October 2 Green Turtle Bay Marina Grand Rivers KY

Wonderful time watching Loopers come into Green Turtle Bay Marina and to hear their stories of the Mississippi River.....

Lifetime Friends....Lee and Judy....stop by on their way home from Florida

Green Turtle Bay Marina hosted a BBQ for Loopers.....Bill IV

Burk and Stel arrive at Green Turtle Bay

We had a wonderful day visiting the sites of Peoria

Grafton.....looking at the Mississippi River

Leaving Grafton at dawn

Nanseann Crosses Her Wake

The Nanseann crossed her wake September 24, 2014 at Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand Rivers KY.
Our adventure began October 14, 2012 covering 5907 miles on The Great American Loop.
This adventure can not be explained unless you are a "Looper". Only you know what we have accomplished on this voyage. We have met friends for life, visited ports we did not know existed and tested our abilities 24/7. It is a honor to fly the Gold Burgee.
Thank you EVERYONE for your support.

Congratulations Rik & Nancy,
It is indeed a great accomplishment and a lifetime of memories. We sure enjoyed meeting with you along the way, including in Grand Haven. Hope you enjoy the next phase of your adventures. May your autopilot always keep you straight. ;-)
All the Best,
Dale and Linda
Gold Loopers 2013-14
On the Hard in Grand Haven

Congratulations to two of the nicest people you could ever have the pleasure to meet. And the best mac and cheese maker in the world.
Dave and Terry
Just Us

Rick & Nancy:

Congratulations on Crossing your Wake. You have stated quite well that you can only understand what you have accomplished if your are a Looper.

Testing Abilities Daily, Right On, and learning something each time. We will be stopping in Green Turtle, We have your Boat Card, N.J. and Brewerton stops together are remembered.

Look forward to seeing you in the weeks ahead. Again Congratulations to you both.  Fly the Gold Burgee

Proudly, You folks certainly have paid your dues, and not meant monetarily, but at the Helm and piloting your boat safely back to Green Turtle bay. Fly the Gold Proudly, you earned it!.

All the Best

Capt Helen & Chief Engr Bob

Onboard ALLEZ!

Satisfaction

Congratulations, Rik & Nancy (& Saddi)!
What an achievement! Pat & I (and Ashley) sure enjoyed
traveling with you guys off and on for the last two years -
meeting at Joe Wheeler in Oct. '12, crossing "The Whale" together
in the Abacos, the wet and wonderful dinghy ride to Pineapples in
New Plymouth, the ride down the coast of Michigan, fun with
hydraulic shifter and masthead light repairs, the trip down the
flood swollen Illinois and, most certainly, evening docktails on
the Nanseann flybridge! You guys are special folks to us and we
hope and expect to see you often as we both continue our travels
on land or by water.

John & Pat
'Satisfaction'
Grafton Harbor
Gold Loopers '12 - '14

Wonderful friends.....wonderful memories.......a trip of a lifetime.....
What do we do NEXT???????
Captain Rik
First Mate Nancy
Admiral Saddi

September 28 Green Turtle Bay Marina Grand Rivers KY

We are invited to a potluck Sunday evening......What we didn't know....."It's was a Crossing Your Wake Party" for the Nanseann.....by our fellow looper friends.......WOW!!!!!
We were surprised, pleased and honored.....

We met Scott and KC the very first day of the Loop at Pebble Isle Marina

Caroline and Bill from BC

Jan and Tim on Sweetwater

Vicki and Mark who travel with Daisy

Dave and Michelle.....our Mississippi River gang

Captain Steve and Captain Dave

We spent a month with Anne and Lou in Clearwater Beach

Brenda and Glenn....Henry's Fish Camp

Finally meet Mark and Jane on Average Looper

Now this is a Looper Party

Everyone has a story

Regina from Island Time

They just arrived at Green Turtle Bay....here is a plate

Paul and Lynne.....with them..... their first lock....rafting

Cary and Martha.....218 miles of the Mississippi River together

This was some kind of evening.....It is so nice to be a Looper

And, it is so nice to be a Gold Looper!!!!!!!

