The Final Entry in Our Blog !!

Green Turtle Bay (GTB) to Knoxville. GTB Marina is a very nice marina, and most Loopers find their way there. We stayed at GTB for about 10 days, and had a wonderful time.

We left IRISH AYES at GTB for a few days while we traveled to Las Vegas for a military reunion. While we were there, we took a side trip to Hoover Dam, an absolutely amazing sight. Eric from KENTUCKY WILDCATS was visiting from Florida so he got us to Nashville on Saturday so that we could catch a VERY early flight on Sunday to Las Vegas.

While at GTB we met Gary and Bobbie who live in Clarksville, another great Army Family. Gary and Bobbie were kind enough to drive all the way to Nashville airport to pick us up upon our return, put us up for the night at their home in Clarksville, TN, and then after breakfast on Friday morning, they got us back to our boat at GTB.

Upon our return to GTB on Friday (21 Sept) Mike and Cathy on XPLORER were there. It was good to see them again. There were 15 looper boats there at GTB (at last count), many of them making their way to Joe Wheeler State Park for the Fall AGLCA Rendezvous in mid-October.

We left GTB on Monday 24 Sept to begin our trek back to Knoxville. We began traveling with XPLORER again and made our way along some of the most beautiful scenery we have seen on this trip. If you have the opportunity to travel the TN River by boat, you will see that it is as beautiful as any waterway we have seen in our trip along the Great Loop.

One of the more unusual sights we saw along the way was a mobile home built on stilts. Now that was a first. From GTB Bay to where the Yellow River and Tenn-Tom meet was all new to us, and it was absolutely beautiful. From there to Chattanooga was familiar territory to us, but the trip was no less beautiful than what we had previously seen.

We traveled long hours for several days, but we did not mind so much on the river system. It’s quite different than traveling long days on blue water. The weather was beautiful and not too hot, and we made it through all 8 locks on the Tennessee River with no waiting. Now that is the first time that has ever happened for us!

We were traveling with Mike and Cathy from XPLORER when we crossed our wake at the Yellow Creek and Tenn-Tom junction, and it was a moment of mixed emotions. At this point, we technically completed this great adventure that we set out to do on 6 October 2006.

We anchored at Densons Island at mile mark (MM) 125 on 24 Sept. From there we made it to Panther Creek at MM 218.1 and anchored the night of 25 Sept. On 26 Sept we left Panther Creek and anchored across from Elk River at Crutchfield Branch at MM 285. On 27 Sept we stayed at Goose Pond Marina in Scottsboro, AL, one of our favorite stops along the water way. We had dinner with Lou and Peggy, friends from Scottsboro, at the marina restaurant. This restaurant serves very good food and was very busy for a Thursday night. From Goose Pond Marina, we made it to the Chattanooga Yacht Club where we stayed for one night. Our last stop before making it back to Knoxville was Paint Rock Creek at MM 576, one of our long-time favorite anchorages.

We made it back to our slip at Fort Loudoun Yacht Club at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, 30 September. As we were beginning our turn into the marina, an unbelieveable, and ironic thing happened to us. On the radio we heard the song by John Denver, “It’s Good to be Back Home Again.” How about that for a welcome home! We were welcomed by several very good friends with a “Welcome Home” sign and food and libations. It was great to see old friends again and to share some of our adventures with them. We will have tales to tell for a long time.

Mike and Cathy on XPLORER traveled with us all the way to Knoxville and will keep their boat here while they go home for a while. They will begin their travels again headed for Florida upon their return.

We have to say that we are sorry to have this adventure come to an end. Over the last 12 months, we traveled 6,721 miles. We had no idea what we were in for when we began this trip, but it turned out to more, and better, than we ever imagined and was an adventure of a lifetime.

