SEPTEMBER 25, 2014 - Catching our breath...

Things are great at Green Turtle Marina in Grand Rivers, KY.  We spent yesterday cleaning the boat inside and out, and Jim was trying to arrange for the Boat Works to pull our boat and repair the bow thruster that was shredded in the lock at Mel Price on the Mississippi River.  I got up early and joined a couple of friends at an exercise class at the spa and fitness center, then came back to the sight of Jim "shampooing" the boat.  It was a beautiful sight!!  :) I proceeded to do my part by washing windows and cleaning the inside.  After completing the work, Jim walked his bike to a local bike shop, only to discover that it was closed on Wednesday, then walked the flat-tired bike back to the marina, just in time for a massage appointment. We both enjoyed our massages, and I enjoyed a quick swim in the heated pool prior to my massage...ahhhhhhh.  In the evening we enjoyed docktails (cocktails on the dock) with fellow Loopers. I can't even begin to explain how much fun it is to gather with groups of friends that are taking the same journey, all in different stages of the trip, all with different experiences, exchanging tidbits of advice and knowledge. Boaters are a great group of people, very supportive, cooperative and bending over backward to help one another.

We spent most of today awaiting word that the Boat Works could pull our boat and fix the bow thruster.  In the meantime, the head was giving us problems so Joe from the Boat Works came to fix that.  Today was mostly spent in "limbo" waiting for the bow thruster part to arrive and waiting for word that they would be able to do the repair.  The part finally arrived via UPS and they pulled our boat around 3:30 but were unable to complete the project, so we will make another trip over in the morning for them to pull us out of the water and hopefully get it resolved.

Patriot being tucked into a sling and lifted out of the water for repairs to bow thruster

Commonwealth Yacht Club, at the heart of Green Turtle Bay Marina

Commonwealth Yacht Club & our slip is right by the pillar you see on the right side of the building...great location

Couldn't resist...Tigers are in the playoffs and this is their cutest fan!!  xoxo Kade

SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 - 1ST FULL DAY IN GREEN TURTLE MARINA

It felt SOooo good to sleep in this morning! No schedule, no early departure, no tow boats to watch for.  We spent the day getting settled in, ordering parts and making plans to have the bow thruster fixed on the boat that was stripped when we went through the Mel Price Lock on the Mississippi River.  Tomorrow we will do a thorough cleaning on the boat - inside and out - and begin exploring the area.

The resort/marina has 3 pools (2 outside and 1 inside), a spa and exercise room, a beach with volleyball court, laundry, showers, ship store, and much more.  It's like having a vacation from your vacation, thus our decision to spend a full week here.  For the first time since leaving on our trip we actually have a very strong internet connection, strong Verizon signal and cable television hookup.

Tonight we went for cocktails with Looper friends, then went to the yacht club for dinner.  Because this is a "dry" county, we were allowed to bring our own bottle of wine for dinner where we were charged a $5 corking fee.  The food was very good,  with a panoramic view of Barkley Lake and the Green Turtle Bay Marina, and a truly charming atmosphere. There is constant activity and we have met many wonderful people that have quickly become very good friends.

 

September 22, 2014 - GREEN TURTLE BAY IN KENTUCKY

We made it to our first significant destination...Green Turtle Bay Marina & Resort today after 2 very long days of traveling and anchoring out.  After leaving Hoppie's Marina in Kimmswick, MO on September 20, we traveled a very long day and anchored in Little Diversion Channel near Cape Girardeau, MO. It is a very pretty, quiet anchorage well protected from the tow traffic on the Mississippi.  We arose very early on the 21st and were thrilled when we entered the Ohio River!  Tow traffic was still present, but the water was much cleaner and we encountered NO DEBRIS in the river.  It was a very long day, but much more relaxing and more scenic.  We anchored at Cuba Head Island near Paducah, KY, which also turned out to be a great choice for anchoring.

Today we entered the Cumberland River and found it to be even more appealing than the Ohio River and the most scenic and serene of all our travels thus far.  We ended our day at Green Turtle Bay Marina and were pleasantly surprised at what a wonderful place it is.  It is located on Lake Barkley, KY and a channel connects it to Kentucky Lake. We will do much more exploring of the area over the next few days, as we plan to stay here about a week.  It was so much fun to pull into the marina and spend a short time reconnecting with Loopers we had met in Grafton.  

