Don & Rachel's Great Loop AdventurE

Having gone back home for the Holidays our time was full of family, food, football, fun, and flurries ❄️….but let’s be honest, mostly food 😄!

Life’s never dull in Buffalo. First things first, we made sure to hit up all our favorite local eats. Buffalo pizza has its own style, called delicious 😋! And what goes with pizza, wings of course…and tacos ×3, Chinese, roast beef, subs, BBQ and more pizza 🍕! Spread out across our whole time in Buffalo.

Part of our Christmas gift to ourselves and the family was tickets to the now infamous “snowball” Bills vs. Dolphins game, complete with a Bills win!

With the game having been moved to Saturday night, the following snowy Sunday was the perfect day to cut a Christmas tree and decorate cookies.

Later in the week Joy and I were able to get to the Campfire Grill for some caramel apple bacon and cinnamon roll pancakes with cranberry mimosas!

And then came Christmas Eve (Sigh). We were finally home at the right time, there was a coordinated to see and include everyone plan.

And then there was mother nature. 79 mph wind, 51+ inches of lake effect snowfall, up to -30 wind chill temps, and me home alone.

I was definitely luckier than many though. I was safe and I was warm.

My house never lost power and I had plenty of wine 🍷. The snow finally let up around 8:00 at night and I immediately started shoveling the driveway. Hoping the plows would come around I wanted to get a head start. Christmas morning I was able to get out and get to my dad’s and Don’s mom’s. Though the full feast was put on hold we were still able to enjoy some festive cranberry brie bacon crescent bites.

At the end of the week we were finally able to fully celebrate with everyone, Christmas and New Years 🥳.

The proper way to welcome the New Year is with a toast naturally, and where better to do so than on the Niagara Wine Trail, and what better winery than one with a fuzzy lap warmer 😍.

After our butter tart tour of Canada we apparently had stirred up quite the frenzy. So Don’s mom looked up several recipes to try and we had a butter tart baking and tasting day. We had a clear winner that was just as good as the ones we got up North.

It was great to be able to spend extended time home with everyone before continuing on our journey. I was able to get the final wedding planning pieces in place and are excited for that upon our return this year!

We are also fortunate to have Don’s brother be available to drive us back to Florida. After a slight delay with the boat we finally got the call it was ready to go. We had the marina where we left it fix the thruster, which will be a great help to have working again, replace a seal and clean the hull. With all that done we are headed back south.

So that brings me to the backseat with a fluff who sees no reason why I can’t pet her the ENTIRE way to Florida.

But she’ll take snuggles as a consolation prize.

We had left before the boat was pulled out of the water but friends of ours were there and happened to catch it for us.

Tomorrow we should be back in Florida and maybe we’ll be able to watch it being put back in the water so we can continue on the Loop!

Friday we started making our way towards Two George’s Marina, where we are leaving the boat while we come home for December and part of January. We went past Florabama and found an anchor spot right next to a little beach. We also saw a guy out on one of those hydrofoil surf boards. It is the weirdest thing to witness.

Overnight the wind picked up and it was drizzling when we got moving. We were going to go to another anchor spot but there was a storm coming through so we thought we’d be better off at a marina. Not so as we’d find out. Along the way we saw remnants of the last hurricane damage. If anyone is looking for a free boat, here ya go.

We got to Perdido Key and they put us in a spot so friggin tight! (insert dirty joke here)

We walked across the peninsula to the Gulf side where I got my Gulf of Mexico sand, but it was too cold and windy to enjoy the beach. We grabbed pizza for lunch and headed back to the boat.

It was a really rough night! The storm came through and between the wind and waves and being so close on both sides, we just got knocked back and forth bouncing off the dock and pillars. A most anxious night! Getting out of that spot was a challenge in the morning too. Without our rear thruster not working, the wind had its way with us. Luckily we managed to get out without crashing into anything. By this point we are really looking forward to a break for the Holidays!

We came to Pensacola and found a spot to anchor that was well protected. It was right by a boardwalk with a bunch of shops and closer to the Gulf side than Perdido Key was. So I had Don dinghy me to shore so I could walk around while he watched Football.

Their water tower was painted like a beach ball 😄

I walked over to the beach and of course picked up a bunch of shells. It was still pretty windy and the waves were cranking! There were some people out surfing and on kite boards.

Monday we only went about 10 miles to where Moonshadow was anchored. It was also a nice protected spot, but perfectly secluded along a nature preserve. Stay Cool was also anchored here, Loopers from Canada. We’ve seen their boat along the way but hadn’t gotten to meet them before. After chatting with John and Robin we made a plan to go over to the beach. It was a beautiful day and there was a path that went across to the Gulf side. We packed a picnic lunch, brought our chairs and enjoyed a perfect beach day. Which for me included picking up more shells obviously 😄.

Later that evening we all went over to Moonshadow for docktails and got to enjoy one of the prettiest sunsets.

Tuesday the wind came back and we were getting slightly jostled about when we woke up. We were going to try one more anchorage but when we got there it was not as calm as would be comfortable. So we called Two George’s and they said they had room for us a day early. This ended up working out perfectly. We got set up in our slip and went to grab lunch. I had my first experience at Waffle House. I got a cheese steak omelette and of course a waffle. They were both actually really good!

We had a rental car booked for Thursday, when we begin our drive back north, but we decided to rent an extra day to get laundry done and a few other errands. So Wednesday Don prepped the boat to get hauled out, I picked up the car and went and did laundry. We then drove to the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center, right along where we were going to anchor Tuesday. Got to meet Sweet Pea, their resident Green Turtle.

