Last Blog

WE MADE IT!  We left Turtle Creek this morning at 8:00 A.M.  We cruised familiar territory all the way to Lighthouse Point Yacht Club.  We got here at 11:45 A.M.  We were greeted by Jeff, Susan, Kate, and Alan who caught our lines and helped us dock.  Later Jay, Carolyn, Maria, and Jonathan came to visit.  And as the day progressed, more and more boaters appeared.  It feels so good to be home. 

This will be out last post.  We are home.  You know where to find us now.  Thanks for following along with us as we cruised our dream.

One More Day To Go

Yesterday an hour or so before reaching McAlpine Lock, John noticed that the port engine would not stay at the RPM that he had set.  It would drop down and then lope back up on its own.  He ran it up higher and it wanted to cut out altogether.  He dropped the RPMs down a little and it was better.  So, we ran a little slower after that.  He figured it was a clogged fuel filter, but he didn't want to stop because we were fighting daylight as it was.  So, first thing this morning, John got down in the engine room and changed the fuel filter.  The old one was black.  Most of the places we bought gas this spring we suspect had old fuel from last year.  Once we were cruising along again today, everything was fine.  (We forgot that we crossed into a different time zone yesterday and got up an hour earlier than we needed to.  We had to wait an hour for it to get light out.)

We were moving along about 8 mph against the current.  Not too bad.  As we approached Markland Lock, we lost a boat pole overboard.  It sunk.  Oops!  We arrived at Turtle Creek Marina at 3:45.  We got fuel (202 gallons) and decided to stay here overnight.  It's roughly 30 more miles to Lighthouse Point Yacht Club.  We should arrive there tomorrow around lunchtime.  We have passed through 143 locks in the past 3 1/2 years as we cruised the loop and more.  We are so excited to be so close to being home and can't wait to see everyone, especially our grandchildren. 

I am posting a couple of pictures from the last two days.

 

Louisville at night.

Ducks looking to be fed at 5:00 A.M. this morning.

The scene as we were leaving Louisville.

 

And I Thought Yesterday Was a Long Day

As predicted, we did rock and roll last night as the barges went past.  Twice we rocked so hard  we got up to make sure everything was okay with the boat.  We were up and ready to leave this morning at 6:00 A.M.  We were cruising along pretty well.  There were no fishermen, but lots of tows.  The GPS has a feature that tells you what time you can expect to reach your programmed destination.  Our programmed destination was Louisville, KY, but we thought we would cruise until we got tired and anchor out wherever that would be.  The time that the GPS said we would reach Louisville was 8:26 P.M.  This does not take into consideration the time spent in the locks.  Sunset was at 8:15 P.M..  The longer we cruised and the closer we got, the more we thought it possible to go for it.  All of the way to Louisville.  We came out of McAlpine Lock at 8:20 P.M.  We were docked at 8:45.  It was dark by then, but there are plenty of lights in downtown Louisville.  We cruise 110 miles today.  We are both soooo tired.  As soon as I am finished here, it's lights out for me.  Good Night, everyone.  We'll see you all at home soon.

A Long, Long, Day

This morning we left Nu Plaza Yacht Club at 5:45 A.M. because we had so much territory to cover before it got dark.  We managed to average 8.1 mph against the current, plus we locked through both the Newburgh Lock and Cannelton Lock.  We arrived at our destination, much to our surprise, at 4:00 P.M.  Both of the locks were open and ready for us when we reached them.  You never know how long you will have to wait at the locks.  We got lucky there. 

We had called Ralph, the owner of Perry Marina at Rocky Point, Indiana on Monday to see if we could stay here overnight with the boat.  He told us he would put the dock in for us.  He said it as time to do that anyway.  Since Monday was April Fools Day, I was a little concerned that he didn't take me seriously, but when we arrived, the dock was in position and the electric was on.  All for $28.  Their restaurant opened today and we decided to have dinner there since we were both pretty tired.  This dock is right on the river just up from Cannelton Lock.  We are probably going to rock and roll all night long as the barges pass us, but we will be warm.

The closer we get to home (220 river miles tonight) the muddier the water seems to become.  It looks like chocolate soup.  Well, tomorrow is another day.  We'll see how far we get then.....

Standing Still

This morning at 5:30, we made an executive decision to stay put for the day.  It was 31 degrees when we got up and it is supposed to be very cold overnight again.  Each day after that it is SUPPOSED to get warmer and warmer.  So, we thought that by waiting one day we would be more comfortable along the way.  We really don't have a deadline to get home, we just want to be home. 

So, anyway, I just put a pie in the oven and I guess we'll just hang out and enjoy an off day.  Until tomorrow.....

Chugging Along

What a nice anchorage that was last night.  We hardly moved at all.  The tows went outside of the islands, so there was no wakes to jostle us.  If we lived near here, we would anchor out here often.  We pulled up our anchor at 7:00 A.M. and were on our way.  We only had 35 miles to go today to reach Nu Plaza Yacht Club.  We arrived at 11:45 and called the marina when we were about one mile out.  The guy said he would be here in a few minutes.  We got tied to the dock, waited an hour, and ate lunch before he arrived.  We bought fuel at $ 4.85 a gallon.  We took 115 gallons, but it took an hour to pump.  That had to be the slowest pump yet.  When you buy 100 gallons or more, you get to stay overnight for free.  They no longer have the 50 gallon water heater / shower, or the washer and dryer, or the courtesy car.  However, Bruce (the guy who works here) loaned us his Jeep to go to the grocery.  We had run out of a few basic items.  We grilled out on the aft deck again tonight and had a delicious meal sitting on the back of the boat watching the world go by.

Tomorrow is kind of up in the air.  It's supposed to go down into the 20s tonight and tomorrow night.  Therefore, we would really like to be at a dock with electric.  The next closest marina that can accommodate us is 78 river miles and two locks away.  That's pretty far for us to be able to go in the daylight in one day at 7.5 mph against the current.  We'll decide in the morning whether to make a run for it or hang out another day because if we can't make it that far, it would be very cold at anchor.  Can't wait to see everyone!  It won't be long now.

Easter Sunday

Well, today is Easter.  To us it is just another travel day on the water.  We are trying our best to get back home.  We left bright and early this morning in cold temperatures and light fog.  We traveled 65 miles today in 9.5 hours.  We passed through the John T. Meyer Lock without having to wait.We passed only one fishing boat, but lots of tows.  The marinas are few and far between in this area of the river.  So, we are anchored out tonight between two islands.  It's a wonderful anchorage.  It's between Slim Island and and Slim Island Towhead. It's not supposed to get below freezing tonight, but tomorrow night and the next night, it will be lots colder.  We plan on being at Nu Plaza tomorrow night hooked up to electric so we can stay warm. 

John was told by the owner of last night's marina that he has had 2 loopers heading south so far this year.  We are the first to head north.  Are we kooky?  Probably, but we are anxious to get there. 

Tonight we are grilling out on the aft deck.  We are having shrimp, sausage, corn on the cob, red potatoes, salad, and rolls.  (I'll let you know, Sally, how it turns out). Well, Happy Easter to everyone!  and Happy Birthday, Jonathan.