Adventures With My Family

This past few weeks on the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, Cumberland and now Tennessee Rivers has been an unexpected break from the unrelenting euphoria of the Loop. I learned 30 years ago on our honeymoon that the uncomfortable experiences curiously produce endearing memories. These Rivers were stressful. But I loved it. In addition to the snags, channel-wide barges and shallow anchorages, mentioned in earlier blogs, I can report a new layer of challenge...debilitating heat. As we progressed down the rivers, an extended stretch of 90 + heat added a new layer of discomfort. This converged unfortunately with a dirth of marinas and broad anchorages. Marinas have electricity to fire up the AC. In a broad anchorages, you might catch a breeze. Sadly, all that we available were breathless ditches or narrow backwaters. The anchorages were terrible, hot, buggy and an exercise in fortitute. One "anchorage" was named Little Diversion Creek. This channel was nothing more ...

No Grits in Canada In prepping Polaris for departure, I was amazed how much food I could squirrel away in the six compartments assigned for food. Three of these are in the galley, the others are below and behind the dining cushions. And, there's no such thing as pull out shelves so everything is piled on top of each other. The challenge, while underway, is recalling where you put things. I made a map of sorts, plotting the location of everything. The challenge while underway is maintaining the same location and keeping it as neat as the first pack, which invariably fails to happen. I made a 2 week menu and provisioned accordingly. The challenge after two months is the emerging disquiet, not yet a mutiny, at the recurring menu. It has been intimated that my favorite, beef and broccoli stir fry, should walk the plank. I tend towards simplicity, fewer pots to clean, less water needed to clean, less time over hot stove...etc but maintaining crew morale through food is a daily...

You might expect that "Loopers", as those of us circumnavigating the eastern US call ourselves, would be relatively evenly spread out around The Loop. In fact many are bunched up somewhere along Lake Ontario, the Tread Avon Canal in Canada and Lake Huron and Lake Michigan region during the summer. We're all following 70 degree weather. We're also in prime bug season, but that's another story. No one wants to be in the swampy low country of Georgia or South Carolina in July. While many newer boats come equipped with AC, being inside is not why you come on this trip. So far, we've had this extraordinary region of Canada to ourselves. In fact most of the trip, except for marinas has been solitary or near so. We think this is because we chose the less traveled route through the Erie Canal and got an early start. Two days ago we finally caught up with some other boaters in a spot called Covered Portage...pronounced por-TAJ here in French Ontario. It was a dimin...

I did it. It was ugly.  I had my eyes closed the whole time.  At the end of the day, when we passed by it on the way out...I was shocked I did it.  I thought the Matterhorn ride at Disney a challenge.  It's not.  The name of the ride The Valravn.  Look it up on Utube if you dare! After that one, I stuck to the milder rides...but milder is relative.  I hate to be a wimp but these rides are insane.   Brian did not flinch a whisker.  John accompanied him on many but there were a few even he could not abide.  Suffice to say, Brian loved it.  He had been chomping at the bit to go to Cedar Point.  He could barely control his excitement the day before.  The next day we indulged in a day at the adjacent water park.  I happen to love these places though I find as the years progress they are an increasing ergonomic challenge---wrestling myself in and out of inner tubes is not always a pretty sight.  Bu...

There is something about wide open spaces that is mesmerizing. I have the cockpit to myself at the moment, and off to starboard is one long crisp horizontal line. Below the line is a placid teal green sea, above is a cerulean blue sky with wispy clouds. The picture can never do justice. Today is our longest leg so far, almost 100 miles. We decided to skip Cleveland and make a dash for Cedar Point. To make sure we get there before nightfall, we're motorsailing. The weather tomorrow is not in our favor...winds at 15 -20 knots out of the west with intermittent thunderstorms and rain. Now I realize that insects are an important link in the larger ecosystem but it is hard to ignore their rude intrusion into our warefaring paradise. The scene, the carnage, that greeted us this morning was apocalyptic. We've encountered these buggers along the way but lost them the next day. Curiously they visit us on the lakes, not the Erie Canal. But today's swarm in the hardou...

Lots of French influences in this part of the US so its appropriate to invoke the word rendezvous, which loosely translates into "present you" or "meet you." We rendezvous-ed with my brother Stu and his family at Preque Isle state park, PA. Presque Isle is French for "Almost Island." The first order of the day was to load ourselves up into his van and have lunch at Sara's! This place is famous! Articles have been written about this joint. It has the best classic summer waterfront diner food...bugers, hot dogs, drippy steak and cheese, with onions and peppers, great fries, milkshakes....you name it. Order, eat outside. It's an opportunity to overeat but the good, juicy calories were worth it! Highly recommended. We toured the historical sites and then hung out afterwards at the beach on the lake side. A bit windy so I didn't go in but Brian the Brave, did. Plus, he got to hang with Sara and Xavier his cousins...