She was found tangled in fishing line and lost her front left flipper. She was also hit by a boat and missing a chunk of her shell 🥺.

We got the boats propane tanks refilled on the way back, then started organizing and packing.

This morning we started with breakfast with a view.

Then loaded up the car and got the boat ready to be hauled out. It is cheaper to keep it on land, plus the marina is going to do some work on it for us. Pressure wash the hull, fix the thruster (hopefully 🤞).

And we are on our way! See everyone up North!

Saturday ended up being a mostly chill day. It was drizzling so we walked up to the theater here in the plaza and saw the new Black Panther movie. For the matinee show popcorn cost more than the tickets.🍿 Shane and Brandie are big college football fans so later we met up with them to watch the Tennessee game. It was not going in their favor and Shane loves to wind Brandie up. Was really sure he’d be sleeping on the deck 😆.

Sunday was another chilly windy day. The harbor host here offered to give us a ride to the grocery store. So Heather, from Sea Clef, and I went and did our Thanksgiving shopping. I was of course in charge of mashed potatoes and made sure to get a generous amount. When we got back, Don was waiting up at Yo Ho Taco’s with Shane and Brandie watching the Bills game. I met them there and got to try some more of their unique and delicious tacos 😋🌮. The Bills also won which always makes for a good time! Later we went with Shandie, Moonshadow II, and Liming for dinner at Dick’s Last Resort. It is a Southern chain where they are less than polite to you. They also make you funny hats to wear with some silly saying on them.

The food was really good though. Don received a side of fries instead of the tater tots he asked for with his meal so they gave him an additional huge tray of tots! After dinner we went over to Moonshadow II and played games with John and Robin. We taught them Triominos and they showed us a new card game called Wizard. It turned out that it was the exact game Salty Dog taught us back in Canada, but with its own deck.

Monday it was finally nice and sunny out. I took Skia for a walk, passing some of the hugest pinecones I’ve ever seen…then Don and I then went up and got some ice cream from Kilwins. Apple pie and chocolate salted caramel with mini chocolate covered caramels right in the ice cream!🍦 Later that evening as we were watching shows, we noticed an odor in the cabin. It was cool out so we had the heat going and realized the heating pipe runs next to black water tank. Don checked and sure enough we were full. The heat was just wafting the smell in. Cursing ourselves for not checking when we moved spots, we’d have to deal with that first thing in the morning.

So Tuesday morning we had to untie everything and go over to the fuel dock for a pump out. On the way back we saw a dolphin playing in the water, so that was cool. We got back to our slip and set ourselves back up again. We were having Looping Thanksgiving dinner that night so I got the mashed potatoes going. Then we went over to Sea Clef for dinner with Off Leash as well. It was a proper Thanksgiving dinner, complete with insta pot turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, cranberries, stuffing, rolls, apple and pumpkin pies.

It was quite the feast!

Wednesday was the perfect morning to make loaded tots for breakfast with Don’s extras from dinner. Don then went to get a haircut and I took Skia for a walk, collecting pine cones along the way (They do have an intended purpose). I then had to repair another part of the biminy where the stitches are failing. I seriously want to track down the original sewer and gut punch him 😡.

John and Robin had rented a car and picked us up to go to dinner at Lulu’s. It is Jimmy Buffett’s sisters place. I got a yummy peachy drink with a twisty straw and a delicious crab melt. Don really liked his jerk chicken sandwich too.

Thursday we just hung out, did some laundry, watched the quite stressful Bill’s game and enjoyed plenty of leftovers!

Almost done with the river, the next travel day did not have a lock to get through, so we weren’t really in a hurry in the morning. Of the nine boats in the anchorage, we ended up being the last ones up and out. This leg of the journey took us passed the White Cliffs of Epps.

They were really cool and stretched a good few miles. We ended up catching up to Sandy Crab, who travels much slower than we do. But we all ended up at Kingfisher Bay in Demopolis. Whoopsea, who we had met in Nashville was also there and we made plans to go to dinner that night. The marina actually had a shuttle bus that takes people to town and there ended up being 24 of us that went to dinner at the locally famed Red Barn.

It was very good! We all discussed a plan for leaving in the morning, which included one lock just beyond the marina.

So Friday morning we were up at 5:30am and set off. Through the lock we went to an anchorage called Bashi Creek. Reports say you can actually go up into the creek, but it looked super narrow and there were overhanging trees and debris. So we chose to anchor just across from it outside of the channel.

Saturday we were up early again aiming to get as far as possible, including through the last lock on the river. We passed a famous Looping stop, Bobby’s Fish Camp. It was nothing to write home about and really the only reason people stop is for fuel. We are pretty fuel efficient so we didn’t have a need to stop. We made it to the last lock and got right through. Making 91 locks we’ve gone through thus far on the Loop. We came to Three Rivers where two other boats were set up for the night. It was a little snug in there, with some low tree branches, but it was starting to get dark so we found a spot and made it work.

Sunday morning, after dislodging a log from the anchor, we headed out and made it to Mobile Bay, the entrance to Gulf Coast. From here we will have to be mindful of the tides. The port of Mobile was super busy! We started to see the huge ocean liners and shipping container boats, one of which we ended up passing as we came out into the open bay.

