How interesting that I just figured out that today is our 200th day on our adventure! New Years Eve! Captain Bob told me yesterday that he saw the advertisement for New Years Eve celebration at the local "club" on the beach here.......party starts at ll:00 and runs till 4:00. I said "great, we can be home for dinner and Wheel and Fortune" ... Guess that shows how old we have gotten! 2018 is a big year for one of us.....Medicare...If I can only figure it out with plans A, B, C, D ,E, F etc...drove me to drink yesterday.
We do plan to go to a movie and a snack this afternoon and then come home before all the crazy's come out. We are STILL here in Panama City Beach. I even bought a PCB sweatshirt and we are thinking of claiming residency! (the sweatshirt is needed for warmth, and we never thought we would still be here into 2018..) but remember, the first rule of looping....NO schedule.
We just got back from the tundra of Michigan....at least that what it felt like there, with the extremely cold temps. We had airline tickets in and out of Tampa, FL, assuming that we would have the boat there ......well, we took a rental car to Tampa and flew to Michigan and back and then drove the car back to PC Beach where we WAIT for a window to cross the gulf. OF COURSE there were at least 2 opportunities while we were gone for Christmas! We also missed one at Thanksgiving time trip.....but would we have missed the wonderful holidays spent with family...of course not.
So, now that we have NO schedule from here on out (other than plans to be in Key West on Feb 1)....we can wait it out. Some have asked why you don't just go.....well, it is a 20 hour crossing, mostly done at night and in the dark (no street lights in the ocean) so you have to wait until the perfect, or nearly perfect window of flat water and light winds and preferably good moon light. We almost left the night we drove back (7 hours) from Tampa, but the drive and flight were pretty tiring, and we would have been alone and starting pretty late....so we passed on that window..... " the sources we depend on for weather advise" are now saying nothing till NEXT weekend. Guess we will keep the rental car.....a weeks rental has turned into 6 weeks! By then we can plan to meet up with some buddy boats. I asked Bob this morning where he thought we would be next year on New Years Eve.....and then added...."assuming we get out of here!" haha. But as previously mentioned, this is not a bad place to be, although, it too has been cold....although NO SNOW.
After 2 weeks spent with 3 of the most active grandsons (and smartest, cutest, etc....) and one beautiful 6 week old granddaughter we can wrap ourselves in the warm memories that we made.....Grandpa Bob and I even had 2 whole days with Josie by ourselves, as mom Molly filled in at her job between the holidays. Grandpa did especially well with diapers, and Grandma with rocking, but we both were pretty tired by the end of the day....that is why God gives you children while you are still young, and grandchildren later, when you can hand them back and go to bed! At least the grand boys are old enough to help themselves and even wait on us most of the time. (I love it). We are truly blessed......So we will be thinking of those and all the blessings we have been given, when the clock strikes midnight and a new year begins....(assuming we are awake, if not, we will dream of them)
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.....SEE YOU IN 2018
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Holiday Cheer
A few years ago I thought I would spend the winters in Panama City Beach when we retired......seems that IS what is happening to us! We are STILL here! Haven't had a good weather window to cross the gulf since right after Thanksgiving. Like the "experts" say, you can learn from experience, and it doesn't have to be yours!....so take it from the experts and stay put. Like the rest of the country we are also experiencing a cold month of December. Its a little different living on a boat when it is 30's and 40's outside.....just keeping the heat on seems strange. We have rented a car and continue to extend the rental, so at least we can get "out" and go to the movies, etc....have seen several! (at SR. citizen rates, of course!) and in the middle of the day....
Our original plans were to be in Tampa/St. Pete by now and we have airline tickets out of Tampa for 2 weeks in Michigan for Christmas....so now we will drive the rental car to the Tampa airport and after Christmas...fly back to Tampa and then drive back here and cross at the first chance we get in the new year.....I guess other than the inconvenience of the drive (8 hours) it's not all that bad. We have a good rate at this marina, and got to attend their holiday party last weekend....we have even decorated outside the boat, as several here have done also. The Loopers that are here are "all in the same boat" so to say...haha.
Some have asked how we make the decision as to when to cross the gulf..... we follow "Eddies Weather Wag"......he relies on several weather fronts and forums and then reports back to us loopers, on almost a daily basis, as to what the conditions are. He has done this as a courtesy to AGLCA members for years.
This time of year with limited daylight time, it is impossible to make the 220 mile crossing (at 10mph) completely in daylight only, and you don't want to arrive at the western side of Florida too early in the morning, because the sun angle blinds you from seeing the crab points.....which you DO NOT want to hit. Therefore, leaving at 3pm and cruising overnight allows us to arrive at 1pm. That means you need and want very good conditions to be boating in the dark (a full moon helps). Several loopers plan to cross together. I also understand....it is NOT as scary as it sounds....lots of loopers have done it more than once....the secret is, you HAVE TO WAIT for the best weather window you can get.....so here we are. Depending on the forecast for after Christmas, our friends, Ken and Deb Rogers, from St Pete, might drive back up here with us and make the long boat crossing back with us...that will be a lot of card playing and conversation to keep Capt Bob awake! Plus their knowledge of boating should be helpful as additional crew.....If timing doesn't work out, then I'll just have to take a few hour shift behind the wheel. Thus the waves and winds need to be pretty perfect for that.
Our decorations....both inside and outside on LeReve. The outside lights blink and change colors....Its easier to decorate with no snow around your feet....so even though it is not warm here, at least there is no snow! But we did use "snow men" to decorate the porch. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!...and hopefully the next blog will be from Tampa!
Our original plans were to be in Tampa/St. Pete by now and we have airline tickets out of Tampa for 2 weeks in Michigan for Christmas....so now we will drive the rental car to the Tampa airport and after Christmas...fly back to Tampa and then drive back here and cross at the first chance we get in the new year.....I guess other than the inconvenience of the drive (8 hours) it's not all that bad. We have a good rate at this marina, and got to attend their holiday party last weekend....we have even decorated outside the boat, as several here have done also. The Loopers that are here are "all in the same boat" so to say...haha.
Some have asked how we make the decision as to when to cross the gulf..... we follow "Eddies Weather Wag"......he relies on several weather fronts and forums and then reports back to us loopers, on almost a daily basis, as to what the conditions are. He has done this as a courtesy to AGLCA members for years.
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| Capt Bob and Jane at Holiday Marina Party |
Monday, December 4, 2017
Back Home!
December 3, 2017
Had to sit and think real hard as to what day this is...It is hard to think December when we have spent the last couple days on dinghy rides and beach sitting. We returned "home" on November 29 after 2 weeks in Michigan cuddling, rocking, spoiling, cooing, drooling, etc...you get the picture, over our beautiful new baby granddaughter, Josie .....or JoJo as grandma calls her.
Had to sit and think real hard as to what day this is...It is hard to think December when we have spent the last couple days on dinghy rides and beach sitting. We returned "home" on November 29 after 2 weeks in Michigan cuddling, rocking, spoiling, cooing, drooling, etc...you get the picture, over our beautiful new baby granddaughter, Josie .....or JoJo as grandma calls her.
Here's a picture of Grandma Jane with Josie, and sister in law, Jan with her grandson John.....3 weeks older than JoJo. They should grow up to be great cousins and friends, just like their mamas, Molly Jo and Lynn did 30 plus years ago! (talk about losing track of time!)
So here we are.....back in Panama City Beach at Baypoint Marina. The weather has been perfect and the sunsets amazing. We were asked by a "buddy boat" to take off a few days ago with them, for a direct crossing of the gulf to Clearwater. It would have been perfect timing weather wise, but truthfully, we just weren't ready to leave our old stomping grounds. We have rented a car and are really enjoying seeing all our old "watering stations", places we owned (in another life), and shopping our favorite stores, (think land of 10,000 bathing suits!! and Alvins Island, the ultimate souvenir shop) and checking out real estate for perhaps a place to land after our "great adventure"...reminds me of the book I read about doing the loop......most places you visit, you say, " I could live here". This place has something to do with the warmth and the sunshine! But for the present, we are pretty happy onboard LeReve, and we have a great view of the bay and the city lights at night....however, we must think of moving on, as we have a flight out of Tampa in a few weeks.....back to Michigan for Christmas.....
I can't imagine what else I want or need than this precious gift! I am sure she misses her grandma and can't wait for me to get back to rock her!
Monday, November 13, 2017
THE REALLY BIG NEWS
Really big news...about 8 lbs, 2 ozs.....21 3/4 inches long.....worth of big, good news!
Baby Josephine Elizabeth Branham (Josie, or JoJo) was born on Friday, November 10, 2017. Grandpa, Captain Bob and Grandma Jane were on pins and needles all day, waiting for the arrival....we got the good news at 6:23 pm with a picture of her only 10 minutes old....and thanks to face time and all the neat communications we have these days, we were able to see her and talk to new mom and dad (the attached pic was sent a little later)
After we all (that is grandpa and grandma) calmed down .....we toasted our newest grandchild off our deck as the Blue Angels flew a salute over the bow of the boat and then gave a fabulous fire works show!! What more of a celebration could a grandparent want......
So, as you see, we did make to it Pensacola and we did anchor out in the bay along with several hundred or so of our favorite boating friends to watch the air show. It was a thrill when they flew directly over the boat. We tried to get pictures, but they are faster than the camera! We spent the night anchored in the bay and took off the next morning for Destin, Florida.
After the joy of the previous evening, the next morning, we received a disturbing call (heartbreaking, I should say) that the hunting camp that my father and his 4 brothers built on 365 acres in northern Michigan (Hawks) not far from Rogers City, in 1959... had burnt to the ground in the night. Bob is now an owner, as is my brother and 3 other cousins (as all 5 original owners have passed on to the giant hunting grounds in the sky).... So now, not only is deer season cancelled (for the 59ers) but decisions have to be made as to the future of the property. Bob will go north as originally planned but for a camp "meeting" and not for the hunt.
We did spend one night in Destin, Florida at a "fun" (ie: expensive) marina, right in the heart of a new development with shops, bars, restaurants, etc. We were backed up to "Margaritaville" ...thankfully, it was a chilly evening and the outdoor festivities were limited (are we old, or what!)
