2. St. Louis – Mobile

Thursday June 11, 2009 (Jill)

Cape Girardeau, MO

OMGosh! What a rude! We went from Kimmswick, MO (24 miles south of St. Louis) to Cape Girardeau today, about 110 miles. That 16-foot Duroboat is so mooth – even when passing the barges! They can really churn a big wake, but the deep-V Duroboat can take it!

Actually went a bit south of Cape today to check out a campground at Thebes, but they didn’t have any place to moor the boat. Neither did Cape G, but fortunately a family friend of Katie and Elizabeth was on business here, and she convinced some people from Holland who had already convinced the owner of a defunct fuel dock to let them stay, to let us dock behind them.  They spoke some funny English, but they sure could tie knots!

Susie, the family friend, picked us up at the dock and first took us to a gas station where we refueled our portable gas tanks, then she took us to her hotel so we could shower. Then it was on to a famous local brewery, Buckner and Ragsdale (did I mention they also serve wine?). It sure was good, though – excellent cod!  It was right on the water.

The Hollanders (Hollandaise?)  want to get on the road…er…uh…river by 6:00 a.m. and since we’re  tied to them, we said we’d be there (ugh!) As I write this, Katie and Elizabeth are already out, and it’s not even 10:00 p.m. – lightweights!

Many thanks to Fern at the dock in Kimmswick, who is chock full of good information, including ways to avoid pirates. I wanted to tell her we weren’t off the coast of Somalia. Tomorrow we head for Paducah, KY. All aboard! Oh yeah, hey to my brother, John Carpenter, without whose valuable river skills and insight I may not have made this trip. Thanks Uncle Carpy!

Friday June 12, 2009 (Katie)

Green Turtle Bay Marina Grand Rivers KY

We untied from Kidd’s Fuel Dock in Cape Girardeau at exactly 7am this morning. The Mississippi River has very unforgiving currents, so the first 2 hours of our trip were uncomfortable. There are holes that swirl in large circle and look like they could easily flush us out the other side of China.  Even from a good distance away we could feel the pull of these swirls trying to redirect the boat. The Ohio River slowed us down to about 20 mph – this was the first time we’ve traveled against the flow. Elizabeth and I both checked our gas supply several times throughout the day, but even traveling upstream we made the entire 150 mile day without depleting our standard 18 gallon supply, the extra tank Jill brought with her went untouched.

The Cumberland River was a welcome change – smooth glassy water. So smooth that the white noise from the motor made it difficult to stay alert after such an early morning departure. Jill was already dozing on the front deck, and I was planning on doing the same when we arrived to Green Turtle Bay Marina – Bill-4, Green Turtle Bay’s Harbor master, had better plans.

After giving Elizabeth a tour of the facilities and a quick unofficial golf cart driver’s ed lesson, Bill-4 left us at the beautifully furnished two story waterfront condo that his sister Vida had arranged for us, and called in a 7pm dinner reservation at the yacht club.

After quick showers, we drove the golf cart across the Green Turtle Bay facilities. I can see why it takes most loopers years to make the trip. Who would want to leave a Marina like this? Green Turtle Bay has condos, several pools, a health club, tennis courts, a restaurant, lots of boat storage, and some really friendly boaters.

We found ourselves at the yacht club taking advice from a second Bill and his friend Jeff. Remember: Bobby’s Fish camp is closest to the Mobile Airport, LuLu is Jimmy Buffet’s sister and she makes a darn good cheese burger, watch for gators after Pickwick Lake, and eat at Easel’s near mile 160 on the Tombigbee.

Green Turtle Bay Marina is in a dry county – an unusual problem for their yacht club bar. The solution is to allow club members to bring their own alcohol and charge them an uncorking fee rather than for the drink itself. There is a wall of lockers in which members can store their bottles until they give it to the bar tender to be served. Thanks to Bill 4, we didn’t have to embarrass ourselves by bringing the bar tender an almost empty bottle of wine from the night before.

We missed our original dinner reservation time, but we met Rick.

Rick Leeper is the owner of Kentucky Dam Marina. He is also a fan of good smiles, high check bones, bourbon and soda, and a proud grandfather of a little girl that just learned how to snap her fingers. Rick was on an annual trip with some buddies he knows from the concrete business. The group was vacationing on a Sumerset House boat – a boat that Rick insisted is absolutely worth paying slightly more for.

