Welcome Signs

Since leaving Charleston in April FREEDOM has passed through the following states:

South Carolina
North Carolina
Virginia
Maryland
Delaware
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Michigan
Wisconsin
Illinois
Missouri
Kentucky

We also drove through Indiana and Pennsylvania on our shore leave last month, bringing us to a grand total of 15 states visited to date.  On the road, I kept myself entertained, and clicked off the miles, by watching for welcome signs as we entered each new state.  They typically feature the state slogan, offering a window into the state spirit:

Among my favorites

Pennsylvania: A State of  Independence

Wisconsin: Open for Business

South Carolina: Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places

Along the waterways, though, there are no welcome signs. We have to rely upon a line on the paper or electronic charts to tell us when we have crossed from one state to  the next. No fanfare, no welcome centers, no brochures.  Consequently, when we entered Kentucky we were not greeted with:

Kentucky: Unbridled Spirit!

Nor was there:

Missouri: Where the Rivers Run  ( you can say that again)

And we won't see:

Tennessee: America at It's Best! or even: The Stage is Set For You! 
    (Nor will Justin Timberlake be waving from shore to welcome us to his home state, but I digress...)

Yet, there will still be smiling faces, running rivers, unbridled spirit,  and everywhere, America at it's best.

M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I

Mississippi.

It might be the the most fun state to spell, but the river, we learned this week, is not much fun to travel. Still,  FREEDOM's journey down the Old Man River still gave me goosebumps and got me a bit teary eyed. Even the Cap'n admitted he never thought he would pilot his own boat down the Mississippi.

 We finally left Grafton on Sunday the 21st in the company of 3 other Looper Boats (Nanseann, Pura Vida &  Just Us, with  Snail Male joining us further down the river).  FREEDOM took the lead and with the sun in our eyes it was slow going as we headed toward our first lock at Alton, IL.  Although I had called the lockmaster at 6:30 am to check on barge traffic at the lock, and  had been told "You should get through pretty easy", when we arrived he told us we had to wait for a tow we had passed 5 miles earlier to catch up and lock through before we could. Grrrrrr.  Fortunately he changed his mind ( possibly at the intervention of the professional captain aboard Late Date who had joined our caravan along the way) and we were invited into the lock after just a short wait and well before the tow arrived.  Pleasure craft take the way back seat to Federal boats and commercial boats regarding priority in the locks. We have heard of pleasure craft waiting up to 8 hours to lock though while they wait their turn behind higher priority vessels.  It also seems that a pleasure craft had upset a tug boat or some other commercial craft that morning ( the details were not clear) and the lockmaster was punishing all pleasure crafts by making them wait extra long to lock through. We were lucky Brad, the professional captain, able to intervene. This was the first time in a lock that we did not tie to the side wall, instead we floated in the middle of the chamber. The water flow in these western locks is much more gentle than the Erie Canal locks, so with minimal use of the thrusters we were able to stay in one place and enjoy the ride,

The Mississippi is the color of mud. No more of the crystal clear lake waters we enjoyed all summer. As Mark Twain said, "Too thick to drink, too thin to plow." And it was full of debris -- huge logs, whole trees, rafts of branches.   Yet, the weather was just  beautiful as our parade zig zagged south and we had a picture perfect trip past the Gateway Arch on St. Louis.

By early afternoon we were tied up at Hoppies Marina in Kimmswick, MO. Hoppies, run by "Hoppie" Hopkins and his wife Fern is something of a 'must do' on the Loop.  It's not your typical marina with boat slips, on shore showers, or a bar/restaurant. It is just a series of barges anchored to shore by cables --one attached to the hook of a pickup truck so it can be adjusted depending on the river level. The Hopkins live on site and they made us feel like family. There is only room for 6 boats a night - making for a very intimate experience.  While the other boats waited to fill up with fuel, Fern and her daughter sat on the dock with us, in the shade of the gazebo, and talked about their life on the river and  the people they have met.