Now we are in PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL.....might sound familiar to those who know us well!! Our old stomping grounds for 15 years or so about 10 years back. We are at Baypointe Marina and at night when the city lights are on (it gets dark here at 5pm) I can see down the "strip".....and reminisce about the good ole days....haha. Don't think we could party like we used to...in fact I know we can't, as we were in bed last eve at 7pm!! So today will be a clean up day, laundry, packing etc....getting ready for the big trip to Michigan, still scheduled for Wednesday.....can't wait to meet our new granddaughter!! I know she feels the same... because she didn't wait for us to arrive! (not sure how mom and dad feel.....don't think they feel anything, as they are exhausted....perhaps we can help out with that) I did tell my daughter that she will feel that way at least for another 18 years or so! 👶
What a Thanksgiving this will be.
Baby Josephine Elizabeth Branham (Josie, or JoJo) was born on Friday, November 10, 2017. Grandpa, Captain Bob and Grandma Jane were on pins and needles all day, waiting for the arrival....we got the good news at 6:23 pm with a picture of her only 10 minutes old....and thanks to face time and all the neat communications we have these days, we were able to see her and talk to new mom and dad (the attached pic was sent a little later)After we all (that is grandpa and grandma) calmed down .....we toasted our newest grandchild off our deck as the Blue Angels flew a salute over the bow of the boat and then gave a fabulous fire works show!! What more of a celebration could a grandparent want......
So, as you see, we did make to it Pensacola and we did anchor out in the bay along with several hundred or so of our favorite boating friends to watch the air show. It was a thrill when they flew directly over the boat. We tried to get pictures, but they are faster than the camera! We spent the night anchored in the bay and took off the next morning for Destin, Florida.
After the joy of the previous evening, the next morning, we received a disturbing call (heartbreaking, I should say) that the hunting camp that my father and his 4 brothers built on 365 acres in northern Michigan (Hawks) not far from Rogers City, in 1959... had burnt to the ground in the night. Bob is now an owner, as is my brother and 3 other cousins (as all 5 original owners have passed on to the giant hunting grounds in the sky).... So now, not only is deer season cancelled (for the 59ers) but decisions have to be made as to the future of the property. Bob will go north as originally planned but for a camp "meeting" and not for the hunt.
We did spend one night in Destin, Florida at a "fun" (ie: expensive) marina, right in the heart of a new development with shops, bars, restaurants, etc. We were backed up to "Margaritaville" ...thankfully, it was a chilly evening and the outdoor festivities were limited (are we old, or what!)
Now we are in PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL.....might sound familiar to those who know us well!! Our old stomping grounds for 15 years or so about 10 years back. We are at Baypointe Marina and at night when the city lights are on (it gets dark here at 5pm) I can see down the "strip".....and reminisce about the good ole days....haha. Don't think we could party like we used to...in fact I know we can't, as we were in bed last eve at 7pm!! So today will be a clean up day, laundry, packing etc....getting ready for the big trip to Michigan, still scheduled for Wednesday.....can't wait to meet our new granddaughter!! I know she feels the same... because she didn't wait for us to arrive! (not sure how mom and dad feel.....don't think they feel anything, as they are exhausted....perhaps we can help out with that) I did tell my daughter that she will feel that way at least for another 18 years or so! 👶
What a Thanksgiving this will be.
Sunday, November 12, 2017
Things you NEVER want to hear from your captain!
Before I get serious, I had to share with "you all" some things I HAVE heard out of Bob's mouth in the past few months.....so I decided to make a list of 10 statements you NEVER want to hear our of your captain's mouth.
10. I THINK we have enough fuel to make it across Lake Michigan
9. I sure THOUGHT we had enough fuel
8. The boat doesn't seeming to be running like it should
7. I didn't think the winds would be THIS STRONG today
6. I should have checked the weather report this morning
5. What's that noise and where is all this water coming from?
3. I can't pull up the anchor, just cut the line!
2. SOMEONE (!) is going to have to get on the mask and dive down to cut the line that is caught
in the props. (..... and FYI.... only ONE of US swims!)
1. SERIOUSLY....THE ONE I HEARD THIS MORNING THAT PROMPTED THIS LIST....
"I sure wish I knew where we were"!!
10. I THINK we have enough fuel to make it across Lake Michigan
9. I sure THOUGHT we had enough fuel
8. The boat doesn't seeming to be running like it should
7. I didn't think the winds would be THIS STRONG today
6. I should have checked the weather report this morning
5. What's that noise and where is all this water coming from?
4. We have no electricity/water at this marina, but the price is good (goes hand in hand with...We
should have gotten a pump out at the last marina.
3. I can't pull up the anchor, just cut the line!
2. SOMEONE (!) is going to have to get on the mask and dive down to cut the line that is caught
in the props. (..... and FYI.... only ONE of US swims!)
1. SERIOUSLY....THE ONE I HEARD THIS MORNING THAT PROMPTED THIS LIST....
"I sure wish I knew where we were"!!
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAPTAIN BOB
November 3, 2017
So today is captain Bob's 63rd Birthday!! I wanted to post a pic of him cleaning the boat...shirtless, but he said no!....So I got this one of him when we went out to eat....however, I forgot, and missed the chance when he was eating a piece of his complimentary cheese cake (maybe I was too busy sampling it!) and so I posed him in front of the candle on the table. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB!!
We are presently at the "Wharf" Marina, Orange Beach, AL......beautiful place......a "real" downtown area with tons of stores (the least of which sells beautiful children's clothes from Spain....the clerks were oh, so helpful, once they found out I am expecting a granddaughter after 3 grandsons!) I also got a pedi and mani in honor or Bob's birthday.....only because I wanted to look nice FOR HIM!
We crossed Mobile Bay yesterday after spending several days in Mobile, Alabama. We pulled the boat so Bob could paint the bottom with a "salt water worthy" paint.....don't ask me the difference, but I spent 4 glorious nights in a hotel room with a real toilet, tub, kitchen, etc etc......(actually, it was good to get "HOME" once we got back on LeReve) Good news also was that there were no nicks in the props, nor any other damages from coming down the river systems. We were anxious to get back on "the loop" after 4 days "on the hard"
It is funny (?) how we are now in a different group of loopers than previously. There certainly are a lot of us out there!.....we are also aware that some that were in front of us are now behind us?? That's because different boaters want to explore different areas....Right now, we are on a mission to get to Panama City by Nov 15, as we have airline tickets back to Michigan from there.....did I mention, there is a new granddaughter on the way?? (haha)
Before we got to the end of the river system in Mobile, we did have a WONDERFUL catfish dinner at Bobby's Fish Camp.....A very "unique" place.....there were 4 boats there on a Wednesday.....Normal hours are THURSDAY thru Sunday.....but chef Sally said if we could get 4 people who wanted to come up and eat, she would open......I said I would eat for 4 if that's what it took.....However, the other boaters were there to eat also, and we had a table of 8. We were prepared to stay an extra day if that is what it took for me to experience the "world's best" catfish dinner.....I do believe I found it here!
So today is captain Bob's 63rd Birthday!! I wanted to post a pic of him cleaning the boat...shirtless, but he said no!....So I got this one of him when we went out to eat....however, I forgot, and missed the chance when he was eating a piece of his complimentary cheese cake (maybe I was too busy sampling it!) and so I posed him in front of the candle on the table. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB!!
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| downtown the Wharf |
We are presently at the "Wharf" Marina, Orange Beach, AL......beautiful place......a "real" downtown area with tons of stores (the least of which sells beautiful children's clothes from Spain....the clerks were oh, so helpful, once they found out I am expecting a granddaughter after 3 grandsons!) I also got a pedi and mani in honor or Bob's birthday.....only because I wanted to look nice FOR HIM!
We crossed Mobile Bay yesterday after spending several days in Mobile, Alabama. We pulled the boat so Bob could paint the bottom with a "salt water worthy" paint.....don't ask me the difference, but I spent 4 glorious nights in a hotel room with a real toilet, tub, kitchen, etc etc......(actually, it was good to get "HOME" once we got back on LeReve) Good news also was that there were no nicks in the props, nor any other damages from coming down the river systems. We were anxious to get back on "the loop" after 4 days "on the hard"
It is funny (?) how we are now in a different group of loopers than previously. There certainly are a lot of us out there!.....we are also aware that some that were in front of us are now behind us?? That's because different boaters want to explore different areas....Right now, we are on a mission to get to Panama City by Nov 15, as we have airline tickets back to Michigan from there.....did I mention, there is a new granddaughter on the way?? (haha)
Before we got to the end of the river system in Mobile, we did have a WONDERFUL catfish dinner at Bobby's Fish Camp.....A very "unique" place.....there were 4 boats there on a Wednesday.....Normal hours are THURSDAY thru Sunday.....but chef Sally said if we could get 4 people who wanted to come up and eat, she would open......I said I would eat for 4 if that's what it took.....However, the other boaters were there to eat also, and we had a table of 8. We were prepared to stay an extra day if that is what it took for me to experience the "world's best" catfish dinner.....I do believe I found it here!
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Speaking of food, we are now torn as to whether or not to stay here for their "food festival" weekend that starts tomorrow, or to leave and secure a place at a popular anchorage for the air show in Pensacola, Florida. I believe the air show is going to win out.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
HAPPY HALLOWEEN...Lots of Goblins!
October 31, 2017
Seems like the "goblins" are paying extra attention to us this past week....After last post, we spent a few days back in Florence, AL as Bob was waiting for new light to replace the one "removed" when the dock master tried to put us under a covered dock....(they volunteered to pay for the damage)....we bartered a few days of free dockage.
We also had a new Sirius radio installed here....Now we can listen to "FOX" news and get back into the "real world" again! HA, actually, I kinda like being "off the grid". Bob also discovered a switch of sorts in tv cabinet when working on the new radio and now we can even get a few tv stations on our old model tvs....We haven't watched in so long, that we don't even bother to turn it on when we do have service at the docks. So those were the good things......then it all broke lose and we, yes WE, decided to retrofit our back refrigerator and remove the
icemaker. Now we will be replacing the WHOLE unit as we probably should not have attempted something electrical and we are pretty sure we fried the thing(live and learn thru experiences, this comes into account later in week).....then came the anchor problem....we put the anchor down in a nice serene spot while we WAITED for the yet another lock to open....and it refused to come up..Bob hauled it up by hand....not an easy feat....100 feet of chain.....(this since has been fixed...twice(!)....2nd time last eve, we hope for the best) ... We then spent "extra nights" in Columbus, Mississippi at a nice marina, where they treated us very nice.......EVEN towed us in off the river.....(A 4 hour tow trip down with one lock, interesting experience that I will leave up to the Captain if he wants to elaborate on) Most of our "tow saga" has already spread thru our looper friends network.....and some have confessed on the "down low" that this has happened to them also....live and learn! I think the captain was seeing if I would really "jump ship" as promised, but in reality I just sat on the bow, drinking bloody marys, waiting for the tow, watching the world go by!!...It won't happen again, but then again, never say never!...because I think I promised myself earlier in the trip the same thing.....oh ya, I forgot to mention the new Sirius radio is no longer working ......another project for poor captain bob to figure out. I told him on "marina days" I work hard...cleaning, laundry, shopping, etc....but he works hard on marina days AND on moving days! Every so often I MAKE him get off boat and join me for docktails with friends.
