The Great Loop
This web site is an attempt to provide a quick and easy way for our family and freinds to keep up with us on "The Loop"
The Great Loop is a 6000 mile jouney down the Tennessee River and the Tombigbee Waterway to Mobile, Alabama. From there around the coast of Florida via Key West with a side trip to the Bahamas. Back to the coast of Florida we head up the east coast to the Chesapeake Bay. From the Chesapeake we continue up the east coast through New York Harbour, up the Hudon River, and across the Erie Canal. Through a series of canals we go across Lake Ontario into Canada. We will spend a month in Canada. Back to the US, we will cross Lake Michigan to Chicago. Following the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, and Cumberland Rivers back to Tennesse.
LOOP CLOSED: 8/12/09: 310 days, 6170 miles, 107 locks, 3 countries, 16 states, 85 different marinas, 10,050 gallons of diesel fuel, thousands of photos, countless new friends, and priceless memories...
Well....Key West has proved to be more than we had ever imagined! Views from the roof top gives you some idea how small the island really is.....we rode our bikes around the entire island more than once! My brother and
Jorge joined us for a few days.....we enjoyed their company.
The sunsets were spectacular and different every day....we enjoyed new friends and our neighbors on the dock this last month ..we will miss you ...but until we meet again.......we just need to figure out how to get out of this slip! Two large boats have moved in behind us....it was so close and so very windy.....I was ready for happy hour the minute we were in the channel!
Onward to Marathon!
As you can see we had a wonderful day snorkeling....the first reef was a little rough, but the second was really much calmer...it was my first time wearing a wet suit and it felt good...warmer than the water...we saw several colorful fish and the divers below. Our friends from Knoxville showed up on the same dock.....on Second Wind...they left today...small world. My brother Jim and his friend
Jorge came today on the Key West Express from Ft Myers...we are looking forward to having them for a few days....
Week Three in Key West.......As we desperately try to do and see it all ....the time is slipping away and we have a bad case of "Keys Disease"....
A trip in the dinghy to a great resturant, Hurricane Hole on Stock Island, was a great way to spend the day. Lunch was good and so was the conversation. We met a dentist from Wisconsin who just bought an island.
We also watched all the different owners with their dogs.
We ran into one of the visitors we had seen out before at Irish Kevin's pub....small island................
This was the fog that suddenly surrounded us in the middle of the day.....very strange almost eerie.......were there ghosts of pirates trying to tell us something on Friday the 13th?
Just one of our visitors.....the wildlife (and the human kind) here is plentiful.......
One of the regular parties held on the dock.....there is always some occasions worthy of celebrating.
These guys had a great day....and we reaped some of the benefits.....fresh fish....Yeah!!!
A stop with cupid on Valentines Day......Wonder what he was selling?
After Valentines dinner at Mangos we happened upon Wyland at his Gallery.....he was there for his 30th year celebration doing originals for collectors.....Jerry bought a book and he signed it for us....he was most gracious.
Rick and Brenda Boyd, friends of ours from Knoxville, came over this morning with champagne...they were married yesterday at Little Palm Island. Congrats !!!! We went to Pepe's for lunch and of course had to walk Duval Street with them to see a little of Key West on a Sunday afternoon. Thank you for coming to see us!
