Have Another Day's Great Loop

As seems to be our habit now both Laura and I have started our recent posts with regret about not posting more often.  A lot has happened since I last posted so I’ll try and cover all of it.

As Laura posted about we ended up being off the boat for two weeks while it was being repaired.  It turns out the damage from our time on the sandbar on the Tenn-Tom was a little greater than I’d hoped would be the case.  The primary damage was to the port side of the boat.  At some point during our sandbar adventure we bent the port rudder forward.  That means we hit it going backwards hard enough to bend the stainless steel shaft at about a 15-20 degree angle.  Additionally a part inside the boat that helps locate the rudder was cracked.  Shortly after we left the boat I got a distressing phone call from the yard indicating we needed a new rudder and the rudder table (the part that locates the rudder) was cracked.  The distressing part was that the rudder had a lead time of 6-8 weeks and the rudder table was no longer made, the result of a dispute between carver and the manufacturer of the part.  Fortunately I was able to talk to the manufacturer of the rudder and determine they had one in stock that could be modified for our boat.  The other part would need to be made by the yard.

With this sorted, the propellers sent to the prop shop and the shafts at a machine shop being straightened we had clarity it would take about two weeks to fix the boat.  With that in mind we decided it was a good time to head to Disney World.  So, we made our deal with the large rodent and headed for Orlando for five days of parks.  Laura wrote more about that but we had a good time and the girls did better than we expected.

Once we returned we were able to spend some more time with Tom and Janet, Tommy, Patty, Kato and Naali and Sarah, Adrian and Judah.  We had Tom and Janet ride with us from Pensacola to Destin and then Tommy, Patty, Kato and Naali from Santa Rosa Beach to Panama City.  From Panama City we headed to Apalachicola.  We really enjoyed Apalachicola.  It’s a historic town with a large oyster industry and a cute downtown.  We spent about 24 hours there and enjoyed our time walking around, exploring maritime antiques, a soda fountain and good eating.

We left Apalachacola around 1pm and headed for an anchorage in the lee of Dog Island just off of Carabelle, FL.  We spent the night there before waking up before first light to begin our crossing.

We had planned to run with another boat, Perfect Timing, a 50′ Hatteras who typically runs about 17.5 kts at fast cruise.  We typically cruise around 21-22 kts so we knew we would be a little quicker but agreed with Perfect Timing it would still be better to have another boat out there than going entirely solo.  As it turns out when we woke before first light they had already left.  We caught up with them a couple of hours into our crossing.  We left in perfectly flat water and ran the first three or four hours with nearly calm waters.  Around the time we caught up with Perfect Timing we heard a very loud boom.  I suddenly became concerned as I knew the military conducts live fire exercises in these waters.  I first spoke with Perfect Timing and confirmed they heard the noise as well and also didn’t know the source.  I then called the Coast Guard and gave them our position and inquired about any potential exercises in the area.  After standing by for about ten minutes the Coast Guard came back and said the Air Force was conducting dog fighting training and what we were hearing was sonic booms.  Sonic booms sounded a lot better to us than bombs.  As we continued on the seas built a little to the point we were seeing steady two footers with occasional 3-4s.  It wasn’t uncomfortable but did cause us to spin up the stabilizer.  As we got closer to shore the seas calmed a little and by the time we were close to St. Petersburg the seas had calmed again.  As we were pulling into the markers for the North Pass I turned to Laura and commented how it was kind of hard to believe that we’d gotten our boat all the way from Chicago to St. Petersburg.  While we were in the pass Mike Rowe from Rowe Boat called us on the VHF to let us know he was out in his dinghy and would lead us in to the Pasadena Yacht Club where Mike had been kind enough to arrange dockage for us for the month.  We were happy to have Mike’s knowledge of the area as we followed him in.  The approach was fairly easy but would have been made a little more stressful by not being sure what area to hug when for the deepest water.  We also were aided by coming in on a rising tide.  We tied up the boat, plugged into shore power and shut down the engines.  We’d traveled 197 miles in 8 hours and 41 minutes, averaging 19.75 knots.  A pretty easy crossing.

We’ve spent the last few days doing some chores on the boat, cleaning up, resupplying, and relaxing.  The girls have been able to swim two of the three days we’ve been here and we’ve done some exploring.  Thursday we will go to the yacht club for Thanksgiving Dinner.  Friday Grandma Cathy arrives and Monday we will go see Laura’s Grandfather Charles.

We will be here for about a month before heading further south to Fort Meyers for the holidays and further visits with family.

So much for staying on top of blogging.  Life, boat repairs and a trip to Disney got in the way.  I’ll say again that I’ll now try to stay caught up.  This may be long but most of you followed our Disney trip on Facebook so I’ll skirt over some of that.

Thursday October 27th we ended our trip on the rivers and entered Mobile Bay.  While some are intimidated by big water and lots of boat traffic, that’s what we, and more importantly Ben, are used to from Chicago.  Ben’s way more intimidated by skinny water with uncharted depths.  Obviously.  Anyway, we tied up at Grand Harbor marina and checked ourselves in for two nights.  Much needed break after a full week of anchoring or quick marina stops, very long days, and a lot of stress with our wrecked up props.  Mobile was a cultural experience for the girls.  We rode in a huge pickup truck as our loaner to go get groceries, they did some interesting people watching, etc.  Saturday morning we crossed the bay after a very stressful, very shallow path out of Dog River.  Happy to have that behind us we pulled into the ICW and into Saunders Yachtworks in Gulf Shores, AL.  Ben began racing around to pick up a rental car 40 miles away before they closed and the girls and I took a stroll down the road to Jimmy Buffet’s sister’s place, Lulu’s.  They had a kids’ Halloweenfest going on and the girls got to trick or treat and then play in the sand there and run around.  When Ben got back we had a nice dinner there and relaxed a bit.

