Tied to a dock in Columbus, Mississippi, it almost seemed surreal to be finally nearing the end of our 2015 journey. Eight months had gone by since we waved to people standing on a dock in Alabama and began the 5,200-mile trip that took us from the Gulf Coast to the rivers of Middle America. … Read more
A bit of aside in my retelling of the 2015 America’s Great Loop Cruise today. At anchor in a narrow creek off the Mississippi River one night, I noticed a ghostly light in the darkness. As it got closer, I realized it was someone in a dinghy, swinging a flashlight back and forth, looking for … Read more
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