A Brief Retrospective on the Great Loop

Well...we've been "done" for a couple of weeks now, and we promised some final thoughts. It would be really easy to get all sappy and teary-eyed over how special this journey has been. But, rather than us going down that road at length, allow us to simply say that it has without a doubt been the trip of a lifetime. It was quite simply...extraordinary. It is impossible to briefly summarize all that we have seen, all that we have done, and all that we have learned. However, the people that we've met - whether acquaintances for a moment, or friends for a lifetime - will have the most lasting impact on our lives.

So...with that, allow us to toss a few statistics your way for your perusal...

• Our trip lasted 730 days. From the day we left Chattanooga, to the day we crossed our wake was exactly 2 years.
• We traveled a total of 9,427 miles on the loop, and so far, we have cruised over 11,000 miles in all.
• We spent 664 nights in 169 marinas; 32 nights at anchor; 28 days on free or lock walls; and only 9 total days were consumed at boat yards (mostly for planned maintenance projects)
• We spent $8,461 on fuel...3,647 gallons in all at an average price of $2.32 per gallon.
• Actual operating time on our engine for the entire trip was 1,273 hours.
• We averaged 2.59 mpg, and burned on average 2.86 gal per hour.

In the category of things we know for certain:

• We made more wonderful memories than we can count.
• We learned more than we imagined possible.
• We didn't regret for a moment deciding to pursue this adventure.

 And in the category of "We Have NO Idea" are the following:

• How much we spent on marinas? A bunch.
• How much we spent on food? Also a bunch.
• How many gallons of ice cream we each devoured? We don't really want to know!

As for the immediate future, we are cruising up the Tennessee River towards Knoxville. We have a slip rented for the boat, and a condo rented for us. Sandrobber is up for sale, and we hope that someone with similar dreams can enjoy her as much as we have.

All for now...thanks for following along with us...it's been a terrific ride! We promise to post some additional blogs in the days ahead. Stay tuned if you like...

Clifton to Aqua Yacht Harbor and Gold!

Day # 730; Loop Miles to Date = 9,427

On Sunday afternoon, October 8th, we completed the Great Loop and crossed our wake on the Tennessee River on our approach into Aqua Yacht Harbor...we made it! It was a gray day, scattered with some light rain and a bit of breeze, but it didn't dampen our spirits as we were thrilled to close this journey after 2 years and almost 10,000 miles. In an unlikely and unplanned coincidence, the day we completed the loop was 2 years to the day that we left Island Cove Marina in Chattanooga in 2015. It really was a remarkable journey. We'll leave some final thoughts and a review of statistics for a later post.

 

 

A few pics of our travel day from Clifton to Aqua...

 

 

The day started out beautifully...but after only about an hour, it turned gray and cloudy. The Tennessee River remains as one of our favorite places to cruise.

We saw MANY houses along the banks on this stretch who had obviously built homes recently with high water in mind!

This just looked like a neat spot tucked up there in the rocks.

And these folks weren't taking any chances at all with high water!

We wish we had been a bit closer, and the sky had been blue, but it was still a treat to spot this pair of eagles.

The closer we got to Pickwick Dam, the stronger the current became, as evidenced by this dancing buoy. They were most likely letting extra water through the dam in advance of Nate...to make room for the expected rains. The result was that we had a 4 mph current running against us for the last 5 miles or so...a bit of slogging for this stretch.

 

At present we are actually out of the water up on the hard at Aqua Yacht Harbor. We had a few minor and planned maintenance items that we wanted to attend to, and this was both a good time and a great spot to get them taken care of. One of the items that we have been looking forward to was getting the hull buffed out and polished. We had decided along that way that there wasn't much point in trying to keep up with this while traveling, and it really needed the attention. And boy does it shine now! The boat looks practically brand new.

After the buff and polish on the hull...more pics of this sometime later on.

So, our short term plan is to hang around here at Aqua through most of this week, and then make our way to the AGLCA Rendezvous next week at Joe Wheeler. We'll be showing the boat for sale during the "Looper Crawls" and with luck, we'll find some folks who might have an interest in this wonderful tug that has been home for us for the last 2 1/2 years.