Sunday  morning we packed up the rental car and left the boat for the first time since Chicago. So strange!  We headed two hours east to Santa Rosa Beach, FL where Ben’s aunt, uncle, two cousins and their families live.  It was so great to be welcomed with open arms, a place to stay, cousins to play with for the girls, family to visit with for us, white sandy beaches and amazing Gulf waters.

They like the Gulf too!

Ben’s cousin Tommy and his wife Patty own one of the airstream food trucks in Seaside.  They were in their final week of business as they have decided to close Song and move out of the area.  So we were thrilled to be there in time to experience the food before they closed up shop!  We headed that way Sunday night for dinner and had a fantastic meal and the girls had so much fun playing with second cousins Kato, Judah and baby Naali.

The girls and Tommy inside the Song airstream

We had planned to stay a week with them while the boat was having lots of repairs done.  Turns out both the prop and rudder were badly damaged.  So much so that we needed a new rudder.  By Monday morning it was apparent it was going to be two weeks of boat repairs instead of one.  Ben can post about the specifics of all the repairs.  But in the  meantime he suggested we go to Disney World from Santa Rosa Beach.  We had planned to take the kids when we are in St. Petersburg for a month.  But since we had an extra week to spare we started searching for hotels and trying to navigate the maze that is Disney planning.

Backing up a bit, Monday was also Halloween!  We are so happy it worked out to be with family for Halloween. Molly chose to be a black cat and Maddy a mermaid.  We went to Seaside for Trick or Treating with the cousins.  As they complained about the heat we quickly told them to stop and described our last three Halloweens dodging both rain and snow in Chicago and how you have to have costumes that can fit warm clothes underneath.  It was awesome to run around in flip flops and costumes without being cold.

It was a change to do school off the boat.  Was awesome to have a whole house to spread out in with the girls.  And with the carrot to dangle of heading to the amazing white sand beach for the day as soon as school was done, it was easier to get it done!  I’m not yet in love with the salt water as so many people tell me I will be.  But the dolphins, the soft sand and the warm Gulf waters are my favorite.  Below are pictures from Grayton Beach where a little lagoon forms off the Gulf.  After some fierce wave jumping the girls settled in for some crab finding and fishing with Kato.  And Molly got a turn with Naali on the beach.

Friday morning after a great visit with family we packed up once again and started the six hour road trip to Disney World!  Most of you followed along on Facebook so I won’t rehash Disney here.  I will say we were pleasantly surprised.  The girls handled it so much better than we ever dreamed.  We did Epcot Saturday for 13 hours with an 11 PM bedtime, Magic Kingdom Sunday for a similar 13 hours and 11 PM bedtime, Animal Kingdom Monday, Hollywood Studios Tuesday and Epcot again on Wednesday. There was not one single meltdown at a park by our kids.  And they walked and walked and walked.  Molly walked 23,000 steps the first day….close to 9 miles.  One night after Animal Kingdom we went into Disney Springs to grab dinner and took the girls into the Disney Store. We’d been in plenty of stores and accumulated lots of souvenirs at the park but this was a parenting fail.  It wasn’t so late but just too much for Maddy and she finally melted down.  Good night’s sleep and a morning off to swim and chill the next day and she was fine.

We headed back to Santa Rosa Beach and our very gracious family to take us in yet again last Thursday.  We got the word late Thursday that the boat would be ready Friday late in the day.  Sad to pack up and leave family but the visit continued!  We got back to the boat Friday just before sundown.  I ran to the grocery store and Ben returned the rental car.  We had a huge task of unpacking and organizing the mess we brought back with us.

Saturday morning we boated 24 miles to Pensacola to watch the Blue Angels Homecoming show.  Ben’s aunt Janet, uncle Tom, cousins Tommy and Patty and their kids Kato and Naali drove to Pensacola.  Ben anchored and then took the dinghy to shore to pick them up.  We all spent the day on the boat watching the planes.  Tom and Janet ended up spending the night on the boat with us.  Sunday morning we boated to Sandestin.  Ben’s other cousin Sarah along with Adrian and their son Judah met us there for lunch.  This morning we left Sandestin and boated about 12 miles to the middle of the bay.  Tom brought Tommy, Patty, Kato and Naali out to us on the water.  We met, boat to boat and they joined us for the day.  We are now in Panama City.  Tom will drive here this afternoon to meet us for dinner and drive the others home.  After two weeks of great visits and kid playmates we will set out just the four of us tomorrow.  We head to Apalachicola and then to Carabelle to make our Gulf Crossing to Tarpon Springs.  If the seas cooperate we will be in St. Petersburg by the end of the week and will stay for a month.

Seems like a whole separate blog post but want to mention that I’m sold on homeschooling.  Everyone asks me about it.  How it’s going.  What program we use, etc.  Many days and nights I worry that they aren’t learning grammar or proper ways to write a paper or how to diagram a sentence….but then I look around at the flexibility and experiences we’ve had.  Like I said, separate blog post I’ll explore at some point.  But since we’ve left Chicago the girls have learned about the Mississippi river, the St. Louis Arch and the gateway to the West, the rivers and locks and how they all connect and work, we’ve been to three Civil War national parks and learned about countless battles while getting to be there and experience it.  We walked around Shiloh and Corinth and experienced so much history.  We have experienced new culture in the south and learned about jellyfish and dolphins and manatees.  Maddy spouted off facts about manatees she learned from a fellow looper.  I asked where she learned that???  Amazed and what these little sponges soak up.  Even Disney.  We were so impressed at Epcot and how the learning continued.  Maddy and I had just started an IB unit on Inventions before we left. The first ride we did at Epcot was all about the history of the earth and took us through a ride where she got to see at least half of the inventors and inventions we had just studied.  We learned about agriculture and hydroponics at Epcot, got to design our own cars and take a test ride testing out our efficiency, handling, etc.  We learned about animals and did a Wilderness Explorer program at Animal Kingdom.  The list goes on.  Back on the water now the learning continues.  We went back to school today after a week off from the paper and pencil books but Ben would call us upstairs to watch the dolphins swimming in our wake and the jellyfish floating past the boat as we traveled.  I can’t wait to see where else this adventure takes us and what else the girls learn.  So even though I worry about writing papers and proper grammar I have to hope that the amazing other knowledge they are taking in will balance that out.

