Mississippi, Ohio, and Cumberland Rivers

On Thursday, September 25, three trawlers and one tug boat left Alton to tackle a five day river trip together. There would be no true marinas along the following 310 miles of river systems. The days would get to be slow and long ( one hour of driving a car at 70 mph is like cruising in a boat for seven hours at 10mph! ) During those long hours the comaraderie of our fellow boaters developed into steadfast friendships.

The 'Mighty Mississippi' River didn't let us down with it's facts we had read and heard about. The muddy, swirling waters normally run fast at 3-4 knots to give boats an extra boost. The many other waterways entering into the Mississippi create extra turbulence to prepare for. Add the extra wake when a big towboat passes with a full load of 25 barges and you have cruising at a whole different level of awareness. We aways knew these upcoming days were going to be a part of the trip we signed up for!

The recent flood added another 3 knots plus the water truly looked like liquid, swirling mud. Later I would recall that whenever I tried to take a photo with a reflection of the land in the water, there was no sparkle or shine to the water. Just dull and poison looking. An abundance of turbulence from extra swollen water gave reason for a continual lookout for potentially submerged bouys. These red and green bouys were not in the right places on several occasions either. Many a time they had moved right next to each other. ( Boats need to follow these red and green markers on their river charts and stay between them within the proper channels.) Unfortunately on our third day, one of our boats did hit a submerged bouy and had to back away from us and get towed to Green Turtle Bay Marina, KY which is where we all ended up anyway. Fortunately, the boat being towed had the right boating insurance to cover it!

While traveling, we would set our alarm to wake up around 6 or 6:30 a.m., just before daylight. One of our friends would always get on the marine radio to give us our morning greeting: " Good morning kids, are we ready to go play?" He and his wife were a lot of fun and were a tremendous help informing us with the necessary information along the way because they had done this trip before a few years back.

The banks of the Mississippi River were fun to look at in spite of the drab water. On both sides there were plenty of forests and sandy shoals. It was easy to imagine the river tales of Mark Twain and others. We went past Chester, IL where Popeye the Sailor man was born, and Metropolis, IL, the town made famous by Superman.

We all read our river charts each mile of the way, communicating constantly on our marine radios; the leader of the day would call out a warning whenever he saw something to watch out for. The first boat heading out would be our cruising leader of the day. This leader would also radio the approaching towboats to politely ask which way we should pass. To give you an idea of the magnitude of the barges, it is estimated that one barge can hold the equivalent cargo of six or seven train cars full. The biggest towboat we have passed so far had 30 barges on it! By the way, a tug boat becomes a towboat when it has the barges attached.

We listened to these tow boat operators on their own radio channels with interest. They would chatter to each other with their thick southern drawls that sounded like they were speaking a foreign language. They talked about the currents, how they were going to pass each other, objects in the river and once in awhile we'd hear something about those idiot pleasure boaters. When we'd ask them how to pass, they would come back with either a one whistle pass (meaning he wanted us to pass him on his port (his left) side and a two whistle pass was to pass him on his starboard (or right side).

After anywhere from four to seven hours a day of being on the go we'd all settle in either on a free dock wall, an anchorage, or a lock wall. Once on the Ohio River we tied up to a cement lock cell right out on the open river! And at the end of the day, happy hour on someones boat was a must.

Our plan had us going through St Louis soon on the first day. It is a fascinating town to look at as you pass by, however, it is a very busy comercial port and you really have to be alert constantly. The recent flood caused this port to close for awhile and the closure was the first time in it's recorded history! We were thrilled to have Freedom's Turn's photo taken by one of our traveling boaters here! Charlie's friend Peter Bakker, who had visited us with his wife and mother-in-law earlier at Grafton, works very close to the Eads Bridge (the first bridge over this part of the Mississippi) and told us to give him a call and he would come and take a photo of us as we passed. We did and it was a thrill to know he was up there sharing in our excitement! Thank you Peter!

The first night we tied up to the Kaskaskia Free Lock wall. We joined two other boats here who would remain with us for the rest of the way. The next morning was eventful; first we saw a beautiful early morning sunrise, then as we left, an Asian carp (invasive species) hit our boat, jumped 4 feet in the air and landed inside our boat in the side well! We heard a load thud and thought for sure we hit a very bad thing. When Charlie could leave the helm, he posed for a photo to prove we really had the fish on board. Very messy to clean up. Not a great way to get fish!

The next night we stayed off the Mississippi in a small channel called Little River Diversion Canal. Peaceful anchorage by all. On to the Ohio River.