We came to Turner Marina on the West side of the Bay, but was unable to get in our assigned slip. Their “docks” were designed for sail boats, with just a triangle sliver of dock high up at the end of the slip, with just posts at the front. There was no way we’d be able get tied up or even get off the boat 🫤. Being Sunday they didn’t have anyone working that day, so we made the decision to just park along the wall where the larger boats were. There was an open spot, so we just slid right in. The dock was still really high up, especially at low tide and the poor fluff needed a boost getting off the boat. Phil-n-Wild were also tied up there, so that evening we went over and played games with them.

Monday we had reservations in Fairhope, which required crossing the Bay. So we got up early again for the hope of calm water. When we got out there it was pretty choppy, 1-2ft waves. Not the worst we’ve been in and wasn’t that wide across, so we just dealt with it. What else can you do. When I made the reservation for Fairhope they had informed me they were under renovation and we wouldn’t have power or water at our slip. Don wanted to rinse the salt water off the boat so when we got there we went to the fuel dock. We had passed our slip spot on the way and realized they were just like the ones at Turner that we wouldn’t be able to get into. So they had us go along the wall at the entrance of the marina. With the wind starting to kick up and our stern thruster not working, it was a challenge to dock. After we finally got secure, we took a Lyft to town. We got lunch at a very unassuming counter service restaurant, Porterhouse BBQ. It was excellent though! Some of the tenderest pulled pork I’ve ever had. We walked around, checking out some of the shops. Including Fairhope Chocolates, which had some amazing truffles, and delicious beignets from Panini Pete’s in the French Quarter.

A very cute lill Post Office.

That night was pretty rough. The wind only got stronger, and being right at the entrance all the waves got funneled right in at us. Tuesday was a miserable day. The wind never let up and the waves just rocked us around ALL day. I took a chair into the laundry room and hung out there most of the day because I just couldn’t stand it.

Don talked with the marina people who said we could move to the fuel dock at 5:00 when they close for the night. Being further in we hoped it would be calmer and let us get some sleep. We’d have to move again in the morning when they opened though. Even though there was a small craft advisory for Wednesday due to the wind, we didn’t want to spend another day there just getting tossed around. It was only a short distance down to the intercoastal waterway (ICW), so we decided we’d leave at first light and just get down there.

Even being further in the marina on the fuel dock it was still a rocky night. The boat still rolled around, the lines were creaking from the strain all night and my anxiety level was up to my eyebrows about the next days journey. There was little sleep to be had. We got up and got moving as soon as we could see. With the wind going North to South, the channel out of the marina put us beam to of the waves. We just hammered down and got through as fast as possible. As we turned South the 3-4ft waves were then at our stern and it was more tolerable. As you go South the bay widens and there are a series of points jutting out. Once around the first one, blocked by the land the waves lessened, and again passed the second and third. Then when we made into the ICW where the water was perfectly flat. It was quite the relief. There were also dolphins we saw that were swimming around here! 😄🐬

We came to The Warf Marina and got set up in our nice calm slip with actual docks. Shandie was here as well. Shane was going to be here for a month, so Brandie had brought her car down from their home in North Carolina. They let us borrow it to run some errands. This also brought us to Don’s cheat restaurant, Whataburger. Although, we don’t actually have one in Buffalo so technically it’s not cheating. 😋

Phil-n-Wild, Eric’s Inheritance, Tug Bussle, The Grand Wazoo and Arion we’re at another marina a little further down. They invited us to the famous Florabama that night. It sits right on the Florida Alabama border. It was a super fun place with a bunch of different sections, each with live music.

They are famous for their Bushwhacker’s. A drink that’s more like an ice cream sundae. Not being big on cream liqueur I decided to pass.

Thursday was a chilly day. There is a good size plaza above the marina, so Don and I walked around checking things out. We found a Kilwins Ice cream, the place from Michigan. It was too chilly for ice cream though…..today. 😉

Palm trees and Christmas ornaments 🤔

Later we met up with Shane and Brandie for drinks and dinner. We went to Tacky Jack’s, where you can sign a piece of colorful duck tape and stick it anywhere, the wall, ceiling, stairs. The whole place is covered.

For dinner we went to Live Bait. Specializing in sea food, I had some delicious ahi tuna nachos.

From here it is only about 65 miles to Destin Florida, where we are scheduled to have the boat pulled out of the water on December 1st. We are capable of traveling that distance in one day. With two weeks to kill, we decided to stay here a little longer. Shandie (Shane & Brandie) will still be here, we heard from Sea Clef and Off Leash that they were coming here as well. The Warf also offers a discounted weekly rate. So we figured we’d stay and hang out with everyone. Because we were now staying passed our original reservation, we had to move spots though.

Friday we scooted over to the other side of the marina, to the longer term slips. It was a corner spot and a little tricky getting into, but still with actual docks we managed. Then we met back up with Shane and Brandie at The Axe Hole for some axe throwing. It was a lot of fun! Don was really good and stuck his every time. But on a scoring technicality I ended up winning and got to sit on the throne. 😄👑

We then met up at The Pour with a bunch of other Loopers in the marina. It was a self serve bar that has a tap wall with a wide variety of beers and ciders. You can pour as much as you want and paid by the total ounce. So you could try a little of each, or a lot of a favorite.

While there we made plans with Off Leash and Sea Clef to have a pot luck Thanksgiving dinner together.

After a quick photo op, we went with Shane and Brandie to a highly recommend Mexican restaurant, The Cactus Cantina. It was very good, definitely lived up to the hype! From there we went back to the Florabama. There was a very entertaining band playing. While they were very good musicians, they also had sort of a musical comedy shtick thing about them. If you take life too seriously and are offended by the wind blowing however, they would not be for you. Before we left we had to sit in the infamous big blue chair on the beach.

