“If you go to a river at all you tend not to mind. You are not in a hurry there; you learned long since not to. … The hard thing is to get slowed down.”
We realize how good Lake Michigan had been to us the last few weeks when we see five foot waves splashing over the breakwall the morning of our short cruise to lock into the Chicago River for our very own tour through downtown Chicago.
Once we make the turn and lock through, the river is waiting and we crank up Chicago’s (the band) greatest hits.
We are tempted to linger.
However, we are headed south which means we are heading home and there is excitement in the air. We fight the urge to rush and have to do just what John Graves tells us in “Goodbye to a River”. We get slowed down.
Traveling south, large buildings are replaced with neighborhoods…
and then we are literally forced to slow down…
as we wait for a railroad bridge to wake up for the day.
At this point our scenery becomes very industrial. A few miles south, we approach a fascinating area on the river.
The US Army Corp of Engineers have placed an electric barrier in two locations in the river in an effort to keep the invasive silver and bighead carp out of the Great Lakes.
Traveling north, the signs are even more entertaining. Unfortunately mine is fuzzy but you get the point.
Quite hysterical but not funny to the Corp of Engineers. They are serious about keeping this invasive species out of the lakes. The electrical pulses are meant to encourage the fish to turn around. Those that attempt to stowaway on your boat are a bloody experience. We meet a few boaters who had quite a mess to clean up.
Hello Illinois River! And a less energetic hello to more locks.
The first one is a doozy but we quickly learn the new bollard system. We meet a guy kayaking the loop who will cross his wake in St. Louis. Impressive!
We begin to hear our new reference by the lock tenders. We are a ‘PC’. Short for Pleasure Craft. Disdain can sometimes be heard in their voice.
It is at this point in our journey where we experience two very important paradigm shifts.
We will not have priority at anytime going through the locks. The tugs and their cargo will always be locked through first. The tug below will need to lock through a few barges at a time which will take up to 3-5 hours. Again, we learn our place on the rivers and the need to mentally slow down.
Discussing this whole hierarchy, the captain asks, “I wonder what these commercial tugs think about us pleasure boats?” No sooner were the words out of his mouth and we meet a tug with deck hands waving, smiling and pumping their arms for us to honk our horn. They show who’s boss with their horn in response, but all in good fun. The tugs don’t seem to mind. It is the lock tenders who see us as a deterrent.
{this photo is taken much further south but for reference at this point}
Because of this issue, PCs are encouraged to arrange groups to go through the locks together and when we arrive at Heritage Harbor there is already a flotilla in the works. The captain gets us in the count.
A bit of fog does not deter our ‘appointment’ with the lock. Thirteen boats lock through together requiring some to raft up inside.
(we are in the middle of six boats across, a boat rafted to us on each side)
Listening to “Goodbye to a River”, as Graves lists the birds he sees, we spot some American Pelicans headed south and hope they are the group we enjoy each year on Lake Anahuac and are there to welcome us home. The bald eagles are out in full force. Eating carp maybe?
Although we do not have carp jump aboard, we do have spiders. Let’s talk about spiders!!! They are amazing. Annoyingly amazing. As soon as we get rid of a spider web, as we cruise we watch a web floating in the air catch the bimini top or antenna and promptly begin to set up house.
I mean, they are remarkable, but I have read “Charlotte’s Web” enough to know that there is a momma waiting to have a million babies somewhere near this intricate web. So they do not get to stay.
We enjoy Peoria Boat Club for a few extra days while winds from the remnants of Hurricane Helene pass through. Kind club members get us settled and the convenient location is perfect. A walkway through the riverside park…
reveals we are in Dan Fogelberg’s land of birth. Of course this is added to ‘the playlist’. Being also in the land of Caterpillar, we visit the welcome center and lucky timing provides a nearby farmer’s market and art fair for our enjoyment. Cocktails in an old church, Obed & Isaac’s is a highlight.
We relish the 70 degree temps in the cockpit while finally reading the FT Weekend we scored in Chicago as monarch butterflies flutter to and fro to the sounds of honking Canadian geese, all heading south for the winter. We get the chance to meet our neighbors in the slip next to us and decide a walk to dinner at Alexander’s Steakhouse is a good idea but decide an Uber ride back to the boat makes sense in the dark.