When Freedom's Turn saw the calm, sparkling blue-green waters of the Ohio River, I bet she was smiling. Charlie said he felt like he had gone from poison to purity. A photo we enclosed here shows the amazing color difference between the two rivers. That night our gang tied up to Federal concrete cells that were part of the partially completed (2013) Olmstead Lock and Dam. Normally this tie up would not have allowed for pleasure craft, but the lock is still being built and is nonfunctional at this time. As with any lock, it is mandatory that you call the lock master ahead for permission to tie up.

On our fourth day, we reached the Cumberland River and were now in Kentucky. We anchored in an area called the Cumberland Tow. The water was 81 degrees and Charlie jumped in for a swim! We saw our first glimpse of fall color and it was a delight to see. The air had more of a crisp feel and the temperature was dipping into the 70's. The thoughts of our Michigan autumn season came to our minds fast and strong.

On day 5 we saw an amazing thing. Perched on a large dead grove of trees, hundreds of Turkey Vultures watched us go by! On this day we geared up to go through the Barkley Lock, which raised us 67' up. This was the the last "event" before we ended this leg of our adventure because right around the corner was our meeting place for several of us loopers: a full serviced marina called Green Turtle Bay in Grand Rivers, Kentucky.

At the conclusion of this second main leg out of ten, we are grateful for three things: one: an awesome performance by Freedom's Turn, two: lots of rich American history learned, and three: thank goodness this blog is finished for today!

Charlie says hello as he reads and adds bits to this blog.

Hope all is well with you and yours,

Linda

Preparing for the Mississippi River

Well, we finally made it to Kentucky, at Green Turtle Bay on the "Land Between the Lakes"! It is Charlie's birthday, October 1. We will be here at least until October 5th, a nice break. Time and Internet access are now available to update the blog. Below is the first part in how we got here after the flood cleared.

On our last day in Grafton, IL we hiked up a steep road in town and visited the Piasa Winery. Many years ago, the Illinois Indians of the region told the story of a monster bird that devoured man. Their word for this bird was"Piasa" (pronounced Pie-a-saw). The story of the bird has been handed down from generation to generation. Although we did not get to see the attraction later when we stayed in Alton, we read about a huge cliff painting of the Piasa bird that had been carved and painted on a cliff outside of town. Back at the winery, we enjoyed a glass of a locally made Pinot Grigio and observed the panoramic view of the convergence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. We were about to leave our flood home of Grafton Marina to go down the Mississippi the very next day. Although we could not see the condition of the Mississippi River from up on that hilltop, we knew that the Coast Guard had just given the 'green light' to go for all pleasure boaters heading south.

We untied the lines of Freedom's Turn on Wednesday, September 24 and headed for the Alton marina; the other marina in the area with 12 stranded looper boats to our ten waiting to leave. Freedom's Turn was scheduled in the second wave of boats moving out of Alton. Along the way to Alton, Charlie and I finally got to see more of the magnificent cliffs we could only partially see from our Grafton slip. (See top photo) We ran this short 15 mile trip to Alton to meet up with three of those 12 boats and plan our strategy for leaving together the next day as river buddies traveling the Mighty Mississippi. As you can see by observing our attached hot tub photo, the strategy meeting went well! Charlie reported back to our friends at Grafton that the Mississippi River, with it's current moving us an additional 5-6 knots and debris definitely to watch out for, was doable.

It was here that Freedom's Turn experienced her first covered slip; being told ahead it had a clearance of 18 ft. We thought we were OK. Although we had calculated our overall height many times, it was impossible to know exactly until now what we cleared. We discovered we had about six inches to spare as we breathed a big sigh of relief. Before we left the town, we enjoyed a delicious meal in an Italian restaurant with our friend Linda from Etc. and then walked past the historical city square of the final senatorial debate of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. This debate actually drew over 6,000 visitors in 1858. The men's statues are life-like and keep the famous series of debates frozen forever in time. Of course, the Republican won the election!

Four boats went to bed early that night for a 7 a.m. departure the next day; our first day of five on an expedition down the Mighty Mississippi, up the Ohio and up the Cumberland Rivers without marinas or towns.

Love to all,

Linda

A Few Trip Statistics 8-08-08 to 9-27-08

On Saturday, September 27, 2008, Freedom's Turn reached the end of the Upper Mississippi at the mouth of the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois. The map above is a word document and can be made larger by double clicking on it. To go back to the blog, click on the back arrow key, upper left corner of screen. Photocopied with permission from Raven Cove Publishing Company. This map was a gift from our sailing friends, Erich and Sharon Homolka.