I would agree. The boat had six bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a living room with a flat paneled TV. After Rick Locke one of Rick Leeper’s friends bought our dinner, we headed over to their houseboat for an after dinner drink. One drink turned into three and began a night of IPOD karaoke.

Conversation fluctuated between our boat trip and the karaoke play list. Elizabeth and I have decided to create a Small Boat Big Summer sound track

Today our plan is to drive the golf cart into Grand Rivers, KY (population 400), and check Rick’s Kentucky Dam Marina on the way out of town this afternoon.

June 13, 2009 (Jill)

Green Turtle Bay Marina, Kentucky

I’ve spent another night with the girls since my last blog, and I must take back two things. 1) My praise of the Hollander’s because I thought so highly of their boating skills. It turns out they had run their boat aground earlier in the day, and a guy we met at the yacht club told us all about how he had to go get them and tow them out. And 2) I need to take back what I said about the girls, you know, the “lightweight” part. I used to think that most Southern Gentlemen lived in the Carolinas, but I’m now thinking there are more in Kentucky. Thanks guys!

Saturday, June 13 (Elizabeth)

Green Turtle Bay Marina Grand Rivers, Kentucky

While the gym facility, walking path, and pool were very impressive at Green Turtle Bay Marina; after a night at the yacht club we were not going to make use of these amenities as Katie and I had planned on the night before. Instead we headed into Grand Rivers on Bill’s golf cart to see the town and get some food. Upon arrival we parked and walked in and out of the town’s quaint shops and antique stores.

Our hunger caused us to make our way into Patty’s 1880 Restaurant before they had opened for lunch, so we made our way out back to explore the grounds. We stumbled upon huge meringue pies, Ester the pig, miniature golf, and a wedding set up. After meeting the pig none of us had the nerve to order the restaurant’s signature dish –two inch thick pork chops. We ate, returned to the condo to pack, fueled up, and departed for Birdsong.

We passing through the channel into Lake Kentucky, and headed south about 6 miles to meet up with the Ricks and friends to watch the drag races in the cove. We tied to their boat and once again boarded.  Katie and I swam in the lake and Jill tested out the boat’s hot tub. After a short stay we got back on the Duroboat to continue our journey. We arrived at Birdsong Marina about 5 hours later where Jill’s husband Scott, and son Given, were waiting on the dock for her arrival. We all camped overnight at Birdsong. I fell asleep the sound of Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock karaoke at the lively resort pavilion.

Sunday, June 14 (Katie)

Birdsong Resort Marina Camden, Tennessee

Jill’s son Given tagged along as we wondered up to the main building to meet the owner of Birdsong Resort and see their famous Tennessee Pearl Museum.

The door was open, but the lights were still dim as we wondered in. Bob Keast the Harbor Master (and 48 year veteran) of Birdsong Marina, met us at the desk.

Shortly after, an elderly newlywed couple joined all of us, Bob seated us in the theater room for a short video presentation.

Birdsong is North American’s only freshwater pearl-culturing operation. Bob calls their operation Aquaculture instead of agriculture. Their crop of pearl producing oysters hang in nets just off the shore of our campsite the night before.

It’s an interesting little operation –that’s not so little we quickly found out. Japan, known for their pearl production actually buys mollusk shells from the rivers of the Tennessee for about $20 a pop. They chop the mollusk shells into lots of pieces and use them as the implants for future pearls.

Jill and Scott –worried we’d kidnapped Given- joined us at the end of the presentation and reminded us that we better get going in order to miss the nasty weather headed our way.

Quick pictures and a stop at the dock store, then we were on our way. The girls at the Birdsong fuel dock were great –thanks for the support ladies!

Smooth travels to Pickwick Landing. We met the very friendly dock attendant Roger, who called to get us a ride to the hotel.  Things close early on a Sunday night in Pickwick so we ordered a Hawaiian Pizza to the hotel and tried to catch up on email replies and thank you notes.

Sunday, June 14 (Katie)

Pickwick Lake, Tennessee

Jill went home with Scott and Given, so today was our first travel day alone. Thanks, Jill, for escorting us down the Mississippi River!

We arrived at Pickwick Landing State Park around 6pm and headed straight to the fuel dock. We figured that would be one less thing to worry about in the morning.

