Apalachicola to Tarpon Springs

• We have been in Apalachicola, FL since Friday; it is now Wednesday afternoon. We are waiting for a weather window to cross the gulf at the "Big Bend." It is about 180 miles straight across from here to Tarpon Springs, where the Inter-Coastal starts again. All of this is open water. We have chosen not to take it all at one time, instead we will break it up into three legs; still in open water but smaller trips. It still takes good weather.
• Apalachicola is an old fishing town that is trying to attract some tourist business. They have a number of good restaurants and a couple of museums. Oysters of all types are their claim to fame. Mike ate oysters every day, lunch and dinner. I decided I needed a haircut, I now look like one of the pigeon sisters. Mike wanted to see the Dr. John Gorrie Museum. In the 19th century Dr. Gorrie believed that yellow fever, which was running rampant at the time, was caused by the oppressive heat. He then invented the first ice machine which is on display here...at least we think so. We have gone to see it three times and each time we were met by a large "closed" sign. This is typical of the town. They are trying, but can't quite get it right. Dennis and Ruth went to the local grocery store. Loaded down with groceries they decided to call a cab for the 1/2 mile ride back to the marina. Whammo, $13.00 one way! Not really tourist friendly.
• We left for Carrabelle on Thursday morning. We planned on leaving the next day for Steinhachee, but again the weather kept us here one more day (Noel gave us a problem). On Saturday we went to Steinhachee and went to a marina called Sea Hag. Sounds like a place you would really want to stay at! I was in the shower when I heard this awful sound and felt a hard jolt. I almost fell out of the shower. I wanted to run out and see what it was but I had to take the time to get the shampoo out of my hair and dry off. Turns out a boat hit the front of our boat, tore off the anchor bracket and took a piece of fiberglass off. Our buddy boater, Dennis, said the reason we have any bad luck is because we have bananas on the boat! We checked with our official old timers folklore expert, Whitey A., and he said he never heard of it. Now we have our anchor tied on the front of our new boat with ropes. Looks great! The man that hit us gave us his insurance information; we called and the work will probably be done in Fort Myers.
• Our luck continues. We went to Crystal River, FL, to which the guide book says some 30 natural streams feed it and that the river is a manatee sanctuary. We pulled into the Twin River Marina and filled up the tanks. After we tried to back in to our slip, we hit bottom, so the dock person told us to go bow in. If we go bow in, we can't get off the boat. She then directed us to another slip. When we started to back in, the boat quickly pulled to one side and came out of the water about a foot. We were just hanging there! Turns out that a boat was once on fire in that slip and her lines were hanging from the pole down into the water and under our boat. Mike had to get a knife and cut the lines. We just tied the boat up there, partially out of the slip for the night. We were exhausted from the long trip and now another problem with the boat that was not our fault. When we climbed into bed, my side was wet; the porthole was not closed tight. To finish the day, we had to sleep in a wet bed.
• The next day the owner of the marina told Mike it was his own fault we ran over the lines and we had to pay for a short haul. We can't figure out how we could have known there were lines in the water under our boat. He said if we didn't like it we could go to another marina. He had us. We could not run the boat this way; besides the next marina was many miles away. He insisted that we pay him before he pulled us out. A short haul takes about an hour and a half. We decided while the boat was out of the water we would polish it and Mike would put on the new zinks. The owner had a fit. I was told that I was not allowed to be near the boat while it was out of the water. Mike was yelled at for going on the boat to get the zinks. The lift operator was fired. This miserable little fat man said his insurance would not cover us if anything happened.
• We felt terrible when the operator was let go. In speaking to other workers, we found out that the owner was looking for a reason to fire the man. Not one of the other employees had a nice thing to say about their boss. I was proud of Mike, he didn't punch the guy. I know he would not have been happy in a Florida jail. I never did get to see the manatees.
• Tarpon Spring - we stayed for 2 nights at the Anclote Harbor Marina. On the Anclote River, the homes are just like in the Hamptons. Very impressive. We called Charlie L. and told him we were in town. He came over and took me to the grocery store and then we went to lunch. He's such a great man, we enjoyed spending the afternoon with him.
• We went to the marina in town, what a busy place! Tarpon Springs is the sponge capital of the world. We docked next to the sponge factory; it was like Disney World. Every half hour you could hear the sponge factory (like "It's a small, small world") people telling you to come and see the theater and a museum featuring sponge diving exhibitions and exhibits of authentic sponging ships. You work up an appetite from walking up and down Dodecanese Boulevard. There are many Greek Restaurants to choose from. We ate at three different restaurants; we had spanokopita, pastitso, keftedes and of course, gyros. Do you remember the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding?" At Costa's Restaurant on Athens St., the name of the waitress was Nickie and her husband's name was Nick. We had a good laugh at that one. I wonder if her husband's name really was Nick! I found two stores that sold women's clothing made in the USA. Mike told me to have a good time, I helped the local economy. The entire town was charming.

Movie and a Pizza

• We went to the Walton Beach City dock; it was free for 24 hours. You had to call the city for permission, then they notify the police. We took a walk to town and found a movie theater. Mike went to get our tickets and asked for a senior citizen discount. The young man at the counter said, "We don't have senior discounts." Mike was a little irritated and said, "Give me two tickets." The young man said that will be $2.00! No wonder they don't give discounts. Mike was really surprised when he gave them $5.00 and got $3.00 change. We enter and there's a pizza place. You go inside and there are tables and chairs. You take your seat and a waitress comes over and takes your order. We had a pitcher of beer, a pie and a box of raisinettes while we watched the movie. Guess who had the beer and who had the raisinettes? The whole night cost about $20.00, you can't beat that!
• The next day we headed for Panama City, Fla. We are in salt water, the spray on the boat does not just fall away like it had been. Now the salt sticks and streaks. We have to be careful when we tie up as we are back in tidal waters. The beaches along the shore are all beautiful and sandy, no more mud. Once again, my hair is a mop of frizz. The dolphins are playing in our wake, I love it.

LuLu's Restaurant, Jimmy Buffett's sister

• LuLu's is a casual bar and restaurant outside of the Homeport Marina. We were told that there's always a chance that Jimmy will drop in. There was entertainment the entire weekend but Jimmy never showed up. LuLu wasn't there either!
• Back in 1964 I worked for a company, United Technical Publications, in Garden City. My boss, Dorothy R., was an absolute doll. I stopped working after Sean was born but continued to keep in touch with Dorothy. We would send notes with our Christmas cards. Anyway, some years ago Dorothy moved to Alabama. I called her from the Homeport and she came down to meet me at LuLu's. There was no band playing when we got there, we were the first table next to the stage. We were talking away, 40 years worth of reminiscing, a member of the band came us to us and said, "You two look like you're having a great conversation, I'm about to start playing and the speaker is right next to you, would you like me to have your waitress move you to another table?" Of course we were moved. I know, you think I'm going to say it was Jimmy...but it was just a local band. We continued to talk for the next few hours, it was great to see her.
• Again the weather did not cooperate, we rented a car and went to the National Museum of Naval Aviation. We went to the IMAX theater and saw "Hurricane on the Bayou." It was all about Hurricane Katrina. We were right in the middle of it, I could feel the wind in my face, what devastation. The dramatic recreation of the Hoa Lo Prison, the Vietnam P.O.W. camp gave me the creeps. How can humans be so cruel? Mike went in a Blue Angel cockpit, it was a little cramped for him. The first plane to fly the Atlantic, combat planes from Midway, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. Even I could have spent hours here.
• You'll love this...At the marina there was a Meridian dealership. Just for fun we went to look...we must really be sick in the head. We found a 45'9" cockpit motoryacht. It had a washer and dryer (you have no idea how much I spend a week on laundry), central vac system, 2 full heads I could fill this page with the extras. Two state rooms the size of a hotel room. We talked to the salesman and he invited us to a cocktail party. The next thing I know we are negotiating a deal. What a hoot it would be to come home with a new boat, 13' bigger. Anyway, we came to our senses in time. The laundry did not justify the loss we would take on our current boat.