Today we have every intention of just hanging out and relaxing, so we will see what shenanigans follow 😆.

(Who’s singing along? 😉)

We had decided to stay two nights at Aqua Yacht. Thursday morning we went with Cam and Heather, from the boat Sea Clef, to the Shilo Civil War Battlefield. We had a tour with Larry DeBerry, whose ancestors fought in the war. His family owned property within the battlefield area up until his father sold the land to the State to be turned into a preserved historic park. He drove us through the park and walked us through the two day battle. He was very knowledgeable.

Cast of a tree stump where soliders buried their friend during the battle. He was later moved to the National Cemetery established in the park.

Belt buckles found within the park.

Later that evening we went to dinner with John from Moonshadow II (his wife Robin flew home that morning to visit their kids), Mike and Cindy from Meridian, and their friend Tom who is doing the trip solo. Mike and Cindy recommend this BBQ restaurant called The Outpost. This would be their third night in a row there 😆. So the food had to be good! Which it most definitely was, with the coolest decor. Wood beams, all carved with different animals, antique boating paraphernalia and an old fashioned general store.

We got a fried apple pie and the most delicious Heath cookies 😋.

When we got back to the marina we noticed Rival had arrived so we went over and said hello.

Friday we left, continuing on the Loop route South. We caught up to Masquerade and ended up going through two locks with them and then anchoring just before another. We could have made it through the next lock but there was another non Looper boat in the first two with us that was such a jerk! They would speed way to fast into the lock and once tied off in front of us rev the engine creating turbulence. So we opted to anchor above the next lock and let them continue on and away from us.

Karma in action. This lock was leaky and sprayed water on top of them as we descended. 😆

Saturday was expected to be stormy so we called Midway Marina to make sure we could arrive early as it was only about five miles away. Marinas are kind of like hotels, checkout is usually by 11am and arrival isn’t until about 1pm. Midway said they had plenty of room though and with a storm coming they’d be happy to have us get there ASAP.

Overnight was a little rough. The wind kicked up and the rain started, so we did not sleep well at all. Up early Saturday we called the lock and they said we could get through as soon as we were ready. We quickly pulled up anchor and went right there. The rain started again as soon as we got moving and our rear thruster stopped working, limiting our manuverability. So we were glad to not have far to go. Masquerade hadn’t planned on stopping at the marina but decided to come in as the wind and rain picked up even more as we were going along.

Sunday the rain was on and off all day. I did laundry while Don checked out the thruster, but he wasn’t able to get it working 🫤.

Monday we were up early again with four other boats heading out. We traveled down river together through the next four locks. The locks like when you stick together and they can send you through as a group rather than staggered. We went to Columbus Marina and saw Meridian already there. We chatted a bit and they introduced us to a couple on a sail boat that it turns out we had passed along the way up river. Don and I took the marina’s courtesy car to a pizza place they recommend, Lost Pizza. It was very good, with many create your own options or their custom creations.

The Pit Boss, BBQ pork topped pizza! 😋

Tuesday we did some boat work. We pulled out the anchor chain so I could repaint the length markers. Don washed the boat and tried working on the thruster again but no luck. We will be coming home for the holidays and found a marina in Florida to store the boat for December and part of January, so we made arrangements with them to look at the thruster while it’s there. I took the marina’s courtesy car to Walmart, came back to pick Don up and we went to my one food exception for not eating somewhere we could eat at home…any guesses…

Chick-fil-A! 😄

Wednesday a group of seven of us left the marina early. We thought we’d only have one lock to go through but checking again we saw we had overlooked one. Then as we were making good time and got through the first two quickly the group concensus was to push on through one more lock to Gainesville Alabama.

A phone booth marks the border of Mississippi and Alabama.

We turned into an anchorage just passed the lock, which was actually the part of the river diverted by the dam.

There were two boats already anchored here, Whoopsea who we met in Nashville, and the sailboat we just met in Columbus, Sandy Crab. So we took the dinghy over to say hello.

All along this section of river there have been these floating plants in the water. I have been wanting a small plant for the boat that I don’t have to worry about watering, and these just happened to float right by 😄.

I will have to get them a different container, but in the meantime we will continue our way down to the Gulf of Mexico.

So last Tuesday we got up early to make the roughly 35 miles to Chattanooga in good time. Some of our Looper friends were already there and we had plans to meet up with them. Specifically we wanted to get to the arcade museum between 1-1:30, when unlimited play was half price! We made it to the dock at 12, got set up and went with Eric’s Inheritance and Phil-n-Wild to play pin ball, pac-man, Mario, Galaga and many other old school arcade games. It was a really cool spot and a lot of fun!

On the way back we stopped at Downtown Dough which sells edible cookie dough in slabs like fudge 😋. We met back up on the dock for docktails with additional Loopers, Moonshadow II and The Grand Wazoo, and then we all went to dinner at Puckett’s BBQ. They had excellent mac n’ cheese!

Wednesday we had made plans to go to see Ruby Falls with John and Robin from Moonshadow II. They had rented a car to go to the Jack Daniel’s factory so they drove. It was very impressive, you take an elevator over 250 feet below ground and walk through a narrow cave with ever changing rock formations. Because you are traveling under a mountain by the time you reach the 145 foot waterfall, you are 1,120 feet underground!

From there we went to Rock City which was actually in Georgia. There is a nice walking trail that leads you through cool rock passages and another spectacular waterfall.