We’ve  been gone for sixty days.  In those sixty days we’ve completed the portion of the loop that takes you from the Great Lakes down the western rivers to the Gulf of Mexico.  We are currently in a marina on Mobile Bay.  For the first time in our boat’s 13 year life it is in salt water.  Here are some statistics from our first 60 days:

• We’ve covered 2,147 miles
• We’ve burned roughly 2747 gallons of diesel
• We’ve touched bottom 3 times
• We’ve damaged four propellers
• We’ve been stuck on a sand bar 1 time
• We’ve spent 33 days travelling and 27 staying still
• We’ve stayed in a marina 49 nights, at anchor 6 nights and on a wall 4 nights
• We’ve been underway for 222.5 hours
• We’ve visited 7 states

When we decided to do the Great Loop we knew our boat was on the larger side of the boats that complete the loop.  We also knew that we drafted more water than most boats that complete the loop.  One thing I didn’t stop to think about much was the configuration of the props and running gear on our boat.  We have a planing boat.  That means our boat can go fast and that when it goes fast it climbs up on top of the water so there is less hull in the water and hence less drag.  In order for the boat to go quickly and as efficiently as a 60,000 pound 59′ 10″ long hunk of fiberglass can there needs to be as little resistance as possible.  One of the ways this is achieved is our boat has no keel protruding down from the hull.  This means that by about two feet our propellers are the lowest thing in the water.  If we are going to touch the bottom it’s going to be the props that hit.  We’ve done that.  Three times.

Laura posted about our most recent incident.   Last Saturday night we found ourselves stuck on a sand bar at the entrance to an anchorage that was supposed to have plenty of depth.

Our boat as our rescuers arrived

I spent a while circling the boat in the dinghy trying to find better depth

Us being pulled free

I included a couple of pictures of us being pulled free.  During the process of trying to free our boat both of the other boats ended up stuck at some point in the process and also had to be pulled free.  This just serves to illustrate the potential for difficulty in these waters.  We’ve boated for a decade on the Great Lakes.  We pull out of the harbor and are in 30 feet of water and never see anything shallower.

After our sand bar adventure we continued down the Tenn Tom to head towards Mobile.  We traveled a very windy section of river down to Bobby’s Fish Camp.  Bobby’s is a loop institution a little like Hoppie’s.  Because of the timing and Hoppie’s location on the Mississippi with no protection from passing barges we decided to skip Hoppie’s.  I was excited to experience Bobby’s.  We did.  It was okay.  The restaurant was okay with lots of fried food.  The experience was fun.  Having to raft boats two deep and still paying the most we paid for months for dockage was less fun.  Bobby’s is the only stop for hundreds of miles so it’s their rules and their rates or anchor for four or five straight nights.

Thursday we entered Mobile Bay.  Within the first five minutes of being on the bay we saw our first dolphins.  Maddy told us that she didn’t care about seeing dolphins as we got on the bay.  Moments later we saw dolphins and Maddy squealed the loudest of anyone.  The look of sheer joy for her was a really great moment.  Less great for Maddy was realizing that we are done with the rivers and now will have periods of open water again.  As many know, Maddy really doesn’t like when the boat rocks.   For the last two months we haven’t had to deal with open water and any waves beyond wake.

Today we arrived at Saunder’s Yacht Works in Gulf Shores.  Tomorrow we will drive to Santa Rosa Beach and see Tom Stein’s family.  The girls are very excited about seeing their cousins.  They will be able to trick-or-treat at Seaside and have a fairly normal Halloween.  Laura will get to sleep in a bed that doesn’t rock.  I’m very excited about having the boat hauled and any damage done from our adventures repaired.

I have no idea what the proper name of this waterway is.  I’ve read and heard it called all three of the above.  The charts on Ben’s plotters say Tombigbee Waterway.  The guide books have a slash situation like I typed above.  Whatever it is, it’s the water from Pickwick Lake down to Mobile Bay and we are almost done with it!

I’m going to try to get back on track with regular posts.  I said I would after my last crazy long post and now it’s been another couple of weeks.  But in that time we’ve been crazy busy again. Who knew traveling and being on a year long pseudo vacation could be so exhausting!

Ben’s parents met us in Decatur, AL Saturday night the 15th.  We had a busy visit with them with not so much boating.  We decided to stay on the Tennessee River and Pickwick Lake during their visit because we knew as soon as we turned south it was just lock after lock with not much to see and not many places to go.  We spent Sunday the 16th at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville.  I’ll spare you more pictures and details since the girls both wrote blog posts about that already!  We learned a lot and had a great time!