We now have very good internet service so I will post photos from the past few days...please enjoy.

               

Entering the Mel Price Lock, the first on the Mississippi

Up close and personal with the logs and other debris trapped in the lock with us

St. Louis from the river

St. Louis' famous Arch...symbolizing Westward expansion

Debris caught on the front of a barge being towed down the Mississippi

Infamous Hoppie's Marina...a unique and cherished experience by all Loopers

Four of our six boats tied to Hoppie's barges, which serve as their marina docks

Patriot tied to the "dock" at Hoppie's

Hoppie, whose father started the marina in the 1930's

Dearly beloved Fern Hoppie, who gives nightly briefings to Loopers about traveling conditions, anchorages, and traveling tips for the Mississippi

Traveling companions at dinner in Kimmswick, MO

Homestead donated as a museum, beautiful site along the river

Seasonal slip holder at Hoppie's surrounded by river debris

Part of Hoppie's Marina...not like most marinas, but a special place

Preparing for Fern's nightly update

Jim and Fern...buddies forever

Fern and daughter Susan...entire family of dedicated hard workers

 

Sunrise at Hoppie's

Surprisingly pretty scenery along the Ohio River in Illinois

Churning water on the Mississippi behind a tow pushing several barges

Leaving the Mississippi and entering the Ohio River

Muddy Mississippi water

Prettier Ohio River water

Mississippi in back, Ohio in foreground

This butterfly accompanied us along a great distance of the river...flying around the outside of the boat and finally landing for a short rest.  Possibly our guardian angel?

Following a barge onto the entrance of the Cumberland River

Scenery along the Cumberland River...now THIS is a river!  Beautiful, and our favorite so far!

High bluffs along the Cumberland with layers of rock

 

Many of these beautiful birds along the river

 

Eagle nest on one of the power line towers

Our new resting place for the next few days

Very large marina (Green Turtle Bay)...MANY Loopers!

September 19, 2014 - Off to Famous Hoppie's Marina

We left Grafton Harbor Marina this morning around 7:30 a.m. with 5 other boats and followed each other throughout the day and kept in touch via radio.  It was a great team effort at sending alerts and watching out for one another. Team travel takes much of the worry and anxiety out of traveling the unpredictable Mississippi.

Our first day on the Mississippi and was much better than I had anticipated, but similar to what Jim was expecting.  I had visions of us being swept down the river in a huge current like Tom Sawyer on his little raft.  The first lock after leaving Grafton was probably our most difficult spot because there was a LOT of debris in the lock that we had to wade through to get into the lock. Fortunately nobody had any incidents causing great concern and once we escaped the Mel Price Lock conditions were much better.  It took a full day of paying attention for floating logs along the way and while we each had a few "log bumps" along the way, we weathered through just fine. The weather was beautiful - warm and sunny - but at times the river created some fairly big waves...nothing compared to 2-3 footers on Lake Michigan. Because of the current, we improved our speed by 2-4 knots.  

We had a clear enough day to get some good photos of the Arch in St. Louis, saw plenty of barges/tows along the way, but once again found them all to be very courteous.

We reached our destination at Hoppie's Marina around 2:15 p.m. and were very happy to be at this famous landmark and to meet Fern, Hoppie (and daughter Susan).  For those reading this who aren't aware of Hoppie's Marina, it is a "marina" comprised of barges to which we tie on the edge of the river.  It really is a sight to behold, and not at all like the marinas we are accustomed to. While very spartan, it is as welcoming as any marina we have ever encountered. It is definitely a destination loopers should not pass up!

We all enjoyed a quick meal at The Blue Owl and returned to our boats for the famous update meeting with Fern, who knows the river better than anyone and imparts her knowledge and good advice to all boaters who stay at her marina. It was a delightful conversation, very enlightening and we were all taking notes and comparing our charts to her directions on how to maneuver through the river, into the Ohio and beyond.

Unfortunately, we don't have a strong enough signal tonight to post photos, so we will bombard you with photos once we have better internet access, which should be sometime Monday.

Tomorrow we plan to leave around 6:30 a.m. and travel to an anchorage at Little Diversion Channel, which is about 110 miles, and will hope for no rain, calm waters and minimal river debris.