Going to the dogs!

• We traveled 54 miles and decided to call it a day. We pulled into Bates Lake to anchor. At the opening it was only 3 feet deep, in the morning the tide should be high, so getting out will not be a problem. We went in first and then two other boats followed us. Once past the entrance we had plenty of water. The other two boats had dogs. Since it's a lot easier for us to drop our dinghy, Mike became the dog service (Buster must be turning over in his grave). Mike picks up Tango and Bootie and takes them to shore to do their thing. I really should have taken a picture of Mike and the dogs.
• We took a dinghy ride up and down the lake - a collection of beautiful homes, shanties, house barges and boat garages. As you got further up the lake it became a real swamp, with Spanish moss hanging from the trees. The cypress trees come right up out of the water. I'm still looking for alligators.
• The next morning we wanted to leave early; we had 65 miles to go to get to the next port. The weatherman is still talking about bad weather coming. Mike picked up the dogs and headed for land; he now brings doggie goodies with him. One of the other boats pulled anchor and had a tree trunk attached to it (about 8' around). They had to use a battery operated seawall to cut it lose. You never know what these guys have on their boats. What a production!
• We are now in Dog River Alabama. I got up early, 5:30 a.m. and it's still dark - I couldn't sleep. I had a cup of coffee and decided to run to the laundromat and get the wash done so we could have the day to play. It rained hard during the night and because it's high tide the water is up in the parking lot. Living on the water most of my life, floods do not bother me. I put the wash in the machine and hear on the TV that there is a tornado watch. Next thing I hear is a siren, similar to the fire whistle at home, and then it sounded like God was talking to me. Real loud he said to take cover, a tornado is coming. I run back to the boat..Mike is standing there...did you hear what I heard... I think I heard a tornado is coming..Yep that's what I heard. Now what? I asked Mike what should we do? We are on an island and surrounded by marsh...there's nothing we can do. The ducks, geese and pelicans have not left. We could see the dark clouds and feel the pellets of rain. Just relax 'til it passes. We went outside with the other boaters to see what they were doing, you guessed it, everyone was having coffee and talking about the last tornado. I was so happy that we rode the extra miles yesterday, I would not like to be stuck in this while on the river. Around 10 o'clock we got the all clear. It just rained all day.
• We took the courtesy car and went to Battleship Memorial Park to see the submarine USS Drum and the USS Alabama. We walked the decks of this 680 foot 70 million pound (under battle conditions she weighed well over 90 million pounds) battleship. Can you imagine she had a crew of 2,500 men aboard?! The ship was commissioned in 1942. The gun turrets were like small houses, yet the spot where the men running the guns was very small. The captain's quarters were much smaller than I expected. The enlisted men's mess and bunks were made so that there were 3 shifts. There was always someone in your bed. While we were taking the tour many "old guys" would say "Remember Smitty, he slept here with his feet in my face." These "old guys" were 19 and 20 when they served on the ship. This put a face to history.
• We went into a flight simulator. Then we went on a pontoon fighter taking off from the deck of a ship. What a rush! A touch of reality comes about when you can feel and touch history, not just read about it.

Lower Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway

• Demopolis, Alabama...We pulled in, filled-up, pumped out and and got our slip assignment. Went to the slip, turned to stern, and started to back up and came to an abrupt stop. Oh Sugar, Honey, Ice, Tea, we hit something...Did we damage the props? We docked the boat in another slip and Mike went to the dock master to let him know something was wrong. Turns out that a house boat had just left that slip. It was there for the past two years. There was all kinds of stuff under it. Tree stumps, branches and logs. We took the boat for a ride to make sure we didn't have a vibration or any other problem. There didn't seem to be any, but we all know Lucky Eddie, next week the rudders will fall off.
• The rest of the weekend was uneventful. We took the bikes for a ride to church, did some walking and ate at the same restaurant 3 times.
• Next stop on the hook in Bashi Creek about 80 miles south of Demopolis. The entire creek is only about 12 feet wide, we had to use a bow and stern anchor (thanks to Walter K's parts store we have a second anchor) to keep us straight.
• Mike took Ruth and her dog Tango to the ramp for a walk. While at the ramp he met a family from Alabama; they were on a pontoon boat. Mike started a conversation with the young father. The guy had never met someone from N.Y. before...Mike thought he was going to touch him. Anyway the family had been fishing and offered Mike half of the fish. They didn't look like they could afford to give their dinner away. Mike explained that I would not cook the fish on the boat, it would stink for a week. We thought that was real southern hospitality.
• The man told us about the alligators in this area. He said when it got dark we should take our spotlight and shine it across the river and in the bows along the shore and we would see a pair of red eyes. Just when I thought I was safe from sharks, I have to worry about alligators. We got up at 3 in the morning, grabbed the search light and started checking along the shore. Remember this shore line is all trees and vines. We couldn't see anything, we heard fish jumping, water spilling down the side of the mountain, the call of the coyote, the buzz of the mosquito and felt the bite but no alligators. We looked up and saw more stars then you can imagine, but no alligators. Do you think that good ole boy was putting us on?
• There's a place along the river called Bobby's Fish Camp. It's early around 12 P.M. but we decided to stop for the night. Bobby has two floating docks about 100'. We called Bobby and he said " just pull up" and tie up. There's no electric or water. We waited but Bobby never came down to check on us. Remember we are in Alabama, (Mike keeps hearing banjos) we walked up a hill and at the top was a restaurant, this is one time I was glad it was not open on Mondays. There in the dark corner sat Bobby. He was chewing tobacco and spitting into a soda can. The place was really dirty. All I could think of was Bates Motel. Bobby didn't move from his seat. It was $1.00 a foot and if we used a charge card it was an extra 5%. A real character.
• As the day went on we became the dock master. Boaters would call, we could hear them on the radio. Again, Bobby would tell them to just pull in. When there was no more room and more boats were coming, he told us to work it out among ourselves. A 75', 65', 2-43', a 37' and us on a 100' dock. We started to raft off 3 deep. There were 2 "Bubba Boats" with guys in full camouflage carrying bows and arrows. We weren't sure if they were skin heads or survivalists and we didn't ask. One boat wanted fuel, Bobby said pump it yourself. It cost $900. and the owner had to bring the money up to Bobby. There were also trailors and cabins that you could rent. We kept looking for the candid camera, this just couldn't be real.
• Everyone became friends. That night we took a tour of the 75' boat. I can't begin to tell you, I'm living in a dingy.
• During the night we had wild animals crawling all over the boat. Dennis said he saw them looking in our hatch. We could hear them, the door was closed so we paid no attention.
• Everyone left at 6:30 A.M., in the dark. We all went through the last lock for this leg of the trip.
• I'll aways remember Bobby and not fondly.

