Grafton-Grand Haven - May 16-31

 Good thing we like Grafton, Illinois!  Due to the rainy, windy weather, we ended up staying at Grafton Harbor Marina for 4 nights. Our down time was spent cleaning the boat - inside and out (washing off the Mississippi River grunge), re-provisioning, giving Steve a much needed haircut, and enjoying the fun, yummy restaurants in town. A short walk from the boat is the Grafton SkyTour which is a scenic aerial-lift. We rode the chairlift up to the top where we had amazing views from the Aerie's Resort and Winery of where the Mississippi River and the Illinois River join. Our ride back down was on the gondola. 

On Wednesday it was time to begin traveling the Illinois River. Due to the recent rains and flooding we had to once again constantly dodge huge logs as we fought the current. Some areas along the river had massive stockpiles of logs and debris jammed everywhere.  After traveling 96 miles we pulled behind Bar Island and dropped the hook for the night. Early Thursday morning we were back on log watch as we traveled 79 miles to Peoria. That night we anchored out in a bay across from town and took the dinghy in for a spectacular dinner of pulled pork and brisket at The Blue Duck BBQ Tavern. We anchored out 2 more nights along the river before popping out into Lake Michigan - 6:30 Sunday evening. It was cold, windy and we were tired! We pulled into Hammond Marina and tied up to the 1st dock we came to. For the 3rd time in our boating career we were thrilled to be done with locks, bridges, tows, barges, and logs on the rivers!  

Chicago!  On Monday, we left Hammond Marina and cruised over to DuSable Marina located downtown Chicago where we stayed for 2 nights.  Tuesday was Sheli's 60 birthday and what a fun birthday it was! After walking into the city for a fabulous birthday breakfast, we took off on the dinghy for a cruise thru downtown on the Chicago River. Coming in from Lake Michigan we had to pass thru the Chicago Harbor Lock at Navy Pier - a drop of 4 feet!  It was so fun to putz along while taking in all the high rise buildings and their impressive architecture. Later in the afternoon we walked over to Navy Pier to enjoy the rides and some famous Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. 

On Wednesday, it was time to head to Michigan. We had an absolutely gorgeous day to cross from Chicago to New Buffalo. About 5 miles out from New Buffalo we stopped and swam. It felt so good to swim in the clean and clear (non-salt) waters of Lake Michigan. Once again the weather turned windy and cold so we spent 3 nights at the New Buffalo Municipal Marina. On Saturday, we left New Buffalo with thoughts of Saugatuck as our next stop, however Lake Michigan did not cooperate and beat us up pretty good, so we only traveled 29 miles and stopped in St Joseph where we tied to their city wall. By the next morning, the winds died down and so did Lake Michigan so we had a nice cruise up to Saugatuck. We anchored out just off the lake in the Saugatuck Channel and had a lovely last evening before our final leg.  On Monday, 4 weeks after beginning this trek, we cruised 30 miles and pulled into Keenan Marina by noon. 

After 3-1/2 years and 7820 miles PV2 is back in Grand Haven. What a ride!!!!!!

Grafton-heading up on the chairlift 

Heading down on the gondola 

Check out the debris and log build up!

Maneuvering tows and barges into the lock.
Waiting to enter after they are tied off.

Tucked in the lock surrounded by barges and tows.

Powerful water released from lock

Tied off to a barge in a lock. Yikes!

Chicago here we come!

Beautiful Lake Michigan!

Dinghy Captain for the day.

On our way to the Chicago River 

Locking thru with the dinghy 

Downtown architecture 

60 is fabulous!

Our view of Navy Pier from our slip

Hello Grand Haven! We’re back!

Mississippi River - May 14-15

The mighty Miss. We are once again traveling upstream, fighting the current. Besides the current we must constantly dodge logs and sometimes trees coming at us. What a ruckus.  We sure don’t want any of those in our props.  Then on top of that there are the tows pushing 10-20 barges.  After pushing upstream for 51 miles we stopped for fuel in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. (This is where Rush Limbaugh was born)  We had contacted Kidd Oil Company that morning and scheduled for Charlie Brown (yes really) to meet us at his fuel dock. The dock is actually a 50 foot barge where they pumped fuel from a tanker truck on the other side of the flood wall. Another 1st time experience for us. Once fueled up we continued for 66 miles where we turned up the Kaskaskia River, proceeded 1/4 mile and tied up to the lock wall for the evening after getting permission from the lock master. At dusk we were entertained by chorus of howling coyotes. The first mate thought they sounded a lot like the captain when he tries to sing!  The captain claimed they were applauding our 12 hour, 165 mile day.