So, for those of you who are still reading our blog, this is the end. We will miss our fellow Loopers, especially Mike and Cathy whom we have traveled with for 3 months. They have become more like family than friends, and we know that we will see them again. We will also miss being in a different place every few days and meeting new people and seeing new and different things almost daily. We will feel “Looper deprived,” as one fellow Looper called it, for some time.

Thank you for your good wishes, your prayers, and your friendship. We will miss you all. Fair winds and following seas to all of you.

Mike and Pat Sullivan
October 6, 2007

Kimmswick, MO to Green Turtle Bay Marina

We left Hoppies Marine early on September 10th, and had a pleasant day on the Mississippi River. We made it to Little Diversion Channel located at Mile 49 on the Mississippi River, about 110 miles, faster than we thought we would due to the swift current, and dropped the anchor for the night in this quiet and isolated anchorage.

Getting into the anchorage was somewhat of a challenge due to the fast running current, which at that point was 4-5 miles an hour. Most of the day we had no less than a 3 mph push and at times a 5 mph push, so the captain went past the turn into the anchorage and then came back up river against the current. We got in with no problem and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the anchorage.

The next morning we pulled up the anchor from Little Diversion Channel, and reentered the Mighty Mississippi. Less than 50 miles later we turned east into the Ohio River. At the junction of the Mississippi and the Ohio, there were so many towboats pushing barges in every direction that it resembled the ramp on a busy Interstate Highway. Moving our little boat amongst these behemoths was high adventure, but we were able to get past and through them without incident. Once past that busy intersection we made our way through Locks 53 and 52 on the Ohio, and by 3pm we were in Paducah, KY.

We stopped in Paducah, KY at the municipal dock. This dock is not very large, and will accommodate only about two boats our size. We were told by Fern at Hoppies that Loopers could now stay overnight at this dock, so we thought we would try it. We arrived about 3:00 p.m. and tied to the dock. There were people fishing off the dock, and they were not happy to see us there, since they had to pull in their fishing lines for a few minutes so we didn’t run over their lines. We stayed the night at the dock without being told by the Water Port Authority, the police, or anyone else to leave, and had a relatively peaceful night.

While in Paducah we walked into town before dark and saw a beautiful floodwall of murals, which were scenes from Paducah's historic past. There must have been 25 or more, larger than life size murals that were professionally painted on the walls. These murals depicted the history of Paducah, and are absolutely beautiful. Other sights to see in Paducah are an old steam locomotive, and the Center for Maritime Education,where many (if not most) of the river towboat captains learn their trade and become certified to captain these massive vessels. We had a good stay in Paducah, although we are still not sure if we were really allowed to stay there.

The next morning, Jerry, Mike’s brother, left us to continue his trip to Cincinnati, and then back home to Yuma, AZ. We had a great time with Jerry onboard, and will miss him. He was a good crew member for the two weeks he was with us. We hope he enjoyed his trip down the Illinois and Mississippi and up the Ohio Rivers with us.

From Paducah we continued our trip up the Ohio River about ten miles to the Cumberland River. There, we turned south and made our way about 35 miles up the River to Barkley Lock and Dam. After waiting about twenty minutes for a towboat to lock down, we entered the lock and were lifted about 45 feet to Lake Barkley. Less than two miles later we entered a beautiful cove in the Land Between The Lakes area and anchored for the night. It was quiet, peaceful, and a very nice anchorage.

The next morning, September 13th, we pulled up the anchor and made our way about a mile to the entrance to Green Turtle Bay Marina, which is almost a must-see stop on the Great Loop. When we arrived there were several other Loopers here, to include Mike and Jean from JEANIE MARIE, whom we have seen on the Loop off and on for months. After getting into our slip it was time to give IRISH AYES a much needed bath.