After a few cold nights (in the 30's) we were good to start back on the loop.....and ventured out at 7am with a group thru the next couple locks......
We are now in Demopolis, Alabama....a group left today. We decided to stay another day and enjoy the BIG Halloween party here tonight. Today I have shorts on (see, the hat will never be needed!) the sun is shinning and capt is working on projects. Also our next stop after a night on the hook, will be Bobby's Fish Camp....the WORLDS best cat fish, and they are only open Thurs thru Sunday, so with holding up a day, we should get there for Thurs dinner....can't wait!..I have heard the promise of the WORLDS BEST before, I will see! Bob is hoping they have burgers also!
Saturday, October 21, 2017
October 21, 2017
About 50 boats were there, along with lots of "planners" by car, like we were last year....(doesn't seem like it was a year ago that we were "just planners").... Now, in order to get back on "the loop" we had to go back down the Wilson Lock.....which is CLOSED for maintenance. They agreed to take one load down at 4:30 in afternoon, once the workers finished for the day....we all had to be there and ready to load. 20 of us took the Friday slot and one guy laid out the plan as to how we would all fit and who would raft on to who etc.....even though it looks like lots of room in picture....you need to tie to the bollards on the side and there are only 5 on each side....so Ted (our lock leader, who, by the way, we had met earlier in the loop, when we were both in Rogers City!!) had a chart with bigger boats on outside, smaller ones rafted on (we are in the 2nd row on right side in pic)...we also encountered a couple of boats who weren't with our group, but were happy to follow our plan...(you only get one shot a day)....and then the canoe! That guy has guts! (or is nuts) So it all worked as planned and we locked thru without drama, and the lock master took our picture for us!! They were even impressed with our planning! This afternoon another group will be leaving Joe Wheeler and heading this way...waiting to see if they are impressive as our group!
We are back in Florence Harbor and plan to stay until Monday. We are waiting for a part that Bob had delivered here and it will also give us time to separate from "the pack" that came in last eve....Most of the 20 of us also needed to lay up here for the night....so kudos to this harbor for having that all organized and getting us ALL in and secure at dusk. Staff stayed late and locals helped .....it is a great feeling to know there are nice people all over our country that do what it takes to get a job done. The people that helped us tie up said they were in the bar, saw ALL these boats coming in and decided to give a hand... So, of course, we HAD to reciprocate in the bar later. This is the marina I spent 5 days in while Bob flew back to MI before the rendezvous, so they know me in bar! Imagine that!
Just before we left for Joe Wheeler, I fell down the stairs into the master stateroom.....my left foot swelled up pretty bad and I have been icing it and wearing an ace bandage....good thing I have ONE pair of shoes that fit over the swollen foot ...(sandals with adjustable straps). So we are, 1 for Jane and still 3 for Bob (accidents that is) Someone asked me how I can handle the lines with my foot like that.....I said "well, I don't use my feet to throw or catch the lines...I use my hands" !!!' Apparently that wit is not overlooked.....as a "documentary film making crew" that were at Joe Wheeler making a travel film about loopers sought me out for an interview!....they said they thought I was "saucy"...I said you mean "sauced!"??? Then I told them as long as I got to keep my clothes on, I would agree to be part of their film!...(maybe that's where the saucy came in??). Anyway, it is kind of daunting in front of a camera when they fire questions at you. But who knows, maybe some day you will see me on the travel channel!! I felt like I was doing a commercial for Michigan....as one of the questions was "what surprised me the most about looping"....and I answered the LACK of quality harbors like I was "accustomed" to!!! I had to sign a release, so if this becomes a BIG film deal, I don't think I have any rights to it! But could lead to a future for me, when I grow up!😁
So by Monday we will be back out on the loop, heading south. We want to be in Panama City, FL by November 10 or so, as we have airline tickets out of there for Michigan on the 15th. Baby girl is due on Nov. 18, so hope that goes as planned!! Then, after Thanksgiving we will return and hopefully get a weather window to cross the gulf and into St. Pete, FL by December 10 or so. Finally got a reservation in that area for a month and looking forward to seeing old friends and neighbors.
Here are pictures of some 20 plus loopers in the Wilson Lock.....and the last one in was a guy in a homemade canoe......I don't think Capt Bob could talk me into that trip!
We finished up our Looper Fall Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park in northern Alabama....
We are back in Florence Harbor and plan to stay until Monday. We are waiting for a part that Bob had delivered here and it will also give us time to separate from "the pack" that came in last eve....Most of the 20 of us also needed to lay up here for the night....so kudos to this harbor for having that all organized and getting us ALL in and secure at dusk. Staff stayed late and locals helped .....it is a great feeling to know there are nice people all over our country that do what it takes to get a job done. The people that helped us tie up said they were in the bar, saw ALL these boats coming in and decided to give a hand... So, of course, we HAD to reciprocate in the bar later. This is the marina I spent 5 days in while Bob flew back to MI before the rendezvous, so they know me in bar! Imagine that!
Just before we left for Joe Wheeler, I fell down the stairs into the master stateroom.....my left foot swelled up pretty bad and I have been icing it and wearing an ace bandage....good thing I have ONE pair of shoes that fit over the swollen foot ...(sandals with adjustable straps). So we are, 1 for Jane and still 3 for Bob (accidents that is) Someone asked me how I can handle the lines with my foot like that.....I said "well, I don't use my feet to throw or catch the lines...I use my hands" !!!' Apparently that wit is not overlooked.....as a "documentary film making crew" that were at Joe Wheeler making a travel film about loopers sought me out for an interview!....they said they thought I was "saucy"...I said you mean "sauced!"??? Then I told them as long as I got to keep my clothes on, I would agree to be part of their film!...(maybe that's where the saucy came in??). Anyway, it is kind of daunting in front of a camera when they fire questions at you. But who knows, maybe some day you will see me on the travel channel!! I felt like I was doing a commercial for Michigan....as one of the questions was "what surprised me the most about looping"....and I answered the LACK of quality harbors like I was "accustomed" to!!! I had to sign a release, so if this becomes a BIG film deal, I don't think I have any rights to it! But could lead to a future for me, when I grow up!😁
So by Monday we will be back out on the loop, heading south. We want to be in Panama City, FL by November 10 or so, as we have airline tickets out of there for Michigan on the 15th. Baby girl is due on Nov. 18, so hope that goes as planned!! Then, after Thanksgiving we will return and hopefully get a weather window to cross the gulf and into St. Pete, FL by December 10 or so. Finally got a reservation in that area for a month and looking forward to seeing old friends and neighbors.
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Expectations!
A while ago I decided that my expectation of things and people, weren't exactly like anyone else,
and the only ones I could control were my own.....so that being said, I have "changed" my expectations of marinas since we have left the beautiful, wonderful, outstanding, etc etc,.....Great Lakes! When someone says "oh, you will love this marina, or that marina, it's a great place".....that only raises my expectations.....only to later say "you've got to be kidding me!" Plus, the people that are telling me what I will like, don't really know me (like "you all" do)....I guess I became accustomed to a boating way of life (or life in general) and had "expectations". NOW, THAT BEING SAID, it has come a long way from the river "marinas" that we experienced, but since Green Turtle Bay (MECCA) I have been longing for the "spa life" again. HAHA. (why can't every marina have a spa and a pool and a yacht club, and several other places to eat, within walking distance??)
Since we left GTB, we have been in Paris Landing, Cuba Landing (neither as glamorous as they sound) but adequate (as in power and water, lately that is all it takes to make it a great place!!), Clifton Marina (where the restaurant is the owner grilling off the back porch......but excellent burgers! and Bob loved his DEEP FRIED TWINKIE!) and then on to Grand Harbor Marina, where we stayed 4 nights due to rainy weather, and also stayed for the chance to see "Shiloh" civil war battle site...in Pittsburg Landing on the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers. So glad to have taken this side trip....said I learned more there than I ever did in high school history....was I not paying attention?? Bob said I was probably too busy checking out the boys in class, and he is probably correct. I told him that now that I have my "forever boyfriend", I can concentrate on other things.....like civil war history.!! To think that the war went on for 4 more years after this bloody battle is so daunting.
Another expectation......we also HAD to go to a shack on the river for the WORLDS GREATEST CATFISH.....or so they said! Another tourist trap!......I am trying to eat my way through the south on catfish, (and doing a fairly good job of it)....and this was not the best in the world, let alone on the trip so far.
Pickwick Lake is absolutely beautiful with lots of beautiful homes and cottages....also known for houseboat rentals. I would love to come back to this area sometime and just hang out in a small cove for a few days. Some we know, call us "dock huggers" as we don't" hang on the hook" as much as they do. I guess we should really try it more than we have and this would have been a perfect spot, except we had to get near an airport......so,
we are now in Florence, ALA. Here for 5 nights while Bob is back in Michigan, working! Gotta keep gas in the tanks. (sometimes I think he just goes to "get away!" haha) I have to say you better have a strong marriage before you attempt this journey.....it (or us) has its moments.....luckily we've been married long enough to ignore each other!!....come to think of it, Bob has been ignoring me long before this trip started! HA..but some days its 24/7 and you are the only people you see all day!
