The Mississippi River is as famous as any body of water in North America. One would expect it to be a cruiser’s paradise with first-rate facilities and history around every corner. One would be wrong. After leaving Alton, Illinois where the Illinois, Mississippi, and Missouri rivers meet within a few miles, we were dismayed to … Read more
As I said last week, I didn’t wear a coonskin cap or carry a musket, but I easily imagined myself on a keel boat while cruising down the Illinois River during the Great Loop trip in 2015. We’d be on this river for 273 miles of relatively flat water on the eastern edge of middle … Read more
We stayed in Chicago for three days, not enough time to do much sightseeing. But I remember some excellent dining, a visit to a three-story grocery store that had lots fine wine and gourmet items, and finding another cruising partner. We’d met Jorge and Barbara and their two dogs in Saugatuck and had cruised together … Read more
When our trawler’s engine recovered from its adrenaline spurts (it wasn’t quite done), we continued our 2015 adventure, leaving Harbor Springs and continuing our voyage down the east coast of Lake Michigan. Bypassing Charlevoix, we headed for Leland with its quaint restored fishing village right next to a marina. We stayed an extra day for … Read more
The 2015 Great Loop cruise, while big on adventures, had surprisingly few mechanical problems. But when we left Drummond Island on our way to Lake Michigan, our engine began to have weird episodes of revving up on its own, even though the speed didn’t increase. Still, it was troubling and needed to be looked at … Read more