Talking by the river at Hoppies. Steve & Shellie from Pura Vida. Rik and Nancy from Nanseann. That's Fern in the white short on the right.  I wish I had a better photo of her -- she has a wonderfully lined face

FREEDOM at Hoppies

Hopppies at sunrise. That is the gathering building where we had our Pot Luck dinner

One of the highlights of an evening at Hoppies is Fern's nightly talk about what to expect for the next 228 miles when boaters will encounter large tugs and tows, a strong current and no marinas.  Unbeknownst to us, Sunday night is Pot Luck night at Hoppies-- and a terrific array of options were prepared for us by the Hopkins family.   Just as we were finishing dinner a tow of 18 barges passed by heading up river. We all jumped up from the table to check on our boats. It was a hurried thank you and good-bye to Hoppie and Fern ( who gave me a big hug) but we had to make sure our fenders and lines were where they needed to be.  The wake rocked our boats for 30 minutes and we had to wait at least 20 for it to be safe to climb on board.

Next door to Hoppies is the Anheuser Estate and Museum -- a property owned by the Anheuser family of Budweiser beer fame.  Tours are offered -- but only on Thursday. Next time......

More barges rocked FREEDOM all night long, as trains rumbled by on the track behind the Hopkins' house. Monday morning we were up early and off the dock at sunrise to continue our trip down the Mississippi. At times it was a wild ride: lots of "swirlies" in the water that were to be avoided at all const lest they were hiding logs, trees wedged on the bottom, or other debris. There were also a few bobbing navigational markers that would be pulled beneath the surface by the current and re-appear seconds or maybe minutes later. At one point we saw a tug pushing 28 barges: 4 across and 7 deep. What a sight!

28 barge tow -- 4 across, 7 long

Needless to say we were all relieved when after 10 hours and  110 miles of stress we pulled into the calm and scenic Little Diversion Creek. We took a dinghy tour of "the neighborhood" with Steve and Shellie from Pura Vida and then enjoyed cocktails and conversation aboard the Nanseann -- who was one day from crossing her wake* after nearly 2 years of Looping.

*Crossing Her Wake" means getting back to where she started from, ie finishing or closing your Loop

Our Loop flag catching the breeze as we head into  the misty Mississippi morning

Tuesday morning found us pulling the anchor before sunrise ( oh what a skyful of stars even at dawn!), It was a misty Mississippi morning and the refection of the sun on the coloring trees was beautiful.  We face another 3 1/2 hours of bobbing and weaving down the river until at 9:37 am we turned to port and entered the Ohio River. Just like that, the waters calmed and turned from brown to green. What a relief!  The water was high enough at the first lock for the wicket dam #53 to be lowered and there was no need to us to stop and "lock through."  This was our third time 'going over the dam' and although it is always a scary ( "we're going over the dam??") you do get a bit accustomed to it.  Here is an explanation of  a wicket dam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA7aueKsFdA.

After 11 hours on the river and  and locking up in the incredibly pokey lock 52 we headed to our anchorage at Cuba Towhead just past Paducah KY. We were alone that night : Nanseann and Pura Vida motored on to another anchorage, and Just Us fell behind after experiencing engine troubles. Snail Mail traveled at a slower rate of speed and Late Date sped ahead. We found a great spot to anchor way up the channel and away from a blind curve near some abandoned silos, had dinner and were just heading to bed when bright lights appeared at our stern. A tug was steaming past us in the the not very wide channel! I flew open the cockpit door and just stared. The Cap'n grabbed the radio and hailed the tug.  Seems those silos weren't so abandoned after all ( we had arrived after quitting time) and the tug was preparing to bring in a barge. Fortunately he came by first -- and knowing we were there made arrangements to enter from the other end of the channel. He was quite good natured about it and despite our offer to move he assured us in his southern drawl that we were fine and he would work around us. We have talked to several other Loopers since then who had a similar experience in the same location.  We slept well that night and didn't even hear the barge come in.

Sunrise on the silos at  Cuba Towhead

The following morning we linked up with Nanseann and Pura Vida and followed them down the windy and scenic Cumberland River.

Gravel operation along the Cumberland River

Eagle in a tree high above the river

Parading down the Cumberland River

After one more lock we were greeted at the Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand River, KY by fellow Loopers all sharing our need for a few days of rest and recuperation after all that rockin' and rollin' down the rivers.

Rollin' Down the Rivers

Tug on the Misty Muddy Mississippi

We made it to the Mississipppi!!

