Inland Rivers

Inland Rivers – DONE!

Alabama, Inland Rivers, The Great Loop

Arriving in Mobile Bay, we are back to salt water, tides, currents and we have completed the inland rivers portion of the America’s Great Loop!

Leaving Columbus, MS we dropped the lines a little later (8AM) than we have been the last few days. No marinas to stop along these parts, but lots of anchorages so we planned to just cruise until we were ready to drop the hook.

Race to Regan!

Inland Rivers, Mississippi, The Great Loop

During our road trip, we devised a plan to meet Jacob’s girlfriend Regan in Columbus, MS. Columbus, MS is a 20 minute car drive from Mississippi State University (where Regan attends for a Masters in Archaeology.) Being a long weekend, Jacob could make the trek from Ada, OK to meet us. A plan was set, now we just needed make the 202 Nautical Mile (28 hours) cruise from Pebble Isle Marina in TN to Columbus Marina in MS in 4 days while timing 8 locks and some rainy weather.

Cruising between Road Trips

Inland Rivers, Tennessee, The Great Loop

We are excited to be back on Three Sons after our two week road trip. Traveling by car and staying in hotels has quite a different feel. We traveled 1,142 miles making stops in Nashville, Chattanooga, Gatlinburg/Smokey Mountains, Knoxville, Louisville, Mammoth Cave National Park, Louisville and the best stop – Indianapolis, to help Cory settle into his first home! It was a great 2 week side trip and it felt a little strange moving faster than 9 MPH! We did miss the water and are excited to drop the lines and get back to cruising!

Grand Rapids, KY — Road Trip!

Inland Rivers, Kentucky, Road Trip, The Great Loop

We had planned on a side trip to Chattanooga via cruising the Tennessee River. Well, in boating we say you have intentions, not really plans. Even though the side trip was our intention, it was not in the cards, so we needed to readjust.

Paduca, KY

Inland Rivers, Kentucky, The Great Loop

Pulling up the anchor from our beautiful spot was a bit unnerving knowing we had one engine and a lock. We had a good plan, a back up plan and an ‘oh shit’ plan, so once we untied from Ship Faced and Sweet Equity, we said a prayer and off we went.

The Mississippi River

Inland Rivers, The Great Loop

Turning off the Illinois River, we enter the Upper Mississippi River. The mighty, murky, barge filled, few places to stop Mississippi but it has a strong current going our way, The Mississippi Push! We traveled 188 Nautical Miles over 4 days to move down the Mississippi to the Ohio River.

Alton, IL

Illinois, Inland Rivers, The Great Loop

Alton, IL is a bit of a milestone since it means we have completed travel on the Illinois River and entered the Upper Mississippi River.

Illinois River

Illinois, Inland Rivers, The Great Loop

Some loopers like them, some tolerate them, and a few say they are the worst part of the loop. Our next leg is the the inland rivers running from Chicago to Mobile covering 1,300 miles of rivers and canals.

Chicago, IL

Illinois, Inland Rivers, Lake Michigan, The Great Loop

What fun! Three Sons docked at DuSable Marina for 6 days in downtown Chicago. It was a perfect location to take in all the sights. But the best, most wonderful part is Zach flew in and toured the city with us!