John and Robin had made dinner plans with another Looper boat Masquerade, and they invited us to join them. We went to Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen. Delicious biscuits with blueberry jam and I finally had to try chicken and mac n’ cheese waffles. The chicken was good but I still don’t really “get” the chicken and waffles together thing.

Thursday we went to the Medal of Honor museum. It was very interesting, and we learned that it originated in Chattanooga. The first ones were given to men from Chattanooga for a mission they undertook there during the Civil War. Afterwards we went to the aquarium, which was split into two separate buildings. We went to the ocean side first. There were very nice exhibits off each of the 4 floors with one large tank in the center going up all 4 stories.

We took a lunch break and went to Clumpies Ice Cream. They had a special seasonal flavor, oatmeal apple butter crunch. Very delicious! Afterwards we went to the River Journey side of the aquarium. It was set up the same way, 4 floors with exhibits surrounding 1 large tank in the center.

Dinner that night brought us to the recommended Agave & Rye Epic Tacos. They did not disappoint. Unique very large tacos that were hard to choose and very delicious!

🎂 Friday we started the morning at Ruby Sunshine for breakfast. Mimosa flight, french toast bites and beer braised beef eggs Benedict, down right scrumptious! Those who know that I have an affinity for breakfast food both in my stomach and in decor will appreciate the design of this restaurant, which was particularly pleasing 😊.

We left Chattanooga and went back to Shellmound Park for the night. Let the fluff swim and took a walk through the park. On the other dock was Sunset, who after chatting a bit we realized we had been in The Big Chute with them on the Trent Severn. I was able to find a picture I had taken of them and send it to them.

Saturday we called the lock and they said they were ready for us whenever we wanted to come through. So we scooted over there with Sunset and got right through. Going down is much smoother and easier. Thankfully from here to the Gulf should be all down locks. We came to Goose Pond Marina and got set up. After the last laundry fiasco we were assured this place was good for that. They had three washers and four dryers that all actually worked in a timely manner. With no one waiting after me we were able to do four loads of everything! There’s nothing like putting on fresh pj’s right outta the dryer. We also took the marina’s courtesy car to Geno’s Pizza for dinner which was good and to Walmart. It was at this marina, which was actually in Alabama, that we saw our first palm tree of the trip.

Sunday was a rainy day, so we just hung out, played games and watched the Bill’s win! 🎃 Monday a bunch of boats set off and Sea Clef who had left before us let us know they spoke with the next lock who said they’d be ready for us at 10. So we made sure we got there on time. Further up the river we heard them over the radio talking with the train bridge about getting it raised for them to fit under. A train was on its way so they would have to wait a bit. Score one for being a smaller boat, Don put the mast down and we cruised right under 😄. We went back the the Decatur free dock and parked in front of Masquerade. Made plans with them to leave together in the morning to coordinate the next two locks. Sea Clef and another boat had spent the night at a marina further ahead and went through the first lock ahead of us, but when they got to the next one they were told it would be about a two hour wait to get through. Which was about the time it would take us to get there. So it worked out that by the time we got there we just had to wait for them to refill the chamber from the tow they just let down and we were able to go through. We found another park dock just passed the lock to set up at for the night.

This morning we set off for Aqua Yacht Harbor in Pickwick Lake where we will pick up the Loop route back South. Sea Clef passed us on the way and we followed them into the Marina. Many other Loopers were here as well. We took the courtesy car to the local grocery store quick and even though the Marina is in Mississippi we traveled into Tennessee to go to the store 😆.

When we got back Moonshadow II had organized docktails. So a very large group of us got together. Met a lot of new Loopers and had fun evening.

Heading out of Nashville we did not need or want to drag our heels getting back on track to the Loop route. So while we took five days getting down there, we made it back up in three. That first day we went back to Clarksville marina. One of Don’s old friends lives in the area and we were able to meet up for dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant close to the marina.

The next day we went back to one of the anchor spots we were in on the way down, so we knew it would be nice. Then Last Sunday we made it back to Green Turtle Bay. We saw a few people we knew but they were planning on staying there longer than we were.

Monday morning we borrowed the marinas courtesy car again to go to Walmart. On the way back we stopped to put gas in and then it didn’t want to start back up 😯. It would turn over at first but then putter out when you tried to put it in gear. Don was finally able to make it start by lightly pressing the gas pedal and just throwing it into drive. When we got back to the marina and let them know they said they’ve been told that before about the car 🤨…..So um, maybe have it looked at so people don’t get stranded! Just my thought.

In any case, we put our groceries away and set back off to cross the canal to the other lake. When we got out there the wind had picked up a little and the water was a bit choppy. So we didn’t go as far as we would have liked, but we found a good cove to tuck into that was nice and calm to drop anchor.

Tuesday we continued along and made it to Birdsong cove. There was a marina set far back in, but there was a narrow winding channel we didn’t feel like going all the way through. Luckily there was a wide spot off the channel with plenty of water depth for us and out of the way enough to drop anchor. Unluckily the stupid rope at the end of the anchor chain got caught and stuck in the windlass. Which lowers and raises the anchor and chain. Having let the anchor down already, with the rope jamming it, that would mean pulling in 80ft of chain by hand. No thank you. Thankfully Don was able to just take the guide off the windlass and get the rope unstuck and back working.

Wednesday when we set off and bunch of other Loopers came out of various marinas and anchorages and ended up traveling behind us. We came to Beech Creek to anchor for the night. Off Leash, Blue Sloth and another boat we hadn’t met before joined us there. The others that had been behind us chose other spots further down the river. That night we took the dinghy over to Off Leash for docktails and talked travel plans for the next few days.