There are lots of loopers here, some we haven't seen in a while that have gotten to be good friends....they "take me in" . Had dinner with one couple last eve on their boat....yummy. There is also a bar here (that has become a BONUS, along with power and water) and the loopers generally meet up there for happy hour. Once Bob returns (Sat) we will go thru the huge Wilson Lock up to Joe Wheeler State Park, Alabama, where the annual rendezvous of loopers is held. We attended last year (by car) as a " planner"....this year we will be "in progress"...it will be fun to share......and speaking of sharing......this is how I get my dog fix....I share other peoples dogs.....this is Abby, the one eye dog!
and the only ones I could control were my own.....so that being said, I have "changed" my expectations of marinas since we have left the beautiful, wonderful, outstanding, etc etc,.....Great Lakes! When someone says "oh, you will love this marina, or that marina, it's a great place".....that only raises my expectations.....only to later say "you've got to be kidding me!" Plus, the people that are telling me what I will like, don't really know me (like "you all" do)....I guess I became accustomed to a boating way of life (or life in general) and had "expectations". NOW, THAT BEING SAID, it has come a long way from the river "marinas" that we experienced, but since Green Turtle Bay (MECCA) I have been longing for the "spa life" again. HAHA. (why can't every marina have a spa and a pool and a yacht club, and several other places to eat, within walking distance??)
Since we left GTB, we have been in Paris Landing, Cuba Landing (neither as glamorous as they sound) but adequate (as in power and water, lately that is all it takes to make it a great place!!), Clifton Marina (where the restaurant is the owner grilling off the back porch......but excellent burgers! and Bob loved his DEEP FRIED TWINKIE!) and then on to Grand Harbor Marina, where we stayed 4 nights due to rainy weather, and also stayed for the chance to see "Shiloh" civil war battle site...in Pittsburg Landing on the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers. So glad to have taken this side trip....said I learned more there than I ever did in high school history....was I not paying attention?? Bob said I was probably too busy checking out the boys in class, and he is probably correct. I told him that now that I have my "forever boyfriend", I can concentrate on other things.....like civil war history.!! To think that the war went on for 4 more years after this bloody battle is so daunting.
Another expectation......we also HAD to go to a shack on the river for the WORLDS GREATEST CATFISH.....or so they said! Another tourist trap!......I am trying to eat my way through the south on catfish, (and doing a fairly good job of it)....and this was not the best in the world, let alone on the trip so far.
Pickwick Lake is absolutely beautiful with lots of beautiful homes and cottages....also known for houseboat rentals. I would love to come back to this area sometime and just hang out in a small cove for a few days. Some we know, call us "dock huggers" as we don't" hang on the hook" as much as they do. I guess we should really try it more than we have and this would have been a perfect spot, except we had to get near an airport......so,
we are now in Florence, ALA. Here for 5 nights while Bob is back in Michigan, working! Gotta keep gas in the tanks. (sometimes I think he just goes to "get away!" haha) I have to say you better have a strong marriage before you attempt this journey.....it (or us) has its moments.....luckily we've been married long enough to ignore each other!!....come to think of it, Bob has been ignoring me long before this trip started! HA..but some days its 24/7 and you are the only people you see all day!
There are lots of loopers here, some we haven't seen in a while that have gotten to be good friends....they "take me in" . Had dinner with one couple last eve on their boat....yummy. There is also a bar here (that has become a BONUS, along with power and water) and the loopers generally meet up there for happy hour. Once Bob returns (Sat) we will go thru the huge Wilson Lock up to Joe Wheeler State Park, Alabama, where the annual rendezvous of loopers is held. We attended last year (by car) as a " planner"....this year we will be "in progress"...it will be fun to share......and speaking of sharing......this is how I get my dog fix....I share other peoples dogs.....this is Abby, the one eye dog!
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
"Nothing works on an old boat..except the Captain"
Maybe you have heard that saying.
Actually, Le Reve, a 27 year old Californian, is working well beyond expectation. But I thought that might be a good lead in to a day in the life of Captain Bob.
The alarm sounds at 7 am, unless I am awake already and turn it off first. In about 40 minutes I can S/S/S, dress, dry the dew from the bridge windows, wipe the cobwebs from the railings, swab down the bow and companionways with a mop and/or shamie, short tie the boat for easy departure, ready the helm, warm the engines and depart from the dock or an anchorage, and be on our way before 8am. Actually, I only shower and shave about every four days, immediately following a comment from the Chief Stew on the order of 'what is that awful smell'.
I am at the helm from about 8 until we arrive at our destination, usually about 4-5 hours, but we have had some long 10-12 hour days dealing with long stretches between marinas and multiple locks with long delays. This gets us in at dark thirty instead of the desired mid afternoon arrival time. Not according to plan!
Captain Bob at the helm
I follow a pre-determined route to our destination that keeps us in sufficient water depth and avoids hazards. The route is automatically developed by the Navionics program I have installed on my tablet! All I input is starting and ending points and let the thing think for a couple minutes. Kind of like if you know what order to push the buttons one can be a surveyor these days with all the electronic gismos replacing the trig, but I digress. The following is an overview and detailed photo of our route tomorrow from Clifton, TN to Harbor Beach Marina, just below the Pickwick Lock, a total distance of about 50 miles. This will takes 5 hours plus the lock time, which can be anywhere from an hour to 6 hours.
The Chief Stew prepares breakfast and lunch which we both eat on the bridge while I am tending the helm, occasionally adjusting our course with the autopilot course adjustment dial.
Upon arrival at our destination we both work to tie up along the dock, connect 50 amp electric cable to shore power, connect to fresh dockside water, turn on the boat A/C to cool down the cabin areas, pay the marina for our slip and sit down for a cool one...me Pepsi, and the Chief Stew...well you get the picture.
In the afternoon/early evening I check all the fluid levels in the two Caterpillar diesel engines and the generator (if we ran it). I often need to add oil to the Cats, but they run exceptionally well in spite of this.
In the evening after the Chief Stew and I enjoy a dinner she has prepared aboard Le Reve, or often dining out uptown from the marina, I will sit down with my tablet and plan the next days journey (by pushing the buttons in the right order), set the alarm for 7, enjoy an episode or two of West Wing with the Chief Stew in our stateroom and retire for the night by 9pm (also known as Looper midnight).
On days that we are not afloat I have a running list of projects to complete to maintain and/or improve Le Reve. Things like...sand/varnish teak in the cockpit, replace shower sump float switch, replace a faulty light in guest stateroom, change engine oil/filters....etc.
I recently changed the oil in both engines, both gear boxes (transmissions) and the generator, along with the filters. I will do this every 200 hours, or about 2,000 miles. I used the automatic oil change pump that I installed a couple months ago, which consists of a manifold of valves that is plumbed to the oil pans of each engine, generator, and gear boxes. Just open the right valve, pump the waste oil from the engine in to the waste oil can, reverse the pump direction and fill the engine with new oil from the new oil can. Works slick. I even use it to top off the oil levels daily instead of dealing with quart bottles, funnels, etc. Whole thing saved me around $600 over hiring a marina, more than paying for the oil changer installation in the first oil change. And, I got to know my boys (CATs) a little better.
We look forward to times when we can lay up somewhere nice for a few days, such as Green Turtle Bay Resort that the Chief Stew has written about. It refreshes us so we can get back on the water. I have even re-read five of the books in author Robert Macomber series about fictional naval civil war hero Captain Peter Wake. Check it out at www.robertmacomber.com...well worth the read. I intend to stop in to see 'Bob' on Pine Island, Florida when we pass by this winter. Thanks, Madeline, for giving me the first book! I am hoping my number 1 son can determine if we are related before then.
That is all from Captain Bob for now, I need to plan our route for tomorrow.
Captain Bob
Actually, Le Reve, a 27 year old Californian, is working well beyond expectation. But I thought that might be a good lead in to a day in the life of Captain Bob.
The alarm sounds at 7 am, unless I am awake already and turn it off first. In about 40 minutes I can S/S/S, dress, dry the dew from the bridge windows, wipe the cobwebs from the railings, swab down the bow and companionways with a mop and/or shamie, short tie the boat for easy departure, ready the helm, warm the engines and depart from the dock or an anchorage, and be on our way before 8am. Actually, I only shower and shave about every four days, immediately following a comment from the Chief Stew on the order of 'what is that awful smell'.
I am at the helm from about 8 until we arrive at our destination, usually about 4-5 hours, but we have had some long 10-12 hour days dealing with long stretches between marinas and multiple locks with long delays. This gets us in at dark thirty instead of the desired mid afternoon arrival time. Not according to plan!
I follow a pre-determined route to our destination that keeps us in sufficient water depth and avoids hazards. The route is automatically developed by the Navionics program I have installed on my tablet! All I input is starting and ending points and let the thing think for a couple minutes. Kind of like if you know what order to push the buttons one can be a surveyor these days with all the electronic gismos replacing the trig, but I digress. The following is an overview and detailed photo of our route tomorrow from Clifton, TN to Harbor Beach Marina, just below the Pickwick Lock, a total distance of about 50 miles. This will takes 5 hours plus the lock time, which can be anywhere from an hour to 6 hours.
The Chief Stew prepares breakfast and lunch which we both eat on the bridge while I am tending the helm, occasionally adjusting our course with the autopilot course adjustment dial.
Upon arrival at our destination we both work to tie up along the dock, connect 50 amp electric cable to shore power, connect to fresh dockside water, turn on the boat A/C to cool down the cabin areas, pay the marina for our slip and sit down for a cool one...me Pepsi, and the Chief Stew...well you get the picture.
In the afternoon/early evening I check all the fluid levels in the two Caterpillar diesel engines and the generator (if we ran it). I often need to add oil to the Cats, but they run exceptionally well in spite of this.
In the evening after the Chief Stew and I enjoy a dinner she has prepared aboard Le Reve, or often dining out uptown from the marina, I will sit down with my tablet and plan the next days journey (by pushing the buttons in the right order), set the alarm for 7, enjoy an episode or two of West Wing with the Chief Stew in our stateroom and retire for the night by 9pm (also known as Looper midnight).
On days that we are not afloat I have a running list of projects to complete to maintain and/or improve Le Reve. Things like...sand/varnish teak in the cockpit, replace shower sump float switch, replace a faulty light in guest stateroom, change engine oil/filters....etc.
I recently changed the oil in both engines, both gear boxes (transmissions) and the generator, along with the filters. I will do this every 200 hours, or about 2,000 miles. I used the automatic oil change pump that I installed a couple months ago, which consists of a manifold of valves that is plumbed to the oil pans of each engine, generator, and gear boxes. Just open the right valve, pump the waste oil from the engine in to the waste oil can, reverse the pump direction and fill the engine with new oil from the new oil can. Works slick. I even use it to top off the oil levels daily instead of dealing with quart bottles, funnels, etc. Whole thing saved me around $600 over hiring a marina, more than paying for the oil changer installation in the first oil change. And, I got to know my boys (CATs) a little better.