Happy Birthday Mike

• There are 9 boats going through one lock. We volunteered to raft off another boat, this way we could all get through faster. I started to talk to the guy that was holding onto our boat. He owns a dolphin boat in Alabama. Three times a day he takes groups out to see dolphins. He loves his job, the kids get so excited when they spot one. I told him I would get excited if I saw one. He also told me to enjoy the next few marinas because as you get further down the river they get pretty raunchy.
• At the next lock a very nice "rollie-pollie" lock master stopped to talk to me. He told me he would call ahead to the next lock and let them know we were on our way. I tried to keep a straight face and thanked him. I think we're all the same, when you pass a car accident, you don't want to look, but you do, you get annoyed at yourself for looking. Anyway, the lock master had a booger that was going in and out as he spoke to me, I couldn't keep my eyes off it. When he finished I wanted to laugh out loud, how can something like that strike me so funny. I wonder, should I have told him...
• He wasn't kidding when he said the marinas would get bad. It's Mikes birthday, let's have a special dinner. Turns out its a dry county. A dry, dry county. You can't even bring your own bottle into the restaurant. Picture the cafeteria in the worst sense. Formica tables, hard fold up chairs and no air-conditioning. That was his special dinner. You did get free ice tea refills, the tea was served in mason jars.
• I didn't have the heart to have the waitress sing happy birthday...
• Next place we stayed was even funnier. You must remember, when you stay at a marina in Alabama it costs anywhere from $.65 a foot to $1.00 a foot, so rather than drop an anchor, you can have electric and know you won't get hit by a barge. I'm really not being fresh, but I guess I would never want to live here. The people are as nice as can be. They just live a different, a more simple life. I don't like to go in a place that's like an out-house. I turned on the faucet and orange water came out.
• We took the courtesy car to go on a little excursion. We were told that there may be a slight problem with the car, they thought they had bad gas. The car had over 240,000 miles on it. Mike said there's nothing wrong with the gas, it needs a new engine. Anyway, it wouldn't go over 10 miles an hour, when you went downhill it did go up to 35mph. We kept having to pull over to let trucks pass us. All I could think of was "Little Miss Sunshine", I'll soon have to get out and push. It would buck and jerk and buck again. It was like riding a bronco. We did have a lot of laughs, the fear was breaking down when we had no bars on our cell phone.
• We went to the Tom Bevill visitor center at Pickensville. A reproduction of the once elegant plantation houses is the first thing you see. You walk through it and can picture Scarlett coming down the stairs. Onto the Snagboat Montgomery. Both the house and the boat are museums of river folklore and history. Remember when Tammy gave the tour in "Tammy and the Bachelor", that's what it was like.
• We made it home safe, just another adventure, that we will never forget.

Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

• More about the waterway. The idea of the waterway was introduced to Congress in the early 1800's and construction started in December 1972. I wonder how long these plans sat on someone's desk. It's 234 miles long and is 280 to 300 feet wide. There are 10 locks along the way, the largest lift is 84 feet. The average lock takes 46 million gallons of water to fill it and takes 12-15 minutes to empty and 14-16 minutes to fill. The locks are 600 feet long and 110 feet wide. Our boat looks like a toy in them. It took 12 years to complete; December 1984.
• It saves uses over 800 miles between the Tennessee River and the Gulf of Mexico. The companies that use it annually save $130,000,000. The average 8 barge tow can move as much freight as 120 rail cars or 480 tractor trailer trucks. A barge can move a ton of freight twice as far as a train and 6 times as far as a tractor trailer on the same amount of fuel.
• The best part is how mother nature decorated the bluffs and shore. Our heads are like being at a tennis match going back and forth.

Battle of Pittsburg Landing

• There are 4,200 acres overlooking the Tennessee River with 156 monuments, 217 cannons and more than 650 historic tablets marking the battlefield. We took the car and drove 14 stops along the 10 mile battlefield. Pittsburg Landing, Grant's last line, Hornets' Nest, Ruggles' Battery, Shiloh's Casualties, Confederate Retreat, Shiloh Church, Union Reconnaissance Patrol, Union Lines of Defense, Invasion of the Union Camps, Field Hospital, Death of General Johnston, The Peach Orchard and Bloody Pond.
• We asked the ranger if she ever walked the entire field. Her response was, "No, but boy scouts often spend several days here camping and walking the battlefields."
• I was very surprised at the size of the Bloody Pond. During the battle, soldiers on both sides came here to drink and bathe their wounds. Both men and horses died in the pond. There was so much blood that the water actually turned dark red.

Shiloh Battlefield

We stayed at Aqua Yacht Harbor in Iuka, Mississippi. (remember how proud you were of yourself when you learned how to spell Mississippi?) We took the courtesy car and drove to Shiloh Battlefield. We saw a 25-minute film about the war and the battle. We went with the troops through the two days of battle. April 6, 1862 and April 7, 1862. This was the bloodiest military engagement in American history. Nearly 24,000 casualties. The economic, farm production and property values reached before the civil war would not reach that level again until the 1900s. This was one of the best tours I have ever been on.

Tennessee River

• The Tennessee River flowing south and southwest to its confluence (I read that somewhere) with the Ohio River at Paducah, Ky. and flows through 4 states; Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky.
• We went from Barkley Lake through the Barkley Canal to the Kentucky Lake and Tennessee River. It's really beautiful. Our first night we spent in Paris Landing (I always wanted to see Paris). We watched paratroopers drop from a huey helicopter, twin bladed, into the river. They were Screaming Eagles 101st Airborne. They were to be deployed in the next week or two to Iraq. They were all babies and all we can do is say a prayer for their safety.
• The next night we spent at Pebble Isle Marina in New Johnsonville, TN. It seems that the first Johnsonville, Old Johnsonville, is underwater, part of the Tenn-Tom Waterway. Lucky for us the Army Corps of Engineers grabbed their shovels and made the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. By connecting the Tennessee River in Mississippi and the Black Warrior River in Alabama, a direct water route from Tennessee River to the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico at Mobile Bay was made. This means we can go from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast without having to go on the Mississippi.
• We saw Bald Eagles, I learned that bald means white not hairless. These bald eagles are blackish-brown on their back and breast with white heads, necks and tails their bill and feet are yellow. The female is bigger than the male and they weigh 10 to 14 lbs and can fly 35 miles an hour.
• This marina, Pebble Isle is one of our favorites. We were there for the end of the summer bash. They had a live band "Syndicate of Soul" about 10 pieces. We love to dance and had a wonderful time dancing, singing and drinking to real music. Our legs, feet, back and throats were sore the next day. What's gonna happen when we really get old?
• Next stop Clifton Marina still in Tennessee. In the guide it said 4 restaurants. The town was so desolate that there was only 1. It can be upsetting at times when you see so much poverty. Anyway at Ray's restaurant Mike had chicken and dumplings, white beans, mashed potatoes, creamed broccoli with cheese, corn bread and ice tea for $5.00. Good thing he doesn't mind a little starch for lunch.
• For 10 or so days Mike has been complaining about his ear. There was a walk in clinic in town and he decided to check it out. There was no doctor and he couldn't make a appointment for the next day. When he said he would go to the next town to the hospital, I knew he was getting concerned about the ear. We went to the emergency room and 5 hours later found out that he had done the right thing in taking the Amoxicillin. The doctor (a baby) said it would take time, it would heal, just leave it alone and don't get any water in it. I did not say a word about never getting the 5 hours back that I wasted sitting in the emergency room.

Grand Rivers, Kentucky

• The buzz at Grand Rivers is that it's a dry county. But let's face it, Mike has enough booze on board to open another Mumbles (a bar he owned). We are in a hand clappin, toe tappin, country, gospel, bluegrass, red neck county. Lots of "Y'all". We asked directions; this I will never forget. We were told to go about a mile to where the big tree used to be and make a left. I walked away and started to laugh. I couldn't even tell Mike what I was laughing at for a good 5 minutes.
• At this marina there were lots of loopers. We all got together at 5:00 for cocktail hour and all our war stories were shared. Later several couples got together for dinner. We went to Patti's 1880 Restaurant. The place is known for its 2" pork chops. They give you an ice cold glass for $1.00 and everyone has their bottle in a brown paper bag on the floor next to their chair. Remember it's a dry county.
• We needed some supplies, Mike had to break down and go to a Wal*Mart, (it's all non-union and he hates it), but it's the only store around. This is Paducah, Kentucky. The only thing he saw made in the USA was Budweiser. Anyhow, if you know Mike you understand what I had to go through the entire afternoon.