This spot was considered a towhead. Which I’ve learned in reference to water is: a low alluvial island or shoal in a river : SANDBAR.

Thursday morning there was heavy fog and frost. We waited a bit for the sun to warm things up before setting off. When we got to Pickwick lock there were 13 boats waiting to go through. We had to wait a bit for a barge to get through and then we were all able to get locked through. Just past the lock was Pickwick Lake State Park so we were able to go to a close spot to stay for the night.

From here we decided to take the side trip to Chattanooga, TN. It is also off the regular Loop route as the waterway that gets you there does not connect down to the Gulf of Mexico. This one is even further too. So we will go about 250 miles East, and then have to come back 250 miles to pick the route back up and continue South. We have heard that Chattanooga is worth seeing and we do still have some time to kill before we’d like to make it to Florida. So off we go!

Friday morning we were woken up very early by a bull horn and about 50 bass boats as they started a fishing tournament. Given we’ve got further to go for this trip we decided since we were up we might as well get going. We will definitely not be taking our time getting there on this one. We came to Florence Marina in Alabama. Don washed the boat while I took Skia for a walk to this nice park along the river. We had planned on going to this local pizza place for dinner but the washing machine had other ideas. Like taking an hour and a half, getting stuck, and having to wait another 45 min just for the rinse and spin cycle so hopefully it would “complete” and unlock the door 😡. Don walked to the store to get milk and was able to bring back burgers from a Southern chain, Cook Out. They were pretty good. Though at that point I was hangry so any food was good. Seriously though, why does a top load washer need a lock feature!?

The boat next to us had already contacted the next lock, which was only a few miles away, and was told that any pleasure boats needed to be at the lock at 6:30am to make it through as they were expecting several barges coming down. So Saturday morning us and another boat were up at 5:30am to make sure we made it through the lock 😴. Traveling in the dark was not something we have done before and were not excited about. Our spotlight hasn’t been working, and that morning we discovered one of our navigation lights was burned out🤦. We just followed the boat in front of us and by the time we got to the lock the sun was starting to rise.

They were ready for us and we went right in. When the water started getting pumped in however, we were either in a bad spot or they opened the valves full throttle because we got tossed around and had to release the line keeping us connected to the wall. They paused the lift so we could reposition and get secured in a different spot. The next lock we came to was also ready for us when we got there, but this one was much gentler. Made it to Decanter, AL where there was a free city dock we could tie to for the night. With an auto parts store close by so we could get a new bulb for the nav light.

Sunday before we left Don dropped the mast so we could fit under a train bridge just ahead and continue on. One more lock brought us to Guntersville and another free city dock. Here there was a Brewery across the parking lot which had some of the best fish tacos I’ve ever had! 😋

Monday we wanted to make a little more distance so our trip Tuesday would put us in Chattanooga at a decent time. Hoping to catch up with some of our Looper friends already there.

We got right through the last lock before Chattanooga. Making it our 83rd lock on the Loop so far. Just past the lock there is a beautiful park with boat docks. So that’s where we landed for the night.

For the next five days we just took our time slowly making our way down Lake Barkley and the Cumberland River to Nashville. Only going about 20-30 miles a day to a new spot to drop anchor. There were some really nice areas though. The whole perimeter of the lake has little coves to tuck into. Some of them were a bit of a tight squeeze getting into, but then it was nice and secluded off the main part of the water.

The shores were rocky enough so we could get to land without getting muddy, and it was nice weather all week so we were able to explore the different places we stopped.

Saturday we left a spot and was headed for one more just before re entering the river. However water levels have been low and when we came to the entrance there was a sand bar across it. So getting in there was a no go. We decided to go further down and stay at Clarksville marina, on the Cumberland river, where we will be also stopping on our way back up. As we were pulling in there was a wedding happening on the balcony of a venue right on the rivers edge. Looked like a very nice spot! The marina was also very nice and close to town. We didn’t need anything this time through, but it’s good to know.

Sunday morning there was a little fog in the marina as we were getting ready to leave. When we got back out onto the river there was a LOT of fog. We slowly made our way to the Cheatham lock.

We called a few miles out and luckily when we got to the lock they were ready for us and we got right through. We headed to Rock Harbor Marina. It was the last place to stop before Nashville. The municipal dock we are staying at there has power but no water or fuel. So we needed to make sure we were filled up before getting there.

Monday we made it to Nashville! We got there early and docked behind another Ranger Tug. After getting set up we went to check out the Johnny Cash museum. It was very interesting and had a lot of cool items from his life.

We walked Broadway looking at all the different places and ended up at Whiskey River Saloon for lunch. Very good food on a rooftop patio with a nice view of the city.

When we got back to the boat we met the others parked here and we all gathered for docktails. It is only a single dock going along the edge of the river with room for about five or six boats depending on their size.

Tuesday we went to the Country Music Hall of Fame. They had a lot of cool items from a whole bunch of stars.

As adults it’s important to make responsible choices for the betterment of one’s life. Such as just the right flavor of giant sundae for lunch 😄😋.

We walked the shops, and hung out listening to some of the different bands. Literally every bar/restaurant has live music playing every day. We chose Ole Red’s rooftop lookout for dinner. I got a very delicious breakfast burger and Don had a huge chicken fried steak.