Saturday, May 15 after another 50 miles of fighting the current it was time for fuel again. We stopped at the legendary Hoppies to top off the tanks. After topping off the first tank, Sheli asked the attendant how he could tell how much fuel we were getting as the pump still showed zero. That caused a panic on his end. After lots of stomping around, we came to a consensus that we would have to rely on our onboard fuel meters to complete the purchase.  Over the next 60 miles we locked up twice. We were fortunate to only have to wait 1/2 hour at the Chain of Rocks Lock, but at the Mel Price Lock we had to wait 3 hours as they had to lock thru 2 upbound tows ahead of us. Commercial tows/barges have locking priority over recreational vessels however the lock masters are required to lock any waiting pleasure craft every 3rd lock.  After our 110 mile day, we pulled in at Grafton Harbor Marina. We are now off the Mississippi River and on the Illinois River.

Pulling up to barge for fuel

Cape Girardeau, Missouri fuel stop

Typical Tow pushing barges

Passing by the St Louis Arch

Tennessee River-Ohio River - May 9-14

Sunday, May 9 the winds and rain continued so we stayed one more night at Grand Harbor Marina. On Monday, we pulled out, and after a mile we turned onto the Tennessee River.  We are now traveling downstream. Woohoo! Shortly after entering the Tennessee River we locked down 55 feet at the Pickwick Lock.  We traveled 110 miles and dropped the anchor in a pretty bay just outside of Pebble Isle Marina. 

The next morning after a stop for fuel, we continued north just 36 miles to Panther Bay. We are now on part of the Tennessee River that opens up to the Kentucky Lakes. This is a beautiful stretch with many bays that are perfect for anchoring out in small coves. It was a sunny, warm afternoon that was perfect for some down time. Of course a dinghy ride was in order for some exploration of the area. Dinner called for ribeye steaks on the grill to celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary!

Wednesday was another short travel day, just 30 miles. We had hoped to anchor out in an area called the Rock Quarry, however once inside the quarry we realized the water was too deep! That never happens! We showed depths of over 100 feet. So we continued one more mile and ducked into a small cove called Brad’s Cut. Another grand afternoon was spent enjoying the warm sunshine, watching the bald eagles, turtles and jumping fish. Not as exciting at dolphins, sea turtles and sharks, but....

On Thursday after 10 miles we locked down 57ft  thru the Kentucky Lock & Dam.  After another 20 miles, we left the Tennessee River and joined the Ohio River.  Shortly after getting on the Ohio, we came to Paducah, Kentucky where we docked at their city dock. We were able to walk into town to get a few supplies and have dinner. 

The captain advised the first mate that it was time to get cracking again and cover some miles. Friday we left the dock by 7:30am and traveled till 7:30pm. Whew!  We cruised our remaining 46 miles downstream on the Ohio and then....turned on to the mighty Mississippi River. 

Captain visiting local florist 

37 great years!

Anchored out in Panther Bay
Note stern line tied to log to keep us from swinging 

Rock Quarry 

Pulling up stern anchor.
Never know what you’ll pull up

Paducah City Dock
Floating dock-at flood stage the dock can reach top of poles

HappyTeam

Black Warrior River/Tombigbee Waterway - May 1-8

Saturday, May 1 we flew to Mobile to begin our journey back to Grand Haven. By Monday morning we were ready to roll. We left Dog River, traveled 8 miles to the north end of Mobile Bay, thru the Mobile Industrial Harbor and on to the Black Warrior River. We traveled 68 miles upstream and anchored out at the Alabama River Cut. 

Tuesday we cruised 70 miles to our 1st lock. We locked up 34 feet. No more salt water, not more tides, no more dolphins, but by golly, we got gators! Soon after the lock, we pulled into Bobby’s Fish Camp for fuel. We were planning on continuing, however our phones started lighting up with weather alerts including tornado watches. We checked out radar and yup, a storm was a coming. We strapped the dinghy onto the lift and tied the boat to the dock with every line we had. The storm hit with a vengeance. High winds kicked up the River and we heard trees cracking and falling in the woods across the River. Glad we were tied to something solid.