Monday morning Nikki drove to our next stop in Florence, AL and we met her there on the boat.  Only about 40 miles on the water but we had two locks to clear including the 93 foot Wilson Lock.  We figured Fred would enjoy that segment of the trip so he rode on the boat with us.  The next morning we toured a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Florence before heading to Grand Harbor marina on Pickwick Lake.  Molly wrote a crazy in depth description of the house that I told her I’d type for her in a blog post so I will again spare the details here.  It was a beautiful house and I was thrilled with how much the kids enjoyed it!  After lunch at the marina restaurant we headed out.  Nikki rode with us this time and Fred drove and met us near Iuka, MS at Grand Harbor marina.

Pulling into Grand Harbor on Pickwick Lake

We spent Wednesday touring Shiloh.  4th grade at the girls’ school at home does an IB unit on slavery and the Civil War.  It could not be more perfect for this trip.  We were able to tour Point Park and learn about the Battles of Chattanooga there and now Shiloh, one of the most famous Civil War battlefields.  The museum was great, but the movie was too much for the girls.  Incredibly informative but way too violent and after both had heads buried in my laps begging to leave I took them out before it was over.  We loved looking at the exhibit on women during the war while the movie finished up.  I was impressed at how much Madelyn got out of it and actually remembered. And I learned a lot too.  My knowledge of history is appallingly bad.  So I’m learning with them.  Fred took beautiful fall pictures of the girls while at the park. We walked through the military cemetery there and did much of the driving tour around the grounds.

After Shiloh we went to Abe’s for lunch on the recommendation of fellow loopers.  Fantastic old lunch counter restaurant.  Best burger I’ve had in ages.  Chocolate chip cookies and the mother, father and son who run it were amazing.  But we were told breakfast was not to be missed so we came back Friday for breakfast!  Thursday night Ben and I got out for a date night!  We had a great dinner in very adorable downtown Corinth and then had an awesome date night trip to Walmart and Dollar Tree.  It was just like being in Chicago!  But truly…dinner was fabulous!  Walmart was Walmart.  And I just wanted to grab some flash cards from Dollar Tree for the girls.

Friday morning Fred and Nikki packed up.  We all went to Corinth together and headed to Abe’s for an amazing breakfast and then to the Corinth Interpretive Center. Shiloh was great.  But I LOVED Corinth.  This museum, also run by the National Parks, was incredible.  Molly was engaged and reading everything and really interested in everything she saw. We learned a lot about slaves and there were huge interactive maps so she could clearly see the division of states and slavery, see the railroads and how they were taken, see where the armies each advanced from, see which states first seceded from the union, etc.  We also learned a lot about the camp set up in Corinth for freed slaves who formed a community with school, church, various jobs, housing etc.  They were safe there behind Union lines.  And one thing I found interesting…at the museum in Corinth the Union army was only referred to as the United States Army. The Confederates still the Confederate Army.  Corinth was also home to the huge medical response for the battles at Shiloh. Molly was able to read about and listen to recordings from nurses who were there and we learned that as many people perished there in the 7 weeks after the battle as died in the battle…roughly 23,000 in each place. Such a loss of life.  Hard for a 9 year old to grasp.  To finish our tour off, there was a great outdoor exhibit with various stepping stones for the various amendments.  Molly was shocked to hear how late it was when women could finally vote.

Time for another goodbye.  Fred and Nikki headed home and we headed to the marina and pulled out to begin our trek south.  This is our last leg before salt water!  And tomorrow we’ll be there.  It’s been a LONG week.  We just went about 37 miles Friday afternoon and stopped just before the first lock. This leg of the river has 12 locks.  We cleared 7 on Saturday.  Beautiful day.  Right through them all.  Easy peasy. Then we pulled into an anchorage written up as an ox bow with good depth all the way around.  And promptly hit a sand bar and were completely stuck.  We’d been traveling with two other boats that day.  We pulled in first. The second tried to help us and got stuck.  The third pulled them out.  The amazing tug driver going past helped over the radio with advice and stopped and lit us all up with his spotlights for quite awhile.  Such wonderful people on the water.  Our companion boats went down river a bit and anchored and we stayed for the night stuck. They came back the next morning to pull us out.  Ironically the third boat got stuck and boat 2 had to pull them out.  And then some fisherman going past helped Ben pass lines to the third boat all while boat 2 filmed the whole thing.  The captain of Seascape is a professional photographer and he got some great shots of the freeing of our boat as well as a movie of it.  Cutie Me & V, who isn’t doing the loop but has been so wonderful to travel with this week, rescued us.  We met them at 7 AM the day before in our first lock of the day.  Seascape and Cutie Me & V didn’t have to come back and help.  But they did!  We were on our way with a VERY bad prop.  Ben’s been running on one engine the entire rest of the way down river.  We anchored Sunday night further upriver from everyone else because we were afraid of depth so we picked a good and deep place with cows in a field and a farmhouse in the distance on the bank.  We all caught up in Demopolis Monday night.

Tuesday and Wednesday mornings we’ve been up and moving before sunrise to catch the last two locks before the tows get there.  They are stuck in the fog but if our group can all get there they put us through.  The three of us boats made it to Bobby’s Fish Camp last night.  The others we left Demopolis with were moving slower (even though we’ve been going so slow for us!) and didn’t make it that far.  We all left Bobby’s in the dark this morning and went through our LAST lock for many many months!  I haven’t minded the locks much at all except when it fouls schedule and we wait for hours.  This stretch of 12 has been amazing. In and out for every one of them.

Tonight we are anchored in the Tensas River.  Tomorrow we will travel the last 40 miles into Mobile Bay and enter the Gulf!  Wow!  It’s kind of amazing to think that we took our boat from Chicago all the way to the salt water.  With our kids!  Just think how amazing it will be to say that we made it to Cuba and the Bahamas (hopefully!!).  The boat is going to a shop in Gulf Shores for some much needed repairs and to get a bunch of stuff done before salt water cruising. Ben can do a blog on that.  We plan to spend a couple of days in Mobile and Gulf Shores and then we will pack (yikes!) and rent a car and head to Destin to stay with Ben’s aunt and uncle!  Two of his cousins are there and they both have little kids.  We plan to be there for Halloween. The girls are SO EXCITED they will get to trick or treat and see the kiddos.  They have been talking about it nonstop.