Muddy River, Ohio River, Clumberland River

• We traveled 44 miles down the Mississippi to the town of Kimmswick, MO, and a place called Hoppie's. On the Mississippi the places to spend the night and get fuel are few and far between. You can not just pull over and anchor because the barges travel 24 hours a day and they can not just stop if you're in the way. We were told to be very careful when we anchored because a barge can break loose and because of the speed of the current you could get hit and God help you if this happens. It's a silent threat because there are no motors and you can not hear it coming.
• Hoppie's is several barges tied together. A wonderful and interesting woman runs the marina. You can not help but like her, she's a little bit mother and a lot Tugboat Annie. From the moment you pull up you know who's the boss. She tells you where to tie up and how she wants you tied up. The next thing she does is tell you to meet her at whatever time she picks because she wants to go over some information with you. At first you say to yourself, who is this woman? You do as you are told and attend the meeting. The information she gives you is invaluable and worth every minute it takes . As I mentioned you have to be very careful where you anchor. This woman gives you her knowledge of the Mississippi and what is happening at that time. She told us that a heavy rain storm was coming and not to take any chances. She said that you can not just anchor in a narrow opening because with the heavy rain a "wall" of water will come down from the little tributaries and you will be swept away and a lot of damage is caused...if you survive. She went over a list of common places to stay and told us which ones to stay away from.
• We left the next morning with our tanks full and ready to get ahead of the heavy rain storms that were due. We rode 110 miles, this makes for a very long day. Between watching for the debris (tree trunks) and the many barges you are totally exhausted after traveling 10 hours. We anchored at Little Diversion Channel. This narrow channel gives you plenty of protection from the current and passing traffic. We were in a valley and it was a very hot spot. We ate and fell asleep early.
• We left at the crack of dawn the next morning and decided to go all the way to the next marina - Green Turtle Bay Marina. We continued down the Mississippi with the current giving us an extra 4 knots. As I mentioned earlier, we had to be careful of our fuel because there's no place to stop. Forty miles down river there's a popular anchorage called Angelo Towhead. Fern, the lady from Hoppie's, told us not to stay there because when the Army Corps of Engineers cleared this land they cut down the trees and left the stumps, with the water low, you can damage your props.
• We made our way to the Ohio River, we not only lost the 4 extra knots but because we were now going upstream we had the current against us and now were losing 2 knots. This river is so much cleaner than the Big Muddy, it's more like the color of the canals at home. There are lots of tows working in this area and you must keep alert. We will have to go at least 60 miles to the Cumberland River. On the Mississippi the green markers were on our starboard and red on our port, we are now back to the red on our starboard because we are going upstream.
• Now the trouble begins. At the locks the barges are taken first. Pleasure crafts don't count. We had less then a 30 minute wait. You pull in and the lockmaster drops down a hook to you, you put your line on it and she (this time the lockmaster was a female) loops your line around a fixed buoy and then passes it back to you. No big deal, we're on our way again. We have now traveled 68 miles. Next lock... we had to wait 3 1/2 hours. Just circling around, against the current using fuel. I'm getting anxious. It's getting late and the fuel gauge is on 1/2. We get through and decide to speed it up a little because it gets dark around 7-7:30.
• We still had 60 miles to go. We had a talk with Dennis and Ruth and decided to just keep trucking, we started to speed up. Mike felt we had enough fuel, what we wouldn't have is daylight to travel unknown waters with barges around bends that we can't see. At home we often drive the boat at night, it's our way of getting every last minute at the club, even there it can be nerve racking because it's hard to see.
• Today we have traveled the Mississippi River, the Ohio River and now the Cumberland River. We were in Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky.
• We are on the Cumberland River; it twists and turns and at some points is very narrow. We only passed 2 barges. We are going quite fast, the moon is shining bright. I thought this would be a good thing, instead it created a shadow that made it hard to tell what was a real tree and what was a reflection. We had to slow down, it was just too hard to see cause it's really dark and right off our port was a huge tree sticking out of the water. If we had hit it we would have put a hole in the boat. We came to our last lock for the day, we called the lockmaster and he said come right in, no wait. We pull up but could not see the green light. The lockmaster called us and said "What are you waiting for, come on in." We told him we could not see the opening, he then directed us in, we were able to go right through. When we got out of the lock we were in Grand River, Kentucky.
• We had to go 1 mile to our final destination. It's very dark, we had the search lights out looking for any marker, these markers are private for the marina, we see one and follow it in. Now it is 9 P.M. We pull into the marina, the place is very quiet, no one around. We got lucky, our slips were not in a tricky spot, we were able to just pull in. Another long day, around 13 hours. A hot shower and we slept like babies.
• The next morning we saw a couple we knew. Their boat was on the hard. They did not stop at Hoppie's and went to Angelo Towhead. They needed new props...

Grafton and Alton

Grafton Marina - our last stop on the Illinois River.

• We were delighted to see this marina, it's new, well protected and has beautiful accommodations. Funny, when we go to a marina Mike looks for a good restaurant and I look for clean showers. We went to a restaurant in town called "Fins". In the wall at each table they have a fish tank. Each tank is a little different, a mini aquarium. It's a fish place more than any other food. So while you eat a fish, a fish watches you!
• In the ad for Grafton Marina is a "pool, hot tub, restaurant on site and lots more." The ad was in a 2 year old book. On the property is a fiberglass pool waiting to be installed as is the hot tub. The owner said he was waiting for the town to approve his plans. The forms are sitting on someone's desk. Karen and Rich, sound familiar? The restaurant is only open on weekends; today is Monday.
• Heading down the river there is a 50' shrine called Our Lady of the Rivers. In 1951, a disastrous flood stopped just short of flooding the village of Portage des Sioux. The shrine was built in gratitude and each year the blessing of the fleet is held here.
• Next stop - Alton, Ill. This is a good marina to stop at if you want to go to St Louis, Missouri. There is not one place to anchor or dock for us in St Louis. We decided to rent a car and spend 3 days seeing it all. We're gonna breathe it ALL in. Too often we fly through an area and miss most of the sights.
• The first restaurant we went to is called Fast Eddies. At one time it was an Anheuser-Bush brewery that was also a saloon. The law was changed and a brewery could no longer be a saloon. So Fast Eddie opened a restaurant. The first thing I noticed was a sign that said "No children"; we all got a kick out of that. The waitress only serves the alcohol, if you want food you have to go get it yourself. Steak on a stick with peppers, hamburgers, shrimp by the piece ($.25) and french fries. A very limited menu and very inexpensive. Picture an old time saloon in the cowboy movies you saw as a child, that's Fast Eddies. There were about 10 couples and we had a real good time. This place has the largest consumption of beer in the state of Illinois and we helped.
• After eating, it was just too early to go back to the boat. Within walking distance is the Argosy Casino Boat, we were just going to look around. I am now as bad a Mike when it comes to going to the casino; I really enjoy it. I took my $30 (the amount I was willing to lose) and lost it in 2 hours. I scouted around for Mike and found him with a nice pile in front of him. He immediately gave me $200 and I took off with it. About 1 hour later I made the mistake of going to check him out and he asked for the $200 back. To make a short story shorter, we lost.
• Up early the next morning to do some laundry and get some groceries. Now we're off to St. Louis. Only a half-hour ride and you can see the Arch. What a sight!! After always seeing it on TV when the St Louis Rams play, this is the real thing. We put the car in a garage; just like N.Y. it's very difficult to find a parking spot. We walked to a beautiful park to the arch. You look up so far and you start to topple over, your neck hurts, the sun is shinning, the arch gleams so much you have to squint. You have to go a little below ground to get in, but first you have to go through security. Just like at the airports, shoes, belts and bags are put in a bin.
• The ride to the top is only 4 minutes. The arch is 630 feet. You climb through a porthole, like the ones in a submarine, into a little cage. Similar to the ones in an amusement park ride, only you can't see out of this one, it's all enclosed. Five people sit with their feet on top of one another's and your knees are touching. The car starts to move and you rock; you hear all kinds of squeaks. The noise makes you think it's about to come apart. Finally you're at the top. The little porthole opens and you crawl out. You're on a narrow staircase with people standing to one side of it waiting to go down. You go single file up the staircase to a room that is long and narrow. Maybe 15 feet wide and 40 feet long with 6 little windows on each side. On one side you have the city and the other is the Mississippi River. I start to sweat and get real clammy, my face turns pure white...Mike says, "Is something wrong?" Are you kidding?! I'm about to pass out, I swear this thing is coming down; I can feel it swaying, I know it's going back and forth.....get me out of here...We had to wait our turn on the narrow staircase for the next group of little cars to come up. Crawl back into this little cubbyhole that a mouse wouldn't be happy in and listen to the god awful squawk of the chains bringing me down to safety. When we get to the bottom, Mike says, "Well that's an hour and a half of my life I won't get back." It's all about him!!!!
• A tour of the lower part of the arch was wonderful. With my feet planted on the ground I enjoyed the museum and the history of Lewis and Clark.
• It's now dark and time for us to go back to the den of degradation. The casino was once again calling us. We went with a positive approach. In Missouri you have to buy your own drinks, unlike Atlantic City where it's free as long as you are playing. I won back the $30 I lost last night plus $10 more. I was happy. I will not talk about my honey, "Chris Money Maker."
• Our next trip to St. Louis starts at a little sidewalk bistro for lunch. Then a walk to the Cathedral Basilica. Unbelievable, it's amazing, 83,000 square feet of mosaic artwork. It's a lesson in faith and history. The mosaic tells the story of the Catholic faith from Creation to the Last Judgment. It has scenes from both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. The eyes follow you in a lot of the scenes.
• If you believe in ghosts, Alton is the place to visit. If you don't believe--you might by the time you leave Alton. It's considered the most haunted town in America. There are still tunnels beneath the streets as Alton was a major stop along the underground railroad. Slaves hid in caves, barns and basements. You can hear the slaves' tales and feel their fear. (It's like being at the top of the arch all over again.)