A few statistics as of this date:

Days cruising: 51

Nights in a marina: 38

Nights at anchor: 8

Nights tied up to a free dock or wall: 5

Weather: except for 1 flood,(!) mostly sunny days in mid 80's; nights in the 50's, 8 days of rain

Engine hours used: 123

Total miles traveled: 968

423 miles: Cheboygan, MI on Lake Huron to Chicago, IL, on Lake Michigan

327 miles: Chicago, IL to Grafton, IL on the Illinois River and Upper Mississippi Rivers

218 miles: Grafton, IL to Cairo, IL: Upper Mississippi River to Ohio River

Ice cream cone costs: $115

Blackberry pie costs: $36

Time learning more about each other: Priceless

Grafton and the flood

Here in Grafton, IL the sky is a beautiful blue on this peaceful Sunday morning, and the sun seems to promise a lovely day. Yet we look out our stern directly to see that the muddy, debris filled, fast moving river water is still having it's way with us. We wait patiently on mother nature to recede her flood waters enough for safe cruising. (Both the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers here are closed 100 miles north of here and 200 miles south of here!) We also wait for the many agencies such as the Coast Guard and the Corp. of Engineers to advise us! Charlie studies several river and weather web sites many times daily to keep us updated and for that I am gratefull. When one is informed one can cope better!

The river crested here Wednesday from 15 ft. to 25.5Ft-(major flood stage here is 26.5) ,three days after Ike's winds and rains hit here a week ago today. The extra water created extra power and thus extra current (up to 5-6 knots here). This condition creates havoc in handling one's boat properly. Add that to no buoy markers to stay within your boundaries, continuous trees and who knows what else floating by on top let alone the unseen mysteries moving below! We are doing OK but are anxiously waiting to leave after nine days plus.

Added to this picture are the 40+ looper boats like us stuck at different places in this expansive area of closed rivers. We are waiting to move not only from marinas but some are tied up to barges and lock walls! This situation has created a need for some sort of master exit plan. One of the more experienced looper boats has now set up a plan with the executive directors of our cruising association to create excel spreadsheets keeping track of the river information and the locations of all of us. These sheets will somehow coordinate a strategic plan for getting us all down river. We now read our specially created emails from the directors and are all known as the "river rats." The problem is compounded by the fact that their are very few marinas for the next two hundred miles of here and we cannot all go down river at once!

We guess this is a part of the adventure we all signed up for!

Charlie and I have been forced to slow down and enjoy the moment now more than ever! We have found new pleasure in catching up with chores (or we convince ourselves we have) and we have had the opportunity to get to know Grafton's quaintness such as buying produce and pies from Uncle Andy's Produce, buying things both necessary and interesting from Jimbo's Food and General store, eating great food (the Mississippi Half Step Restaurant) and meeting wonderful people such as Jan and Joe, our harbormasters here at Grafton Marina. We have been here long enough to enjoy an art show, (!) go through two blackberry pies from the pie lady (Uncle Andy's wife), attend the Grafton Methodist church, and the opportunities to watch two victorious MSU football games on back to back weekends in our marina's bar (the bar's cook let us taste test their delicious chicken strips recipes).

Well, we know this is a part of the adventure we signed up for.

This past Wednesday we decided to attempt to rent a car and go to St Louis, MO about 35 miles from here. Some of the roads were closed but we found our way and we thoroughly enjoyed going to the famous Gateway Arch! We rode to the top in a tram car on the inside of the arch where you can look out. This arch was designed by Architect Eero Saarinen and built from 1963-65. The arch is a structure known as a catenary curve; the shape of a free-hanging chain takes when held at both ends and considered the most structurally sound shape. The span at the ground level equals the height of 630 feet and is the tallest national monument in the U.S.
(This information was obtained by the city's tourist pamphlet and the Internet). The main building material on the exterior of the arch is stainless steel. Charlie and I could actually feel the heat from the sun coming off of the walls as walked by it.

On this day, we also went to the official Lewis and Clark museum near here in Hartford, Illinois. Although we have always been fascinated by this historical boat journey and expedition, it really hit home for us this time. The first site of their expedition is just a short distance from here in Wood River, Illinois. The boat they used was a barge type of boat, 55 feet long, weighed 10 tons unloaded and 20 tons loaded. The museum has a full size replica of their boat cut right down the middle. Lewis and Clark had 26 crew including themselves plus another 20 some boatmen to paddle the big oars. The trip took two years and four months to the Pacific Northwest, beginning in May of 1804. Their successful mission included: making maps, establishing peaceful relations with the Native American Indians, studying plants and animals and bringing specimens back to Congress and President Jefferson. It took them five months to stock the boat with some of the following items: 3,700 lbs. of flour, 3,000 lbs. of pork, and 1,000 lbs. of corn. What was truly amazing to us is the fact that with the exception of Meriweather Lewis and William Clark, all the others had to get off the boat to sleep in tents on the shore! And there were several times when the men had to portage (to carry the boat on land) when the waters were too small (this also took on a whole new meaning for us!). Can you imagine not being able to sleep in your own boat after working on it all day and before going to bed you had to lift it somewhere?