Roger met us at the dock. Roger told us right away how he had retired from his stressful shift work schedule at the mill and opted for the more pleasant duties of a Pickwick Landing dockhand. He was quite a character, and his excitement for our trip was very appreciated. Even more appreciated was his effort to find us a room at the Pickwick Landing Inn and arrange transportation to get us there.

We were so relieved to have an air-conditioned room and cold showers that we let the time slip away from us. We headed for dinner at the hotel restaurant around 7:55 — apparently too late on a Sunday night in Pickwick. Not only was the hotel restaurant closed, but the closest restaurant was almost 4 miles away — a distance we would have been willing to walk had we been able to confirm it would be open when we arrived. Unfortunately, this place was so new that their phone number was not yet listed.

By 8:30 we surrendered to waiting for breakfast. Then the Pickwick Park Ranger, who had unsuccessfully tried to help us look up the number for the unlisted restaurant, suggested we order a pizza.  Not the local flare we were looking for but it hit the spot. This low-key night gave us a chance to do some laundry and catch up on our blog.

Monday, June 15, 2009 (Elizabeth)

Fulton, Mississippi

We had a late start. A planned 60-mile day turned into a 90-mile day because we missed a turn out of Pickwick Lake. Good thing we fueled up the day before.

The ride was hot and uneventful. We arrived at Midway Marina late evening and were directed to an undercover slip. Midway Marina was different than any we have stopped at so far. It had all the amenities of the other marinas, but it seemed to be a more permanent living arrangement for those who moored there.

We used the courtesy van to go to the nearby town of Fulton for dinner and groceries. We asked the Harbor Master to suggest a good local restaurant so we could try some true southern cooking. He recommended a Mexican restaurant or the recently opened KFC.

We chose the Mexican restaurant, but the KFC had a line 12 cars deep, so maybe we were missing something. As we entered the Los Compadores we tried to take a picture of the sign that read “No smoking on Sundays.” The sign was somewhat amusing given Seattle is a city that has gone so far as to consider banning smoking on the golf course.

We drove the van back to Midway Marina in a thunderstorm, thankful that we had a covered slip for the boat.

We skipped the hot tub and after a quick stop at the marina clubhouse, we climbed into our tent (which, by the way, fits the boat very well, but does not fit us very well) and went to bed.

The next morning we were up early to shower. Katie put a dollar under the rock for cooler ice and we were on our way to Columbus.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 (Katie)

Columbus, Mississippi

Today was so hot!  We can’t apply sunscreen often enough. It’s a race to get it rubbed in before my body starts sweating it off again. We only had 60 miles and 4 locks today, but waiting at the locks was like sitting in a pizza oven.

The water has been calm, but there are still large pieces of debris to watch for. We’ve hit a few smaller logs, and each time we slow down to check the prop and make sure all is in working order. I don’t look forward to trying to change a prop, but the one Turning Point gave us seems to be holding up well.

We were thankful for the short day and arrived at the Columbus Marina around 2:30pm. We were relieved to get another covered slip — for the shade and protection from potential t-storms like the night before.

Columbus Marina is a member of the American Great Loop Cruisers Association and the whole crew was great. They even called the Columbus news station and urged them to come down to the marina to interview us.

Tim and Blake, two young staffers from the Columbus news crew, arrived a few hours later. Both Elizabeth and I agreed it was lucky that cameras can’t capture smell. Still dirty and gross from 7 hours in the sun and 95-degree weather, we did our best to get the boat and ourselves camera-ready.

After wrapping up the interview and dropping the boys back at the dock, we secured our boat and headed for the shower.

We borrowed the Columbus Marina courtesy car and headed out to find Proffit’s Porch, a southern seafood restaurant that Tim had recommended.  It was only a few miles off highway 45, but it felt like the middle of nowhere. Appropriately named, they have a large wooden porch with several slow-moving ceiling fans. The porch overlooks a sandy volleyball court near the Tenn-Tom Waterway. We ordered a couple beers and the house specialty, red beans with rice and seafood gumbo.

After dinner, we took a driving tour of old downtown Columbus to check out the beautiful antebellum houses.