When the winds finally calm down, each side of the river is showing off. Silver maples reveal touches of yellow and the Sweetgum in the far off distance pop with red while bald cypress protrude from the sidelines and watch with the wisdom of age.
When the captain mentions where our next night would be spent tied to a docked tugboat…
I rack my brain to remember why I know this small town in Illinois.
(no relation to The Beardstown Ladies😉)
Then it hits me. The Beardstown Ladies, published a book on investing after claiming to beat the stock market for over a decade in the 1990’s.
Marinas and safe anchorages are few and far between so we leave early and push hard to make it to the famous Mel’s Riverdock for a late lunch.
After meeting the new owner (Mel’s wife… because Mel wanted to close after a fire back in 2015) and sharing a ham steak meal, we still leave with leftovers. Four generations are working at Mel’s and they love the boating community. It is worth a stop on your way to another looper favorite, Grafton, Mile 0 on the Illinois River.
A completely unexpected and irresistable ski lift provides beautiful views of this point where the Illinois River meets the mighty Mississippi River.
“Father of waters” is how Least Heat Moon describes the Mississippi River, and it causes anxiety for some boaters because of the size of the river and the increase in barge sizes and numbers. Add a skinny canal and a pair of unpredictable locks and you get the picture. It turns out to be uneventful and off we cruise to our next landmark photo op and state number 14, Missouri. We will be sandwiched like an Oreo between Missouri and Illinois for the next few days.
William Least Heat Moon, in his book River Horse, writes about this phenomena of when states share a river. “The best someone can do is borrow a river.”
The captain had networked with boats for photos to be taken…
providing the perfect shot! These photo shoots are quite entertaining as we move in circles to catch each boat under the arch.
Photos snapped and we are off to another example of a business who goes to great effort to help out us PC’s.
Hoppies is nothing more than a few barges connected to each other, but they have fuel, electric and a daily preview by Dee on what to expect over the next few days down the river. Helpful and dependable, making this a must stop on the loop.
Our next opportunity for a place to tie up and dock is actually at a lock we will not be going through, but they give permission to PCs who call ahead. There are no amenities, except for precious five year old Ember and younger brother Ashe, crew from Silver Linings who deliver an invitation for a dock party.
Since no one can say no to this cuteness, crew from all seven boats are in attendance for guitar playing (her dad), singing, dancing (Ember’s routine) and a dock movie. What an unexpected, joy-filled time together with fellow loopers.
There was a bald eagle party happening nearby.
After another glorious day without locks and a night on anchor we say goodbye to the Mississippi River as we head upriver (against the current) on the Ohio River to Paducah, Kentucky, state number 15.
Meeting 95 year old Betty at the Methodist Church, walking along the historical wall of murals and dinner with the crew of Checkered Past are highlights.
However, the cherry on top is the visit to the Quilt Museum. Oh my! Who knew the artistic talent stitched into these works of art.
Branching off of the Ohio River onto the Cumberland River after the hassle of waiting three hours for the lock, all is good as we pull into a slip at Green Turtle Resort and Marina for a few days of relaxing. Did I mention there is a spa!
Campfires, courtesy car for a trip back to Kirchhoff bakery in Padukah, Knoth’s BBQ, wildlife viewing on a sunset golf cart pickup to dinner at Patty’s with the crew of Belle, and bingo at the Tiki Turtle all soothe our souls. The massage helps as well. Ha!
Revived, we cruise past where a town used to be before they flooded it for progress. I am reminded of the movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou when this happens. Dams, Dams, Dams. Imminent domain.
Off of Kentucky Lake…
we find a quiet anchorage for the night. It is here, sitting in the cockpit, I am reminded of John Graves observation in Goodbye to a River.
“penetration into the country is no longer a possibility; barbed wire and the universal privacy of property obstruct passage, and the highways are mere gashes across the land … rivers thread through it and are still public domain…”
When someone asks my favorite part about the loop, this will be my answer. We are in peoples backyards.
Birdsong is our next port of call. It is Saturday, and bass boats are speeding by, leaving little wake with hats turned backwards atop huge egos.
Known for its fresh water pearls at Birdsong, we remember our visit to see the pearls in Halong Bay, Vietnam. Having been there done that with the pearls, I begin to do some research on the town of Camden, Tennessee, state number 16. As luck would have it the final dirt track races of the season at the local speedway are this very Saturday night.
