Loopers Galore, Friends and Family

10/14   This is the day Debi has had circled on our calendar since before we got on the boat in May.  The first day of the Looper's Fall Rendezvous.  Here we are at Joe Wheeler State Park near Rogersville AL – a really nice facility with a lodge, restaurant, pool, etc.   We have joined a couple hundred people who are doing the Loop, or have done the Loop, or are contemplating the journey.   We start the event with introductions (more on that when I see you), a wine and cheese reception, and a dinner.  Then our seminars (what’s coming up on the Loop, how to sell your boat when you are done, etc.) begin tomorrow, to be followed by more meals, drinking, Looper crawls (open houses on those boats that wish to be open), etc. 

Upon arrival, fellow Loopers came to help the new boats get tied up.  And some thought the tight space Debi had to back into worthy of a picture.









Although I’m not as close to the edge of my seat as Debi, I know this Rendezvous will be more fun than the one we did in Myrtle Beach a few years ago – primarily because we have now met a ton of these folks – maybe close to half, mostly during this year’s journey.  The great majority of them are people I’ve come to enjoy hanging out with – some qualify as true friends – and many of them have extended a great deal of kindness to us in one way or another over these travels.  We’ve bonded over many meals, glasses of wine, boat maintenance, rafting together for the night, locking together through the system, watching sports….   You know how Debi and I like to tell stories – all of these people are fresh meat for dragging out some of the oldies.

On a sadder note, this is also the day the Dwyer family (John, Kris, Grace and Jack) departed from us after a four day visit.  Jack and Grace were the first children (12 and 15) to have resided on Sea Fever and it was fun to enjoy their enthusiasm and see the boat world from a young person’s eyes.  Not to mention the fact that they were excellent bocce ball partners for John and I.  The competition was fierce, the terrain challenging, and somehow we all won our fair share. 

John and Kris also treated us to a second trip to Freddy T’s back in Grand Harbor.  The next morning we had a pleasant 43 mile trip to Florence AL.  There was a lot going on there, but we didn’t have much time to do any of it – other than visit the marina bar three times to catch parts of different college football games.  I would have loved the trip to nearby Muscle Shoals Studios, the epicenter of southern rock – and recordings by the Allman Bros., Skynard, Stones, Dylan, Clapton, Aretha, Paul Simon, and many many more - will visit there on our way back out the Tennessee River in a few months. At least we got to enjoy one of Debi’s lovely dinners on the aft deck. 

The next day was back on the boat.  Although it was a relatively short trip (20 miles or so), it  included two TALL locks.  The first lifted us 98 feet – a record for our travels so far.   We traveled with 6 other boats to time the locks and get in together, which meant a slower trip than we are used to.  But it was OK –  whole trip was relaxing and very scenic. 

After we docked, it was bath time for both Sea Fever and Charlie.  Later, family time on the bow (I'm told this was a Mommy/Daughter pedicure).

Since arriving here it has been more bocce ball, more docktails (this time with EVERYONE up by the pool), dinner at the lodge, and card games. 

10/15   Sunrise.  18 holes.  Running – not golfing.  Enjoyed a beautiful course before the golfers got there.  No birdies or eagles, but 20-30 deer.   John and I had enjoyed a nice trail run along the river and through the woods the previous morning. 

Went to a couple of sessions providing previews of the next few Loop segments.  Turns out we are going to have a couple of long (100 mile) segments leading us into Mobile, with no services.   Sounds a lot like our Illinois/Mississippi/Ohio River experiences which were not our favorite.  The difference is that we will be doing these segments during days with fewer hours of sun – increasing the challenge.  Then, we will probably opt for the 170 mile crossing of the Gulf (skipping a lot of semi-desolate area with shallow water), which means starting in the middle of the night in order to arrive before dark the next day.  The earlier we do this in the winter, the earlier we start before dawn.  Winter months offer only a few days of good weather per month for this crossing (low winds and waves).  I thought we were home free once we completed our trek into Kentucky…but as Debi has pointed out, none of our (my?) worries have amounted to much.  Others have done this, and we will too. 