Tensas River

I’ll try to be more timely with updates so they aren’t so long.  I know, I said that last time too.  But I’ll try harder this time.  We plan to turn in just after the Cubs game tonight and catch up on sleep.  Ben and I stay up late.  That doesn’t work well with getting up before the sun. We are TIRED.  Alright, off to plan out school for tomorrow.  Madelyn assumed there would be no school next week.  I reminded her she’s being home schooled and school will be coming with us.  Ben’s aunt is a teacher…she’d expect nothing less!  However I’ve been keeping in touch with school back home and it looks like in a few weeks when we go to Disney we can safely take a few days off of school and have a little fall break.  Yay!

Florida here we come!

I have gotten way behind on posting!  I’m going to try to catch up tonight.

Highlight reel:

1. Chattanooga was fabulous!
2. I turned 40
3. Lots of visitors
4. I get eaten by mosquitoes every time I go outside after 5 pm
5. I don’t like fishing and don’t think I ever will
6. We still aren’t ready for family bike rides
7. Fall in the south is beautiful, warm, and southern hospitality is amazing

I know Ben already posted about some of this and the girls wrote about a bunch of it in their blog (http://www.mandmsgreatloop.com) so I won’t repeat, but want to say quickly how great it was to have my mom and Jim come for a day and the Burnetts for a full week.  Our visit to Chattanooga was wonderful….as everyone told us it would be.  The leaves started to change, the southern charm is evident everywhere and we had dear friends with us the entire time!  Kathy and the girls stayed with us for 8 nights and Jack was able to join for the weekend.  We did a lot of exploring.  We took the free Electric Shuttle through town and got off at the Chattanooga Choo Choo.  We explored the grounds looked in the train cars, read about the history and checked out the hotel lobby.

Chattanooga Choo Choo!

Even though we’ve had guests, we’ve done our best with homeschooling.  Thankfully this past week, the Burnett girls were homeschooling as well.  We did more some days than others but did try to stay on task a bit.

Time for math!

We also studied up on Civil War history a bit.  We spent Saturday at Lookout Mountain.  We took the Incline Railway up the side of the mountain.  I was terrified.  I hate heights and this car literally goes up the side of the mountain at an incredible slant.  One saving grace (since there were windows all the way around and in the entire ceiling) was a recording playing over a loudspeaker with facts and history about the railway the entire ride.  I listened and took it all in….and don’t remember much of any of it because I was only paying attention so I wouldn’t freak out!  I think climbing out of the car and over the threshold, and then back in the same way, were the worst parts.  The top of the incline is a 72.7% grade – and the car stays at the grade as you climb in and out.  Yikes.

No words….

Once on Lookout Mountain we took the girls to see a 3D movie/large diorama of the Battles of Chattanooga.  My knowledge of history is terrible.  But Molly’s school at home covers an IB unit on Civil War and Slavery and we are immersed in it here!  Such great learning opportunities.  The movie was great and taught us a lot about some of the most important battles during the war.  Then we walked over to Point Park to see where the Battle in the Clouds took place.  It’s a National Park.  And this smart mom knew that 4th graders and their families get in for free…however I didn’t know that we had to print the pass ahead of time.  Not a big deal, but we know for next time…Shiloh Military Park next week!  Anyway, we got to see a reenactment of a cannon being fired, see the grounds where the battle took place and see the lookout down to the river.  And no one fell over the edge despite my concerns.  Friends of ours were on top of the mountain a few days earlier and got pictures of our boat on the Tennessee River in the gorge below.  The river is so beautiful and to see a picture of our boat from above is pretty neat.

That white speck is our boat

Sunday I turned 40!  It’s the first birthday that has given me any pause, however what a great year I have ahead.  Pretty good way to ring in 40.  We had a very chill day.  Kathy and I took a long walk along the Chattanooga riverfront and through the historic Bluff Arts district.  Then we took the boat out on Lake Chickamauga to anchor and swim for the afternoon.  Ron Durchin gave us a spectacular bottle of champagne as a Bon Voyage gift in August.  We decided my bday was a good day to crack it open.  Thanks Ron!

We managed to find a wonderful babysitter on Sittercity to watch the kids Sunday night.   We went to a place right by the marina called Easy and had a pretty awesome meal.  And Ben managed to get into my email, find the sitter’s phone number, text her and ask her to pick up a Dairy Queen cake for me.  Fun surprise….it’s my favorite!!!  All around fabulous day and such a fun night.  And with Kathy’s birthday this Saturday and Jack’s 40th in November it was cause for celebration.

Monday we headed back west on the Tennessee River.  We anchored Monday night after a very long wait for a lock.  Making lemonade out of lemons, we spent the long wait anchored and swimming at Shell Mound and had a lovely time.  Tuesday we made it back to Goose Pond and it was time to say goodbye.  Kathy had a 10.5 hour drive without stops ahead of her and we somehow convinced her it would be best to start that early in the morning, not at 1 pm.  So, they stayed!  We spent the afternoon fishing and taking a dinghy ride…two things the girls had been wanting to do that we hadn’t found time for yet so it was perfect.  I got a hook stuck in my finger.  Awesome.  Molly got a hook out of a fish’s mouth.  I wouldn’t touch it!  Fishing is not my thing.  Walked across the parking lot to dinner and bam…6 new mosquito bites.  None for anyone else. Just me!