Columbus was a good stop. The people were friendly, the food was delicious, and it offered a true southern experience.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 (Katie)

Demopolis, Alabama

Another hot day was in store so we got an early start. The sun was still off to the east when we went through the first two locks. We tied up on our port side so we could hide from the sun for a few minutes as the water level dropped us below the sun’s direct rays. We take these moments to wipe ourselves off, reapply sunscreen, and hope it sinks in before we start sweating it all off again. Hawaiian Island Creations sent us a good supply of sunscreen before we left, but we are going through it quickly.

The Alabama banks of the Tenn-Tom offer more to look at.  We saw white bluffs, interesting shorelines and houses teetering on the edge of the shore where the river has washed away the ground beneath them.

We arrived in Demopolis, gassed up the boat, checked into a small motel on the marina property and crashed next to the air conditioner.

After a cold shower, we headed down to the guesthouse to use the WiFi. We met Gill Hummel, who upon introduction said, “Google me.” We did, and Gill was a good example of all the free spirits you meet along the Great Loop.

After grabbing a quick dinner in town, we dropped in for a beer at the marina bar. We listened to advice from two locals about crossing Mobile Bay. They had taken their 20′ fishing boat down to Orange Beach on a college trip some years ago and shared the harsh conditions they encountered. We left the bar and took pictures with the fake alligators because we still have not encountered any real ones.

We traded our upper Tenn-Tom guidebook in for charts of the Black Hawk Warrior. A quick trade turned into a small gathering at the fuel dock with some barge workers. We listened to funny stories about life on the river: naked tug drivers, drunken pontooners and barge food (SPAM and Beanie Weenies).

Thursday, June 18 (Elizabeth)

Dog River Marina Mobile, AL

We were on the water at 6am to travel from Demopolis to Mobile. Because the stretch offers only one place to fuel up and no sleeping accommodations, we decided to cram the mileage of two days into one. Half way through our 12-hour day we stopped at Bobby’s Fish Camp. We found Bobby (an elderly gentleman laying in a recliner in the dark store front).  Unfortunately, we had to disturb him to ask that he turn the fuel pump on. Before leaving the dock to continue, we called the next lock only to find they were trouble shooting. We waited about 40 minutes and entered, hoping everything was running smoothly.

The second half of our day had been going well but quickly became stressful when we left the Mobile ship canal and entered into a portion of Mobile Bay. The chop picked up a considerable amount and it seemed we were so far from land. We no longer had the protection of the riverbanks on either side of us, which was unsettling.

We made it to Dog River Marina and tied up to their fuel dock.  Katie and I were discussing how our tie up job would fair, if the tides continued to lower. We’d hate to later find our boat hanging from the dock. When we asked Susann and Alan for their input, we all were happy to have discovered fellow Loopers. The couple invited us to their boat for the night were we had a drink, chatted, and turned in early.

Friday June 19, 2009 (Katie)

Rachel’s Widow’s Walk Moss Point, Mississippi

We woke up around 7:30 in the guest bedroom of Kaos, Susann and Alan’s beautiful 46′ boat. They offered us breakfast and Alan give us the weather and wave report for the day – less than 2 foot waves . . . good news. We filled up with gas and bought a chart of Mobile Bay. As we left we talked to teenage boy working at the fuel dock. He told us he and his girlfriend tried to kayak down the Tenn-Tombigbee but only made it a mile before their kayak flipped and his girlfriend demanded to go home. He also described his experience during Katrina – sad and very eye-opening for two Seattleites who’ve never experience any real disasters.

We crossed Mobile Bay and headed towards Moss Point MS to visit Sam. A few years ago Sam was looking for a good tender. He found Duroboat on the Internet and decided he couldn’t settle for anything less. In order to make delivery efficient, Sam bought 6 boats and walked into the local boat dealership, Johnsen’s Marine, with a plan to convince Mr. Johnson to buy a lot of Duroboats too. It didn’t take much convincing. As it turned out, Mr. Johnson used to sell Duroboats back when the company had a factory in Florida.

Sam offered us a place to stay for the weekend at his marina and restaurant, Rachel’s Widow’s Walk.  The restaurant is new, but they have good food and a healthy Friday night crowd to show for it. We danced and enjoyed the blues band, Good Moon, and Sam’s own saxophone and piano performances. The evening went well past closing time and ending after the employees took an early morning swim off the end of the Marina pier.