IVY - Illinois Valley Yacht Club

• While we were home two weeks ago, there was all kinds of flooding in Illinois. Now the problem is it's shallow everywhere. We pulled into IVY and had just about 4', we stirred up all kinds of mud. The building had a water mark on the side of it, at least 9' high. They were still cleaning up the mud from all around the clubhouse. The ladies room was as big as our entire mansion, the clubhouse was about the size of the SHYC property. We just had a relaxing afternoon, one of us washed the boat and the other washed the clothing. We were only spending 1 night there so we decided to eat in the dining room. So glad we did, there were 6 of us - Linda and Ray, Ruth and Dennis and the two of us. The food was great; Mike had a whole catfish. We left early the next morning.
• Many of you who have known Mike for a while are used to saying "What'd he say?" Well he has met his match. The tugboat captains are all very nice. They have a lingo of their own. Here's the kicker, they understand Mike and he understands them!!!! We also learned that when they don't respond, you let a woman speak and they answer immediately. Also we went from saying "Eh", in Canada, to saying "Y'all" along the rivers. Jo, every restaurant at breakfast says "Y'all want biscuits and gravy with that?"
• Every time I'm getting dressed to go out I have to iron my clothes. There just isn't enough closet space. Do you remember the movie Overboard? When we pulled into the marina, Tall Timbers, my Dean Proffett, Mike, went into town to see what he could do about giving me more space to hang my clothes. He really is happiest when he's building. Since I can't have him put an extention on the boat, I can have him make the extra room into a closet. He put another pole up and now I have to buy more clothes and hangers.
• We just heard from some couples behind us the IVY is closed. No boats can get in or out because the water is so low. Glad we left when we did.
• This is the best yet. We had to dock at a barge. No water, no electric, no showers; just a barge. We paid $1.00 a foot to just tie up. Now I know we're nuts. We are at Beardstown, Ill. We tied up to a Logdon Barge because there is plenty of turbulence from passing traffic. We were already tied up when we found out how much it cost. We felt we were safe. The best is they would only take cash. I hope it really was the barge owner!
• We walked into town and found a nice bar. The football game was on; not the Jets, but a football game - Colts and Titans. Dennis is a big Colt fan. The 4 of us sat at a table, drank beer, had some ribs, pulled pork, meatballs and spaghetti. Just what we would be doing if we were at home.

DOWN THE RIVER

• It is a relief to be out of Lake Michigan and on our way down the river to the Gulf of Mexico. The rivers all flow down, so we should be able to gain some time and save a little money on fuel. From Chicago we had a choice of two routes to go down the river. First choice is to go right through the heart of the city. The only problem is that the bridge height is less than 17'. So the decision was made for us. We will go the Calumet Sag Canal. It's a little longer and much more commercial, but has more clearance.
• We went through a dozen bascule bridges and our first lock is the Thomas S. O'Brien lock. When we approached the lock we saw a boat tied up to the outside lock wall. We pulled up behind the boat and they took our lines for us. We called the lock and found out we had to wait while a barge came out. We started talking to Ruth and Dennis, they were also loopers. We told them we were hoping to get to Joliet by the end of the day. It was their plan also. About an hour later a tow pushing 9 barges came out of the lock and it was our turn. After the Welland Canal this was a piece of cake.
• We passed a sign that said "Caution, no fishing, no swimming, no contact with the human body." Really makes you think. We are on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The reason it's called the Sanitary canal is they raised the river so that all the sewage from Chicago can not enter the Great Lakes. It forces all the waste to go down the river to the Gulf. How ironic is that...we spend $5. to $10. to pump out our 40 gallon holding tank.
• In the Des Plaines River it was so narrow that you had to pay attention every minute. Mike gave Dennis plenty of room in case he needed extra space to move around. On the side there were barges tied up, this made the narrow passage even more tricky. There was a barge in front of Dennis, he followed the barge until it was clear to pass. Now it's our turn. Mike asked permission to pass, the captain said he could pass on the two whistle, which means to overtake him on our starboard, his port. When we were almost passed we looked ahead and saw another tow and barge heading toward us. Mike raced passed the first barge and pulled in front of him. Then he changed his underwear. That's a joke, Mike doesn't wear underwear. Too much information.
• The next sign we came to said "Danger, Electric Current. Must wear a Life Jacket, No stopping, Danger, Danger." We found out it was because of the Asian Carp. The Federal Government has spent millions of dollars trying to keep the Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes. I found this in one of the books. Asian Carp that jump out of the water and can not only hit boaters but injure them is not a joke on the Illinois river. They become stimulated by an engine's vibration and leap well out of the water. The ones that end up in boats average eight to ten pounds. If you stay in the channel, they generally are not a problem. Locals say that if you venture close to shore where they gather, you will definitely find them.
• The Redneck Fishing Tournament is held in Bath, Illinois on a backwater and the winner is the boat with the most Asian Carp in the boat at the end of the three hour contest. In 2006, 78 boats brought in 1,840 fish. The only gear allowed are hand-held deep nets. Protective gear like football helmets, baseball bats and rain gear for slime protection are optional. Injuries requiring stitches from getting hit by the fish have occurred. Bow hunting for Asian Carp is also a growing sport and archers now come from all over the country. Ray, I think this beats frog whopping! If anyone would like information on this, give me a call, I get it for you.
• The wait at the locks had its toll on us. It took us 9 hours to go 44 miles. We tied up at Joliet with about 9 other loopers. Dennis said it was the toughest day he has had since he started the trip. The dock was across the river from Harrah's, we were too tired to even make a deposit.
• The next day we traveled 6 hours and did 36 miles to Hidden Cove Marina. Again the long hours are due to waiting at the locks. Very quiet until the couple next to us, Linda and Ray from Old Saybrook, Conn., had to vacate their slip because a very nasty blowhard started cursing at them to get out of his slip. It appears that the marina owner did not expect him back and rented out his slip. We had dinner on board and watched a movie.
• On to Henry Marina, this time it was 56 miles in 6 hours, that was better. We did a little shopping and a group of us ate dinner at the Henry Restaurant. The good thing about Henry was that the barmaid did not know how to make a martini. Mike told her to put 5 oz of Bombay Sapphire Gin and 1 oz of dry vermouth stir over ice and strain, add 3 large olives and serve. She only charged $4.50, the same as my rum and coke. This might seem boring, but the only way we can get to the Gulf is to go down the river.