But alas Wednesday morning came.  Goodbyes and tears.  So thankful to have such amazing friends (and family!) who came so far to see us.  Kathy had a grueling 12.5 hour drive home through some torrential rain and traffic, solo with three kids in the car.  Meanwhile the fall colors and blue skies and warm sun persisted here in Scottsboro, AL.  We spent the day at the Unclaimed Baggage store in town and catching up on housekeeping here.  After 4 girls sleeping in the bunk room for 8 nights we felt we needed to wash and air everything out a bit!  They had so much fun.  And a note on that southern hospitality – at Unclaimed Baggage the lady at the front desk approached me and asked if we are the family doing the boat trip.  The wonderful folks at Goose Pond Marina called them and told them we were coming and told them about our trip.  She said she’s so impressed at what we are doing with the kids and wanted to offer us complimentary lunch in their café.  Just one example of the people here!

Family bike ride this morning. We’ve taken two of them.  First in Alton it was too hot.  Today in AL it was too hilly.  Now….it was about a million degrees in Alton but Ben and I went anyway and didn’t complain.  And today was really hilly…I had to get off and walk once and almost did a few other times.  But the fall here is amazing.  I’ve always loved fall.  The trees are gorgeous, the weather changes a bit.  This year I’ve discovered I LOVE the fall in the south!  It’s cool in the 50s at night so open windows and no AC.  But it’s 80 and sunny during the day.  Shorts and flip flops still.  Pine needles on the ground, beautiful scenery and warm sunshine.

Ben’s parents join us Sunday! We’ve been hanging out in Scottsboro cleaning, catching up on a lot we got behind on last week, boat work (oil changes etc.).  We’ll leave tomorrow morning and go to an anchorage or a town wall and then make our way to Ditto Landing on Saturday.  It’s near Huntsville and Ben’s parents will meet us there.  We plan to go to the space center all day Monday.  And then Tuesday we’ll make our way back to Pickwick Lake.  Likely backtrack to Florence, AL or close to there and then the rest of the way back on Wednesday to Grand Harbor.  Thursday we hope to spend a full day at Shiloh Military Park.  We’ve read great things about it and plan to take in the history and continue learning.  Ben’s parents will head home sometime on Friday and then Saturday we will turn south and start heading for Mobile!

If you’ve made it this far I thank you.  It was a lot to catch up on.

Laura

A lot has happened since I last posted.  Thankfully one thing that hasn’t happened is we haven’t trashed any more propellers.  Yet.  Last Thursday John from Crazy Love and I took their mini van loaded with the set of props we wrecked leaving Pisgah bay and drove 582 miles to Gulf Shores, AL.  We dropped off the newly wrecked set and picked up the set that was dinged in Alton.  In total we were gone for about 17.5 hours having driven just shy of 1,200 miles.  We stopped once each way and quickly in Gulf Shores.  It was a very long day.  The payoff for the long day was that the next morning we were able to have the boat hauled out, the props replaced and be on our way.  Our exit from Green Turtle Bay was over due and it felt great to be on our way again.

Shiny!

The top one is the repaired starboard prop, the port prop was still in good shape.

On Friday we were able to leave Green Turtle at about 11am and were able to run through the canal to Kentucky Lake and down the length of Kentucky Lake to Pebble Isle Marina.  There we were able to buy cheap diesel, enjoy a good dinner at the local restaurant and enjoy really good cinnamon rolls they serve all the transient boaters in the morning.  The trip down Kentucky Lake was very pretty and featured some interesting remains from before the land was flooded to form the lake.

The next day we got up early and ran a long ways from Pebble Isle Marina to Florence, AL.  It was a run of about 160 miles and took 9.5 hours.  By the time we got to Florence it was dinner time and we went to the restaurant at the harbor for another good dinner.  We were very ready to be off the boat by then.

The following morning we went from Florence to Joe Wheeler harbor.  This took us through two locks including Wilson Lock.  At a 93 foot rise it was largest rise or fall we have been through thus far in the trip.  It will be among the largest of our trip though we will beat it later.  Joe Wheeler Harbor is on the Joe Wheeler Resevoir and part of a large Alabama State Park.  It is a really beautiful setting with a nice lodge, pool and good facilities around.

A little while after we arrived at Joe Wheeler Laura’s mom Cathy and Jim arrived.  The girls were very excited to see both of them.  We had brunch at the lodge and then while Laura and I ran a couple of errands Jim took the girls fishing.  Jim was great with the girls and taught them a lot.  I’m a complete neophyte when it comes to fishing so having someone with Jim’s knowledge show the girls the ropes was really great.  Jim bought the girls live bait and despite our concern they might be grossed out they couldn’t have been more excited about it.  They both caught fish with Molly taking the prize for the biggest fish.  A 10lb carp.  Thankfully the line snapped before they reeled it in.

We spent the next morning, Monday, with Jim and Cathy before they headed home.  We made our way planning to stop at an anchorage on Lake Guntersville.  As we were headed there we heard from Mike on Rowe boat that they were at the Lake Guntersville Yacht club for a gold burgee ceremony for another looper we’d met in Alton.  So, we headed there instead, got to see Tim and Carol from Liquid Assets as they were also there and spent the night.  The next morning we got up and headed to Goose Pond in Scottsboro, Al where we pulled in as Kathy, Livia, Claudia and Sabina pulled into the parking lot.  The image of Livia and Claudia bouncing up and down waving at us was awfully sweet.