On Friday afternoon, Eric (our friend from Florida on KENTUCKY WILDCATS) met us at the boat, along with Gary and Bobbie who live in this area. Both are retired Army. Eric was in town on family business, and Gary and Bobbie live here. Eric will spend the night on the boat, and then give us a ride to Nashville, where we will catch a plane to Las Vegas for the Retired Military Police Officer’s Reunion we are attending. Gary and Bobbie have graciously offered to pick us up at the airport in Nashville when we return on September 20th. So, we will leave the boat in our assigned transient slip and make our way to Las Vegas for a few days. When we return, we will begin our final leg of our great adventure and travel the last 600 miles to Knoxville. Stay tuned……

Alton, IL to Hoppies Marine, Kimmswick, MO

After an interesting ride down the first 20 miles of the Mississippi River, we arrived at our next stop on this great journey. We passed under the Clark Bridge in Alton, Illinois, and made an immediate U-turn as we made our way into Alton Marina on Friday, 7 Sept after a long day on the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. Most of the day was overcast with occasional rain which made for a comfortable day to cruise. However, as we approached the point where the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers join, we ran into a thunderstorm. It was raining so hard we could barely see the front of the boat (thank goodness for radar and a good chartplotter). Fortunately, the storm did not last long. However, the sun came out after the storm and it was very warm for the next several hours. The humidity was very high and something that we have not been exposed to in many, many months. We are spoiled by Canada and Michigan weather.

We got fuel at Alton and then made our way to a T-dock at the marina. We later explored the town and made our way to a recommended restaurant, Fast Eddies Bon Air. The walk to this restaurant was almost a mile. We were beginning to think we had gone the wrong way. Well, we finally saw the sign directing us to Fast Eddie’s so we continued on and were looking forward to getting food and drink. The place was packed, loud music was playing that made talking to one another almost impossible, and the menu was very limited. Smoking must have been encouraged, since nearly everywhere we looked we saw cigarette and cigar smokers doing their thing. We were told that our drink orders would be taken at the table and we would have to order our food from the bar. We were there about ten minutes and no one ever came over to take drink orders, so we left. We later heard from several folks that the atmosphere at Fast Eddie’s is not great (and we agree), but that they have the best hamburgers. Oh, well. We talked to a guy Saturday evening who told us that it was dangerous to be walking in that part of town. He apologized to us that no one had given us that information before venturing in to town and told us to be careful when walking around Alton. We ended up eating at a fast food restaurant on Thursday before making our way back to the boat.

On Friday evening, we, as well as Jerry, Mike’s brother, and Mike and Cathy met Pat’s long-time friend Debby (Pat and Debby have known each other since first grade) at Gian-Tony’s for dinner. It was good to see Debby again and to enjoy a delicious meal at this popular Italian restaurant located on “The Hill” in St. Louis.

On Saturday, Debby and I spent the day shopping at the ABC Trading Company, which is a great store for all sorts of jewelry, handbags, hats, scarves, sunglasses, etc., etc., etc., located in Chesterfield. This is a great store where one can spend hours looking at everything this store has to offer. We had lunch at Crown Candy Kitchen that was established in 1913 and still going strong. The Crown Candy Kitchen is famous for its malts, milkshakes, ice cream, homemade candies, and delicious sandwiches. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was something of time gone by. Also, if anyone can drink five malts in a half-hour, they will not have to pay for them. We did not take them up on this offer nor did we witness anyone who did, and I am not sure that I would want to. A fun and interesting little place.

Mike and Jerry stayed behind to do boat chores today, so Debby bought Mike a container of Ted Drewe’s famous ice cream to enjoy at his leisure. This ice cream is sooooo good. If ever in St. Louis, you must try it. They did, and they loved it.

On Saturday afternoon, the strangest looking contraption made its way into Alton Marina for fuel. This thing had about 20 people on it, dressed in all sorts of attire. They, as well as the thing they were traveling on, looked as if they came right out of the hills of who knows where--unbelievable. We found out that this is a group of gypsy actors/musicians, and they have their own internet site. If you are interested in reading about this unusual group, go to the Internet and type in: The Miss Rockaway Armada. The Coast Guard have made marine radio announcements to be on the look out for an unsafe water vehicle on the river. This homemade vessel is truly dangerous. If the currents on the rivers don't break it apart, it will be a miracle!

