Looping another 2200 miles!

Note: My friend, Mary, is a “Looper” and she is going to share her adventures with the rest of us. This is the second installment of several as she “loops” the Eastern United States in the Proud Mary accompanied by her husband, Jim, and Walter, their intrepid Cairn terrier. She has taken some wonderful photos which I have posted at the end.

Having Early Morning Coffee

THE NEXT 2000 MILES by Mary

Since the last contribution, we have covered another 2200 miles on the water. We have not had any major problems along the route except that my back went out – twice. Thank goodness for urgent care facilities along the way, steroids and painkillers.

Florida Intracoastal Waterway was “condominiums infinitum”. Going was slow because of manatee protection zones all the way up into Georgia and South Carolina. Georgia and South Carolina was a surprising web of waterways that took us further into the interior than expected. We loved the character of the low country.

Welcoming us to New Jersey!

As we went further north leaving a lot of the “plastic” boats behind, the nature of the boats in the water with us grew more interesting . . . more wooden boats, more historically significant styles relating to the crabbing/oystering/fishing, and tall ships making their way to Independence Day Celebrations in New York and Philadelphia.

Sharing the Chesapeake with a Big Guy!

The bodies of water that we traversed as we came north grew more interesting and challenging. The “sounds” that exposed us to the open ocean always kicked us around a bit. The Albemarle Sound in North Carolina was a really nasty body of water that literally threw everything on the shelves out in the floor of the boat. Walter donned his thunder shirt and took a “downer” to relieve his anxiety. The Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River into Washington DC were kind to us, until we were stopped by a Navy Range Control Boat to provide an alternate route to circumvent live shelling exercises in the area. We didn’t relish the thought of coming all this way to be sunk by the U.S. Navy. The Delaware Bay at its best was still rough pushing us unceremoniously into New Jersey. Of course, there was running aground in New Jersey and waiting for the tide to pick us up while the green flies ate us alive. The 40 mile trip out into the Atlantic Ocean to get into New York Harbor was timed perfectly for a smooth ride that let us enjoy the Jersey Shore. New York Harbor was like a washing machine agitated by all the commercial traffic in the Harbor.

Sir Walter, Mary, and The Lady

The Staten Island Ferry bearing down on us as I tried to get my photos of the Statue of Liberty was a nuisance to say the least. The ride on up the Hudson River was leisurely. And then there was the Erie Canal . . . taking seven days to get through 35 locks most of which we were in by ourselves. No telling how much money the state of New York spent on the Proud Mary’s 363 mile excursion. Now, we have made our entrance into Lake Erie . . . The Great Lakes deserve another installment.

Waiting for fireworks in Albany, NY

We must say that the most outstanding thing about the trip are the many people from all over the world – some “Loopers” and some who know nothing about the “Loop” – that we have met, traveled with, and shared “docktails” along the way. Along with the people is the “local” cuisine we have shared. Our new favorite food is South Carolina style shrimp and grits with my nephew’s home prepared fresh Maine lobsters running a close second.

……. And so we leave you in this installment with much unsaid about the Loop so far. It is so hard to put this amazing experience into words. Pictures say much more and unfortunately we can only share a few. We only hope that every person can have a “Loop” experience in their life that evokes enjoyment, awe, challenge, fear, relief and accomplishment!

POST SCRIPT: Considering much of this trip has been poking around the cradle of our nation and considering the host for these installment – we found Ben Franklin’s fingerprints on most everything, followed in his footsteps in many locations, and hear the echo of his words in many a hallowed hall.Thank you, Ben for your guidance.