We caught up with them, had a nice dinner and got the girls to sleep.  All four in the bunk room.  As anyone who has been on the boat knows, the bunk room is not large.  Four bodies in that room is hard for me to fathom.  In the morning we headed out of Goose Pond and about 50 miles to Cedar Creek on Nickajack Lake.  Cedar Creek was a beautiful anchorage just past the Nickajack Lock.  We got there in the early afternoon giving the girls lots of time to swim.  We then made a nice dinner and got the girls to sleep.  Courtesy of Madelyn that wasn’t an easy task.

This morning we got up quite early and got on our way to Chattanooga.  We arrived around noon and quickly did a little exploring.  The girls rode a carousel and played in a big fountain attached to the aquarium.  We had dinner at a very unusual burger bar on a barge attached to an excursion boat on the river.  The site was odd but the burgers were very good.  Tomorrow night Jack flies in and Sunday Laura turns 40.

Before we left on the trip Mike Walsh from Marine Services encouraged me to buy a spare set of props.  At the time I said that I was following his advice with the hope that I would never need them.  Well…  one month into the trip I have not only needed them, but now could use a second set of spares.

As you may remember when we were in Alton, IL leaving the fuel dock we hit a submerged object of some sort just off the fuel dock.  That put a ding in the starboard prop and may well have screwed up pitch on several of the blades as well.  When we got to Green Turtle Bay we had the boat hauled and props swapped.  We then went to Nashville and returned.  We had a great visit in Nashville and returned with several of the boats with which we had traveled.

Yesterday we headed back to Pisgah Bay, the painted rocks anchorage we had visited twice with Tim and Carol.  This was the second time I brought our boat into the anchorage.  It’s an old quarry that was flooded when Kentucky Lake was created.  The first time we visited we followed Tim in and though the water got shallow as we entered we had no problems.  Yesterday we also visited and also had no problems on the way in.  I followed my track from our previous visits and didn’t have issues.  On the way out I wasn’t paying as close of attention to our previous tracks and was about 15 feet further north on the way out.  As we exited we heard large thunk followed by the unmistakable noise of metal hitting rock.  We’d hit the props, I had no doubt.  That 15 feet was extremely significant.

Today we were hauled out and the results weren’t pretty.  This set of props is pretty banged up.  I’m hopeful they can be repaired but it won’t be cheap or quick.  Now the rub, we sent the previous set of propellers to Mobile to be repaired with plans to pick them up when we got to Mobile.  The propellers arrived in Mobile today and will hopefully be repaired quickly.  The propellers that just came off the boat aren’t going to be fixed quickly so we need the set in Mobile here as quickly as possible.  It looks like the most expedient option is going to be to wait until the Mobile set has been repaired and then drive about 8 hours to pick up the repaired set and drop off the damaged set.

We’re planning on meeting Jack and Kathy and the girls in Chattanooga.  Jack flies in on October 6th and Laura’s birthday is October 9th.  We really would like to be leaving here by the end of the week at the latest.  That’s going to be tough but I’m going to do whatever I can to make those dates work.

Now, lessons learned?  I need to be much more aware of depth.  Everywhere we go for the next many months will be in skinny water.  For the last ten years I’ve boated in the great lakes.  I’ve never had to think about depth as a major factor.  It’s a major factor now.  I will be far more vigilant.  I can’t be casual.  I must be more aware of the tools I have.  If I’d followed my track line I wouldn’t have hit.  I also have to consider the size of our boat, the amount of water we draw and make sure we don’t take chances we don’t have to take.

As it stands now we float in our slip with no propellers.  We are very fortunate to be able to do this trip.  I am very cognizant of this and no matter how frustrated I get I work hard to remember that.

We left Nashville Sunday morning with a group of six boats all heading for Hendersonville, TN to take our friends Tim and Carol from Liquid Assets home.  What a fabulous homecoming they had. And we feel so special that they included us in the celebration.  Bitter sweet to be sure.  We met them on Day 2 in Joliet and have traveled with them every day since.  We got to meet their friends and family.  Everyone welcomed the group of great loopers with open arms. The southern hospitality is so clear around here.  Their sweet neighbor told the kids to come on over and jump right in her pool.

Monday we tackled school first thing and then Tim took us to a great place on the water for lunch.  We pulled up and docked the boat and hopped off to eat. Then we took a boat ride to see Old Hickory Lake and anchored and swam for a long time in the 85 degree water.  Houses along the water are beautiful.

Tuesday night Tim took us, Mike and Cathy from Trawler Life and Gabby and John from Crazy Love by boat to the Cherokee restaurant, also on the water.  Great steaks.  I got Maddy to try steak and she liked it.  Tim and Carol’s whole family joined us! Tim’s daughter Megan, her husband and three adorable children (who Molly and Maddy loved playing with!), Carol’s son Jason and wife Kathy, Carol’s daughter Cortney, her boyfriend and son Tony (who Maddy swam with for hours!), Carol’s sister and her dad.  We had a big group!

Wednesday morning was tough.  We haven’t had to say goodbye since we left Chicago and this was a hard one.  Tim and Carol took us under their wing from Joliet on and we will miss them and their dog Benji immensely.  They saw us off after some teary hugs and goodbyes and we were on our way back to Nashville.  They promise they will come see us in Florida.  Maddy asked last night how fast we can get to Florida to see them again.  Lonely running by ourselves today!  But I digress…yesterday we continued on with Trawler Life and Crazy Love.  We stopped in Nashville as they continued on a bit further.