Saturday June 20, 2009 (Elizabeth/Katie)

Moss Point Mississippi

Today was our first non-travel day since Elizabeth’s graduation. We slept in until nearly 9am, but we stayed up so late the night before that we continued to overdraw from our sleep bank.

We had another interview this morning, with the Moss Point newspaper. We routinely get the same 15 or 20 questions from reporters, dockhands, bartenders, and other loopers. Elizabeth and I both agree that we are getting more efficient in our answers and intend to brief Sammy, our next guest cruiser, with consistent answers. My least favorite question, primarily because we don’t have a good answer, is “Why don’t you have a bimini top?”  Our favorite question is, “What? Are you crazy?”  We are some of the least crazy people we’ve meet on the river so far. Our three-month summer cruise pales in comparison to the folks who have dedicated their entire lives to water.

Sam has been living on his sailboat for the last 18 years and owns Rachel’s Widow’s Walk. The restaurant recently opened in Moss Point and from what Katie and I can tell will surely be a success. The walls of the restaurant display interesting photos that tell maritime history. The back of every menu tells the story of Rachel who in 1919 fulfilled her father’s dreams of construing a schooner that would carry lumber from Moss Point to California via the Panama Drop. While the construction was a success the endeavor was not and the schooner Rachel ran aground when traveling to South America.  This could be attributed to the fact the schooner was renamed. The last line of the story on the menu reads, “You should never change the name on a ship or a boat you’ll take away her dreams”. Sam and his employees also boast much musical talent.  Between the scheduled band Good Moon and unscheduled jam sessions, the place was booming with music the whole night.

Sam and Anne were very hospitable throughout our stay. They made sure we were fed, provided us with air conditioned sleeping arrangements, gave us showers, a car and means to do laundry.

Lucky whose name really does read as lucky on his birth certificate, has been famed as the best fiberglass man around. It was a pleasure talking with him because he interjected pirate “arrrrs” every so often and speaks with a gruff voice fitting of an old pirate. We enjoyed listening to him perform Lynyrd Skynyrd on the guitar and watching him attempt a back dive off the pier piling.

Jen, a very outgoing Rachel’s Walk employee greeted Katie and I with high fives while shouting “y’all rock”. Her enthusiasm was much appreciated and we tried to convince her to join us for a leg of the trip. In addition to her enthusiasm I have much confidence in her resourcefulness.  While Katie and I were doing some planning Jen approached us with a tiny squid she had found. After we took a picture of Jen and her new friend, she soon returned with bite size pieces of fried calamari.

Moss Point is actually a small deviation from the loop route, but the good company and excellent food made it well worth it.  We took the detour because Sam is a fan of Duroboats and currently owns three.

We received much support from all of the people at Rachel’s Widow’s Walk. A special thanks to Sam, Ann, and David.

Saturday, 20 June (Sammy)

Moss Point, Mississippi

I didn’t know what to expect when I got on the plane in Tulsa flying to Mobile.  Who would have guessed that the man sitting next to me on the plane would be a man from Baton Rouge who works for McGlasson Marine Service a company that deals with barges and other big boats.  He was full of information about barge traffic which would pertain to our trip around Florida.  He definitely was surprised to hear the size of the boat we all are traveling in, and warned about big ships in Tampa Bay. This has become a common warning by most boaters who have traveled through Tampa. Clay gave me his card and said if we ran into any trouble to give him a call and he could try to help us. This was a great introduction to my trip around Florida.

Arriving in Mobile I was greeted by Elizabeth and Katie who both looked very tired and a little sunburned.  Our way back from the airport began a great adventure of finding our way to Moss Point. Along the way we followed a small map that didn’t get us lost, it just took us to $1.00 snow cones and a scenic tour of southern Mississippi and Alabama and then southern Mississippi and Alabama again.  We arrived at Moss Point where I was introduced to all the newfound friends at Rachel’s Widow’s Walk.  It wasn’t long before I felt like I had known them for years. It seemed like everyone we met had a hidden musical talent. We ate good food, “fried everything” –shrimp, catfish, squid and even deep fried tomatoes.  When the restaurant customers began to leave the staff showed off their amazing musical talent. They entertained us with an assortment of songs – they knew every key and every word. I never got to meet the infamous Lucky that everyone had said so much about.

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