We left Alton on early Sunday morning (9 Sept), waving goodbye to Mike and Cathy, who will be there for another week, visiting friends and family. We have traveled with them for two and a half months, and it will not be the same traveling without them.

As we left Alton Marina, we immediately came to our first lock, Mel Price. Our next lock was Chain of Rocks, where we had to wait an hour before being locked through. We locked through with a tow/barge with the permission of the tow captain. This tow with its barges was not very large. We also passed the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and numerous large tows/barges, as we made our way to Hoppie’s Marina in Kimmswick. Upon arrival at Hoppie’s, we were greeted at the dock by the legendary Fern, the owner, who helped us get tied up. We have heard so much about her over the years, and we were finally glad that we got to meet her. Hoppie’s has been in business since 1935, first managed by Hoppie’s father and many years later was taken over by Hoppie and Fern. This marina has been in business for 72 years. Hoppie worked on the river as a lamplighter for years, long before powered lights were installed, and he may be the last living Mississippi River lamplighter. They seem to have a great thing going for boaters on this part of the Mississippi River.

We walked to the Blue Owl Restaurant in Kimmswick for lunch. This is a great place to eat and they have wonderful desserts. This restaurant is famous for its breakfasts and lunches (they are not open for dinner), and now we know why. We got our briefing this afternoon from Fern on the remainder of the river system, which will be helpful as we continue on to to the Ohio and Tennessee rivers. We will leave Hoppies on Monday, 10 Sept. Stay tuned…

Chicago and other stops along the Illinois River

We enjoyed our stay in Chicago. Pat enjoyed being in a big city again and both of us would have liked to have stayed in Chicago a while longer, but we needed to be on our way if we were to be in Alton, IL, by next weekend. We had a "crew change" here in Chicago, with Mike's brother Tom and sister-in-law Sue getting off the boat, and Mike's other brother Jerry coming aboard for the trip back to Tennessee. We had a great time with Tom and Sue, and hope they enjoyed their time aboard IRISH AYES and the trip down Lake Michigan. We are looking forward to spending the next couple of weeks with Jerry.

One of the highlights of our stay in Chicago was Saturday evening spent with Woody and Ellen
(DOUBLE SS) who hosted all “Loopers” who were staying in Chicago over the Labor Day Weekend. They live in a beautiful high-rise condominium with breathtaking views of Chicago and the waterway. We truly enjoyed their hospitality and appreciate them having all of us in their lovely home.

We took advantage of good weather and left Chicago Yacht Club on 2 September. The height of our boat did not allow us to go through downtown Chicago, so we had to take the Calumet Sag Canal. This canal is a large tow boat and barge staging and parking area. Barges were tied to the shore, leaving just enough room for oncoming barges to pass, which made for interesting moments when we met them in the channel. Many of then were moving barges around in this small area, so it was another day of high adventure in a small area.

We went through two locks on Sunday (2 Sept). At the first lock we were allowed to tie IRISH AYES to the bollard inside the lock, which makes locking through much easier. At the next lock, we were thrown bow and starboard lines, which is a bit more difficult. Traversing these locks is much easier than those we experienced on the Erie or Trent Severn Waterways. We also went under numerous bridges today, most of which we did not have to have opened, thankfully.

We, along with XPLORER, stopped in Joiliet, IL, at the Free Dock just below the Jefferson Bridge. Le GRACE, CAT HOUSE, FIRST AND TEN, and GREAT ESTATE were also at this dock for the night. All but GREAT ESTATE left on 3 September for points south on the Illinios River. Our plan to leave at 7:00 a.m. was delayed due to barge traffic. We finally left the free dock around 10:00 a.m. at the instruction of the lockmaster, but ended up waiting another hour and a half once we got to the lock. We arrived at our next lock at 1:00 p.m. and ended up waiting for two hours before being locked through. In addition, all of us were locked through with a tow boat with eight barges. This was exciting! The guys on the barge came out and tied our lines to the barges and we began our descent in the lock. We’ve been locked through with tows/barges before, but we had never been tied to the barge before.