We stopped in the famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, walked down Printer’s Alley and ended up at Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honkey Tonk. There were so many cool places to see and hang out. Just wander in to whichever has a band that sounds good.

Wednesday we went for breakfast at Another Broken Egg Cafe. They were very good. Fresh English muffins and homemade sausage. From there we went and toured the Ryman auditorium. The original auditorium of the Grand Ole Opry. But not their first home actually. We learned the show actually started in insurance office buildings but got kicked out when the audience started growing and got rowdy.

A Lyft got us to the Nashville Zoo. A smaller zoo but with very nice, natural exhibits and along with some of the big stars we saw a few new animals as well.

Our Lyft back to the city dropped us off at Rippy’s Honkey Tonk BBQ just before the rain started. They had very good food and a decent band to listen to while we waited out the rain.

Today is Day 100 on the Loop!!!

We went to Donut Distillery for breakfast. They had a bunch of yummy specialty flavored mini donuts. The maple bacon was my favorite!

Then this afternoon my cousin Chris, who lives here, picked us up and took us to meet his fluffs and then out for hot chicken. It was very good and the green apple boozy slush was particularly tasty!😋

He also took us to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, which was quite the place! The multiple atriums had a river running through them with lush tropical plants everywhere and multiple waterfalls. Different restaurants and stores all throughout. The river had water from over 1700 different bodies of water sent in viles from all over the world.

There was a cool fountain that put on a little show. It was a very cool place indeed and was nice to visit with family!

Tomorrow we head back north to get over to the Tennessee River.

So after locking up to the Kaskaskia river for the night, Thursday morning we got up early to lock back down and continue on our way. The lock master said we could come down as early as 7am. Mother nature had another idea however and we were surrounded by heavy fog.

Not so good for spotting dead heads and other miscellaneous debris in the already cloudy river. Once the sun was out for a bit though it cleared and we were able to continue on. We all went down to Little Divergent Canal. A tight spot off the river, fairly shallow but pretty well protected. Everyone either also dropped a stern anchor or tied a line to shore to keep from swinging into shallower water, or each other.

Friday we were up early again. This morning wasn’t as foggy but we still had to use the chart radar to make sure no tows were coming as we pulled out with the canal being along a blind curve on the river.

Clear to go we motored to the next spot, Angelo’s tow head. It’s an island on the river that you can anchor behind. There are several like that called tow heads, I don’t actually know why. Anywho, as we were coming up to it we could see a barge coming towards us. We sped up and snuck in well clear before it crossed our path.

It was a nice spot but as we were waiting for the other’s to catch up, the barge, which turned out to be a dredge, came up and stopped right on the tip of the island. The others could have gotten in around behind it but they decided to go anchor at the bottom of the next lock.

There was just enough current to keep us from swinging around and protected enough from barge wakes. It was a pretty chill evening and I got to watch the new Hocus Pocus movie. 😄

Saturday we set off to meet the other boats at the next lock. Where we were anchored was right at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. So right away we turned off the Mississippi and were now going against the current on the Ohio. We got through the lock and spend on to Peducah to get fuel, thus clearing that 200 mile no fuel stretch.

We were not able to get a spot to stay at Peducah so we decided to make the push all the way to Green Turtle Bay in Kentucky. From the Ohio river we turned on to the Cumberland river and had another lock to get through. When we got to Green Turtle Bay we were in another very nice covered slip that turned out to be right by Steve and Ann’s (New Adventure) condo.

This is actually where they started their Loop last year and have crossed their wake! Which means they have completed and are done with the Loop. They decided to sell their boat here in Kentucky and drive back to California. They originally had the boat trucked out here! It will be sad not to see them along the way anymore 🥺.

Sunday we did laundry and booked the marinas courtesy car for noon to run to Walmart. When we got back Don did an oil change on the dinghy motor and I let Skia go swimming in the harbor. We were able to watch the last quarter of the Bills game and then went to dinner with Steve and Ann at the Thirsty Turtle Tavern. Which you get to by golf cart shuttle 😄.

After dinner we meet for docktails with some other Loopers at the marina, then went back to Steve and Ann’s condo to play cards and made plans to watch Monday night football. Being from the LA area, Steve is a Rams fan.

Monday morning we wanted to go to this local breakfast spot we were told was really good. We had to walk up to the main road of town, about a mile away, and about 2/3 of the way there we Googled to see exactly where the place was and discovered they were closed till Friday. *Sigh. We were still able to drop some things in the mail before walking back. There was another breakfast only restaurant at the marina/resort called Dockers, so we went there instead. It was really good, huge delicious cinnamon roll.

We spent a good amount of time cleaning the boat and the dinghy, which was full of muddy paw prints. Then I walked back up to town to check out the shops. A big part of them is Patti’s 1800 settlement.

All original buildings turned into modern shops and a restaurant. Got us some fudge and a Fall pillow cover 😄🍁. At docktails that evening Don met a fellow Coast Guard Vet, they swapped stories and shared disgust over the state of the bouys along the river.

We met up at Steve and Ann’s to watch the game. Ann and I mostly talked instead of watched. They also gave us a hand held radio, so now we will be able to monitor two different channels, and a Loopers Companion guide book which compliments the set of Waterway Guide books we have. We said our goodbyes and promised to keep them apprised of our journey.

Our reservations for Nashville aren’t until next Monday, but we wanted to give ourselves time to get down there and explore the lakes a little. So leaving Green Turtle Bay today we only went about 5 miles and found a nice spot in a cove on Lake Barkley.