Chicago

• We left St. Joseph, Michigan with lots of enthusiasm because the lake is quiet. We decided to go straight across to Chicago. The view from the lake is spectacular, like all big cities it just appears and starts to get bigger and bigger. We called the Chicago Yacht Club and they had dockage for us. It's right in the heart of the city. The yacht club asked us for our burgee to fly it over their club, quite an honor. The restaurant is unbelievable, (are you getting tired of my writing about food) everything from oysters to prime rib to salmon, all kinds of fish and of course all the normal stuff.
• You walk across the street and your at Millennium Park. We went to the Jay Pritzker Pavillion and saw the Chicago Symphony. A little culture never hurt no one. To my surprise, Mike agreed to take a double decker bus tour. We started at the Navy Pier, where the first thing we did was take a ride on the ferris wheel. This is not my favorite ride, I'll take a roller coaster any day over a ferris wheel. At the pier there is a stained glass window gallery; it's amazing what these artists can do. We walked for three hours.
• Some of the other sights were The Sears Tower, Art Institute, Field Museum of Natural History, Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium. Very busy and exhausting. We saw where Oprah lives, the top two floors of a beautiful high rise in the middle of the city. Mike was disappointed we didn't get tickets for her show. Ha, Ha.
• The place I liked best in Chicago was the Millennium Park. You could spend hours there and no charge for it. The crown fountain, it consists of two 50-foot glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool. The towers project video images from Chicago citizens. It has a large fountain with gargoyles in it, they could scare any kid.
• As you can see from the picture, Mike found someone to listen to him forever. Bob Newhart was at the pier and told Mike to sit on his couch. All over the pier there are environmental globes. They illustrate the problems in the world today.

Lake Michigan

• Today is Tuesday, August 14, we want to go home for two weeks on August 28, Tuesday. The plan was to be past Chicago by Labor Day. First because the weather is supposed to change very quickly and second because we can't leave the boat in Chicago, it's just too expensive. We have 14 days to get to Alton, Illinois. The pressure is on.

Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana border Lake Michigan. It's maximum depth is 923 feet, it's 307 miles long and 118 miles wide.

We got up at 6:00 a.m. with every intention of pulling right out of Mackinac Island and heading south about 50 miles to Harbor Springs. I went on the computer to check the weather. All along it was telling me the waves were going to be 2 to 4 foot waves. After last week, I did not want to go in anything more then 3 foot waves. I checked with 4 other boats that were going in the same direction and they were leaving. (I asked the dockmaster at Mackinac Island Marina to put us on a waiting list to stay at the marina. My way of thinking, if I can't get out no boats can come in.) Gladys and Wright have a 41 foot Lagoon Catamaran, like the one we had in Tortola, only this is a sail boat. They were leaving for Beaver Island, an anchorage, which is also about 50 miles and starting out in the same direction as we were going. They decided to leave and would call us in a few minutes and let us know how good or bad it is out there. We started to put everything away, took the kids off the wall, (a 12x30 glass framed picture of our grandchildren), so it wouldn't be broken in case it was rough. When Wright called we just untied the boat and were on our way. We passed under Mackinac Bridge into the Strait of Mackinac and our journey began. As soon as we were out of the protection of land the water changed. We got another call from Wright saying he hoped we weren't mad at him. Forty-three years ago when we were married I was 118 lbs. I could understand being knocked off a seat in a rolling sea. Today, I'm a few...okay, a lot heavier - you'd think this butt would stay put. I was knocked off twice; the second time, I stayed on the floor with my life jacket on. At one point Mike was off his chair. Good thing he grabbed onto the railing or he would be down the stairs on the deck and probably hurt. We could not go to Harbor Springs, instead we went to Petoskey in Little Traverse Bay. A 3 hour ride took us 6 hours. The first thing we noticed was a steeple from the Catholic Church, tomorrow is a Holy Day, think it's a sign. We went to Mass, came home, even I had a cocktail and went to bed. The next day was clear and a little calmer, it was not windy. Since every day counts on getting to Alton by the 28th we decided to go a little extra distance . We went to Northport. A real nice town with tree lined neighborhoods, houses with white picket fences and beautiful green lawns. We have not gone to a grocery store since Little Current, I needed quite a few things, Northport had a supermarket. We ate at a pub in town and were ready to leave early the next morning. The winds were howling and the weather was bad. We could not see the Lake from Northport and again I did not want to go out in rough water. We decided to stay one more day. We took a ride to Bellows Island. The locals say a man called Ustick built a house there in the early 1900 and was driven off the island by feathered neighbors. There are thousands of gulls and black cormorants there, I wouldn't want to live there.

• Friday, August 17 and we are on our way again. We are going to Leland and its only 27 miles. We start off with 2 to 4 feet and as we get near Lighthouse Point I swear the waves went to 4 to 6 feet. We're committed just keep going. The breakwall runs straight across the beach. You have to go to the beach make a quick left and the entrance to the harbor is very narrow with a following sea. The water was so rough there were surfers at the entrance. We were very happy to be docked and safe. We watched others boats come in behind us. They looked like they were going to tip over. I know that's what we looked like, I felt if I put my hand on the side of the boat I could touch the water. I've learned that the boat handles the rough water great, I don't!

Leland is a real fun town. There are ancient ice and fish shanties that are now stores. This section is called Fish Town. You can shop till you drop. There are commercial and charter boats here also. Mike brought some smoked white fish and stunk out the refrigerator. Several good restaurants. We took the bus to church , the bus driver drove us right to the church and told us he would pick us up right after church. When we came out...he was there. There's a water fall coming from another small lake that adds to the charm of the town. We found out that you cannot take an inflatable or any fishing equipment from Lake Michigan to this small lake. The Zebra Mussels are destroying the ecological balance in the lake. The state is doing all that it can to prevent the mussels from contaminating other lakes.

• The next day, Sunday, we couldn't leave Leland. Again, it was just too rough. More boats came in and you had to raft off. The good thing about the State of Michigan is that they have ports of refuge every 20 miles providing protected harbors with anchorages and inexpensive marinas all the way to Chicago. We were in a slip, behind us were 2 boats tied off. The entire marina had boats tied 2 and 3 deep.

• The next day it was a mad exodus. Everyone was taking advantage of a more tranquil sea. Our next stop was Frankfort, it's the 19th of August. We stayed at a place called Jacobson, a private marina because it had a laundromat. After we docked we realized there were at least 10 other loopers there. We had plenty of company. This town has a 480 foot tall sand dune and is part of the Sleeping Bear National Park. We ate at a great pub call Dinghy's and had enough left over for lunch and dinner the next day. We stayed here 2 days again because the weather was bad. So far Lake Michigan has not been good to us.

• August 21, we went to Ludington. Again, all that is on our minds is to get out of Lake Michigan. We took a long walk and went to a really nice restaurant and had a very romantic dinner.
• On August 22 we went to Grand Haven and stayed at North Shore Marina. We were both getting anxious about heading home. We actually were thinking of nothing else to the point of spoiling our days in port. We wanted to see our children and our grandchildren and we promised Karen and Rich that we would be home for the Labor Day Auction at the club. Then it dawned on us...Why don't we just take our chances and go home now? Mike went to the dockmaster to find out what it would cost. It was in our budget. Then I called Enterprise Car Rental and had them deliver an American car. The only one they had was a PT Cruiser. They delivered the car at 4 on Thursday the 23rd and we left at 5:30. We drove straight through and were home in our own bed by 6:30 Friday morning. Turns out the grandchildren were going to surprise us with signs and posters, we spoiled their fun.

