trishlaplaca One of the neatest parts of participating in the America’s Great Loop journey is all of the many “firsts” we get to encounter. Here we are, veritable senior citizens (yes – it’s offficial for me this month, too 😉) ~ and at times we feel like toddlers experiencing the wonders of the world for the first time.
I have never been here to the Midwest, and now I can add Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky to the list in addition to our explorations aboard Oyster in Michigan and Indiana last month. Our brief stays have only be limited to the immediate areas of the waters of course, but still, Jeff and I are acquiring new perspectives of our country’s history, innermost workings, and people.
Neither of us can say that the river ways themselves have been especially pretty, but they sure do hold the key to the transportation of goods we tend not to be conscious of. So much of our lives revolve around having every good imaginable at our fingertips, and it’s the many barges, trains, machines and trucks that make that happen. It’s humbling to witness it all up close and personal.
Surprisingly Hurricane Helene had a way of putting a bit of pressure on us all the way up here as we moved down the Mississippi. There are few places for pleasure crafts to dock or anchor, so we were very lucky to find a canal to protect us from the high winds and rain. From there we moved on to the Ohio and Cumberland rivers, encountering tons more barges nonplussed by the weather at all. Crazy!
Jeff and I are now on Kentucky Lake on the Tennessee River. It’s a beautiful place to catch our breaths and plan for the rest of the trip in light of Helene’s impact on the Florida coast and marinas, which is exactly where we need to land after leaving Mobile, Alabama. Hurricane Milton is threatening now too, which may also change things for us as well. 😣
Please check out this first vlog on our river journey so far. I promise – you’ll get a second up-close-and-personal video soon to let you know what our exact plans are once we have it all figured out!