Yesterday after a VERY TRYING morning with school we got off the boat and took an uber to Marathon Motor Works.  Cool old area with a lot of history.  Antique Archaeology is there…store with items found on Antique Roadshow.  So we poked around there for a bit and looked the old cars on display in the Marathon Motor building.  Then took an uber back to Broadway.  We walked through Tootsie’s to check it out and then went to the Johnny Cash museum.  The museum was great.  Maddy was not.  But so it goes!  Anyway, the rest of us enjoyed it and looked at a lot of very interesting things, old letters, part of a stone wall from his house on Old Hickory Lake that burned down (which we got to see by boat with Tim!), etc and of course lots of good music throughout.  We stopped and had some Hot Chicken for dinner…but no not from Hattie’s….was still good though!

This morning we needed a free morning to explore.  The water pump on the ice maker broke yesterday so Ben tackled fixing that and I took the girls and their scooters up to the park path right next to the river where we were docked.  We scootered and jogged around the Titan’s stadium and then into Cumberland Park.  So glad we finally had time to explore!  The girls had a great time  Rope swings and rock climbing built into the walls, neat other features and slides, etc.  While playing and exhausting themselves we ran into another mom with 4 kids.  She asked if we are home schooling and I said yes.  She is as well.  They have moved around a lot and her husband does interior design and outfitting for restaurants, fashion shows, etc.  She mentioned they were going for lunch and it’s her birthday and would we like to join.  Best thing about not having a schedule?  Why not?  Still in my gross running clothes?  Oh well!  So, we went across the big pedestrian bridge once more and had a great lunch with them.  We pulled out of Nashville a little after 2 pm and are hoping to make it to Clarksville, TN tonight.  Late start for boating but well worth it to have a free morning. Downside…just starting school now!  Hopefully we’ll get through it quickly today.

We’ll head to Green Turtle Bay for a few days tomorrow again in part for an oil change and some other things and then head south next week on Kentucky Lake for a few days to explore.  We’ll take our time heading south to the Tennessee River. Hoping we will be in a location that crosses paths with my mom and Jim next Sunday Oct. 2nd as they drive home from my cousin’s wedding.  Want to give a big shout out to Michael and Addi who are getting married Saturday!  We are so sorry we won’t be there with you to celebrate!  Then as we get onto the Tennessee river Kathy, Livia, Claudia and Sabina are coming!!!!!  I’ve told the girls less than TWO WEEKS!  They are ecstatic.  So are we!  Planning to spend a handful of days in Chattanooga with them and Jack for the weekend.  We are celebrating my and Jack’s 40th bdays!  And then after that visit Ben’s parents are coming for a week!  Will be so much fun to have friends and family joining us.

Alright, back to teaching…

Laura

Today we completed the 160 or so miles from Green Turtle Bay to Nashville, TN.  We are staying downtown at the riverfront docks in Nashville.  We broke the trip up into two days.  Yesterday we traveled from Green Turtle to Clarksville, TN, a trip of about 100 miles.  Today we traveled from Clarksville to Nashville.  The trip took us on about 24 miles on Lake Barkley to the Cumberland for the remainder of our trip.  The trip was beautiful with lots of dramatic bluffs, rock faces and winding river.

Once we got to Nashville we walked across the bridge and took a walk up Broadway.  Nashville is a fun town.  There’s an awful lot to see and do.  I don’t think we will have time to do it all nor is all of it doable with the girls.  We ducked into a bar and listened to some live music, got the girls some kiddie cocktails and shopped for some souvenirs.  We got some great barbecue from a place on Broadway and then walked back to the boat.

In my last post I mentioned the boat was hauled and props swapped.  During the run here I felt some vibrations that I’m hoping are caused by current, not by any further issues with the props or running gear.  Here are a few pictures of the boat getting hauled and the damaged props.

We left Green Turtle Bay this morning…although we’ll be back next weekend for a few more days before heading south.  The weather has been hot and sunny so yesterday we decided to give the girls a day off from school.  Yep, one week in and we’re taking a day off.  I’ve fully adopted the “they will be fine” attitude.  I met a number of people at Green Turtle Bay, and multiple that home school or have home schooled!  Got some tips on some good resources and heard some success stories from some fellow boaters who home schooled.  All very reassuring.

A couple of days ago we went back to the cove we visited last Sunday.  The water was 83 degrees and we had a lily pad, noodle, swimming afternoon.  It was great.  Benji loved the lily pad and took a hike up the rocks.

Ben and the girls swam over to a rope swing, climbed the rocks and went off time after time.

Yesterday on our day off we went into town on our golf cart, played some mini-golf (otherwise known as mosquito haven), swam all afternoon, made a great dinner on the boat and got them to bed early.  We had joined Tim and Carol, Cathy and Mike, John and Gabby, Duane and Diane and Tim and Melissa the night before for dinner so the girls had a late night and a pool day was going to be far less work than battling unsuccessfully with overtired children and school work!  We had a great day.

Back to school this morning.  A bit of a chopped up day however, and we’re learning to go with the flow on schedule.  We had about 25 miles on Lake Barkley this morning so we went fast which isn’t conducive to school.  I was able to get some work done on my laptop while the girls played below.  Then we played a little Life and then I decided to pause the game and get working on school.  Maddy asked to do some Spanish today.  We sang some songs and worked on Greetings and Goodbyes.  I’m still quite intimidated about tackling Spanish with the girls and am thankful for help from their Pulaski teachers.  Then we finished the book we’ve been reading together. They are working on book reports now.  I found some great forms online to use as guides.  Molly actually didn’t complain when I told her she had to do more of it than Maddy.  She’s fast at work.  Maddy is not complaining today but it’s like someone gave her a sugar IV and she’s off the wall!  Focus not our strong suit today!  But better than last week’s whining I suppose.  Reading and Math after this and we’ll call it a day.

Heading to Clarskville for the night tonight and will be in Nashville by tomorrow.  We will stay in Nashville for the weekend.  Until next time….