Docktails at Alton Marina At least 22 boat crews came to "docktails" (dockside social hour) tonight, our last evening of a long stop in Alton, Ill. After the sun set, we hosted four boaters in our salon, lit by solar flames, while snacking on Scotch Eggs that we made in the air fryer. Hosting visitors … Continue reading Community (Day 53-54)
"And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." - T.S. Eliot. That sounds like a Looper motto to me! I wonder if, at the end of this trip, I will know myself "for the first time?" A curious question, perhaps, but … Continue reading St. Louis (Day 52)
Full Moon atop Clark Bridge. When a full moon meets the apex of a cable bridge, it looks like a spotlight. A 5x3 barge tow carries as much as 1,000 semi trucks. Loopers on a bus named Shittzengiggles do, in fact, giggle. Those are three things I learned during our third day in Alton, Illinois … Continue reading Bridges, Barges & Giggles (Day 51)
The water level is down. More on that later. First, the eagles. I see bald eagles often at my rustic camp on Lake Superior. I hear them even more often. I've missed that, so it was cool to hear and see them today at our anchorage just inside Quiver Island after covering 43 miles of … Continue reading To Quiver Island (Day 45)
Ah, Peoria ... Main Street America! It's 2200 (10 p.m.) on Saturday night, still about 80 degrees. I'm writing this from the free city dock alongside the waterfront park, where an outdoor band is playing. It's a pretty bad band. This amuses rather than irritates me. On any typical warm Saturday night in any typical … Continue reading To Peoria (Day 44)
For Many Moons 