Wednesday we really covered some ground (water actually). 150 miles and 2 locks later, we dropped anchor at Sumter Recreational Area/Park. We had to ease our way in across a shallow bar (less than a foot of water under the boat), and then found 10-12 feet to anchor in. 

Thursday was another big day. We traveled 107 miles and thru 5 locks. We dropped the hook for the night just above Glover Wilkins Dam, were we endured a quick storm and were treated to a majestic double rainbow. Wow!  

Friday we traveled 43 miles and transited 4 locks, the last of which, the Jamie Witten Lock was our largest lock so far at 84 feet.  At this point the we have lifted 341 feet over 450 miles of River. Whew. We decided since it was such a beautiful day we would treat ourselves to a short travel day. By early afternoon we were anchored in a scenic, remote finger of Bay Springs Lake. 

Saturday, 35 miles, no locks. By noon we entered Grand Harbor Marina, at the top of the Tenn-Tom Waterway. That afternoon, Captain Maintain did oil changes while the first mate used the marina courtesy car to pick up some groceries.  That night we used the car again to eat at Freddy T’s, a local restaurant nearby. 

Next up, the Tennessee River! 

Captain and new crew member

Freighter loading facility-Mobile 

US Navy Ships - Mobile 

Cruising up the river

Magnificent rainbow after storm 

Debris in lock from flooded rivers

Lock duty!

Awesome afternoon on Big Springs Lake

The Plan

 As we prepare for the final leg of our journey home, many people have asked: What Rivers? How many miles? Upstream or downstream? Great questions!

Here's the plan:

Dog River (Turner Marina) to the Port of Mobile  - 12 miles

Black Warrior River/Tenn-Tom/Tombigbee Rivers - 450 miles (upstream)

Tennessee River/Kentucky Lakes - 215 miles (downstream)

Ohio River - 46 miles (downstream)

Mississippi River - 212 miles (upstream)

Illinois River - 301 miles (upstream)

Calumet Sag Channel - 30 miles (upstream)

Lake Michigan via New Buffalo to Grand Haven - 130 miles (no current, no tides, unsalted)

Total Miles - 1396

32 Locks

Punta Gorda-Mobile - Mar 10-30

 It was time to begin our journey north. While we are excited to get PV2 back to Michigan, we are also thankful for the grand adventures we have had the last three winters exploring the beautiful waters of Florida and the Bahamas.  This trip, we had a great 3 weeks traveling from Punta Gorda, Florida to Mobile, Alabama.

On March 10, we flew into Punta Gorda, loaded up with supplies and found PV2 in good shape after docking for a month at Fisherman's Village Marina. By the next day, we were ready to head out. Upon beginning our cruise across Charlotte Harbor we quickly realized we were not getting a good fuel burn and needed to have our bottom cleaned.  After a few phone calls, we hooked up with a diver 20 miles north at Cape Haze Marina where they went to work scraping our bottom.  A couple hours later, we were back on our way.  We spent the night on anchor near Englewood.  On Friday, we traveled the ICW 15 miles to Venice and then out on the Gulf 27 miles to Longboat Pass. We dropped the hook at one of our favorite anchorages near Jewfish Key just off the north tip of Longboat Key where we stayed 2 nights.

On Sunday we discovered a new gem of an anchorage near Desoto State Park at Bunces Pass. (just north of Tampa Bay Inlet) The weather was hot and sunny, the beach was huge and the waters were calm and clear.  We tapped the breaks and stayed here 3 glorious nights. 

We saw the weather was about to change so on Tuesday, we headed 15 miles north to Madeira Beach Marina where we stayed 2 nights. By that afternoon the winds picked up and the temps had dropped so we were happy we were tied to a dock vs being on anchor.  On Wednesday, we walked to John's Pass for some shopping and lunch. Shortly after we arrived back at the boat, heavy rains came in. Free boat wash!  

On Friday we cruised 18 miles up to Clearwater Beach where we anchored out in a bay just off the tourist area. A short walk in town made us uncomfortable with so many tourists (college spring break) and no social distancing that we headed back to the boat lickety-split.  

Saturday, we traveled a short 4 miles and anchored out just off the town of Dunedin. This a great little town with fun shops and good restaurants. The weather was cool and windy again, but we were still able to take the dinghy a short distance to enjoy the town. 

With the winds and colder weather forecasted for the next couple of days we took a slip at Marker 1 Marina just 3 miles north of our anchorage. We took the local free trolley to Tarpon Springs for the day. After seeing all the sponges we could handle to took the trolley to Palm Harbor where we stopped and had a yummy pizza dinner at a warm cozy little restaurant.