It's pretty incredible when you think of it.. what an adventure it has been just getting here, and there is more to come just around the river bend. Unfortunately, we have a  few more days here at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers before we can officially start heading down the river. Since Monday the 15th we have been docked in Grafton, IL awaiting our turn to head down the river. About 58 miles past Grafton sits Hoppies Marina, in Kimmswick, MO -- really just some barges secured to the stone cliff by cables.  From Hoppies it is 228 miles to the next marina. Every night one of the owners Fern shares her knowledge of the river and what to expect in the coming miles to the assembled boat owners.  There is only room for 5-6 boats per night, thus the delay in our departure. When we arrived in Grafton  there were 12-15 Looper boats here, all awaiting their turn to leave, some having been here for over 10 days, delayed by high water, debris, and lock closures. It was fun to celebrate the with one couple who just completed their Loop, and to reconnect with  Loopers we had not seen since the Erie Canal -- especially our "advance team" Gerald and Cheri on Takes Two. Every morning we stand on the bow and wave good-bye to that day's group heading to Hoppies.  By mid to late afternoon word comes down the dock that they have arrived safely and information on debris, delays at locks, and water levels.

We have filled our days with a car trip to St. Louis, a visit to the Great Rivers Lock Museum at the Mel Price Lock, re-provisioning in Alton, IL,  and lots of walks with Hamilton.

Many of our fellow Loopers experienced long delays coming through the locks between Chicago and Grafton -- sometimes up to 4 ours - but we only had one 1 hour delay.  Yet, our trip was not without obstacles, especially our first day out of Chicago. We had a bumpy trip across Lake Michigan from the Chicago Yacht Club to the entrance of the Calumet-Sag Channel. Immediately, the water calmed and the industrial traffic increased. We passed barges being loaded with all sorts of aggregates, and countless barges waiting to head down the river.  We passed under numerous railroad bridges -- some high enough for us to pass under and some requiring a lift.  Tyler and I lowered the arch to allow FREEDOM to pass under the 19' bridge about 33 miles into our journey down the channel.

An assortment of bridges on the Cal-Sag

The Industrial Waterfront

San & stones waiting for their turn to be useful....

The next obstacle came 4 miles later at the Asian Carp Fish Barrier -- a permanent electrical barrier designed to prevent and slow the spread of this obnoxious species from entering the great lakes. You might recall news reports a few years back when a community drained a pond to kill the carp and instead of succumbing the fish walked to a near by pond!  They are one tough species!

Good Advice

Phew!

In years past, boats had to be towed through the barrier after shutting off all electronics and even disconnecting their batteries. Oh, and pay the tow company $600.  Thankfully that foolishness is over.

Ham keeping an eye on things on the bow -- while ahead a tug passes under a bridge

We continued to dodge barges and tows as we headed toward Joliet, IL but passed through the 39' Lockport Lock without incident, and without any anticipated construction delays.  Just miles from our destination , and the afternoon slipping away, we were stopped for about 20 minutes waiting for a bridge opening. We were happy to slip into one of the last spots on the wall at Joliet 10 1/2 hours after leaving Chicago and we slept well that night.

The next day brought more bridge delays, more locks, & more tows to dodge,  The industrial shore had given way to pockets of green and we saw eagles soaring above the Illinois River.  We arrived in Ottawa, IL early enough to walk about town and take in the the series of murals called "A Brush With History" sprinkled throughout town on the sides of the Victorian buildings.

Ottawa was also the site of the first Lincoln - Douglass debate and this is memorialized at the site of that debate, Washington Park, by two massive bronze statues. Lincoln is 11' and Douglas is 9'

  Just beside the free dock at Ottawa Landing was a terraced garden full of flowers and vegetables where visitors are encouraged to pick their own. We did!

FREEDOM in the morning mist, Ottawa, IL

Over the next few days we traveled through remote, tree lined areas -- passing barges here and there and very few pleasure crafts.  One night we tied up at a river side restaurant called Kuchies where we were welcomed by the owner Jan, and the next we anchored out behind an island called Grape Towhead. Trees, logs, and other debris floated by often bumping our hull. Tows pushing anywhere from 6 to 15 barges passed throughout both nights -- making me happy for well tied cleats and a firmly set anchor.

Having Tyler aboard gave the Cap'n a nice diversion and me a break from my usual Admiral duties. He also provided moral support as we got the hang of passing barges and  was great help in everything from navigation to getting Ham on shore when the jump from ship to shore was a bit further than usual.  We were all sad to say good bye when he headed home from Grafton on Tuesday.