This shot taken just where we crossed our wake. On a map, it's the point where Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama join. Even the pups were smiling (that's our story anyway)!

We'll plan to post a summary with some "final" thoughts sometime in the next week...and will include some facts and figures about the entire trip. So, stay tuned...we'll check in again...

Green Turtle Bay to Paris Landing to Pebble Isle to Clifton

Day #729; Loop Miles to Date = 9,369

Just a quick update...not even any pictures to share. We've been making great progress, and our target of being at Aqua Yacht Harbor tomorrow (Sunday the 8th) is still on track. Green Turtle Bay was fine, but frankly, given the amount of press that this place gets, we were a bit disappointed. The dock complex itself is a bit worn out, and the service staff there was quite indifferent to whether they helped anyone out or not. However, it was a hotbed of Loopers, as everyone is funneling through the same geography right now. We didn't take a count, but there were probably 20 loop boats there.

Paris Landing is a Tennessee State Park facility, and the folks there were great. The facility reminded us some of Joe Wheeler State Park, particularly the Inn and restaurant. When we decided to eat at the restaurant, the Park Ranger came and picked us up, and returned us to the marina after dinner. The $10 all you can eat buffet left us quite stuffed...we enjoyed ourselves for sure.

Pebble Isle was a superb stop...we had a great time here. This marina is family owned and operated, and the folks here treated us like good friends. It was just a terrific place to stay...we could easily have stayed longer. The people were great, they had 2 courtesy vans, the docks were great...the only thing missing was that we were in the middle of nowhere and we had no cell coverage and marginal WiFi. Still, this will be remembered as a favorite spot.

One of the highlights this week sort of encapsulates what this journey has been all about. On the way to Paris Landing, we passed a sailboat that had a familiar name. But, we discounted that it was someone that we knew, because it had been practically 2 years since we had last met these folks. But, to our pleasant surprise, later that afternoon, we saw that it was James and Stacy on Glass Slipper! We had met these great folks almost 2 years ago in Mobile, and then as chance would have it, we spent Thanksgiving with them in Port St Joe, and then Christmas with them at Clearwater Beach in 2015. It was terrific to see them and catch up...and it once again demonstrated how small this cruising community is sometimes. This was a real treat!

So today, we are in transit to Clifton, TN, and only one day away form our anticipated wake crossing. We are keeping an eye on Hurricane Nate, but anticipate that we will not be dramatically affected. The skies are cloudy today, and we expect some rain over the next 2 days, but nothing is forecasted for our area that is anything to worry excessively about. It's hard to believe, but sometime tomorrow afternoon (Sunday) we will close the loop and cross our wake on the way into Aqua Yacht Harbor. Celebrations will ensue...in spite of any rain!

Alton to Hoppies to Little River Diversion Channel to Lock 53 to Paducah, KY to Green Turtle Bay

Day #725; Loop Miles to Date = 9,231

Since our last post, we've managed to dispense with the Mississippi and Ohio River sections of the loop...over 275 miles of very commercial travel that are some of the most dreaded miles on the loop. There are very few places to stop (particularly if you have dogs) 100's of large tows to deal with, substantial current, and a couple of locks that are notoriously slow and jammed with commercial traffic. Many loopers have waited 6-8 hours to pass just one of these locks, which makes planning your day very challenging. Add to this the extremely low water levels, and it makes for a difficult week of travel.

All in all, we were about as lucky as one can get coming through this stretch. We extended our travel days a couple of times (one day traveling 110 miles which is tough for us) but were always able to time the need for walking the pups with a spot that allowed us to do so. It was remarkable really. Sure, we found ourselves on some rocky/muddy banks, and a couple of crumbly, narrow walls, but it all worked out fine. And most unusually, we found our wait times very manageable through this entire stretch. We were also terrifically lucky on numerous occasions. We passed through the Ohio-Mississippi junction just as they were closing it to commercial traffic (which reduced the traffic for us) and then found ourselves leaving lock 53 just prior to it shutting down for an indeterminate period of time. We really were very fortunate.