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| 375 HP Caterpillars |
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| Oil Change System |
We look forward to times when we can lay up somewhere nice for a few days, such as Green Turtle Bay Resort that the Chief Stew has written about. It refreshes us so we can get back on the water. I have even re-read five of the books in author Robert Macomber series about fictional naval civil war hero Captain Peter Wake. Check it out at www.robertmacomber.com...well worth the read. I intend to stop in to see 'Bob' on Pine Island, Florida when we pass by this winter. Thanks, Madeline, for giving me the first book! I am hoping my number 1 son can determine if we are related before then.
That is all from Captain Bob for now, I need to plan our route for tomorrow.
Captain Bob
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
catching up about Hoppies
A few post ago I referred to "Hoppies Marina" on the River as being an "interesting place". I came across a few pictures that I want to share. Now, after being tied to a junkyard barge, and anchoring out, Hoppies really did seem like (at least) a place to reconnect with loopers and see some "local color".
This is a picture of the marina. There were no spas, pools, OR bathrooms here. I looked out our boat window into a barge with a bathroom stall on it with the door open.....but when I inquired the answer was "Oh, that hasn't worked in years"....ok, then......However, you can get a Uber to drive you to town if you wish. We didn't wish, but am now reading (day late, dollar short) that it is the "smallest" town in the USA.....maybe the Uber would have been worth it? The "dock" also had an old phone booth on it, lots of holes, (watch your step) and just plain junk around. However, it is the ONLY game in town for hundreds of miles, so all the loopers go to Hoppies and have gotten to know Fern and Hoppie on a personal basis.
This is Fern, and at 4:30 pm every day, she "holds court"......She gives you the latest update on the river and the locks coming up. She does this all for a "few glasses of wine" and a cigarette (she does have her own, if you don't offer)
As you can see, the loopers take her quite serious....although I questioned whether she has the SAME speel every day??? (Fern is sitting in front of the phone booth. As you can see it is presently a lawn chair storage area) Anyway, she does call down to other "locals" and seems to have the scoop as to what locks are holding people up, etc. She suggested that when we are held up for a long time, we should tell them that " legally" they MUST lock us thru on the 3rd cycle (ie: after 3 commercial loads have used it)...I said to Capt Bob, Ya, YOU tell them that and we will be sitting here waiting ALL night AND the next day! Maybe Fern can get away with talking to the lock master like that, but I'm NOT Fern,... although I am thinking about becoming her in my "retirement" from boating. I said to Bob, ..."all we need is an old barge and some line and we would be sitting on a gold mine"....hey, charging $1.50 a foot to tie up has to be lucrative, there sure is not much "overhead"...just don't know where we can get a phone booth.... and I do like the "free wine at 4:30pm" benefit! So that's the story on Hoppies Marina.....just another interesting stop on the muddy rivers! God Bless the Great Lakes and the Michigan Waterways Commission!!
Saturday, September 30, 2017
LIVING THE DREAM
This is the kind of boating I've been waiting for!! We arrived on last Monday at GREEN TURTLE BAY RESORT in Grand River, KY. There is a lot of hype about GTB from the loopers and now I know why! This place has
3 pools, hot tub, restaurants, bars, SPA, etc, etc. We immediately signed up for the weekly special and will be here till this coming Monday.....IF I LEAVE AT ALL! GTB is located between 2 lakes and is most well known as the place that people come and rent houseboats. I am thinking if trading LeReve for a 70 footer that is for sale down the dock and just living here. HAHA. It also helps that the sweltering hot heat and humidity dropped and now every day is a perfect temp. We caught up with some loopers whom we met previously and with being here a week, some that we passed are now coming in. We are still following "Jim's Joy" as they stayed a week also for some maintenance issues .....and Pug II the other boat we've been with since Joliet, are here also, but decided to rent a car and drive home for a few days. Their grandchildren were beginning to wonder if they were still alive!...and since mine haven't inquired on that yet, we don't plan on going to Michigan till Thanksgiving time when our granddaughter is due to arrive also! I have been on a spending spree of anything PINK! They also have a great store right here on property with everything 25% off....and tons of cute kids clothes!
Bob and I both visited the Spa and had body massages. I also had pedicure, manicure, eyebrow wax, facial....and if they had a hair colorist, I would have gotten that done also. The captain is complaining (?) or at least "noticing" the gray in my hair, which is in a constant pony tail. I might have to revert to doing it myself....or just owning up to the gray!
We also ate at the "infamous" PATTIES......known for their 2 inch porkchop.....needless to say, there were several meals after on it, even after Bob had his fill. Think "tourist trap".....but interesting. (I had the cat fish.....I am on a mission to eat cat fish in every port we stop in, and am doing a good job of it)
As I continue to complain about that "river trip" and the damn dams and locks....everyone here tells me that is the worst part of the trip....I sure hope so. And I guess we just "lucked out" (bad luck) with the lock timing, as people already here said they never waiting over an hour or 2 at the most for a lock, and the newbies coming in are saying the same.....our AVERAGE wait time was like 4 hours!! (the longest was 6 hours, they can't believe it)
Traveling the rivers certainly has opened my eyes to a different culture right here in the USA. I took the Great Lakes for granted as I grew up swimming in them every day, just walking down a few blocks to the beach. The people on the rivers enjoy their water the same way, but I wouldn't put my feet in off the back of the boat.....muddy and full of Asian carp! (wonder how they taste??)
If we can ever get our boating partners out of the Spa (they are in for a 2nd visit) we will take the dingies down and do some lake exploring tomorrow...like I said, might convince the captain to get a "houseboat" Haha.....
3 pools, hot tub, restaurants, bars, SPA, etc, etc. We immediately signed up for the weekly special and will be here till this coming Monday.....IF I LEAVE AT ALL! GTB is located between 2 lakes and is most well known as the place that people come and rent houseboats. I am thinking if trading LeReve for a 70 footer that is for sale down the dock and just living here. HAHA. It also helps that the sweltering hot heat and humidity dropped and now every day is a perfect temp. We caught up with some loopers whom we met previously and with being here a week, some that we passed are now coming in. We are still following "Jim's Joy" as they stayed a week also for some maintenance issues .....and Pug II the other boat we've been with since Joliet, are here also, but decided to rent a car and drive home for a few days. Their grandchildren were beginning to wonder if they were still alive!...and since mine haven't inquired on that yet, we don't plan on going to Michigan till Thanksgiving time when our granddaughter is due to arrive also! I have been on a spending spree of anything PINK! They also have a great store right here on property with everything 25% off....and tons of cute kids clothes!
Bob and I both visited the Spa and had body massages. I also had pedicure, manicure, eyebrow wax, facial....and if they had a hair colorist, I would have gotten that done also. The captain is complaining (?) or at least "noticing" the gray in my hair, which is in a constant pony tail. I might have to revert to doing it myself....or just owning up to the gray!
We also ate at the "infamous" PATTIES......known for their 2 inch porkchop.....needless to say, there were several meals after on it, even after Bob had his fill. Think "tourist trap".....but interesting. (I had the cat fish.....I am on a mission to eat cat fish in every port we stop in, and am doing a good job of it)
As I continue to complain about that "river trip" and the damn dams and locks....everyone here tells me that is the worst part of the trip....I sure hope so. And I guess we just "lucked out" (bad luck) with the lock timing, as people already here said they never waiting over an hour or 2 at the most for a lock, and the newbies coming in are saying the same.....our AVERAGE wait time was like 4 hours!! (the longest was 6 hours, they can't believe it)
Traveling the rivers certainly has opened my eyes to a different culture right here in the USA. I took the Great Lakes for granted as I grew up swimming in them every day, just walking down a few blocks to the beach. The people on the rivers enjoy their water the same way, but I wouldn't put my feet in off the back of the boat.....muddy and full of Asian carp! (wonder how they taste??)
If we can ever get our boating partners out of the Spa (they are in for a 2nd visit) we will take the dingies down and do some lake exploring tomorrow...like I said, might convince the captain to get a "houseboat" Haha.....
Sunday, September 24, 2017
BY THE NUMBERS
This is Captain Bob with a summary of some of the numbers and statistics of our adventure so far. No touchy/feely stuff here!
100...We are 100 days in to our journey. We expect to complete our sojourn after seeing Lake Superior next August. We left on Fathers Day making a total of 420 days, so we are a little less than 20% through. This screen shot of my chartplotter shows areas traveled...sort of.
1,460...We have traveled 1,460 miles, so far, after leaving the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair. Our trip will be somewhere between 6,000 and 7,000 miles, so we have traveled about 22% of our expected total distance.
1,400...We have used 1,400 gallons of diesel fuel in the engines and generator. We were getting about 0.8 of a mile per gallon at an average of 13 mph in the lakes, and have slowed down to around 10 mph in the rivers at 1.5 mpg. I am learning that slow is good!
4...Only 4 nights at anchor so far. We anchored in the North Channel of Lake Huron and along the Mississippi River. We prefer being at the dock, but more experience anchoring will likely help in our appreciation of one of the highlights of the trip. This picture was taken after leaving our anchorage at MM 22 on the Mississippi (22 miles north of the Ohio River)...at 6:45am.
14...We have negotiated 14 locks so far (out of 105) ranging in difference in lift/drop from 4 feet to 45 feet. The picture below is a good example of proper locking procedure. I think that is a Leo DiCaprio imitation??? First mate is good for a laugh, or two. We have found the difficulty with locking isn't the locks, it is the waiting. We have had to wait as much as 6 hours for a lock, and 2 hours is quite common.
1 and 2..."I will meet you on the 1 cappie, and watch my 6" is the language of the rivers...except you need to talk real fast with marbles in your mouth with a Cajun accent! Passing a tow (tug boat pushing anywhere from 15 to 42 barges) on the 1 means I move to my right, whether he is going in my direction or coming at me. This is a throw back to when boats used whistles to communicate their intention, eventually saying "pass me on the one whistle" when electronic communication evolved. Later it was simply on my "1", or on my "2". It is a good system, because you can usually decipher a "one" or "two" out of what ever else the tug cappie is saying. "Watch my 6" means watch out for his turbulent wake he is leaving behind him. I am passing this 35 barge tow "on the 1".