Friends since Sunday School,the Cap'n and Tyler on a chilly morning in Ottawa, IL

So, here we sit, waiting to continue our adventure and with plans to walk up the road to a local BBQ joint for dinner and our cold beer on a Friday night.

West Side Story

Shore leave ended a few weeks back and we are back on the Loop. And back to busy days and sketchy internet, thus the delay in getting this posted....

We arrived in Manitowoc on September 2nd -- relieved to be out of the car and even happier to be back on FREEDOM. Hamilton was so excited he dragged me down the dock, leaped on board and did a celebratory dance!

It took a few days to get the boat organized and provisioned. In between all that, and while we still had the rental car, we headed up to Green Bay to see Lambeau Field, aka The Frozen Tundra. We toured the stadium from top to bottom/ sky box to field, and even had the chance to run through the players tunnel.

80% of the outdoor seating is metal bleachers. Fun on a winter's day!

The Cap'n at the entrance to the players tunnel

An entering player's-eye-view of the field

Cheese Head Game Day Treats

 A weather system kept us tied to the dock for one more and then we were off on a sun-filled  September Saturday. We learned after we left that the annual Sputnik Fest was to take place in Manitowoc that very day.  It seems that when the Russian satellite Sputnik IV fell from the sky back in 1962 a 20lb  piece of it fell in Manitowoc. Each year that event is celebrated with what is considered to be one of the funkiest festivals in the US.  I guess we will have to go back one day to see for ourselves.

The former Budweiser plant at the entracne to Manitowoc harbour.

We headed south among the western shore of Lake Michigan towards Milwaukee and Chicago -- two waterfront-focused cities.  Most Loopers hug the eastern lake shore on their way to the inland rivers.  We decided early on to see both sides of the lake -- the quieter towns of the eastern shore and the lively cities on the west side.  After accomplishing this plan, we have no regrets.

We arrived at the McKinley Marina in Milwaukee with plenty of time to settle in, take a walk, watch the boats sailing in and out of the incredibly busy harbor and catch a cab to the Lake Front Brewery for the 6 PM tour.  The Brewery offers a lively "beer in hand" tour and serves snacks and dinner in their beer hall.

Everybody Sing Along with Laverne and Shirley -- Milwaukee's most famous brewery workers!

Kielbasa Pops at the Lake Front Bewery. Genius!

On Sunday, after a morning of boat chores, our friend Tyler arrived and we all spent  the afternoon walking along the park lined water front. While the Cap'n, Tyler and Hamilton checked out a local festival, I walked to the art museum to get an up close look at its unique design. Most significant is its:

Quadracci Pavilion

The graceful Quadracci Pavilion is a sculptural, postmodern addition designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Highlights of the building are the magnificent cathedral-like space of Windhover Hall, with a vaulted a 90-foot-high glass ceiling; the Burke Brise Soleil, a moveable sunscreen with a 217-foot wingspan that unfolds and folds twice daily; and the Reiman Bridge, a pedestrian suspension bridge that connects the Museum to the city.

In the architect's words:  "this project responds to the culture of the lake: the sailboats, the weather, the sense of motion and change.”

 Monday found us heading further south along the western lake shore to Chicago.  It was another spectacular weather day.  Despite all the warnings about Lake Michigan weather, we experienced nothing but sunshine and calm seas for all but one of our passages on the lake.  Thee we spent three nights at the Chicago Yacht Club, just steps from busy Lake Shore Drive and with a million dollar view of the skyline.  I had a list of Chicago must-do's and managed to accomplish them all: eat deep dish pizza at Giordano's, walk along Michigan Avenue, take the Chicago Architecture Foundation's boat tour, visit the Chicago Art Institute, have a steak (which we satisfactorily accomplished at Bavette's Bar and Bouef).  We spent an extra day in  Chicago due to weather and a lock closure, but that just gave us more time to enjoy the city.

The Donald insisted this sign would be tasteful....

An antidote to the Trump sign

I love the scalloped roof lines. Care is needed when parking!

A building reflects the Chicago skyline

The Bean in Millenium Park -- very cool....

Garden Statue in Millenium Park

The new and the old on Michigan Avenue

Bundled in fleece, we left the yacht club just after 7AM on Thursday September 11th.  The sky was overcast and the temperature was 54.  Despite the lumpy ride along the lake shore to the entrance of the Cal-Sag we knew it was time to keep heading south and find some sunshine and warmer temperatures!