• While at home we did a lot of visiting. We had a wonderful time seeing our relatives and friends. We had an especially good time seeing everyone at the club. Our thanks to Gregg and Nancy for letting us stay on their boat for 3 days.

• We left home at 5:45 A.M. and arrived at the boat at 6:30 P.M. on Wednesday, Sept 5th. The electric on the boat had been turned off due to a storm. The refrigerator was off and wore down the battery. We lost all the food in the freezer and I didn't want to take a chance on the condiments so I threw them out too. We went shopping to restock, returned the car and were ready to go. Thursday, here we go again, the weather is bad, thunder storms and waves 3 to 5 feet. When is this going to stop, I HATE LAKE MICHIGAN! Friday it's even worse waves 8 to 12ft. Everyone at the marina is going crazy. We met Tom and Paula from Texas, they weren't happy either. We spent the night talking with them.

• Finally, Friday the Lake was what it should be, less than 2 feet. We fueled up and were on our way at last. We were going about 60 miles to St. Joseph, Benton Harbor. What a beautiful harbor with a brightly lit nuclear power plant at its entrance. There's a restaurant called Clementine's that's very popular and we can understand why. We stayed at Pier 33 Marina. The current on the river was very strong and docking was tricky. In town on every corner there are brightly painted carousel size little cars, any kid would have a ball here. There's a store that is like a dollar store for men. It has all kinds of weird stuff for boats, little boys like Mike think they're in a candy store. To Mass on our bikes and back to the boat to get ready for a long ride tomorrow to Chicago.

Wake up - Get up - Start a new adventure

• We played a game of poker run. In your dinghy you have to go to 5 different marinas and get a card. At the 6th marina the dinghy with the best poker hand wins. I filled a dozen or so balloons with water and was all set to go. Most teams were couples; one had several men, I guess their wives didn't want to play. The men had it all planned with super soakers. One of the guys actually went to a store for the water guns. We had 2-10's, 1-J, 1-A and a 4. We didn't win, however, we were soaked and did have fun.
• We zigzagged our way through a maze into a cove called Bustard Islands. This time there were other boats, but you could not see them until you were right next to them. We dropped anchor; Mike took the dinghy and tied the stern to a tree. We took a dinghy ride along the shore and explored the sheltered channels. You know God had his hand in this, his fingerprints are all over. During the night there was a thunder storm. The wind howled and the lightning made the sky look like the 4th of July. We were glad we had both bow and stern anchored. In the morning you would not have known it even rained.
• Some of the channels are so narrow and long; with the turns and rocks, you can not see the other side. Before you enter you have to go on channel 16 and say "security-security-security", say which direction you are going-"33ft. power boat going east to west in Roger's Gut in 2 minutes." Then you hold your breath and hope no boat is coming the other way. There is not enough room for 2 boats to pass.
• We went to Byng Inlet to a restaurant called Little Britt Inn. The owner was Jim and he did not serve you if he didn't like you. He told great stories - he was Mike's hero. A genuine character. They had a long conversation. Mike explained that his ambition in life was to be a character, just like Jim. Jim said, "I think you made it." P.S. The food was great.
• The North Channel - the outpost of civilization. We had a flat, beautiful ride from Kagawong to Meldrum and then to Drummond Island. We played golden oldies, lots of rock and roll, and sang off tune and danced. We were happy that no one could hear us. We talked about old times and what each song made us think of. All together it was about 9 hours. When we arrived at Drummond Island we had to check in at customs. We had our passports, drivers license, documentation and decal number ready for the agent. This time it only took 10 minutes. We decided to ride our bikes to Mass and do some grocery shopping. The next stop would be Mackinac Island and that's supposed to be expensive. When we left the IGA store I asked if there was a shorter way back to the marina. The clerk said, "Just follow the main road and make the 1st right". Yeah right! We only rode 2 miles from the marina to church and then to the store. Heading back we were already about 3 miles - all up hill. We came to the 1st right, and rode at least another 2 miles; we did see the water but no marina. I thought Mike was having a heart attack. The sweat was pouring off him like I sprayed him with a hose. He said ##@** to me, it was all my fault, I asked for the short cut. We came to a house, the front door was open, the car was running. I knocked at the door, I could hear a young mother coaching her 3 year old to make on the potty. I knocked again, I hated to interrupt the potty process...I remember what that was like. Finally I heard "good girl" you can have your M&M. When the mother came to the door, I explained my situation, she understood, after all she was married. She laughed at two adults being lost. The right way to head to the marina was to go back the way we came. However, we could sneak into some grumpy couples yard, cross a field go over a fence, follow a gravel path, go down a hill and come out on the main road in half the time. We very quietly went into the grumpy couples back yard, we started to cross the field when we were attacked by black flies. (The size of the carpenter bees at the club.) When they landed on you, you felt like you were hit with a ball. We carried our bikes over the fence, followed the gravel path, went down the hill and finally came to the main road. We left our boat at 4 p.m. to go to 4:30 Mass, pick up some groceries and it was now 8 P.M. So much for our shortcut.
• There are only 77 slips on Mackinac Island. We made a reservation, one of the few we made. Because of this we had to go whatever the weather was. We woke up to thunder and lightning and light rain. The Coast Guard said there would be a small craft warning in the afternoon. It's 8 a.m...do we go or not? We broke our own rule, we went. The wind was blowing, we were protected by small islands on both sides. We got to DeTour Harbor and the current and the wind were right in front of us. It started to get a little bouncy, I had my life jacket on and Mike did me a favor and had his next to him. As we cleared land and entered the open lake the little chop turned into 5 ft waves coming right at us. The Hail Mary's started. We rolled and I held on the way one of Count Dracula's victims might cling to a cross. We kept going 47 miles. It started to lay down about half way across. It's amazing how the water changes on the lakes. We see land-Yeah!! We docked and Mike had a beer. It turned out to be a beautiful day....
• Mackinac Island is only 3 miles long by 2 wide. There's lots of ferry traffic and they don't worry about you. This is one of my big attractions, ever since I saw the movie "Somewhere In Time." It is enchanting with horse drawn carriages and colonial homes. Lots of B&B's. No cars are on the island; only transportation is by horse or bikes. There's a pungent odor on the streets or as my sweetie says - it's stinks, it's horse shit!
• The Grand Hotel with the world's longest veranda is high on a hill, you can see it from everywhere. It overlooks the harbor. It's regal and the prices are as grand as the hotel.
• We took our bikes on an eight-mile trip around the island. The path is flat, which we loved. There's a military reenactment, with the bugle and drums. Every so often they shot off a cannon. Just like at the club - your heart skips a beat and you jump when it goes off. There are many shops and places to eat. There had to be 20 fudge stores. We spent 2 days here just strolling and loving it.

What country are we in?