By late afternoon we headed back to our boat, but first a stop in Alton, to visit looper friends of ours at the Alton Marina and last, to the famous Fast Eddies Diner in downtown Alton. The hamburgers and fries were cheap and good and the music was loud and entertaining! By early evening, (yes there is still more) we returned to our marina to find out the river had risen more and our marina was now an island! We had to park our rental car a block away and had to carry our Walmart purchases, shoes etc., in ankle deep river water to our marina!

Every day is truly a different adventure.

It is time to sign off but first we want to talk about three things Charlie and I appreciate. One is our house sitter, Christa, (not our daughter- another Christa) who is looking after our home and property and who is kindly sending us our mail. Two is our great tailgating friends back home who actually call us during their MSU football tailgates to make us feel good, And three to our wonderful new computer and air card from Verizon that we can hook up easily to stay in touch with everyone!

Finally, I'd like to note that it is enjoyable for me to include quotes in this blog from Henry David Thoreau because this trip for us is a lot like what Thoreau felt and what he wrote as he lived "deliberately" in the wilderness. He left many things in his life to go away and take a deeper look at nature. To him, all of nature represented a " spiritual cycle of life" and a miracle; "bigger than all of human nature". We agree with him on that.

Bye Bye,

Linda and Charlie

Rollin' on the Illinois River

First of all, we are safe and tucked away in the Grafton, IL marina at the convergence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. Bud, Monte and Erich: we are fine. Hurricane Ike has come and gone; now the flood! We have had several very exciting, (more below) very trying days, but they are behind us. More about that later. Linda is doing the laundry, so I have to use up a lot of time doing the blog!

We proceeded to follow our river charts as we began the Chicago Sanitary Canal which would eventually lead us into the Illinois River. We went through three locks (out of 8 total) with no wait, each lowering us from two feet, then 42 feet then 22 feet before we reached Joliet. Our river chart book was wonderful in providing us with the details we needed to know each mile of the way. With the commercial barges and other boats on a river, and the bridges to go under and the little towns you pass, we needed to be on a lookout all the time, to be courteous to other boaters when we needed to be as well as not to lose our place on the charts! Before we would reach a lock, we radioed the lockmaster to get directions to proceed the way he wanted us to. It is very different to look up and see automobile traffic coming and going up on top of the bridges while we are down below, like we are in a completely different world.

We have belonged to an organization called America's Great Loop Cruisers Association for a number of years. With our membership, we are linked to several hundred other pleasure boaters who are also either on the same 'Great Loop' trip we are now on, have already gone on the trip or who are planning the trip for the future. The organization provides information through an email link, a website and newsletters where we all share many tips and other valuable information. Until Joliet, we had just emailed a few of our fellow "loopers" but in Joliet we caught up with a traveling party of six other looper boats while docking at the city wall. Since then, we have stayed with a few of the boats as we went through more locks, stayed at Ottawa, Henry, Peoria, anchor near Beardstown and then arriving in Grafton on September 12 (my brother Bud's birthday, he is x!?<> years old.

Upon leaving Chicago (as everyone knows NOT one of my (Charlie) favorite places) I must admit it was quite awesome going through downtown. It almost made me forget (did I say almost!) the $120/night dock fees and $4.90 ice cream scoop. After leaving downtown, it was clear sailing..........until a few miles later the always promised open 11' (we are 15'6" minimum height) railroad bridge was closed! We tried radioing the bridgemaster on channels 16, 14, 13 and 9---no response. The current was carrying us toward the bridge so we had to turn around and look to tie up nearby. As I was looking for a phone number to call, now 20 minutes later, the bridge began to rise. We scooted under and were finally out of Chicago!