4...We have traveled four major rivers so far, DOWN the Chicago Shipping and Sanitary Canal (dug in the late 1800's to reverse flow to the south to reduce pollution of Lake Michigan), the Illinois River, the Mississippi River, and UP the Ohio River. At constant RPM's, we moved 10 MPH in the canal, 13 MPH in the Big Muddy, and less than 8 MPH in the Ohio. Current is a big factor.
2 million...That is how many fish flies were on our boat this morning in Paducah, KY! This picture was taken AFTER I sprayed them off once.
The following picture shows of some of the electronic navigation systems we use every day. The chartplotter (right half of screen) is invaluable to show our position relative to deep water (white), shallow water (blue) and land (yellow/green). For you landlubbers...blue is bad, and yellow is REAL bad, unless you are docking. It does not, however, show location of other boats, which the radar does (left half of screen)...even in the dark and in fog, both of which we have experienced. The yellow dot ahead of me is Jim's Joy, the dot trailing us is Pug II, and the blue dots to right are deep water channel markers.
4... That is how many eggs Jane just put on the table for breakfast, saying I need to wrap this up and leave the blogging to her. We will see.
Captain Bob. "Watch your 6"
100...We are 100 days in to our journey. We expect to complete our sojourn after seeing Lake Superior next August. We left on Fathers Day making a total of 420 days, so we are a little less than 20% through. This screen shot of my chartplotter shows areas traveled...sort of.
1,460...We have traveled 1,460 miles, so far, after leaving the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair. Our trip will be somewhere between 6,000 and 7,000 miles, so we have traveled about 22% of our expected total distance.
1,400...We have used 1,400 gallons of diesel fuel in the engines and generator. We were getting about 0.8 of a mile per gallon at an average of 13 mph in the lakes, and have slowed down to around 10 mph in the rivers at 1.5 mpg. I am learning that slow is good!
4...Only 4 nights at anchor so far. We anchored in the North Channel of Lake Huron and along the Mississippi River. We prefer being at the dock, but more experience anchoring will likely help in our appreciation of one of the highlights of the trip. This picture was taken after leaving our anchorage at MM 22 on the Mississippi (22 miles north of the Ohio River)...at 6:45am.
14...We have negotiated 14 locks so far (out of 105) ranging in difference in lift/drop from 4 feet to 45 feet. The picture below is a good example of proper locking procedure. I think that is a Leo DiCaprio imitation??? First mate is good for a laugh, or two. We have found the difficulty with locking isn't the locks, it is the waiting. We have had to wait as much as 6 hours for a lock, and 2 hours is quite common.
1 and 2..."I will meet you on the 1 cappie, and watch my 6" is the language of the rivers...except you need to talk real fast with marbles in your mouth with a Cajun accent! Passing a tow (tug boat pushing anywhere from 15 to 42 barges) on the 1 means I move to my right, whether he is going in my direction or coming at me. This is a throw back to when boats used whistles to communicate their intention, eventually saying "pass me on the one whistle" when electronic communication evolved. Later it was simply on my "1", or on my "2". It is a good system, because you can usually decipher a "one" or "two" out of what ever else the tug cappie is saying. "Watch my 6" means watch out for his turbulent wake he is leaving behind him. I am passing this 35 barge tow "on the 1".
4...We have traveled four major rivers so far, DOWN the Chicago Shipping and Sanitary Canal (dug in the late 1800's to reverse flow to the south to reduce pollution of Lake Michigan), the Illinois River, the Mississippi River, and UP the Ohio River. At constant RPM's, we moved 10 MPH in the canal, 13 MPH in the Big Muddy, and less than 8 MPH in the Ohio. Current is a big factor.
2 million...That is how many fish flies were on our boat this morning in Paducah, KY! This picture was taken AFTER I sprayed them off once.
The following picture shows of some of the electronic navigation systems we use every day. The chartplotter (right half of screen) is invaluable to show our position relative to deep water (white), shallow water (blue) and land (yellow/green). For you landlubbers...blue is bad, and yellow is REAL bad, unless you are docking. It does not, however, show location of other boats, which the radar does (left half of screen)...even in the dark and in fog, both of which we have experienced. The yellow dot ahead of me is Jim's Joy, the dot trailing us is Pug II, and the blue dots to right are deep water channel markers.
Captain Bob. "Watch your 6"
Thursday, September 21, 2017
The above picture.....if you can see it you are not a duck....It is a duck blind on the river.
- These 3 pictures are a sample of the "marinas" you will find on the Illinois River.....All we needed was a Doberman!.....AND they charged $1 a foot....no bath facilities, but you could use their (the barge workers) shower room.....uh, no thanks!
I felt like we were zooming thru the river.....we are doing 9 to 10 hour days, much longer than Bob and I thought we would do.....but Capt Jim (Jim's Joy) gets the 3 boats going very early....6am... and he knows where we are headed.....so we continue to follow along. The days are HOT and MUGGY and I feel like the movie "Groundhog day"....as it is the same thing over and over. We had heard that this part of the trip is "boring".....and whoever said it was correct. The Locks, and there are several, have proved to be a diversion from the endless muddy water.
Actually I did drive about an hour yesterday.....he got a little shut eye....not too far from me. I sang all the hymns I could bring to memory (to myself, ease the boredom) and then I busted into Christmas songs! Last eve.....once we finally stopped (at Grafton, IL) in a REAL marina....we went to dinner at their bar (btw, I had OYSTERS.....from the GULF!!) they were playing oldies, so now those tunes are in my head in case I get another chance to keep myself awake!
So now as you can see......we passed St. Louis, MO (the famous arch) Have gone thru 2 locks, the only 2 for today and we are headed to "Hoppies" marina (?) I understand it is quite an unusual spot.... I am just grateful we have only about 5 hours to get there...."short day"!....After that is is 2 to 3 nights of anchoring, as nothing until we get to Green Turtle Bay....From what I can tell by their website, it will seem like heaven!
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Tuesday, September 19
Captain Bob made it safely back after his business trip last week. On Friday we headed out of Hammond and into the river system. We started traveling with a boat I had made connections with at the Marina and they were leaving same morning. Away we went, we needed to have bridges "up" at 3 different locations right off the bat. This made me think of our former "best boat dog Skipper" and how he used to growl and bark whenever we went under a bridge. In addition to the 3 we needed lifted there were like 10 others we could get under....so in Skippers memory, every time we went under I would bark and growl!. He would have loved it (but am so glad we are NOT traveling with a dog, like many loopers do)
Our first lock....we only went 5 feet down, so it was good practice, and it went slower than we expected. We started following 2 other loop boats that were traveling together and fell in line behind them. Next lock, 40 foot drop, and we hooked to a floating bollard that moves down with the boat...pretty easy so far. The WAITING for the lock to become available is more of the challenge. The second one we had a wait of 2 hours.....they wait for the barges (who have priority) and one was coming up. As we were waiting, as in just floating around in basin, we picked up 2 more looper boats) the 5 of us locked down together. We feel like we are doing pretty well with these.
Finally after a long, slow day we stopped at the "free wall" in Joliet, IN. It has electricity, but no water available...this is when we discovered that "we" did not fill our holding tank....so we really have no water. The harbor host came down to meet "us all"....there were probably 15 boats on the wall, and she took me and another couple to the groc story. I bought bottled water in addition to other supplies.....and we used that to wash our faces before we hit the bed for a deserved rest.
Next morning I knew why the wall is free.....no one would pay to stay there! it is under a lift bridge, right on the river, and the river traffic doesn't sleep and neither does the bridge! (ie: neither did we)
While I was at store, Bob made friends with a couple other boats that are traveling together and invited us to join their group. We made plans to leave wall at 7AM.
The next day (Sat) we are up and gone by 7 ....so are most of the others. Our plan is to go as far as Ottawa, IL. Jim (on Jim's Joy) leads.....he is a gold looper (done this before) so he takes care of calling the locks, etc. All is going as planned (Joy, off Jim's Joy is quite the planner, and has a schedule!) There are tons of recreational boats on the river today (a hot day) and none of them show any courtesy to us or each other....just go as fast as you can and pass all you can!
All good plans come to an end at Marceilla (?) locks...."there will be a wait" says the lockmaster.....it is before noon, and FINALLY about 5PM we get our chance to get in .....along with all the other loopers behind us that did not get up at 7AM, but have now caught up with us (about 8 more boats). We finally moored to a wall and spent the hours sunning and getting to know our new boating buddies.
Here is where I "discovered" what a gem the Great Lakes are and how lucky we have been to have them to boat in all these years (guess we just took it for granted) But to see all these people boating, picnicking and enjoying themselves in this brown muddy water (ugh)....also got a kick out of the tiki bar on shore, RIGHT NEXT to a school. I figured this is where the bus drivers take their breaks??? or as someone else suggested, probably where the teachers go for lunch! I would need the tiki bar in either case! God Bless our Educators.
All the looper boats go into "Heritage Harbor" and the marina does a great job of getting everyone into the proper places. We stayed 2 nights here as we needed a day of rest! So on Sunday, Bob sanded and reapplied teak and I cleaned and did laundry and cooked up meals to have on the go....so much for the rest. We had "docktails" on Sunday night and the marina took our groups picture, as we were the most loopers they have ever had together all at once. Probably about 30 couples...you meet interesting people....the best part of the journey! We have become friends with Jim and Joy and with their friends Ron and Janis....and continue to travel with them.
Monday morning we are up at 7am (again) and on to Peoria. We now have 3 others in our group and we all get thru the first lock nicely (Not our first rodeo!) This one was a manual one....where we had to hang onto the lines and hold the boat as it dropped. After another long, very hot day, we find we are too deep for the marina we hoped to get into.....sent Pug II (Ron and Janis) ahead to ck it out and there was only like 3 feet of water depth to get into marina, so we continued on to downtown Peoria and found another wall which had space for us. The Pinta and Nina tall ships were moored here....the ones from Traverse City....I chatted with the crew and apologized (as an official Michigander) for the rude behavior they encountered there.....they said that was the only place they were protested against and it scared and confused them as they are just a bunch of kids that donate their time!......We agreed that there are people everywhere that seem to need a cause... The crew said they wanted to meet with the protesters and discuss the issues bothering them, but they weren't interested! Funny how that works! Some people just want to make noise, I guess.
