EpiWestilogue...The Last Word

Dad thought he was finishing this blog up with his cute little 'Over and Out' at the end of his last post but not to be...I always have the last growl!! I am now a fully-looped Westi having traveled the entire loop on the boat(See pic from when I first came aboard , I was a real little guy). About the time I got the crew to understand what I wanted and when, this thing is over. Like the back door on the boat...Mom and Dad had a lot of trouble understanding that I wanted that door open so I could strut around from the cockpit to the swim platform and check everything out, growl at animals or people that I saw and just let all know I was in charge. I finally got them to open the door right away by pitching a real fit and scratching the door and latches and barking frantically....they kept saying something was wrong with me but just part of my plan to get my way...it worked! Now, I am glad that we have this Gold Burgee flying (see pic) but I was very, very, unhappy that I was not included in this picture. As I said I am a Fully-Looped Westie and should have been in the picture....they did include me in another pic but I wanted to be in the first one.

I am gonna miss the boat and some of the fun things like sleeping late with Mom, taking walks in the ports with Dad, visiting with Mom and Dads looper friends, and helping Dad navigate during the day while we were underway. But it is so good to be home where I have full run of the deck, the yard, the river, you name it! Plus a big, big , bed to sleep in!!!!

I have heard Mom and Dad talking a lot about the future lately some of which includes me....like getting another Westie which I think would be good as long as the new guy understands who is boss! Me in case you didn't understand! Also they talk about boating again sometime down the road but not for a while...don't think there is total agreement on that one but I am a flexible Wesite and just want to go when anybody is going anywhere in the car, truck, boat, or just for a walk down by the river...I like to wade up to my belly in the edge of the river. OK, I got in the last word for now.

Its been a blast.......and I am sure we will have another boat adventure down the road somewhere. See you all later...bark more, growl more!!

Back on the Rivers and Home to Tennessee

We left Chicago on August 30, 2010 with 771 miles to traverse on the Illinois, Mississppi, Ohio, and Tennessee Rivers. Most of this section of the loop is small river towns, locks, and lots of barge traffic. We stayed at free dock walls, a few marinas, and several anchorages along the way. We had 8 locks on the Illinois, 2 on the Mississippi, 2 on the Ohio, and finally Kentucky Dam on the Tennessee River. We had a few waits getting through but made it fine. The Mississippi was moving swiftly and we got excellent fuel economy and were able to travel longer distances due to the push we got from the current. We lost our bowthruster prop in a lock on the Illinois and was told by several other loopers that I had  to learn to drive a boat like everybody else!! We made it to Green Turtle Bay in Grand Rivers, KY late (in the dark, got to use my spotlight!) on September 10 and had the boat pulled for some work and rented a car and drove home for a week. We returned to Here and Now on September 20 and stayed and extra day at Green Turtle for a looper potluck with 18 other loopers. We departed on 9/21 and arrived at our home port at Riverstone Marina on 9/24 after crossing our wake on 9/22 near Pebble Isle in New Johnsonville, TN. Gold Burgee was lifted and what a feeling of accomplishment but also a little sadness that our great adventure was over.  Our neighbors and fellow loopers Van and Diane Carter met us as we arrived  home and welcomed us back and we toasted our loop completion.

We have traveled 5320 miles, went through 102 locks, and visited 16 states and one foreign courntry (Canada) over about 10.5 months. Our average speed for the entire trip while underway was 8.3 mph which includes lock delays, no wake zones, and a few days that we picked it up a notch (not many of those).  The longest distance we travled on a cruise day was 241 miles  from Panama City, Fl to Clearwater, Fl with a fuel stop at Appalachicola, FL as we crossed the Gulf of Mexico overnight with our traveling companions Biddie and the Beast...what a night! The shortest distance was 6 miles from St. Ignace, MI to Mackinac Island Harbor.  The best parts of the trip have been the time our little crew have been together on Here and Now and what a crew it is...Admiral, First Mate ( and best mate ever!) Carolyn and Commander Willi (rumor has it there will be a final epidoge post from Willi), all the great people we have met along the way, and so many special stops I cannot begin to list. Thanks to all of our family and friends for staying in touch and a special thanks to all those who came and visited us on Here and Now along the way.

Over and Out
Be Safe.....

Mackinac Island and Lake Michigan

A slower pace we found on Mackinac Island.....no motorized anything.....only bicycles and horse drawn carriages! How quiet......you hear children laughing and people walking. Our friends from Galveston, Texas arrived on Thursday, August 12. It is wonderful when you can share this trip with family and friends. Between riding bikes the 8 miles around the island, to taking horse carriage rides, wonderful dinners, and a little shopping we really enjoyed our four days on Mackinac Island. Tuesday the 15th of August we left Mackinac for the 60 miles to Petoskey, MI. Little did we know but the winds changed from the forecast and soon after passing the Straits of Mackinac, the five of us (Willi ) found ourselves in strong west winds with 5-7 foot seas! All donned life jackets as we planned our escape path in case the boat capsized. For four hours Steve stood fighting the waves, huge sprays, and zigzagging to stay on course. Finally we arrived at our destination to find the salon completely a wreck with food, appliances, books, and two cabinet doors torn from the screws that held them to the frame. But we were safe in harbour and it was good Teresa and Mark were with us to help weather the long day.

Petoskey is at the NE corner of Lake Michigan. It is a quaint town with a very pretty harbour and clock tower at the edge of the lake. Cute shops and good restaurants always make a port a good stop. We said good-bye to Mark and Teresa the next day. Willi hated for Teresa to leave and blamed me by barking at me for two hours. Kids are all the same! Another part of the trip I've enjoyed is checking out the spas.....sooo the spa at nearby Bay Harbour was calling.....these days are wonderful treats!

Steve has become quite the marine mechanic. He has repaired most everything that has happened to Here and Now. Since Petoskey had a West Marine, he was able to replace the bilge pump that had failed during the rough seas. Of course Willi always has to supervise his work.

After a couple of days the winds laid down enough for us to go the 18 miles to Charlevoix. Another beautiful 'green area' harbour. Here we reconnected with a couple of other loopers, Two Turtles and MaGoo. Laundry and grocery shopping are always on the "to do " list so we were glad these places were close. We always try to walk the town/village to experience the area and get the much needed exercise. Charlevoix is known for the mushroom houses by Earl Young. Built in the 30's, they are still beautiful today.

On our travel days,we average traveling about 50 miles at about 8.5 knots. We usually leave around 8:30 in the morning and arrive at port about 2:30 in the afternoon. This gives us time to secure and wash the boat, do laundry if needed, grocery shop and explore before dark. Most evenings we get to enjoy the sunsets.

Another good stop was Frankfort, MI, not because of the town but because our Lyondell friends Tom and Lin Kilburn were in town visiting Tom's mother. We were able to visit with the 3 of them over dinner and "cherry pie". What a great surprise!

Michigan has wonderful marinas along its west coast. After stopping in Pentwater, Grand Harbor, and St. Joseph we are now about 60 miles to Chicago by crossing over to the west side of Lake Michigan. Our reservations for the 5 days there are at DuSable Marina in downtown Chicago. Matt and Susan will be joining us for the weekend.  Susie and I will shop while the guys tour the Cubs stadium and attend the White Sox and Yankees game. Life is Good!