Our first destination, estimated at 6 hours, was the Joliet town wall (did I mention town walls are typically free---my favorite, but no electricity or water,) just below the Lockport lock. No problems, except that I quickly found out that the tow boat captains owned the river. Here I thought we taxpayers owned it, but I was wrong! Right where the Chicago Sanitary Canal merges with the Cal-Sag Canal, the channel narrows to around 100 yards. Our clear open channel was now clogged with tugs and barges (combined they make a tow). The barges were joined 1 to 4 wide and on both sides of the channel, but all were apparently stationary. That was until I started to go by one of them on my port (that is the left) and he began to ease out, thus forcing me into stationary barge on my starboard (that is the right). I was about 1/3 of the way around him with no where to go and the current pushing. My only option was to speed up and pass him quickly, so I gave Freedom's Turn all she had! We made it around the tow on the port and just cleared the barge on the starboard. Whew! I felt good that we made it around the tow and were safe; but I couldn't understand why another upstream tug was coming straight at me pushing a ton of water. I went left-he went left, I went right-he went right; finally I went to neutral and drifted sideways, as he did. As we drifted by each other, he shouted across the water in VERY clear words something to the effect that this was a NO WAKE zone! I thought 'all they have to do is put up a sign' stating such, but I had to learn the hard way. Needless to say I am now typically at idle speed when around any tow or tug. Later on, at Joliet, I was talking to other Loopers and one of them stated that he was in the exact same situation and he had time to radio the tow captain and asked where he should go to be out of the way. The tow captain's answer was something to the effect of "back to Florida"! Footnote: many vulgar words have been cleaned up for this posting. Anyway, we got to the Lockport lock in fine condition not withstanding the tows. Along the way we crossed an "electrical fence" put in place to help prevent the Asian Carp (invasive species) from moving into Lake Michigan. These fish are also known as flying carp; they are agitated into 'flying' by boat motors. They can get to 80 lbs. but are more typically 5-15 lbs. I have seen several of them come out of the water 2-3 feet and leave a big splash For anyone interested, you can go to http://www.riverbills.com/ and get more information on the carp (and the Illinois River weather also). At Joliet we were greeted by a single boat, Etcetera, and have traveled with them since, off and on; great knowledge of the trip as they are on their second loop. Our two boats were the only ones at the wall-dock that night.

The next day Linda and I went to eat at the Joliet Harrah's Casino (didn't gamble---$20 minimum tables). When we returned from lunch there were 7 Looper boats tied up at the wall. That evening we had a dock party and slept comfortably. We all left the following morning---quite a sight. 7 boats in a convoy, bridges opening (most of the other boats were taller than us) and locks accommodating. A point of interest---in the locks you are typically given 2 lines from the top of the lock. These are held bow and stern with the other ends secured to the top of the lock wall, as the water goes down (or up) you hold your own boat in place. Some locks have bollards, floating cans in the lock wall, that you can tie up to---as the water level changes your boat floats with the can. Bollards are Linda's favorite. She has become quite the First Mate while in transit (at dock she is The Admiral!). Lines, fenders, docks, locks, charts are all handled quite efficiently. The clinch knot, her favorite (not!), is now tied correctly.

We traveled the next day in the rain to Ottawa (not Canada) town docks and stayed there with Etcetera and Grace Full (we rafted to Grace Full as the dock was quite small). That evening we went to the local liquor store and hit a gold mine. Glenlivet scotch was $32 a bottle ($37 in Michigan). 1.75 L of Southern Comfort was $22. We now are supplied through the dry counties of Kentucky and Tennessee!

The following day (9/8) we traveled in the rain again (getting the picture?) to Henry. We had to stay on a limestone wall because the water was so skinny (shallow) in the marina. Henry was a nice small town, but the marina was very second class in appearance and help. A fellow boater (in a trench coat no less!) helped us tie up under very trying conditions. We walked about 1 mile to get some supplies and then did it a second time because we forgot the apples!

On 9/9 we stopped in Peoria after traveling in the rain half of the day. We stayed at the IVY (Illinois Valley Yacht) Club for two nights. We needed the rest. Most of the other Loopers we were traveling with moved on after the first night. We had an excellent meal in the Yacht Club (pot roast) and got to wear our good clothes for the first time!

At Peoria, we now understood from our friends on Etcetera, that Ike was most likely going to come though our area, and as it had been raining for several days, we knew the ground was already saturated. Perfect conditions for a flood. We made plans to get to Grafton before Ike hit. This meant going 170 miles and 2 locks in 2 days. The first day we were immediately locked through the Peoria Lock and went around a large tow (3 X 5 barges) for this area. We made very good time with a 2-3 mph current. We passed several marinas that we might have typically stayed at because we wanted to travel longer. We got below Beardstown, 3 miles before the La Grange Lock, that evening. We did our first anchor on the river behind Bar Island. It was very peaceful and I watched the Asian Carp jump just off the south point of the island while having a scotch and cigar (Linda's Scarlett O'Hare went down in about 60 seconds!). We slept much better than I thought; we were probably just worn out.