After a long day, we decided to anchor at Barry Island for the night, which turned out to be a quiet, peaceful anchorage. From Barry Island, we made our way to Chillicothe Free Dock on 4 Sept. We started out in a lot of fog, which made for a tense morning with tows/barges coming and going. Thank goodness for radar, a good chartplotter, and a competent captain. After getting settled at the Chillicothe Free Dock, we had to climb over the rail at the dock to get to the parking lot, because the end of the dock was still under water from the recent flooding they are experiencing in this area. In the parking lot is Banana’s Pub/Grille, so we went in for a drink and were greeted by dozens of folks who were sitting at the bar watching our show as we climbed over the rail. They greeted us with laughter and apologized for the high water level, as we entered the bar/grille. We talked to several of the locals for a while, then we walked to town for dinner at Bailey’s Irish Pub.

On Wednesday, 5 Sept, we left Chillicothe Free Dock and headed to Eastport Marina to top off fuel, get a pump out, and get water. They ran out of diesel while fueling XPLORER, so we were not able to get fuel here. Thankfully, we can make it to Alton before we will need fuel.

We saw the LST 325 tied to shore while leaving Eastport Marina. This ship was headed up river to Henry, IL, but had to turn around because it could not get under bridges due to the high water levels caused by the flooding last week. We later watched the ship pass under the Beardstown Railroad Bridge and the Beardstown dock on its way to Alton.

We spent the night On 5 Sept, in Beardstown tied to a spud barge (for free) located at the Beardstown Riverlook. We explored the small town and had dinner at a Mexican Restaurant. According to a local businessman, the Corps of Engineers has granted approval for a marina to be built adjacent to where the barge is currently located. Who knows how long this will take, but a marina will be a great addition for this part of the river.

We left Beardstown at daylight on 6 Sept and made our way to Alton, IL where we will be until Sunday, 9 Sept. Several Loopers were here when we arrived: WINNIE W, JEANNE MARIE, SKINWALKER, PUFFIN.

While in Alton, Pat will visit with a long-time friend from her hometown who now lives in St. Louis. Stay tuned…

Crossing Lake Michigan to Chicago

We departed South Haven, Michigan, at 7:30am EST on Friday, 31 August, to make the roughly 80 mile crossing of Lake Michigan. Once again we were a bit apprehensive about this part of the trip, because of the reputation this Lake had acquired over the years for being unpredictable and violent (listen once again to Gordon Lightfoot’s rendering of the Edmond Fitzgerald and you’ll understand what we mean).

Adding to our nervousness were the weather conditions on the Lake on Thursday. We walked to the Lake Michigan shore and we can tell you it looked like the inside of a washing machine it was so rough. It is hard to believe that such a huge body of water can be so rough, and then 10 hours later be calm, but that is what the various weather forecasts we reference were calling for. We have come to have a healthy skepticism of weather predictions, to say the least. However, the rough water did not keep the die hard sail boaters from doing their weekly races.

In any event, we (XPLORER and IRISH AYES) decided to depart South Haven and head to Chicago. Winds were (as predicted) fairly calm and out of the NNE. Seas (also as predicted) were 1-3 feet, which were on the starboard aft quarter. Those seas pushed us around a little bit, but it was not uncomfortable.

We arrived in Chicago at the Chicago Yacht Club at around 2:30pm CST, concluding an uneventful eight hour transit of Lake Michigan. All in all it was a good crossing. We will spend the next few days of this Labor Day Holiday Weekend in Chicago, allowing the flood waters to recede a little more, before we begin our trek down the Illinois River. Stay tuned….