We were on the Looper Crawl – which meant our boat was open to many fellow Loopers.  In turn, we visited many others – all good fun.  Two of our visitors were Scott and KC Calkin.  We met them in Myrtle Beach a few years ago and have been in touch ever since.  Scott has been the source of great advice, as they have preceded us through the Loop.  Scott has been following Boat’s Notes and couldn’t wait to get in on the bocce action, even though he had never played and had no idea how the game was played.  Although we only had time for two games, he won the second – and such early competence might be deserving of the 2013 Rookie of the Year Award. Note: since we took this picture, KC has had a serious health issue - please say a prayer for her recovery.

  

10/16   Tonight was a field trip – a school bus ride to a local B&B where we were treated to a live band.  Good thing it was under a tent – rainy weather all day but it held off for most of the evening.  The concert was fun - lead singer on the sidelines due to cancer so they were getting by without him.  They were good and played fun music - and had the appreciative Looper crowd. After a conversation with the band during their set break, I ended up sitting in on Sweet Home Chicago.  I’ve never played the song, but it’s a standard 3 chord blues, so it was an easy pitch right over the plate for me.  The Loopers were on my side from the beginning – again, an easy and supportive crowd.   

Debi weaseled an opportunity for me to encore the show with Amazing Grace – and that put my fellow Loopers over the edge.  I got an ovation when we got back on the bus, I got a thank you card delivered to the boat, I was stopped everywhere I went the next day.  I tell you all of this not as an affirmation of how well I played – it was OK.  But, never have I received so much adulation for such a minimal performance.

It is really a statement of the supportive nature of the Looping culture (and hopefully not of their poor taste).  This is consistent with our entire experience with fellow boaters (see below). 

The following evening I played a few tunes of the unplugged folky persuasion with three other Loopers - including Ron and Eva Stob, who started the whole Loopers organization years ago – thanks to those of you who worked to track down a keyboard.  That was the culmination of the final dinner of the Rendezvous.  

The next morning the vast majority of the Loopers left in mass (in a temporary but beautiful mist).  We left by rental car later in the morning for a short trip to Atlanta (civic duty obligations) and will come back to move Sea Fever next week. The largest Looper group is heading south to the Gulf, while we and a few others are side-tripping east to Chattanooga.  Consequently, we will never see most of these people again.

This turns out to be surprisingly sad to me, who started the trip with some cynicism about the cult and the culture.   Debi was on board (so to speak), as you probably know, from the beginning.  But this is a truly supportive community that broke through my doubts.  Marci says I should write a book using the Loopers as an example of an alternative setting, mutually helping, supportive and empowering community – illustrating all of the principles of community psychology I’ve championed for years.  I may not have the motivation to do that – but she’s right about the fit.  We’ll miss you all – and won’t forget how helpful many of you have been, especially when helping us deal with issues (hello, ANCHORING), where we have less competency.  We are forever grateful.     

Our stay in Atlanta was all of 64 hours.  I did manage to watch some disappointing football and baseball (I’m cursed, let’s face it), attend the over-the-top Halloween Parade in Little 5 Points, play a gig with Ten Degrees Off for a party at Melanie’s church, and co-host a gathering to support a City Council candidate (Andre Dickens).

10/22   On the road/river again.  We’re on our way to Chattanooga – a 400 mile (round trip) detour.  I’m not sure it’s worth the time and fuel and losing track of our Looper cohort, but it will be nice to have Sea Fever close to home (will never be closer). The colors are beginning to change, but are not peaking – we’re a bit early.  Still, the Tennessee River is beautiful in any season with high bluffs along the banks and mountain ranges in the distance - Debi and I agree it is as pretty as any stretch of the Loop.

  

10/23  We stopped at a fairly non-descript marina, but were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves sandwiched between two other Loopers – one of whom we had met in a couple of marinas.  Whenever two or more are gathered….docktails.  Debi was particularly pleased that we hadn’t lost total touch with our community. 

10/24  We went out with one of the two Loopers this morning so that we could enter the lock (15 miles upstream) together and avoid the long wait if one of us got there 30 minutes or so before the other.  This evening Josie arrived by Greyhound (it’s in the family) in Huntsville.  Debi borrowed the marina’s courtesy car and drove the 35 miles to pick her up.   This is her first visit since late 2011, shortly after we bought this boat.  She will cruise with us to Chattanooga and then hop in our RV with us, which we dropped at our destination marina up there.   