So now we find ourselves at Green Turtle Bay in Grand Rivers, KY. We now have visited Missouri and Kentucky, bringing the total number of states to 17. It is an amazing experience...

Some interesting graffiti in the St Louis area.

Now this is some clever yard art!

Sandrobber in front of the arch, courtesy of Act III.

View of the Mississippi from Hoppies

The infamous dock at Hoppies...just a couple of commercial barges lashed together...a very welcome sight though in this part of the river.

And of course Fern, the octogenarian matriarch of the Upper Mississippi. She still gives a daily briefing to all travelers, giving them insight into the current river conditions downstream, and trying to help with safe anchorages in times like these when there is extreme low water. She is an amazing icon.

Leaving Hoppies with a caravan...

And with a beautiful mist on the water...a long day, but gorgeous.

Traffic sign entering the Chain of Rocks Canal...big problem if you miss this one.

It was difficult to capture the scope of this view...this is the array of barges parked in the waterway at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. There were hundreds and hundreds of them...at times it was difficult to see the path forward if not for your charts. This went on for miles.

A couple of shots of the new Olmstead Lock and Dam. This is an enormous project to build a new lock and dam to replace the old Lock 52 and Lock 53. We were very lucky to transit this entire string of locks with only about 3 hours total of wait times. Many loopers are stuck here for much more time than this.

This travel lift (crane) is rated for 5304 tons! Amazing.

Our spot on the old lock wall above Lock 53...we were able to spend the night here.

The brand spanking new city dock at Paducah, KY. This is a wonderful location for loopers. Even though we only spent one night here, this town could easily hold your attention for a couple of nights.

So now we find ourselves relaxing for a day at Green Turtle Bay. It is hard to imagine that our journey is winding down. We plan to be crossing our wake in about a week, and will savor the next few days of travel. As everyone says at this juncture, it is a bittersweet time. The good news is that it should be "easy" travel compared to much of what we have been through. It'll be nice to kick back and just enjoy the ride!

Some sunrise shots we managed at Alton...we're gonna miss these...

Ottawa to Henry to Havana to Hardin to Alton, IL

Day #716; Loop Miles to Date = 8,953

Whew...what a long week! We had some seriously long days, made excellent progress, and as we pen this, we are in Alton, IL weathering through some unbelievable heat for this time of year. Since our last post, we traveled 258 miles in 4 days, through 2 locks and past dozens of barges. The story of the week is the drastically low water levels on the Illinois River. We lingered in Ottawa, waiting for word on whether the river was going to open for transit below the LaGrange Lock. We learned on Tuesday that the Corps of Engineers was bringing in a dredge operation to deepen the channel where the river had become too shallow for the barges to clear...but that pleasure craft were still being allowed through.

Here's the scenario...all of the commercial tows and barges were stuck either below this choke point or above it waiting for the river to re-open for commercial traffic. And with each passing day, more barges clogged the banks of the river for miles getting in line to get through this area, which included the LaGrange lock. We had planned to make the transit through this area 3 days after leaving Ottawa, but decided we needed to find a way to make it in 2. And boy were we glad we did! The dredge was working on the problem as we passed, and the waterway opened about 12-15 hours after we passed. Loopers behind us who didn't make it this far face delays that could be a week to 10 days waiting for the commercial traffic to clear. Some lucky ones might get squeezed through, but many will simply be stuck for awhile.

From Ottawa we headed to Henry, where our "dock" for the night was an old decrepit lock wall. It was rather raggedy, but it had power, and it was a safe spot to stop on the river. It was 93 degrees out, so using the power for our A/C was certainly welcomed!

Not much grass around for the pups either...but they found a way to make do.

We've seen these replica ships a couple of times now...actual size replicas of the Nina and the Pinta. Much smaller than most would imagine.

To show how low the water is in these parts...these floating docks are on dry land.

We knew we were headed to an anchorage on Wednesday night, and seeing this jeep on the river bank gave us hope that it wouldn't be too seriously muddy to get the pups to shore...

Hey...what d'ya know?