Along with the much nicer rocky instead of muddy shoreline for Skia, it was surprisingly a shell jackpot. I did not have big enough pockets.

Don spotted this huge one still in the water that when I pulled it out had the coolest green color!

So the next few days will be fairly relaxed, short travel days as we make our way down to Nashville.

Well I got my wish, it has indeed cooled down. You’re all welcome too 😁. Last Wednesday we woke up to thunder and rain. It was just a light rain so we decided to push on. Further south we had to wait at the next lock for a barge to get through. The lock operator said it would be a while so we dropped the anchor and hung out. Once through it was getting late so we consulted our list of good anchor spots. We found a shallow spot behind an island and set up for the night. We were still exposed from the up river side, and a few barges passing by gave us a good rocking. The surrounding banks were soupy mud from the rain, so Skia was a disaster after going ashore. But we made it through the night and Thursday we kept pushing on.

The river seems to be a popular spot for predatory birds. We saw bald eagles, turkey vultures and tons of pelican.

We had planned on aiming for Grafton but the marina there never called us back. Meanwhile, as we are going along I started to smell burning. Don opens the engine compartment and smoke pours out. We slowly pulled off to the side of the river just outside the channel and drop the anchor. Don checked on things and realized it was raw water belt tensioner that was blown, and the belt had shredded. Luckily we had replacement parts for both on board. After letting the engine cool a bit we were able to get them swapped out. Just barely getting it done before a tow we had passed earlier caught back up to us. While working on that, Steve and Ann from New Adventure must have seen us on Nebo and told us to stop at Mel’s River Dock for BBQ and pie. After our bout of fun with the belt, pie sounded like just what we needed. Since Grafton didn’t get back to us we decided to go all the way to Alton, IL where New Adventure was, which would put us on the Mississippi river.

When we got to where the Illinois river meets the Mississippi you could see the division of the water. The Mississippi being a smidge clearer.

Steve and Ann met us at our slip in the marina, turns out they were right behind us, and invited us to dinner at Fast Eddie’s Bon Air. A locally famous spot for your 21st Birthday as the whole place is 21 and over with cheap eats. For a $5 cheeseburger we were impressed with the size and quality. They also had endless free popcorn 😄🍿.

The docks at the Alton Marina were covered, but these were A LOT nicer. Friday morning we actually slept in for the first time on the trip. When we got up we took Skia for a walk to Duke’s Bakery, which was very good. We got back to the boat just as it started to rain. That gave us the chance to catch up on the new seasons of some shows. Later we went to dinner at The Old Bakery Brewery. As it’s name suggests it was an old bakery factory turned into a brew pub. They had very good food! Some of the best soft pretzels we’ve had, this AMAZING raspberry jalapeno sauce and their salad dressing reminded me of Spot’s back in Buffalo, which is my favorite.

In the wee hours of Saturday we were woken up by someones boat alarm. A few hours later, I got up and went to a hair salon to get rid of the funky highlights the sun had given me. On the way back I stopped at the farmers market and got some mini pumpkins 😄. Had to get my Fall fix. Checked out some of the local shops and then we did some trip planning all the way to Nashville.

Sunday I had found what looked like a good place to watch the game that shall never be mentioned again 😡. Mac’s Downtown, was an interesting sports bar. Better than the last by far. One long side was completely open with plants everywhere. There were tv’s lining the walls with every game on, and the food was good.

On the way back we stopped at the 1904 General Store for some ice cream. At the marina, Eric’s Inheritance and The Grand Wazoo had arrived. We made plans for dinner with them and a new couple on a Nordic Tug, Second Chance.

Monday we walked up to the grocery store, came back and did laundry at the marina, with machines that actually worked this time. I took Skia for a walk and Don set up a meeting for everyone that planned to leave the next day. Ten boats gathered to discuss a travel plan. There were two more locks on the Mississippi, the first just one mile away. That evening we went back to The Old Bakery Brewery with Eric’s Inheritance, whose anniversary it was, the Grand Wazoo, and Second Chance. I was able to get a to go container of the raspberry jalapeno sauce! 😄😋.

Tuesday all who planned on leaving were up early. One of the boats called the lock and they said there were two Tug and barges coming down and once the second passed the marina we should head out and we would be able to get through. Once at the lock we still had to wait a while, but the current kept us all floating in place. After getting through both locks, we would be passing St. Louis. We coordinated with Off Leash to take pictures of each other passing by the arch.

We all planned on stopping at Hoppies, which is the last place to get fuel for the next 200 miles. They were an interesting place. Just a few old barges tied together. With limited space we ended up rafting to Off Leash. That night the manager also gave us a mini information session, which changed some plans because of the low water level. Some previously good anchor spots were not currently available.

Being out in the open on the river made for a rough night. Several of the giant barges went by in the middle of the night and we were jolted awake each time by the violent rocking of the boat. I swear one time I even had to brace myself while still lying in bed.

So after a not so restful night, this morning we all set off together again. We ended up passing one of the huge barges with 15 containers and kicking out such waves it was like being back on the Great Lakes. We could see why we were thrown about so much in the night. We all came to the Kaskaskia river, having to go up a lock we will just come back down tomorrow. It wasn’t that far but the next good anchor spot was too far to make it comfortably in one day. We in particular are in fuel conservation mode, so not going super fast. The Kaskaskia is a jut off of the Mississippi but calmer without the large barge traffic. There is a boat ramp and small dock to be able to get the dingy to for Skia to get ashore, with a nice park area. A good spot to just enjoy the day. Hopefully only a few more days on the river.