We hope all is well with you land-lubbers and fellow loopers.  

 

September 16, 2014 On Our Way To The Mississippi

After spending the night on the anchor behind Bar Island just south of Beardstown, Illinois, we traveled about 85 miles to the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers to Grafton Illinois, just across the Mississippi from Missouri.  Once again we passed many huge tugs, and saw numerous bald eagles and white pelicans.  It was really a beautiful journey.  Connie and I even spent time on the bow enjoying nature as we operated the boat by remote control.

Upon our arrival, we were amazed by the sight of the mighty Mississippi.  We never imagined it to be so picturesque with steep rock cliffs and perhaps a mile across.  We did find out that the Mississippi River never did officially close, and it has begun to recede substantially.  There are perhaps 25 other looper boats here and many of them have been here more than a week waiting for the river to tame a bit.  We will be here three nights before heading down the big river.  We must get a new battery for the generator and repair our bow thruster that was a casualty of one of taking in some floating garbage in an upstream lock. Some sight seeing is also in order, as well as using the courtesy  car to do some replenishing of supplies.

September 17, 2014
We are in an area where there is poor internet access which will not allow us to post pictures from yesterday or today.  We hooked up with some of the many loopers who are here and we are all going to dinner tonight.  Will have to catch up on the photos later.  Spending two more nights at Grafton before heading down the "mighty Mississippi".

September 15, 2014 - ON OUR WAY TO GRAFTON HARBOR

We departed IVY this morning around 8:45 a.m. and while the trip has been peaceful and calm and lovely scenery along the way, it has rained most of the way and it is still chilly - just hit 60 degrees. We have been running the defrosters and heater and remain cozy in our home away from home. We plan to anchor tonight at a good anchorage at Bar Island, just 85 miles north of the Mississippi River. Tomorrow we will travel to Grafton Harbor in Grafton, IL, which is the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers.  We will remain there until the BIG river has officially calmed down and other boats make their way ahead of us.

Our biggest experience of the day was going down the river directly in between two barges, one going in the same direction as us and the other going in the opposite direction.  It was quite a sight and while Jim was maneuvering I happened to be on the phone so we didn't capture any pictures of it.  Having AIS, each of the tows were able to identify us in advance, and likewise we could identify them and call on the radio by name for instructions on how they wanted us to pass.  We have found all the tow captains and lock masters to be extremely friendly and accommodating!  It has been a lot of fun talking to the lock masters and gathering local information about their area.

I will make this post earlier in the day because where we will be anchored tonight may have limited access to internet and I didn't want to take a chance of making the daily post for our loyal followers.
Hugs to you all!!

Friends Ron & Jan gave us a road tour of this upscale neighborhood in Peoria yesterday.  This is one of the houses as seen from the water.  Their views are spectacular!

This gives a better perspective of how high this home sets on the hill overlooking the river.

A small boat club along the river with folks waving from the deck.

A view of our view from the top of the boat.  Very pristine along this route.

Leaving miles of river behind in our wake

Example of the many pieces of debris we find floating in the river.  It is important to watch carefully for these nasty floaters, as they could do some serious damage to our boat.

More debris...luckily most of the logs and trees with branches can be seen well enough in advance to avoid hitting them.

Many facilities along the river that accommodate the agricultural community production

This is dedicated to Grandson Krue, who is in love with big trucks...

...and diggers.  Love you, Krue!! Wish you could see this with us in real life!

 

September 15, 2014 - STILL AT IVY in Peoria, IL

We decided to spend a second night here at IVY Club because there are many Loopers here with whom good, helpful information can be shared.  We had a very restful night and awoke to warmer temperatures and sunshine.  Jim washed the boat...filthy from the debris falling from the locks and all the rain residue, bugs, etc. that had collected outside.  While he cleaned the outside, my job was cleaning the inside...another task long overdue.  It's looking pretty good right now!  

At the Yacht Club today they had a rib "cook off" with 3 different chefs vying for the title. We were invited to join the festivities and they provided everything to us for free. Everything was absolutely delicious!

This afternoon some friends took us in their truck to the grocery story so we could stock up on provisions for the trip ahead. We have met SUCH nice people!

