (3 wide, 5 deep) is a huge, quarter-mile long, floating steel platform that can create significant turbulence and wakes. They need at least a quarter-mile to stop, so boaters always need to give them a wide berth. The largest tow we saw was 4 wide and 8 deep, but we’re told that on the Lower Mississippi, up to 45 barges can be tied together in one tow! Wow!

Here are some fun facts about barges. They carry grain, scrap iron, heavy machinery, coal, petroleum products, salt, fertilizers, cement, gravel, sulfur, sugar and much more. They can hold from 200,000 to 200 million pounds of cargo. A typical barge (195’x35’) can carry 3.5 million pounds of grain—enough to make over 2 million loaves of bread! A tank barge that carries liquids can hold up to 1 million gallons—your daily breakfast orange juice for 44,000 years!

Transportation by barge is the most economical way to ship bulk and/or heavy loads.  A typical 15-barge tow carries the equivalent of 216 railroad cars or 1,050 semi-trucks! And here’s our final fun fact about barges…They are able to move a ton of cargo 647 miles with a single gallon of fuel. Trains move a ton of cargo 477 miles per gallon, while trucks move a ton of cargo 145 miles per gallon. It’s been fun to learn more about something we’ve rarely seen before and that play such an important role in commerce and the boating adventures on these two rivers.

It took us 4 travel days to get down the Mississippi and just half a day to go up the Ohio to Paducah, KY. After hearing so many “horror” stories about this part of our journey, it was quite wonderful to have such an enjoyable and easy ride. Thank you butterflies and eagles for dancing along with us!

5 OCTOBER 2021

We’ve spent an extra few days in marinas at Grafton and Alton, Illinois, for a variety of reasons. We’re resting a bit after cruising the entire Illinois River from Chicago (about 200 miles) and are now just south of its confluence with the Mississippi River. Tomorrow we’ll start our journey of about 200 miles down the Mississippi until we turn east on the Ohio River as we head to Paducah, Kentucky.

Looking back on the last several days, it’s occurred to me that some of you may wonder what we do when we’re not cruising. We do lots of the things we might be doing at home…reading, napping, cuddling, sleeping, grocery shopping, cleaning, paying bills, contacting family and friends, checking emails, etc.  But there are quite a few things that are a bit different traveling by boat.

There’s a lot that goes into planning the next few stops along the way—at marinas and/or finding a safe place to anchor. Checking the weather is something we do often as we anticipate what lies ahead and make decisions about right timing. We are also looking at both electronic and paper charts and guides, frequently consulting with fellow “Loopers” and sometimes attending briefings by harbormasters to get tips, suggestions and advice about various stops and options coming up. At the last two marinas (in Grafton and here in Alton), there’s been a “docktail party” every night at 5:30 where Loopers socialize and map out the next few days. Those leaving the next morning coordinate who is contacting the lockmaster (if there’s a lock coming up to arrange locking) and relaying that to others (via VHF radio).

 

There is also a lot of maintenance and minor (sometimes major) repairs that are done while in port. We need to check the oil and coolant levels frequently (which I got to do this morning—see photo above—note dipstick in hand!), wash the decks and outside steps with a special cleaner that is skid-proof, and wash the transom (back of the boat where the name is) where soot from the diesel engines gathers. This morning I practiced using a special hook that might be needed at future dockings when there isn’t anyone to help us. It’s the First Mate’s job to get the line around a cleat or piling so the Captain can bring the boat up alongside the wall, pier or slip more easily.

We both enjoy being creative and while stopped we often get out our camera (G) or iPhone (A), especially when there’s a sunset or a special architectural feature like the New Clark Highway Bridge (below) that we see from the Alton Marina. It crosses the Mississippi River and connects Illinois with Missouri and nearby St. Louis.

