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June 1st: It came and went….
June 02nd, 2014 | Author:

Yesterday was the day that we on the Lady K were looking forward to, however, Mother Nature squashed our plans. The reservations to Seattle were cancelled.

The boat has been unable to leave the dock and begin its trip north. The waves and wind have been too strong…today Chuck said that when there is an opportunity to start, Tim will get to Monterey and wait for another opportunity to go on.

Because of the uncertainty and our reservations to visit Denali, Kelley and I are flying on the 20th to Ketchikan; on the 21st we will fly to Anchorage and then begin the trip to Denali. Now our hope is that the boat will be in Alaska by the 28th, when our side-trip is finished.

Thanks a lot, Mother.

Category: 2014, California, The Big U  | Comments off
Countdown
May 20th, 2014 | Author:

We have loaded Lady K with our clothes – will it be warm? will it be cool? It will be both, probably! Now the waiting begins. Once again Mother Nature is controlling when Lady K will leave. One hope is the 23rd, at the latest the 27th. All we know is that the four of us are flying to Seattle on June 1st. Please, Mother Nature, smile on us.

Category: 2014, Cruising, The Big U  | Comments off
Looped
February 06th, 2011 | Author:

Year one: 3,622 S Miles   9 months   January 2008 to September 2008

Year two: 1,245 S Miles   3.5 months   June 2009 to September 2009

Year three: 2,825 miles   5 months   June 2010 to September 2010

TOTAL MILES:     7,692/  18 Months/ 3 years

Fuel:  4,586 Gal;    $16,995,            Average $3.70;  Ave 1.7 + MPG

High  $6.11/gal July 2008 in Canada

Locks:

Bridges:

STATES

Year one: 9  states + Washington, D.C. and  the Canadian Provinces of Quebec  and Ontario

Florida

Georgia – Savannah

South Carolina – Charleston

North Carolina

Virginia

Maryland – Annapolis – Chesapeake Bay

Delaware – Cape May

New Jersey – Atlantic City

New York – Statue of Liberty – Hudson River – New York City – Manhattan -Adirondack Mountains

Vermont – Lake Champlain – Shelbourne Museum

Michigan – Lake Huron

In Canada the beautiful cities of Montreal in Quebec and Ottawa in Ontario.

Anchorages in Georgian Bay

Canals and Lock Systems:  Champlain, Chambly, St Lawrence Seaway, Rideau, Trent Severn   700+ miles

Year 2: Lake Huron to the North Channel – beautiful anchorages of the Benjamins, the Pool, Snug Harbor, the Bustards in Georgian Bay, Covered Portage and little towns like Little Current, Kilarney, Gore Bay and Meldrum Bay.

On to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan: Detour Village, St Ignace crossing the Straits to Mackinaw City. Visiting Mackinac Island! Cruising down the west coast of Michigan visiting charming spots along the way, like Leland. Crossing Lake Michigan to Sturgeon Bay and visiting Wisconsin and its charming Door County. Leaving the boat in Green Bay for the winter.

Year 3: Arriving in Green Bay we rented a car and drove to Minnesota. We stayed on Lake Superior in Wisconsin in a charming Bed and Breakfast. Then returning to get the boat we cruised north up Green Bay to Door County and then farther north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Fayette State Park. Magic there! Crossing Lake Michigan to Mackinaw City to spend the 4th of July. Then up to our favorite spots in the North Channel again before returning to Michigan and following its coastline to Indiana and on to Illinois and the beautiful city of Chicago.

We followed the Illinois River through Chicago, one bridge after another. We entered the lock system and cruised with barges and tows, the largest we saw was 32 barges.  Then on to the Mississippi River – St Louis and St Charles were visited in Missouri; on the River we passed St Louis and marveled at the Arch. From the Mississippi to the Ohio to the Cumberland and onto to the Tennessee River which took us through Kentucky Lake, Kentucky, Pickwick Lake. We visited Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee. From the Tennessee River we entered the Tenn Tom Waterway, guiding us through the states of Mississippi and Alabama and bringing us to Mobile Bay.

The truck was then trucked to California where cruising will be familiar. We will boat with our friends and remember the new friends that we mad along the way for those fabulous three years.

Don’t wait. There is always an excuse to put off an adventure…but life is a journey, you must decide its destinations along the way.

Category: Uncategorized  | Comments off
September 2nd through the 11th
September 19th, 2010 | Author:

We are hanging. This is the longest we have stayed anywhere on this trip. But some of our days have been busy.

There is a courtesy car here and Kelley signed it out and off we went to Paducah. I have wanted to go to Paducah forever as it is the quilt capital of the world (universe?). Kelley dropped me off and I spent 2 hours looking at the quilts and talking to the docents that are there. Quilting is definitely an art form. I was so impressed with the workmanship. I wished that Liz had been with me; the two of us would have been so excited to share this time together.

Kelley read and drove around Paducah while I was at the museum. When he picked me up he drove me through the old part of town (charming) and then out to the river (Ohio). We had seen this part as we boated by. Paducah is a walled city (floods). On the river side there is a large park and many people were there picnicking. As there is a wide road there, some people were sitting in their cars eating their lunch or reading. We then drove by the walls as they face the city and there are murals painted on them telling the history of the area. There are beautiful.

We lunched at Backyard Barbecue and it was tasty. We bought 2 dinners to take home with us. A trip to town wouldn’t be complete without a stop at WalMart! Such a nice day.

During our stay we also rented a car and visited Nashville. We met Kacey (a friend’s daughter) and had lunch with her at the Bricktop. This was one of the best meals that we have had on this trip….We went into Nashville and did the trolley tour and then stopped at two honky tonks (one being Lengends) before returning to our hotel. We really enjoyed the music. It is amazing that these bars have entertainment from the time that they open until they close. There isn’t a cover charge and the beers are reasonable.

Kacey suggested Cantina Laredo, a Mexican restaurant, for dinner.  It was within walking distance of our hotel and Kacey was right. The food was delicious! The next day we woke to rain, not sprinkles, but pouring rain. To be continued

Category: 2010, Cruising, Kentucky  | Comments off
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