Piling into the courtesy 2008 Lincoln Town Car with the crew of Checkered Past, our first stop is dinner at the Finish Line…
and then we hit the tracks. Small town announcers are the best and the night was peppered with classic background knowledge. Great night.
Clifton Marina proved that Starlink is not always a good idea. Covered docking gives us a night of radio silence.
The history of the area is an important stop for the American Melody, offering river cruises on their small cruise ships from New Orleans to Memphis and beyond.
Even though Grand Harbor Marina is physically in Mississippi, state number 17, the address is Counce, TN and as we drive into Corinth, MS we weave into TN and back again before we find Abe’s. Open 4:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m., there is much discussion to decide on breakfast or lunch for an early celebration for the captain’s birthday.
“Oldest diner on Route 72…still operated by the original owners”
After the entire diner, customers too, sing ‘Happy Birthday” to the captain we pose with Abe who celebrates 50 years serving his customers yummy food and his wife’s famous sweet tea. Truly one of the highlights of our loop.
Corinth Coca Cola Bottling Company is another family run business since 1907.
We continue the birthday celebration back at the boat with Checkered Past and usher in the milestone year with “Medicare Manhattans”.
It is still dark when we leave the dock and say good-bye to Checkered Past…
so it is a complete surprise when we turn a corner and see fog…
lasting for a few miles before these blue skies peak through.
Three locks later we are 144 feet closer to sea level as we pull into Midway Marina in Fulton, MS, where the full moon gives a spectacular show as a marching band practices in the distance.
We have quite a wait at the Aberdeen lock but are entertained by the T38 talon from the nearby Columbus air force base.
After the Columbus farmer’s market and a cruise through town, we celebrate the captain’s birthday on the patio of Munson Bros. while enjoying live music and pizza.
Our longest lock wait is the Tom Bevill where we actually drop an anchor, have lunch and a nap! We are now on the 234 mile long Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (Tenn-Tom) taking us all the way to Demopolis.
We started leaving Odysea II stickers on the bollards of the locks and we receive a note from the crew of Adelante who are trailing behind who happened upon ‘our marked bollard’. So much fun!!!
Leaves hangglide to the waters edge as we weave in and out of Mississippi and Alabama, state number one! By the time we make it through the last lock of the day, we drop anchor just in time to watch the sunset!
Fog works in my favor the next morning and we have a relaxing breakfast while we wait for it to thin out. Moving south, we see a gator wrestle a fish for his own breakfast.
It is a short run to our last marina on the loop in Demopolis, AL and we enjoy dinner with the crew of “Snow Goose”. While discussing our loop experiences, he shares the trick for the Okeechobee Limbo when sailboats need to get under the bridge along the lake in order to pass from one coast to the other. It involves paying a man with two blue tubs filled with water to help tip your boat just enough. Hysterical. Look it up!!!
At first light we head into the huge Demopolis lock, plagued with the memory of its OOO for months last year. After safe passage through, we fuel up at Bobby’s Fish Camp…
and push on to our LAST lock!!! I have champagne on ice for this momentous occasion. Once we drop 30 feet nothing happens. The lower gates do not open. We are stuck in the last lock of our entire loop. The irony does not escape me.
Five long minutes later the walls finally open. It seems they needed to add some water from the back walls. Whew!!!
We anchor at St. Elmo’s and listen to the soundtrack!
Our next day’s cruise is 60 miles because of the horseshoe sandy coastlines one after another. If you straightened it out we would have half the distance. Although, the view around every horseshoe we hold our breath…
and breathe in the smell of pine and cedar.
Of course there is also this huge alligator taking down a bird.
sorry for the blurry cropping…
The closer we get to Mobile, the smell of pine is replaced with petrochemical odors. Palms are sprouting below the cypress and pines but we find a peaceful anchorage with three other loopers for our last night on the loop.
The last day on the rivers, before we enter Mobile Bay where we began our quest…
this tug places the quintessential exclamation point to the end of our loop adventure.
The next thing we know the dolphins in Mobile Bay are welcoming us back to where it all began. We cruise into Fly Creek with horns honking and clapping by fellow loopers as we cross our wake and hold up our Gold Flag!!!
The flag change requires a toast! Cheers! We did it!!!
Only the wind down cruise back to Texas remains. Stay tuned!
Thanks for following along.
~ Gold Loop First Mate