Our new marina, 30 miles west of Chattanooga, has added a new sensation.  Our TV is picking up Chattanooga TV stations, which are advertising carpets in Dalton, which is awfully close to Atlanta.  After these months of traveling in places that feel far far from home, we are suddenly confronted with the collision of our two realities.  It’s like wandering through OZ for months and all of a sudden catching sight of Kansas on the horizon.   Well….kind of like that. 

10/26  Sitting here watching Game 3 of the World Series – Boston just tied it in the 8^th.  We had a great time in Chattanooga, hooking up with a bunch of other Loopers we already knew who had made the side trip there and had been there for awhile before us.  Enjoyed drinks and dinner on The Bluff with a nice group of them.  I had a great city run and Debi and Josie wandered the downtown area.  Debi and a friend hitched a ride with Josie, who was getting a cart ride up the hill to the restaurant.

This morning we were poised to watch 150 paddle boaters leave on a 35 mile race (fortunately downstream).  However, no one had forecast the incredibly thick fog – thick enough that 4 of the boats in our group turned around after about 10 minutes of attempting to head downstream ahead of the paddlers.  For 90 minutes, those paddlers paddled around in 33 degree weather, waiting for the start gun.  Eventually they went off – but by then the fog was even thicker (though about to lift – I guess they saw that coming) and although we could hear them yelling, we couldn’t see them as they paddled right by our boat. 

This afternoon, we completed the final leg of Looping 2013 – a mere 12 miles (and one tall slow lock) upstream from downtown Chattanooga.  Tomorrow we will clean up, pack up, and drive home.  The boat will remain here until sometime in 2014 – we can’t seem to decide on when. 

It’s been an amazing adventure – I hope we’ve been able to convey some of that to you.  It’s also been remarkably trouble-free, especially given our history of fires, tornadoes, engine malfunctions, and other misfortunes – all associated with that previous boat of ours – she whose name shall not be spoken.  Even compared to boaters with more experience on newer boats than ours, we’ve had great luck.  Never went aground, never dinged a prop, never got lost, never got stuck out in the dark or in a storm, never ran into anything, never had anything run into us, never had a significant malfunction of any sort.   It’s almost unheard of to do this much boating and without being stuck in port somewhere for some time waiting for some repair.  Our repairs consisted of two toilet pumps and one battery charger and they were all done without causing a delay.

   

About 2500 miles in 5 months (minus the 4-5 weeks we were off the boat), 8 U.S. states and about 700 miles of Canada, over 100 locks, maybe a dozen rivers, three Great Lakes, 13 guidebooks and chartbooks, close to 50 old friends on board Sea Fever and so many new friends.  We started the trip watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs and ended it watching the World Series.  Somehow, in the midst of this there were a few trips to Atlanta, as well as to San Francisco, Miami, Denver, Nashville, and St. Simons.  

At some point I will count the number of places we spent at least one night, as well as the total gallons of diesel and costs for same (along with dockage fees), but not until I’ve had a couple of drinks.  But given all the places we’ve been, all the things we’ve seen, all the people we’ve met…. as the commercial says, “Priceless”.   Yep – you heard it from Jim's lips (or fingers, whatever).  Debi had this insight all along, of course, and memorialized this truth with a sign on our aft deck that she found in Annapolis last summer.

We owe so many thanks to the many people we’ve met along the way.   But we also owe thanks to those of you in Atlanta that helped make this trip possible – Katherine our innkeeper, aided by Josie and Emily.  Those of you at EMSTAR who have put up with LOTS of phone meetings and email conversations and have kept things running smoothly in our absence.  And thanks to those of you who have sent many kind words regarding this blog.  I appreciate you bothering to read it – though I’m sure there was more skimming and picture viewing than complete digestion.  Writing it has helped me reflect about the experience – and that reflection became part of the experience.  I am a record keeper and journal-er (but not a journalist) at heart – but knowing there is some sort of audience has made me work a little harder at it.  And if no one had read it, this would have served as a nice history for our own purposes. 

We’re looking forward to seeing most of you before we return to the boat in 2014.  And, although this post sounds a lot like an ending – it is just the end of this chapter.   The final chapter of the Loop, which will start with 260 miles of backtracking down the Tennessee River, then downriver to Mobile to the Florida Panhandle and Gulf Coast, will be shorter than this year’s trip – but it’s not insignificant.  And while this particular journey may be over, Robert Earl Keen reminds us that “the road goes on forever and the party never ends.”   So, start making your reservations now!

Jim and Debi, and Charlie