When we’re docked, I love to cut out images and words (from travel brochures, magazines, etc.)  and incorporate them into my “art journaling.” This is my way of capturing the highlights and special moments we want to remember about our adventures. The art journals I’ve done for our 3 Sprinter Van camping trips continue to bring joy every time we look at them. It’s like reliving each trip all over again.

When I asked Gary if he could think of anything else we might mention in this blog, he said, “Don’t forget Boat Yoga!”  It’s amazing how many activities on a boat require twisting, bending and turning from standing, sitting or laying down (and then getting back up again!). Everyone summarizes all the contortions necessary when working on a boat by calling it “Boat Yoga!” Here’s an example, as I got back out of the engine compartment and rolled on my back so Gary could put the hinged door back down. [Note: In order to lift this hatch, we have to put the coffee table up on the sofa and the stools up on the eating bar above the galley (kitchen).]

AND, all of this is part of “the dance” as we continue to enjoy this amazing adventure with lots of amazing people. Our next report will probably come from Paducah, KY where we’ll spend a couple of nights taking a few deep breaths after making the run down the Mississippi and up the Ohio. Meanwhile, we’ll keep dancing and hope you will too!

4 OCTOBER 2021

Here’s a fun story about the trip we made from Beardstown to Grafton, Illinois several days ago. We’d been cruising with 4 other couples for several days and enjoying each other at two different marinas, but realized we had to wait for some fuel to be delivered to the Logsdon Tug Company before we headed south. The others took off (reluctantly, but with our good wishes), anchored that night at Willow Island before heading to Grafton, making the 88-mile trip in the customary two days of cruising. We ended up having to stay in Beardstown a second night and really missed being with our Looper buddies—they were beginning to feel like our boating “family” and everyone else felt that way too.

The next morning, the winds had died way down, the Illinois River was very smooth, the bald eagles were soaring overhead and Captain Gary got a look in his eye that said, “Let’s go for it Let’s catch up with our friends in Grafton!”

So off we went, taking our awesome boat from its usual cruising speed of 9.2 knots (about 10mph) up to 25 knots. It’s as if she could hardly wait to finally show her stuff. {We had gone that fast on Lake Michigan several times because Caterpillar diesel engines are built to go hard and fast, and we knew she was capable of going over 35 knots (done at her sea trial before we bought her).}

We had a blast! We slowed respectfully when passing a barge or a fisherman, but otherwise, we were zipping along and loving every minute. The biggest difference we noticed at this speed was that the buoys (channel markers) were going by faster and faster.

When going downstream, the buoys on the left side of the channel are red, cone-shaped on the top and are called “nuns.” The buoys on the right side of the channel are green, are square on the top and are called “cans.” Sometimes we’d see just one buoy, some times two, and, on the curves there were several in a row that were the same, guiding us away from obstacles or shallower waters. So, as we zipped down the river, I was helping Gary identify each channel marker and started saying “Nun! Nun! Nun!” And then “Can! Can! Can!” And after several wide curves, I sung out to Gary that “S.L.O. Dancer was doing the Can Can!”  Wish you could have seen us grinning.

Our buddies were in Grafton by 11am that morning and couldn’t believe their eyes when S.L.O. Dancer appeared at the Grafton fuel dock at noon. It took everyone else 2 days to go those 88 miles and we did it in FOUR hours!

We later discovered we were the talk of the Looper community that day. No one could believe what we did! (Keep in mind that many Loop boats can go no faster than 7-8 knots and few can get over 15.)  We don’t plan to do that very often, but it is nice to know we can go faster if necessary (or for fun!).  That night all of us went to dinner and, as an acknowledgement of our speed run, dear friends Karen and Greg presented “The Captain of Grafton” with a very tacky and adorable pirates’s treasure chest bank to begin saving for his next fuel bill! A good time was had by all and we enjoyed several nights in both Grafton and Alton with all these wonderful people!

We still grin every time we think about those exhilarating four hours and will be ever grateful that S.L.O. Dancer can do the Can Can!