So now it is Tuesday morning and we (once again) are up at 7 and "on the road".....uh, water. We call ahead to ask lock master if we can lock down and he says call me when you get here....so 5 minutes later we are there and they are just loading in a barge and we have to wait like an hour! Don't understand why they can't just tell you that when you are somewhere more comfortable (like my bed) instead of killing time just floating around waiting....perhaps some people say they are close and are not?? who knows. These locks were "manual" also....must be different states have different systems?? who knows that either, will have to pay attention in the future. Right now I am feeling a little sleep deprived!
We have also "heard" that the river is CLOSED ahead, as the water is down so far that boats are getting stuck and they are waiting for Army Corp to dredge....we hope to get as far as we can today and perhaps be ready when it is open (if indeed it is closed).....should be interesting to see what happens. I think as much as I can at one time, that I am learning to be more patience! We continue to be blessed to be traveling with such nice, good, Christian people. Joy had us all over for dinner last evening....yummy.
I hope to be able to post some pics of our lock experiences....will do so in a separate post.
Captain Bob made it safely back after his business trip last week. On Friday we headed out of Hammond and into the river system. We started traveling with a boat I had made connections with at the Marina and they were leaving same morning. Away we went, we needed to have bridges "up" at 3 different locations right off the bat. This made me think of our former "best boat dog Skipper" and how he used to growl and bark whenever we went under a bridge. In addition to the 3 we needed lifted there were like 10 others we could get under....so in Skippers memory, every time we went under I would bark and growl!. He would have loved it (but am so glad we are NOT traveling with a dog, like many loopers do)
Our first lock....we only went 5 feet down, so it was good practice, and it went slower than we expected. We started following 2 other loop boats that were traveling together and fell in line behind them. Next lock, 40 foot drop, and we hooked to a floating bollard that moves down with the boat...pretty easy so far. The WAITING for the lock to become available is more of the challenge. The second one we had a wait of 2 hours.....they wait for the barges (who have priority) and one was coming up. As we were waiting, as in just floating around in basin, we picked up 2 more looper boats) the 5 of us locked down together. We feel like we are doing pretty well with these.
Finally after a long, slow day we stopped at the "free wall" in Joliet, IN. It has electricity, but no water available...this is when we discovered that "we" did not fill our holding tank....so we really have no water. The harbor host came down to meet "us all"....there were probably 15 boats on the wall, and she took me and another couple to the groc story. I bought bottled water in addition to other supplies.....and we used that to wash our faces before we hit the bed for a deserved rest.
Next morning I knew why the wall is free.....no one would pay to stay there! it is under a lift bridge, right on the river, and the river traffic doesn't sleep and neither does the bridge! (ie: neither did we)
While I was at store, Bob made friends with a couple other boats that are traveling together and invited us to join their group. We made plans to leave wall at 7AM.
The next day (Sat) we are up and gone by 7 ....so are most of the others. Our plan is to go as far as Ottawa, IL. Jim (on Jim's Joy) leads.....he is a gold looper (done this before) so he takes care of calling the locks, etc. All is going as planned (Joy, off Jim's Joy is quite the planner, and has a schedule!) There are tons of recreational boats on the river today (a hot day) and none of them show any courtesy to us or each other....just go as fast as you can and pass all you can!
All good plans come to an end at Marceilla (?) locks...."there will be a wait" says the lockmaster.....it is before noon, and FINALLY about 5PM we get our chance to get in .....along with all the other loopers behind us that did not get up at 7AM, but have now caught up with us (about 8 more boats). We finally moored to a wall and spent the hours sunning and getting to know our new boating buddies.
Here is where I "discovered" what a gem the Great Lakes are and how lucky we have been to have them to boat in all these years (guess we just took it for granted) But to see all these people boating, picnicking and enjoying themselves in this brown muddy water (ugh)....also got a kick out of the tiki bar on shore, RIGHT NEXT to a school. I figured this is where the bus drivers take their breaks??? or as someone else suggested, probably where the teachers go for lunch! I would need the tiki bar in either case! God Bless our Educators.
All the looper boats go into "Heritage Harbor" and the marina does a great job of getting everyone into the proper places. We stayed 2 nights here as we needed a day of rest! So on Sunday, Bob sanded and reapplied teak and I cleaned and did laundry and cooked up meals to have on the go....so much for the rest. We had "docktails" on Sunday night and the marina took our groups picture, as we were the most loopers they have ever had together all at once. Probably about 30 couples...you meet interesting people....the best part of the journey! We have become friends with Jim and Joy and with their friends Ron and Janis....and continue to travel with them.
Monday morning we are up at 7am (again) and on to Peoria. We now have 3 others in our group and we all get thru the first lock nicely (Not our first rodeo!) This one was a manual one....where we had to hang onto the lines and hold the boat as it dropped. After another long, very hot day, we find we are too deep for the marina we hoped to get into.....sent Pug II (Ron and Janis) ahead to ck it out and there was only like 3 feet of water depth to get into marina, so we continued on to downtown Peoria and found another wall which had space for us. The Pinta and Nina tall ships were moored here....the ones from Traverse City....I chatted with the crew and apologized (as an official Michigander) for the rude behavior they encountered there.....they said that was the only place they were protested against and it scared and confused them as they are just a bunch of kids that donate their time!......We agreed that there are people everywhere that seem to need a cause... The crew said they wanted to meet with the protesters and discuss the issues bothering them, but they weren't interested! Funny how that works! Some people just want to make noise, I guess.
So now it is Tuesday morning and we (once again) are up at 7 and "on the road".....uh, water. We call ahead to ask lock master if we can lock down and he says call me when you get here....so 5 minutes later we are there and they are just loading in a barge and we have to wait like an hour! Don't understand why they can't just tell you that when you are somewhere more comfortable (like my bed) instead of killing time just floating around waiting....perhaps some people say they are close and are not?? who knows. These locks were "manual" also....must be different states have different systems?? who knows that either, will have to pay attention in the future. Right now I am feeling a little sleep deprived!
We have also "heard" that the river is CLOSED ahead, as the water is down so far that boats are getting stuck and they are waiting for Army Corp to dredge....we hope to get as far as we can today and perhaps be ready when it is open (if indeed it is closed).....should be interesting to see what happens. I think as much as I can at one time, that I am learning to be more patience! We continue to be blessed to be traveling with such nice, good, Christian people. Joy had us all over for dinner last evening....yummy.
I hope to be able to post some pics of our lock experiences....will do so in a separate post.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
September 14, 2017
Bob has been gone 2 days and I am so bored that I bought Hillary Clinton's new book and am reading that!! ACTUALLY, I am NOT bored, but I am reading her new book! It is quite humorous! Even though I don't think SHE meant it to be......I am only in a few chapters and she has mentioned (do they ever mention this??---) that she won the "popular vote by 2 million"....just can't get over it! HA....well, enough of the trash talk (hers, not mine) I did hate to pay the $12.95 to download it, but anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE, LOVE books about what makes people tick. Maybe when I grow up I will pursue some kind of job in that field!
We are on "W" dock, and they do go by alphabetical order starting with A, so this gives you some insight as to how far out we are from the shoreline, and the marina office.....so I don't take that hike unless I have to. (really it is very far...and it was raining yesterday) I was expecting a couple of packages from "home", so I called to see if they had been delivered to the office. One had, so I started the trek to retrieve it. I got there to find that the "small" replacement screen that Bob had ordered had either been packed in a very large box, or the screen sent is the wrong size. I had no way to open box at this point, so I just ripped off the packing slip and tried to get info from that (of which there was none....just a bunch of numbers, and the notice that you need this slip for returns). So I started the long trek back, using their bathrooms along the way....and that is when I noticed that the packing slip was missing (!@$#%) I looked back down the docks, because now I am by dock "t" (remember the a b c's) and I see a white piece of paper down by dock n......so I turn around to retrieve it, only to get almost there and see the wind carry it into the water beside the dock (really Lord?? did I just see that, like in the movies!)...So I look over the tall dock and sure enough there it is, floating....I decide to proceed back to W dock and the boat and see first of all if it is the correct screen....there would be no need to try and get the slip. I go "home" and open package and sure enough, it is WAY to large....won't fit anything hatch on our boat.....ok, now what.?? So I pull off a dock pole from the bow and make my way to the end of W (oh ya, we are at the opposite end of W dock also......so that is quite a walk) at the end of W I realize that we have 2 dock poles.....one extends and one does not....and that I have in my hands the one that does not!....SO, back down W to get the extendable one and I know that paper in the water is farrrrr down. Back down to N dock I go and look over the side....it is still floating (thank you God)...now, it is raining and the docks are slippery...so over the side I peek with the dock pole (that I know realize I have NO IDEA HOW to extend it) and I lean over the side and..............................................
I know, you think I am going to say I fell in, but I did NOT, and I did retrieve the packing slip! But by the end of this adventure I am wet (from the rain) and worn out! I need a cocktail!
Now, as if I planned to prolong my agony, I decide to fill out our emailed insurance forms, as once we left Colorado, we have to get a different plan....so by next month we hope to be on "medishare". A Christian organization, non profit, that at the present time, seems like it will meet our needs....AND the young man on the phone asked if there was anything he could pray with us about! I said, "wow" you can't mention prayer, or God, or Christian on TV, or in schools, but my insurance man wants to pray for me......and after trying to complete the forms on line, I now know why! Haha, I do not have my "medical files" on the boat.....or course we have a pasta maker and a bread maker....but no medical files! Of which I need information about the last blood work done, etc... so I have to call my Dr in CO and have her "send" info to my moms house because they can't read it over the phone?? anyway....she wanted to forward to my "present Dr".....of which there is NOT one and I hope I DONT need one!...so they agreed to send to my mom and she will have to read me the numbers over the phone....nothing is easy....and I laughed out loud when it asked if "you abuse alcohol or drugs".....I thought I will when I am done with these forms!
I was so tired by the time my head hit the pillow that I slept like a log.....until I smell the glorious fumes of FOOD this morning.....I think it is coming from the casino (which, by the way, is way closer to us than the marina office!).....but after that smell, comes the "septic" smell.....not sure if the casino (which is actually a barge in the river) fans its food aromas out the window to hide the issue of emptying the holding tanks???? strange occurrence I have noticed 2 mornings now....will have to do more "investigating" on that one (my 2nd job career choice, if the above mentioned one doesn't work out) maybe I will become the "Erin Brockovich" of Hammond, Indiana and they will make a movie out of my story!! I do know, OF COURSE, that either Sharon Stone, or Charlize Theron will have to play me....that is who I am sure most resemble me......at least in MY MIND! I wonder if anyone ever asked them if "they realize they look like Jane Macomber??" well, no one has actually asked me if I realize I look like them, but its a good end to a bunch of nonsense that made up my blog for today!!
