Be Ready for Anything... 

 Jenny, You Need to Be Flexible and She's Trying!



Further travel plans for the Great Loop...

Some have contacted us because I have not posted in some time.  We are doing just fine although I have been tested on being flexible!  I am going do a post once we get to Chicago.  We already had to make an adjustment from going down the Wisconsin side to the Michigan side of Lake Michigan, more on that later.  As we are getting closer to crossing our wake, we now have some additional issues.  Many of you know, our arrival to Chicago is centered around going through the locks just south of Chicago.  Three locks just south of Chicago have been closed since June 1st for maintenance and scheduled to reopen on October 1st according to the Army Corp of Engineers.   The middle locks may not be completed by October 1st, although they are working 24/7 for it to happen.  The Great Loop Association has divided us into "Flotillas" of 16 boats to go south.  We are in Flotilla 7 which means we will leave Chicago on October 6th to arrive in Joliet and leave to go south on October 7th.  We have had a number of meetings to prepare for this because the locks are for commercial business 1st and foremost not recreational.  We need to be prepared for fuel, water on the boat, and enough food if we get stuck somewhere.  So the Loop Association is trying to work closely with the Army Corp to make this as smooth as possible.  So we thought we were good with this plan.  Unfortunately, this weekend, the Amtrak train bridge(completed in 1915) which Danny says is VERY dilapidated, has become STUCK in the down position with a burned motor.  The clearance to get through this bridge is 11 feet 2 inches which we can not clear.  According to the Army Corp and Coast Guard, there is no schedule to repair this.  WHAT????  So there is a route to go south called the CalSag which would cause us to backtrack into Indiana.  We are hoping by October 6th, it will be repaired.  Danny said when he bought the boat down to Kentucky, this was one of the most impressive experiences of taking the boat through the city of Chicago.  Our fingers are crossed or maybe I should say my fingers are crossed since Danny has experienced Chicago on the water.  Now today, Tuesday, another lock on the Ohio River, the Olmstead Lock just outside Paducah, Kentucky and 30 miles from the end of our trip and crossing our wake, is not operational due to issues where you would tie your boat to the lock.  Since this has just occurred the plan is the lock will be closed for 10 days and open 10 days at significant reduction in capacity.  Where this puts us at this time has not been determined, at least by us.  I guess this certainly gives me another view in the United States of infrastructure that is in desperate need of updating to put it mildly.  All of these systems are old and the need of these systems for commerce creates problems to repair things and the commerce being at a standstill.  This obviously goes well beyond Jenny, Danny, The Other Woman, and the other Loopers on this adventure!  I (Jenny) is learning to go with the flow and I CAN DO THIS! 😊

Updated on SEPTEMBER 28TH,  We were notified yesterday that the locks outside of Chicago to open on October 1st will be delayed by 5 days.  This means we will not be leaving Chicago until 10/11.  We are holding our breathe this is the last change to the schedule but we have to go with the flow and not be on a schedule....😔

Updated on OCTOBER 2ND, We were notified last night, we have been moved to an earlier flotilla and will leave Chicago on October 5th.  Due to the Amtrak train bridge not operating, we will need to go around to the CalSag River to get to Joliet to go south.  While we are the 2nd flotilla to go through the locks, the Army Corp has assured the AGLCA group they will be ready for us to come through the system.  Reportedly, there are MANY barges and tows both north and south bound waiting for the locks to open in addition to the water levels being low again this year.

It's all good and try to continue to be flexible!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
                  The Mighty Mississippi...  October 11 - 18, 2023                       Danny on the banks of the Mississippi River from both the north and south. The Mississippi River runs 2340 miles from Minneapolis, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.  The river starts in Lake Ithaca, Minnesota where you can walk across stones.  The Ojibway people named the river meaning big river.  From a navigation standpoint, it is broke up into the upper Mississippi (Minnesota to Cairo, Illinois) and lower (Cairo, Illinois to New Orleans, Louisiana ).  We will travel the Mississippi until we get to Cairo and turn on to the Ohio River.  While the Mississippi River has flooded before, the worst being 1993, the river is exceptionally low this year.  Last year was low and this year is worse.  According to the data accumulated and released October 16th, the river is...
Read more
Image
The Ohio River to the Cumberland River to  Cross the Finishing Line at Grand Rivers! October 18 - 19,  2023 Our traveling down the last 7.7 miles of the Mississippi River were uneventful.  Clear skies remained with us throughout the day.  At Cairo, Illinois (pronounced Karo, like the syrup), we turned onto the Ohio River.  At this point seen in the picture, it is considered the lowest point in Illinois.  At one time, Fort Defiance stood here in the Civil War.  There was a great deal of activity on the water comparable almost to St Louis.  Barges coming, going, and loading.  Not that Danny isn't but, definitely had to be vigilant in what was going on in front and on the sides of your boat.  Above we are turning off the Mississippi on to the Ohio River. Saw another casino no longer operating just pushed up into the shore.   We made it to the Olmstead lock and dam and they lifted The Other Woman and Beach House up 30 feet.  Beach ...
Read more
Image
Clearwater and St Petersburg, Florida... January 9, 2023 We talked with our fellow loopers before we left to pick up words of wisdom before we were off to St Petersburg.  I would have liked to go on "the inside" or intercoastal waterway but we went on "the outside" or the Gulf of Mexico.  There were a few shallow areas that concerned Danny on the intercostal.  I'm sure I would have seen more birds and wildlife on the inside but we did see this couple checking their stone crab pots in the Gulf.       This beautiful pink structure is the Don Cesar Resort where I had gone to a conference years ago. Just prior to turning into Tampa Bay, we came across a HUGE cargo ship,  we stayed back until it passed.  I got pictures as it came between our boat and Egmont Key.  I will talk about this Key later.  Our view from our slip at the St Petersburg Municipal Marina.  On our arrival into our slip, we met 2 young guys to the left of us.  When...
Read more