• Killarney is one of those towns that is very limited when it comes to getting any supplies. However, it has the important stuff like a liquor store, small grocery and restaurants. The current was very strong when we pulled into Sportsman's Inn. It had everything we needed and all for $.50 a foot. We took a long walk along the nature trail...one of these days we'll remember to use bug spray before we start. We walked about forty-five minutes when we realized that its a forty-five minute walk back. Later my sweet tooth was acting up, so I decided to bake a cake to satisfy it. Everyone on the dock made a comment --someone is baking --smells like home. Of course we shared and got to know all our neighbors.
• There's a red and white school bus parked by the fishing dock. The bus was converted into a fish and chips take-out store. The entire 2 days we stayed in Killarney there was a line waiting for the white fish dinner. We ate there on Saturday night.
• We went to Baie Fine; very clear and protected waters. So clear, it reminded Mike of a nice glass of gin! We dropped anchor and once again tied the stern to a tree. At night we went for a dinghy ride to watch the sunset. We met 2 more couples, who also were out for a little ride. Jokingly they asked if we had the champagne; we all just laughed. They invited us back to their sailboat for coffee or a drink. We went back to our boat first and got some champagne, they were very surprised when we showed up with the bottle of bubbly. When we left them to go back to our boat we couldn't believe the amount of stars in the sky.
• The next day Mike and Pat S. and Mike and Cathy C. joined us on their boats. We all took a dinghy ride up to the "Pool" at the far end of Baie Fine. The ride there, which was about 5 miles, could have been a little smoother. We pulled the dinghies up on shore and tied them to trees. We climbed up the mountain and did a little hike, again we forgot the bug spray, and came to another lake called Topaz Lake. Mike climbed down to this lake and went for a swim. It's a dead lake, the color is just that different. It was well worth the walk to get a look at the crystalline water. Heading back was not as much fun as getting there. The waves were breaking over the front of the dinghy; I was glad I had my bathing suit on. After the long walk, the hike up the mountain, and the wet ride home I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
• Little Current can be a challenge to dock the boat; the current always runs at least 4 knots. Other boaters actually come out to help you dock. We stayed at Spider Bay Marina...guess how it got the name. I can remember staying at Essex Island many years ago. There were lots of spiders there also. It took close to a year to get rid of the little pests.
• On to the Benjamin Islands. We anchored past a spot called "Sow and Pigs." You have to be careful here; the little piggies can jump up and grab your props or stub your bow. It's very rocky.
• From here we went to Gore Bay where we met up with some other loopers. Loopers are people who belong to the AGLCA. We all got together and went to dinner that night at the Rocky Racoon Restaurant.
• Next port, Kagawong, where we were greeted by Bob and Wendy. They owned the place and were also loopers. We spent the afternoon visiting Bridal Veil Falls. You have to walk down a trail; once again no bug spray. Taking a dip in the water was great, the falls were a little tough. When you were under the falls the water comes down so hard it was like you were being hit with stones. It was beautiful. That night the church had a roast beef dinner. We spent the evening with Bob and Wendy hearing about the loop.

The 30,000 Islands

MJ and Jay, along with their dog, Morgan, cat, Jack and the two of us left early in the morning for Tobermory. It's a long ride - about 100 miles. Many boaters, like us, had to stay in port the last couple of days because the waves and the wind were really bad. One boat has been here nine days. The first thing I see is a 365 ft. ferry, the Chi-Cheemaun (big canoe). It's out of a James Bond movie. It opens up in the front like a big mouth and out comes, or goes in, log trucks, tractor trailers, campers, vans, cars and motorcycles, even a school bus. It holds 143 vehicles and I heard 800 people. When the horn blows telling you it's ready to leave, you better not have a drink in your hand or be holding a baby. It's so loud, your cup goes into the air and you're wearing it and the baby sobs for the next 5 minutes. Tobermory is an old fishing and lumbering town. Now it caters to boaters waiting out the weather before scattering to all parts of the Georgian Bay and the North Channel. We'll stay in Little Tub 2 nights. This afternoon we'll get our last shot at shopping and tomorrow we'll tour the area in the dinghy. Diving is very big here, you wear a dry suit because the water is so cold. There are 22 shipwrecks off this coast in Fathom Five National Marine Park. You can see down 25 feet. My feeling is it's just too cold for anything to live in these waters. We took a ride over to Flowerpot Island. Legend has it that Shining Rainbow and Bounding Deer, a Chippewa prince, fell in love. Their tribes did not approve. They decided to run away to Flowerpot Island, from which no one had ever returned. Little Spirit, the powerful island deity, decided to prove his strength. He turned the lovers into stone. There are two natural stone structures on the island that resemble human figures. If we don't come back it's because the Little Spirit did a job on us too! We said good bye to MJ and Jay. They went north and we headed south to Lion's Head. About an hour out a cloud of fog covered us. We could only see a few feet past the boat. The water was very calm and very deep, 500 feet.

A few years ago, I was very impressed with Bobby O. He took 5 boats across Block Island Sound from Montauk to Newport in a fog. At times we could only see the boat in front of us. Bobby took us right to the entrance marker.

On the VHS we heard a call to the Coast Guard, from a couple we had met in Tobermory. They were very concerned, they did not know where they were. The Coast Guard told them to sit tight, blow their horn now and then and wait out the fog. Mike had them on our radar, he called them and told them where we were and asked if they wanted our help. They said yes they would appreciate it very much. We found them, they followed us to safety...my hero. That night at Lion's Head a real Atlantique storm hit. It lasted 12 hours. The waves would hit the break wall, fly over it and hit us. We rocked and rolled all night. I thought about Nancy A. the day she spent at the ladies room when the boat rocked too much to stay on it. It was so rough it didn't even rock us to sleep. I couldn't wait to get off. Even that was scary, they were floating docks and didn't stay still for a second. The wind would not subside. The town consists of 1 hardware store, 2 restaurants, a library and a fire department. Not too much to do. We rode our bikes for a little while, the hills were too high to pedal up. We found 2 old age homes and thought we would end up there. Finally we were able to leave and the next port was 60 miles away. Penetanguishene, Ont. We met many members of the AGLCA, most of which were at various stages of the loop. We spent 4 days at talks about different parts of the trip. We were especially interested in the 30,000 islands, North Channel and the rivers. We learned that the 30,000 islands have over 90,000 rocks. Some the size of a city block and some as small as a refrigerator just lurking below the surface waiting to take our props, shafts and rudders. The last night we went on a dinner cruise on the Georgian Queen with 80 of our "closest friends". They had a jazz band, the youngest was around 85. We really enjoyed them, the scary thing is I knew most of the songs. I guess my parents used to play the songs. I sometimes wonder why we created this stress for ourselves. We could be docked at Fire Island and not worry about rocks. We left Penetnguishene and headed north to the small craft channel. Before you knew it we were in a very narrow channel about 20 feet wide. Twist and turns rocks and cliffs on both sides and water as low as 3 feet. We were at Big Dogs....we should have gone the other side of Robert's Island. From there to Royal Island, Inner Canal to Honey Harbour. This was well marked and we were surprised at how busy it was since today is Thursday. We went to Gwetchewan Island and dropped anchor. It's 1:30 in the afternoon-quiet very quiet. We're sitting on the cockpit looking at a white sandy beach with high cliffs of rock and large green trees. The stress of 2 hours ago is gone and a nice swim is in order. We had a great dinner and then a John Wayne movie. Mike has 47 John Wayne movies with us. Even on the hook I can watch a John Wayne movie, I'm a lucky girl!!!! Most of these movies are in black and white. Mike said he has a lot more at home. We are now staying on the hook 2 nights and in marinas 2 nights. I can not describe the beautiful, pristine, colorful anchorages. You must be getting tired of my saying it over and over again. Once again we are sitting on the back of our boat in Regatta Bay. A big and I mean big turtle just popped his head up to say hello. I ran and got him some bread. He's not at all afraid of me, however, I'm afraid of him. Tom and Tilly are in a boat a few feet from us. They're from the area. Tom tells us the history of Archie, the turtle. He's about 90 years old. He has a bullet wound on his back and lots of moss and scars on him. Really ugly. Tom said his father used to tell him stories about Archie. Tom is 72 and said Archie has been here as long as he can remember. We took a dingy ride with Tom and Tilly to Windsor Bay. Boats drop anchor and then tie up to a tree, real cool. The bay that we are anchored at now you can tie up to the rocks. Many put out their fenders and tie up to a shear rock wall. Mike hasn't developed the nerve to do this yet. Mike made a statement about the ugly American. Tom said, "You should be so proud being an American." He couldn't imagine what shape this world would be in today if it wasn't for America. Our chest swelled up with pride. What a wonderful comment!