We cleared the La Grange Lock around 8:00 AM on 9/12 after a 15 minute wait on a barge that had to be taken apart to get through (his lock through was over 2 hours, that is why we call ahead). We were making great time when we came upon a rail bridge listed at 21.1' (remember we are 17'6" and go down to 15'6" with the radar post lowered). I figured we did not have to lower the radar because we had plenty of clearance. The closer we got to the bridge, it sure looked lower than 21.1'. I slowed to idle, then to neutral, THEN to reverse! Too late, the current was taking us under the bridge regardless of height. I looked at Linda on the back area of the fly bridge and her eyes were closed waiting for the crash. Luckily only 1 ft. of the whip antennas scrapped and the radar missed by about 6 inches! The First Mate (read: Admiral), very business like, reminded the Captain that it only takes about 30 seconds to lower the radar. Enuf said.

We made it through the Hardin area only to find out that the flash flood warnings for the area were real for the rest of the way to Grafton. Full trees, logs, etc blocked our way most of the time. Radioing into Grafton and having our slip waiting for us was a true pleasure. We got here around 5 PM on Friday, 9/12. The marina has floating docks, water, electricity, pool (80 degrees), wi-fi, restaurant, sports-bar, courtesy car and 7 other Loopers. 5 inches of rain fell here from Ike on Saturday night/Sunday morning. The water level here is typically 16'; by this Wednesday 9/17 it is expected to be 27.7' (the record here is 29.0'). This flood is considered a major flood near 27', but we may not get there. Anyway, the flood will not crest down the Mississippi (near the Ohio River convergence) until Saturday/Sunday 9/20-21. We are staying put, maybe going down to Alton (15 miles) in a few days; just above St. Louis and above the Missouri River convergence. It is uglier down river.

Socially we have been spending this time with the other Loopers (7 other boats here) and had special visitors yesterday. A walleye fishing friend that grew up in Okemos and was a swimmer, Peter Bakker, his wife and mother-in-law stopped by the boat yesterday. They live in St. Charles, MO near St. Louis. We are honored to have friends like this visit and share stories (and blackberry pie and ice cream!). With a little bit of time on our hands we are hoping to get a car and visit Hannibal (Mark Twain), Alton (Lincoln Debate and a casino), St. Louis Arch, etc. Our friend Demetri will not forgive us if we don't! I would be remiss if I didn't mention that we were able to watch the MSU football game this past week-end (17-0 victory, now 2-1) in the marina's sports bar, eating appetizers and drinking beer while our season ticket buddies were in a hard rain and trying to tailgate! We felt so sorry for them.

I must go now. Linda has finished the laundry and is now starting a rumor that there is going to be a dock party this evening at 5:00. We think of you all often and hope life is good. We regret not being around at times of need for our friends and family.

Charlie (and Linda!)

Chicago

Freedom's Turn crossed over Lake Michigan from New Buffalo, Michigan to Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday, September 2. The weather was sunny and very warm and the big lake laid day down nice and quiet for us. We could not see land nor any boats for quite awhile; just like we owned the lake! Hurricane Gustav was way below us and after about a five hour cruise,we hoped we would be fine, tucked into our reserved slip at Burnham Marina, one of Chicago's eight recreational marinas on the 29 mile stretch of Chicago's riverfront.

Charlie won the bet on which one of us would see the city skyline first (6 miles-fog). Our first sightings were surrounded by the remains of a low lying fog which cast different levels of blue gray over everything; the water, sky, and city. As we entered the harbor, the buildings popped out clearly enough to see the magnificent panoramic view! Our marina had most of their of 1,140 boat slips full as we entered Burnham Marina to find our place. We soon realized that of all the boats there, the place was almost deserted; most of them were seasonal rentals and with it being after Labor Day as well as in the middle of the week, we saw just a few people on their boats.

The docks were labeled from A to Z and all had a locked gate with a code at each dock! We were at dock R and a long way to the harbormaster and the restrooms and showers on top of no one around. It was an eerie feeling.

Our marina was about a four block walk north to the Art Institute and Navy Pier and very close to Grant Park, the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum of Natural History. We first rode our bikes in Grant Park; to just get off the boat and to get a better feel for the area. We soon discovered the Shedd Aquarium was closed for the week!

The next day, Charlie really wanted a long walk. He knew I was hoping to go to one of my very favorite places: the Chicago Art Institute. So we set out walking together then separated for three hours. When we met up, I wanted pizza. We found the wonderful "Pizzeria Uno" restaurant where we enjoyed a heavenly deep dish pizza and a beer. For those of you that do not know, this restaurant is credited to be the birthplace of the deep dish pizza in the world. We were glad to have some left over for the next day. Charlie had gotten his long walk in; to the north end of Michigan Ave. as well as to the Navy Pier! Ice cream ($4.90-small scoop) was expensive at Navy Pier but Charlie's craving took over. I bet I walked closed to ten miles by the end of the day and Charlie walked even more. Charlie said that this day was all about Linda. I guess I need to try to find a way to have more of these days....