A couple of days ago we sheared a pin on our bow thruster so as I write this, Jim is tearing it apart and hopes to fix it before our journey. He has received some great instructions from 2 other Nordic Tug owners...one in Evanston and another right here in our marina.

They have officially closed the Mississippi to pleasure crafts until further notice because of high water and dangerous conditions.  Many Loopers are ahead of us, waiting in Grafton, IL to make the treck down the Mississippi.  We had called a couple of days ago to the Grafton Marina and reserved a spot, so we will be able to leave here tomorrow and join other loopers there until conditions improve sufficiently on the Mississippi.  It is likely that we will be there at least a week and maybe longer. As long as it takes to have safe, debris-free traveling on the Mighty Mississip, we will be content.

Our plan is to depart tomorrow from the slip here in Peoria at IVY and drop anchor at an anchorage for tomorrow night and then make it to Grafton on Tuesday afternoon.  When we make it to Grafton I may be able to solve the problem we've had with your ability to track our location.  I have been given some information by another Looper and hope it will work for us.  It has become very clear that Boat Beacon and Boat Watch are not reliable sources of real-time information.  Stay tuned...

Other Loopers snuggled up next to us at IVY Club

Little Patriot waiting for the next part of the journey

September 13, 2014 - SLIPPED AT IVY CLUB IN PEORIA, IL

We made it from Sheehan Island, south of Ottawa, Illinois to IVY Club (Illinois Valley Yacht Club) in Peoria, IL., a full day but 67miles along our journey.  Fueled up, pumped out, and slid into our slip for 2 days and connected tonight with fellow Loopers on our first official "docktails" event. It is SO much fun talking to people who are on the same journey, comparing notes and sharing information!

This morning upon leaving from our anchorage in Sheehan Island, we saw our first Asian carp.  Saw 2 (or maybe just one enjoying our company and jumping twice), but that's all we saw along the way. We were told that the Asian carp weren't very active because of the cool weather (48-59 degrees today). Even though it may make our "fishing fanatic" family crazy, it was exciting to see them.  :) We were told by one of the lock masters that they are pretty tasty if prepared properly and there are some restaurants in Chicago that sell them as a premier menu item. Who would have guessed?!!

As we traveled along the river, it really was beautiful country...truly America's heartland with cornfields and granaries along the way.  The riverside is very undeveloped for 99% of the journey along the river and very natural looking countryside...very peaceful and pleasing to the eye.

We made great time progressing down the river, as the current added to our speed over ground.  While our speedometer read often 8.5 knots, we were actually traveling at least 9.5 knots.  Great way to save on fuel!!!

They have this unique gravity-fed system in the locks, developed in the early 1900's to allow a boat to wrap lines around this "floater" which drops as the water drops in the lock and holds the boat tight to the wall of the lock.

In this particular lock, there were leaks around the back wall so it felt like we were near a mini-Niagara Falls.

Another view of our boat tied to the "floater"

A companion boat leaving the locks at Lockport

This is the vision we awoke to this morning...very cool but sunny with steam rising from the warm river water

Cant' say enough about this anchorage...beautiful...Sheehan Island, just South of Ottawa, IL

White pelicans resting in the steamy water. To them, it probably felt like a hot tub in the fall.

Multicultural fowl gathering

View of the State Park adjacent to the Starved Rock Lock & Dam

Fellow Looper "Freedom" waiting for the lock with us at Starved Rock Lock & Dam

White pelicans...an interesting sight for us

One of the many granaries along the Illinois River

Just one of the picturesque sights along the river

Most of our day was like this.  Such a surprise, as we never expected to see sights like this along the Illinois River

The only thing better would have been warm weather to enjoy it from on the deck...

View from our dining location tonight across the street from IVY Club

We plan to stay at IVY Club tonight and tomorrow night, then leaving for our next destination of Grafton, Illinois (which will take 2-3 days).  Following Grafton, we will begin the journey down the Mississippi.  We, as a Looper group, are watching closely the river conditions on the Mississippi and will not embark upon that part of the journey until the river has calmed down and it is completely safe.  It is very comforting to know that we have an entire "family" of boaters that are on the same journey and are looking out for one another.  Many Loopers are currently waiting it out in Grafton until conditions on the Mississippi improve.  In the meantime, we will all heed the conditions and enjoy being together until it is time to make the next part of the journey.