September 27 Green Turtle Bay Marina Grand Rivers KY

Lots of activity on the pier today......it is Coach's birthday and he is fixing catfish and all the trimmings.  They are also calling this the "Welcome Home" party.  We feel honored!!!!

Dinghy ride to check on the Loopers

Wendy breading catfish

Coach and Tim working their magic

Will we get catfish too

Fries to go with our meal

Enjoying the evening

Pier 11 is a busy place

Happy Birthday Coach.......we hope to celebrate many more with you......

September 26 Green Turtle Bay Marina Grand Rivers KY

Pier 11 Welcome....the gang arrives on Friday afternoon....great seeing everyone.....

Coach showing Rik pictures of the British Open...one of his students played

Saddi saying hello to Riley

This is the Meeting Place

The Three Gold Loopers

We are very proud of our accomplishment

5907 miles completed

More toasts from our friends

Tim and Janice made the Crossing....Coach drove to Clearwater Beach

Tim, Janice, Coach and Wendy met us at Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas

Saddi with Riley and Max....her friends

Riley "booze hound" Smith

It has been quite a welcome home......

September 25 Green Turtle Bay Marina Grand Rivers KY

This has been one of those days you don't know what to do.......we are here.....we aren't going anywhere......well lets have docktails on Freedom.

Beautiful evening at Green Turtle Bay Marina

Steve and the Captain.....toasting time...oh me...

We are proud Gold Loopers....thank you for a wonderful 2 years

Hammond has the spotlight...he loves his company

We have reservations at Patti's for 2 inch pork chops, flowerpot bread and mile high pie.....,. Four couples and one car.....OK Captain....you are the shuttle service.....Thank you Steve and Janet for bring us a car.......

Michelle and Dave from Just Us 

Cary and Martha from Freedom

Sheli and Steve from Pura Vida

Rik and Nancy from Nanseann

Dinner was wonderful.....the evening was wonderful....

Thank You for sharing our crossing.

Day 428 September 24 33mi Green Turtle Bay Marina Grand Rivers KY

The Cumberland River flows almost 690 miles through Tennessee.  The navigable portion is 381 miles and ends at Celina.  However, today we will travel along the river for only about 33 miles.  The Cumberland snakes its way through a pretty region,  a peaceful, gentle river, ultimately taking us to Lake Barkley and Green Turtle Bay Marina.  This is our final travel day on the Great American Loop.

Leaving the Cumberland Towhead at 8:30 AM

Back out to the Ohio river, around the bend and we are on the Cumberland River

Smithland KY

Looking at Smithland Lock and Dam on the Ohio River

Such a change from the Mississippi River

Land for Sale

Traveling with Pura Vida and Freedom

Tugboat working the river....lots of barges along the banks

Large commercial area

Interesting watching the truck dump his rock

Bissell Bluff

Good morning Howard Corse....Pine Bluff AR

Barges unloaded

Barges loaded.....so low in the water

Super Stone Towboat ready to take them down river

Jerry Jones collecting his load

I-24 Highway.....how many times have we traveled over this bridge

We are almost to our marina

Eureka Highway.....blue bridge

Barkley Lock and Dam with a 57 foot lift

We have sat up there and watched the river traffic

Towboat with his load goes first.....PCs wait @ an hour

This is one of the newest locks we saw

Pura Vida

Freedom

We even had a towboat in our last lock

Captain....we have completed 98 locks

Lake Barkley

Don't cut the corner....follow the channel

Barkley Lock and Dam

Green Turtle Bay Marina

We have completed the Great American Loop.......1907 miles this season makes it a total of 5907 miles we have traveled in 428 days......

No....we don't know what we want to do when we grow up.......