Some creative decoration on a work barge we passed.

So Wednesday night when we pulled in behind Quiver Island, we ventured to shore to walk the pups...Sandy bit the bullet and jumped to shore first...and was ankle deep in muck. She took one for the team and was able to reach some dry land with her next step, and "we" got the job done. Then, when we got back to the boat, we learned that our much smarter friends on ACT III had found a boat ramp about a mile dinghy ride away...doh! So, the next few times, we used that facility instead...much less aggravating.

One of the unexpected learning's on this segment of the trip is that Illinois is second only to Alaska in it's population of Eagles...who knew!? We lost count of how many we saw...probably between 75 and 100...maybe more. Pictures of them are elusive as they are often just a bit too far away, or we're moving past them before we can get a shot. But, here is a good one that Sandy snagged of an immature:

The other thing we learned was that it takes them 4-5 years to lose this coloration and for their heads and tail feathers to turn white.

Much more of the riverbank is exposed than what is considered normal.

Some of the tows are huge...you can see that this one has plenty of crew quarters. These guys are on these things for weeks at a time or longer.

We've passed many who are pushing 15 barges...3x5 is the configuration. We know that when we get to the Mississippi, these will seem small!

From our anchorage at Quiver Island, we motored 100 miles to reach the Riverdock Restaurant in Hardin, IL. It was a very long day, but got us past the trouble spot. We were able to stop at the LaGrange lock to walk the pups. This was roughly half way, but still made for a longer day than we really enjoy. The restaurant docks were small...6 looper boats were there, and we had to raft 2 deep to be able to accommodate everyone. It really didn't matter...we were so tired, we were just glad to have a spot to tie up where we didn't have to dingy the dogs to shore.

Here is where we started to see the barges parked on the side of the river...we saw at least 15 of these above the LaGrange Lock.

And below the lock, we found the dredge operation...this is just the crew quarters barge/operations center.

Here is the actual dredge...it was enormous.

It had 2 tows on its beam helping to move it around the channel.

That's a LOT of water being discharged as we go by. They moved this out of our way to let us pass, and then it would swing back across the channel. When it is actually dredging, this water is mostly mud.

We encountered a couple of flocks of migrating white pelicans. We didn't expect to see them this far north.

And on Saturday we finally hit the Mississippi! It is wide and expansive...pictures don't really reveal the scale of this river. We only transited about 12 miles of it to get to Alton...many more to go when we leave here.

 

And now for the category this week of unexpected sights...we went out to dinner on Saturday in Alton and randomly selected a piano bar called the Ragin' Cajun. Well...at about 8 pm, the entertainment started with dueling piano players. And we can say with certainty that we did not expect to see these 2 guys as the star talent...

 

In particular, a 60-year old guy in reading glasses wearing a John Deere hat? This was seriously entertaining! They were pretty good, and kept us entertained for an hour or so until we decided that we were just too tired to stay any longer.

And now, just a couple of leftover pics from our stay in Chicago that didn't make the last post...

Right in the middle of downtown Chicago, we found this rest bench decorated with soda cans...interesting to say the least.

And again in downtown Chicago, the official beginning of the infamous Route 66.

During our transit on Thursday, we were passing a tow in the vicinity of Turkey Island and...thunk - thunk - bang! We hit a deadhead...some log most likely hiding under the surface of the water and churned up by the tow. It hit our hull twice, and then we think it bounced off of our prop. Fortunately, we are quite certain that no real damage has been done. We've spent a bunch of angst figuring out whether we needed to get the boat hauled out of the water now...or wait until the haul-out that we already have scheduled down the way. We notice only a very minor vibration, and expect that the prop simply has a ding in it, or one of the blades is slightly bent. Nothing catastrophic, and we've decided that we're fine for the time being and we can address any needed repair in a few weeks. The vibration is so minor, that if you weren't familiar with our "ride" you probably wouldn't even know that it was there.

So for now we are tucked away in Alton (just north of St Louis) for a few days. We're resting up and staying out of the record heat. Early next week we will begin our adventure down the Mighty Mississippi...more tales to tell after that!