We have been watching the weather forecast for good conditions to cross the Gulf of Mexico and we decided that Tuesday, March 23 would be "go day". On Monday we left Marker 1 and cruised 6 miles to anchor out off of Three Rooker Bar to stage for an early morning departure across the Gulf  170 miles to Apalachicola.  At sunrise, we pulled up the anchor and headed out to the Gulf. We set course to Dog Island and cruised comfortably for 9 hours. We were happy when we could see land again.  We entered at East Pass into St George Sound. After another 25 miles we dropped the hook just off the town of Apalachicola. Whew, big day...we were exhausted but happy. 

On Wednesday, we traveled 55 miles to a pretty anchorage in Smack Bayou just off the ICW. The scenery of the Panhandle of Florida is much different than southern Florida. The palm trees are few and far between while pine trees are in abundance. 

Next stop was Destin. We anchored out in Destin Harbor where we were just a short dinghy ride to the many shops and restaurants. The weather continues to be cool and windy, but we felt fortunate that we didn't have rain as the forecast had called for rain all week.   We could hear the waves from the Gulf crashing on the beach. We were thankful that we were able to travel in the protected waters of the ICW and had an anchorage protected from the strong winds.

The next morning we woke up to dense fog. Finally around 11am we decided it was time to move on. We spun up the radar which helped guide us in the fog.  After an hour of traveling the fog lifted for clear cruising.  40 miles later we dropped the anchor off Pensacola Beach.  

By Saturday, we were ready for a couple days at a marina.  We needed water, the boat needed a bath and so did our clothes.  We spent 2 nights at The Wharf Marina in Orange Beach.  This was one of our favorite stops when we did the Loop so it was fun to be back again. 

On Monday, it was time for our last leg of this journey. 7 miles after leaving The Wharf we entered Mobile Bay. We cruised 28 miles across to the west side of the bay to Turner Marina where PV2 will remain until our next and final leg. 

Constant entertainment! 

Beautiful Venice Inlet

Miles of fabulous beach at DeSoto State Park

Shell Key Shoal -  near DeSoto State Park

Madeira Beach. Yup, it's windy!

Our new friend

Hanging out on 3 Rooker Bar

Cute houses along the Apalachicola River

Lunch stop at Fort McRee

Dunes at Fort McRee almost look like snow drifts!

Another fun hike

Longboat Key-Punta Gorda - Jan 25-Feb 13

 First, a few updates:  In October we sold the original Pura Vida back in Grand Haven. It was with mixed emotions that we said goodbye to the boat, but we will always have amazing memories of the adventures she took us on. We decided it was time to bring Pura Vida dos back to Michigan. Our plans were to bring her back via the East Coast and thus completing our 2nd Loop.  But as we have all learned living through COVID, plans change constantly.  Due to COVID, there is still uncertainty when the Erie Canal will open this spring/summer and if/when the Canadian boarders will open to allow US boaters.  Because of these major possible obstacles, we decided to "tap the brakes" and give this some more thought.  Decision is .......on to Plan B!

Plan B (in pencil of course) is to bring PV2 back to Michigan this spring via the inland rivers (Looping backwards). With this in mind, rather than crossing Lake Okeechobee and turning north,  we were able to spend a couple weeks enjoying the Gulf side of Florida.

So, upon returning to Florida, we enjoyed some time at Longboat Key Club where we left PV2 in December. Feb 3 we left Longboat Key and headed south again. Working our way down we spent nights anchored at Englewood, Gasparilla and St James City.  From there we took a slip at Salty Sam's Marina in Ft Myers Beach for 3 nights.  We had a great time seeing lots of friends. We were there over Superbowl and enjoyed a cookout with some friends from our home marina who were renting a house in the area. Great food, drinks, friends and even a little football.

Tuesday morning, yup, we set a course north once more. We spent a night anchored out near Cayo Costa, and 2 nights anchored at Peekins Ranch Cove. Temps back home in Michigan were in the single digits so we took full advantage of soaking up our 80 degree days. On Friday we took a slip at Fisherman's Village Marina in Punta Gorda and flew home on Saturday. Next up....moving up the Gulf Coast and watching for a weather window to cross the Gulf.

Ahh...life “on the hook”

These guys have too much fun!

Wow!

Social distancing 

Beautiful Boca Grande

PV3? Dreaming!

Life is good!