It is a good thing we got our exercise because the next day the winds and rain from Gustave hit Chicago. With 6-10 footers on the lake and very high winds, we became stranded on our boat and could not leave to go south nor did we choose to even get off our boat. We really felt alone but made the best of it with showers on the boat, a DVD and popcorn that evening. We canceled our plans for more museums and shopping.

The next morning, the waves had subsided to 2-4 ft and the wind had calmed down a bit to 15-20 knots out of the northwest so conditions were good to go. It was Friday, September 5. We went outside of our protective break wall and down two miles into the lock area which would open up for us to proceed into the Chicago River. We had an hour wait for the lock to open due to the storm the day before. Once tied up in the lock, we quickly dropped the two feet into the Chicago River. This lock is approximately 580 feet above sea level. Before we get to Mobile, Alabama we will have to go through many locks!

The Chicago River is an emerald green color and has the distinction of being the only river in the world that flows backward. Engineers reversed the river so that the city's agricultural and industrial run off did not pollute Lake Michigan, which is the source of the city's drinking water. A little farther down, we would go over a specially designed electrical field under the river that shocked fish especially the the invasive species Asian Carp;trying to prevent them from coming into Lake Michigan from the Mississippi River. We have heard stories about these carp leaping into boats and hitting boats down south of us! Yuck!

We were ready to go through the downtown under several bridges. Charlie's design and building of our radar arch support prop was in place so we could lower our radar dome and anchor light to get from our overall height of 17' 5'' to 15'5'' which was then clear enough to handle all the bridges except the Amtrak bridge which opened to let us through. If boats can't clear heights of 17 feet, they have to proceed south by another route, called the Calumet-Sag waterway near East Chicago and Whiting, Indiana. Both ways merge further south on the Illinois River

As we went under the first downtown bridge, the Lakeshore Dr. Bridge, geese were swimming along with us as if to say "now follow us south." Silently and in awe we cruised by skyscraper after skyscraper, looking up and feeling like we were just a dot in the overall picture. We did not see any other recreational boat on the the downtown part of the river that day so we felt like we owned the river as well! Charlie said it was like we were in a river canyon, looking way up at the little people walking along the walkways that lined both sides of the river. The city was moving fast and we were taking it all in while moving slow. The view from the river was so unique and today we remember this time as a 'once in a lifetime' thrill.

Our destination that day was to go about six hours and end up tied at a free city dock wall in Joilet in the afternoon.

Some Highlights of our Michigan visit

1. 
   Our Michigan highlights include: welcoming towns like South Haven, eating Michigan produce and Lake Michigan trout and whitefish fish dinners on our boat, relaxing times, beach walks, Fishtown in Leland, and biking on Beaver Island. And we have met up with other Great Loopers like us along our way! That has been fun and somewhat comforting!

Charlie's First Post

Well, this is my first post on the blog, so don't expect too much! Not as much 'touchy feely' as Linda has done. I use a lot of quotes, exclamation points and parentheses for emphasis, so get used to it! This is our 3rd week. For those of you in the "Freedom's Turn Distance Pool" that had Manistee---you lost! We are now in Grand Haven and will be spending our 4th night here. The first 3 nights were planned, but today we are weathered in with a "small craft advisory" which means 3-5 ft. waves or larger (no fun unless you are a seagull). We were going on to Saugatuck today or tomorrow, but at $100/night marina fee (typically we pay a nightly marina fee of $37-44, governor's tax included!), we will skip it and go on to South Haven. So much for liberal towns.

We got here from Frankfort to Manistee (4 hrs) then Pentwater (5.5 hrs) . This time of year salmon fishing is the dominant thing to do in these towns. All these towns are unique but possess this commonality. Boats going out fishing at 5:30 AM and returning at 11:00 AM and then repeating it at 6-10 PM. I mention the time because that is when Freedom's Turn is a rockin', and I mean from the wakes of the fishing boats! We've seen many 15-20 lb. salmon with the most and biggest in Frankfort. In Manistee we stayed at the city marina on the river; this is where Carrie and Jody got engaged at the light house. We didn't get to the casino, but enjoyed the 'up north small town atmosphere', esp. the cigar lounge (me not Linda). Speaking of Linda, she has been a god-send on this trip. I'm not too sure where I'm at after retirement, but she keeps us focused and is forever busy, and tolerates my highly unusual and infrequent mood swings. Enuf said.

