While we were hoping to start making our way to Chicago last week, the wind and waves had other plans. We can’t use “not enough time” as an excuse if we find ourselves underway and under prepared! How many times can you say goodbye to family and friends before they wonder if you’ll ever really leave?
One of the hardest parts of this trip is leaving our dog behind. At least for the segment down the inland rivers. Many reasons. The greatest being I will be distracted by her needs when I need to be 100% focused on the boating tasks at hand. Mackers has come a long way with being comfortable on the boat this summer (photo attached). But… we’ll likely be at anchor several nights with low water levels and marshy banks not conducive to dog walks. Even if the shore is dog-friendly, long cruising days and dwindling daylight will make walks difficult to fit in. At least one wall we’ll need to tie to has exposed rebar and is higher than the boat, so even if we could get her off, getting her nearly 12-year-old, 60-lb self back on would be a feat. And she needs help getting up the 3 stairs to the pilot house. In short, for the first segment, I do believe she’ll be better off not on the boat. I want to give a HUGE heart-felt thanks to those of you in Colorado and NYC who graciously offered to watch her. I’m VERY grateful to Rob’s Mom (local) for kindly taking her in. Thank you, Marlene! My tears dry up when I recall her saying that they’ll have popcorn-and-movie parties!
Back to boating: Yesterday the first of the AGLCA (www.greatloop.org) flotillas headed to Joliet, and while they’re moving through the locks today (Joliet, IL to Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL) the 2nd flotilla is hopefully safely tied in Joliet by now. Soon Flotilla 20 (ours 😊) will be heading out. As we hear tips from those who go before us, I am again grateful to those organizing this process. Right now, our plan is to depart (weather permitting) well before sunrise on October 11 and arrive in Hammond, IN in the early evening. Rob is excited to try out the night vision camera as we depart before light. He purchased the camera after he and Joe made an epic approximate 200 mile run to bring Leland Tug (LT as we call her) to our temporary slip at Harbour Towne Marina in Muskegon. They arrived in the dark and although the arrival went well, some type of night vision would have been useful. Harbour Towne has been a great place for rest and relaxation. The marina is full of wonderful and kind people that have been more than gracious towards us as we prepare for the loop. We are looking forward to being on the loop with many current and future friends and plan to cross paths with Joe (who helped get us safely to Muskegon) and Jenny (who shared with me her many organizational tips) when we get to Florida.
I hope our next blog is from our new home on the water!
Fair winds,
Amy