Will keep posting as to when and where we move to. As of yesterday, the AGLCA notified us that lock 52 was closed and could quite possibly be closed for 10 to 20 days! so not to rush down (by St Louis)....they don't need a back log of boaters waiting all in one area.... we will see, we are quite far from that at present... and like I said, I am getting bored here!
PS...that is the marina office ...NOT the white one, but the brown brick one that you can only see the top of roof and windows behind it.....and docks A thru W in between.....versus the casino..only a few docks over!! no boredom, just no money! haha.
Bob has been gone 2 days and I am so bored that I bought Hillary Clinton's new book and am reading that!! ACTUALLY, I am NOT bored, but I am reading her new book! It is quite humorous! Even though I don't think SHE meant it to be......I am only in a few chapters and she has mentioned (do they ever mention this??---) that she won the "popular vote by 2 million"....just can't get over it! HA....well, enough of the trash talk (hers, not mine) I did hate to pay the $12.95 to download it, but anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE, LOVE books about what makes people tick. Maybe when I grow up I will pursue some kind of job in that field!
We are on "W" dock, and they do go by alphabetical order starting with A, so this gives you some insight as to how far out we are from the shoreline, and the marina office.....so I don't take that hike unless I have to. (really it is very far...and it was raining yesterday) I was expecting a couple of packages from "home", so I called to see if they had been delivered to the office. One had, so I started the trek to retrieve it. I got there to find that the "small" replacement screen that Bob had ordered had either been packed in a very large box, or the screen sent is the wrong size. I had no way to open box at this point, so I just ripped off the packing slip and tried to get info from that (of which there was none....just a bunch of numbers, and the notice that you need this slip for returns). So I started the long trek back, using their bathrooms along the way....and that is when I noticed that the packing slip was missing (!@$#%) I looked back down the docks, because now I am by dock "t" (remember the a b c's) and I see a white piece of paper down by dock n......so I turn around to retrieve it, only to get almost there and see the wind carry it into the water beside the dock (really Lord?? did I just see that, like in the movies!)...So I look over the tall dock and sure enough there it is, floating....I decide to proceed back to W dock and the boat and see first of all if it is the correct screen....there would be no need to try and get the slip. I go "home" and open package and sure enough, it is WAY to large....won't fit anything hatch on our boat.....ok, now what.?? So I pull off a dock pole from the bow and make my way to the end of W (oh ya, we are at the opposite end of W dock also......so that is quite a walk) at the end of W I realize that we have 2 dock poles.....one extends and one does not....and that I have in my hands the one that does not!....SO, back down W to get the extendable one and I know that paper in the water is farrrrr down. Back down to N dock I go and look over the side....it is still floating (thank you God)...now, it is raining and the docks are slippery...so over the side I peek with the dock pole (that I know realize I have NO IDEA HOW to extend it) and I lean over the side and..............................................
I know, you think I am going to say I fell in, but I did NOT, and I did retrieve the packing slip! But by the end of this adventure I am wet (from the rain) and worn out! I need a cocktail!
Now, as if I planned to prolong my agony, I decide to fill out our emailed insurance forms, as once we left Colorado, we have to get a different plan....so by next month we hope to be on "medishare". A Christian organization, non profit, that at the present time, seems like it will meet our needs....AND the young man on the phone asked if there was anything he could pray with us about! I said, "wow" you can't mention prayer, or God, or Christian on TV, or in schools, but my insurance man wants to pray for me......and after trying to complete the forms on line, I now know why! Haha, I do not have my "medical files" on the boat.....or course we have a pasta maker and a bread maker....but no medical files! Of which I need information about the last blood work done, etc... so I have to call my Dr in CO and have her "send" info to my moms house because they can't read it over the phone?? anyway....she wanted to forward to my "present Dr".....of which there is NOT one and I hope I DONT need one!...so they agreed to send to my mom and she will have to read me the numbers over the phone....nothing is easy....and I laughed out loud when it asked if "you abuse alcohol or drugs".....I thought I will when I am done with these forms!
I was so tired by the time my head hit the pillow that I slept like a log.....until I smell the glorious fumes of FOOD this morning.....I think it is coming from the casino (which, by the way, is way closer to us than the marina office!).....but after that smell, comes the "septic" smell.....not sure if the casino (which is actually a barge in the river) fans its food aromas out the window to hide the issue of emptying the holding tanks???? strange occurrence I have noticed 2 mornings now....will have to do more "investigating" on that one (my 2nd job career choice, if the above mentioned one doesn't work out) maybe I will become the "Erin Brockovich" of Hammond, Indiana and they will make a movie out of my story!! I do know, OF COURSE, that either Sharon Stone, or Charlize Theron will have to play me....that is who I am sure most resemble me......at least in MY MIND! I wonder if anyone ever asked them if "they realize they look like Jane Macomber??" well, no one has actually asked me if I realize I look like them, but its a good end to a bunch of nonsense that made up my blog for today!!
Will keep posting as to when and where we move to. As of yesterday, the AGLCA notified us that lock 52 was closed and could quite possibly be closed for 10 to 20 days! so not to rush down (by St Louis)....they don't need a back log of boaters waiting all in one area.... we will see, we are quite far from that at present... and like I said, I am getting bored here!
Monday, September 11, 2017
September 11, 2017
We are across the Big Lake!.....We finally got some good weather/water days and headed south. Our first stop after we escaped Ludington was Grand Haven.....the municipal marina was filled there (when isn't it?) so we stayed one night on the north side in a mediocre marina where no one helped us at dock or with anything as far as that goes and they charged the most per foot so far on this journey!! I am soooo over Grand Haven ....this is where we lost a nights fee (due to bad weather) thru the DNR website as you need to cancel reservations at least 24 hours in advance!...obviously a rule made by a non boater. So in addition to losing a reservation and you can't get in the municiple without one, it seems, you end up in a crummy place with a high price.....can you tell I am on a soap box!..... So we headed out of there early the next morning and made a long trek to New Buffalo. The Last stop on the southern end of Michigan. That marina was a nice surprise and we wished we could have had the time to spend more than one night there. Right in their booming tourist town with all the attractions. This is where I met up with my sister and retrieved the mail. She and Sue had us over for dinner to the cottage high on a bluff that they were renting. It was a beautiful place. Like I said, this was a new area to us and we would like to return sometime. Sunday the lake was to be a good day to cross, so we took advantage of the weather. It was a little bumpy, but not too bad....the bigger, more stressful, issue was that the Capt. decided to wait to get to Indiana to get fuel as it was a cheaper price. This is what the fuel gages looked like with about 20 more miles to go....
I told him IF he ever did this to me again, there would be a mutiny!!...He knew there was plenty of gas, even though the gages read E.......of course, there was! BUT WHY DID WE HAVE TO PROVE IT!! and out in the middle of Lake Michigan!! Well we made it, with probably a few gallons to spare....but I had my eye on the dingy and a life jacket... We are presently in Hammond Indiana, just south of the windy city....it is quite a view of the Chicago skyline. We chose here at the recommendation of the Chicago Harbor Host (thru the AGLCA) as a good safe place for me to be for a few days alone as Bob will fly out of Ohare tomorrow and do some business in Montana....(helps with gas $$)...plus there is a casino just up the docks....so I can earn some gas money also! Haha, I'd be better off getting a job emptying the trash or something inside....
We are 3 miles south of the river inlet where we will pick up the Calumet River that will start us on our next portion of the journey....we have decided to not take the "downtown Chicago route", as there is a bridge that could be a few inches too low for us to get under...so we won't attempt it. (after the gas incident, this surprises me that he wouldn't want to try!!) But Capt bob tells me 3 inches is A LOT! So we will take the alternate route around. We met some loopers in New Buffalo, and believe we saw a couple boats crossing in front of us also. Once in the river system I am sure we will see plenty more loopers like us. So far we all are excited to see one another and exchange info.
Today we spent the whole day cleaning....Bob outside, me inside....everything looks and smells better....including the two of us. I'm looking forward to a few days of reading and relaxing....as they say "when the captains away, the crew will play"...actually I just made that up, but I like it!
We are across the Big Lake!.....We finally got some good weather/water days and headed south. Our first stop after we escaped Ludington was Grand Haven.....the municipal marina was filled there (when isn't it?) so we stayed one night on the north side in a mediocre marina where no one helped us at dock or with anything as far as that goes and they charged the most per foot so far on this journey!! I am soooo over Grand Haven ....this is where we lost a nights fee (due to bad weather) thru the DNR website as you need to cancel reservations at least 24 hours in advance!...obviously a rule made by a non boater. So in addition to losing a reservation and you can't get in the municiple without one, it seems, you end up in a crummy place with a high price.....can you tell I am on a soap box!..... So we headed out of there early the next morning and made a long trek to New Buffalo. The Last stop on the southern end of Michigan. That marina was a nice surprise and we wished we could have had the time to spend more than one night there. Right in their booming tourist town with all the attractions. This is where I met up with my sister and retrieved the mail. She and Sue had us over for dinner to the cottage high on a bluff that they were renting. It was a beautiful place. Like I said, this was a new area to us and we would like to return sometime. Sunday the lake was to be a good day to cross, so we took advantage of the weather. It was a little bumpy, but not too bad....the bigger, more stressful, issue was that the Capt. decided to wait to get to Indiana to get fuel as it was a cheaper price. This is what the fuel gages looked like with about 20 more miles to go....
We are 3 miles south of the river inlet where we will pick up the Calumet River that will start us on our next portion of the journey....we have decided to not take the "downtown Chicago route", as there is a bridge that could be a few inches too low for us to get under...so we won't attempt it. (after the gas incident, this surprises me that he wouldn't want to try!!) But Capt bob tells me 3 inches is A LOT! So we will take the alternate route around. We met some loopers in New Buffalo, and believe we saw a couple boats crossing in front of us also. Once in the river system I am sure we will see plenty more loopers like us. So far we all are excited to see one another and exchange info.
Today we spent the whole day cleaning....Bob outside, me inside....everything looks and smells better....including the two of us. I'm looking forward to a few days of reading and relaxing....as they say "when the captains away, the crew will play"...actually I just made that up, but I like it!
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