Pentwater was great for a couple of reasons. We got to visit and have breakfast with some good friends, Ralph and Cherrie Lundberg. Ralph was my boss in the State Police crime lab and left to run the family farm near Pentwater in the late seventies. We had kept in touch with them, but not for several years, so this visit was very special. Ralph wants to have the first functional windmill in the area on his farm! Only business and politics stand in the way! Pentwater is also a stronghold for Michigan State fans and supporters. We had lunch one day at a restaurant owned and run by the Perles family. I even got to weigh on a scale gauged from 0-500 lbs. (probably for George) in their store (I have lost 5 lbs---I need more ice cream). We anchored out both nights there near Perles' home. I'm sure they loved it!

We came from Pentwater to here, Grand Haven (7.5 hrs). Last night we had a Friendly, WV childhood friend, Randy Rutherford, and his wife, Mary Ann, on board for happy hour and then out to dinner. They have lived here for over 15 years. I know I could have talked to them forever. It's funny how two friends both moved to Michigan, live a couple of hours apart, and only found out about it nearly 45 years later at a class reunion. Of course, I reminded Randy of the time he stuck a knife in my foot playing 'stretch' (absolutely against my Mom's rules!).

Take care until next time. Then again, maybe I'll continue writing (Linda has wiped down the boat and finished two loads of laundry while I have been doing this!). By the way, to see the new, larger photo in a full size, just double click on it.

Charlie (aka Charles to family!)

PS We have only used slightly more than 1/4 tank of fuel, about 80 gallons, in 257 nautical miles (295 'normal' miles, 3.7 mpg. Donations needed for next fill-up!

Our first week

We had spent countless days, weeks and months planning a different life away from our home in Okemos. Our goal of making our boat a cozy new home was finished. Our daughter, Carrie drove us up to Freedom's Turn on Wednesday, August 6. She left us there the next morning. We had no car. We could not nor did we wish to turn back. When Charlie and I woke up early on Friday, August 8, 2008, snuggled in our berth on Freedom's Turn, we could prepare no more. This was the day. We pulled out of our slip with a full boat and a full feeling of anticipation; saying good by to our slip and our dock for one year! It was our time to go. It is impossible to explain our excitement. We do not begin to know what a year will feel like; all we know is what that morning felt like. We felt free, being both retired at last. We were ready to live our dream.

We left Cheboygan and cruised to our first destination; the annual Duncan Bay Rendezvous in Government Bay, located in the beautiful Les Cheneaux Islands, in Michigan's Upper Peninusla on the southeastern shoreline. Some of us from the boat club came a day early before the weather became turbulent. The rest of our boater friends never came and had their own event back in Cheboygan. We had a wonderful send off, complete with the campfire, great food, and sharing stories that we always have each year.

Next we cruised to 51 miles west and south to a favorite place of ours; Beaver Island. We stayed at the municipal marina for two nights. Beaver Island is the largest island on Lake Michigan and is located in the northeast section of the lake. We have been to the island a few times before and we always feel like we are on an adventure as we enter the St. James Harbor, especially this time! On our way into the bay we saw one of the Tall Ships anchored there. The magnificent ship looked like the pirate ship in the movie 'The Goonies"! We cruised at our normal speed of 7 -8 knots which is about 9 miles per hour with light breezes on our stern. The weather was
wonderful, we got lots of exercise riding our bicycles and walking to the ice cream stores! I was happy to visit one of my friends, Joyce Bartels who is the island's historian and lives on the island every summer. And our delicious meal at Nina's at the Beaver Island Lodge on the patio overlooking the beautiful sunset was a big treat.

The next two nights we spent at the the new city marina in Charlevoix; a beautiful beach town with the best of all worlds. Quaint downtown with their sidewalk sales going on, farmer's market, artist galleries, fancy condos, and the beautiful Lake Charlevoix. We cruised this big lake in our dinghy and decided this was the life! We had our first visitors as well; the Spitzleys of Portland and the Poniers of Charlevoix.

Then on to Leland with it's historic "Fish Town" a popular place to buy the fresh caught lake trout, whitefish, and salmon right off the docks. We bought some and have it in our ship's freezer. Another sidewalk sale and artists galleries and I felt like staying for weeks! Charlie says the boat is too full already; the water line is already way up the hull! Oh well. We traveled four hours on this this day and was glad to get in; the trip over was very bumpy with 3-5 foot waves and the winds coming on our beam.

Today we are at the municipal docks in Frankfort. Another bumpy day on Lake Michigan. So far we have traveled close to 150 miles. Just another 5, 800 to go. Looks like a fun place but it is the day to finally do laundry. As I get ready to do my chores, what do I see but an art fair and a used book sale at the library... there just isn't enough time in the day.

Charlie says hello and offers to compose the next entry. "Enough about feelings", he says with a smile. I guess he will write more about the facts. Oh, well. Hope all is well with you and yours.