April 11-14; 2019 THE RUN DOWN THE LENGTH OF THE ALBEMARLE AND UP THE CUT TO COINJOCK, NC

When the following day showed a promise of smooth water, we quickly agreed that a run down the length of the Albemarle was in order. While on the Great Loop three years ago, we transited the Pasquotank River to Elizabeth City and on through the Great Dismal Swamp to the Portsmouth/Norfolk area. For a different experience, we chose to run the North Carolina/Virginia Cut to Coinjock… an 8-hour run… and then on to the twin cities… a 7-hour run. We were amazed at the beauty of the scenery along the Cut; not much has ever been mentioned about this route. Impressive also was the 1,050 foot face dock at the Coinjock Marina. The dock master reported to us that 35+ boats have been tied up on that face dock at the end of any given day. We are now tucked into the Tidewater Yacht Marina in Portsmouth, across the Elizabeth River from the Waterside Complex in Norfolk. We will call this our home for the next two weeks.

Coinjock Marina's 1050 ft  face dock

Sept. 17, 18 & 19 On the Road Again!!

Every two months or so since we began The Great Loop, Wally and I have taken a road trip. This month we drove from Grafton, MO where the Illinois River meets the Upper Mississippi River to Sioux Falls, SD. Slightly down river in St. Louis, the Missouri River joins the fray. Had we crossed the State of Missouri from St. Louis to Kansas City (instead of Hannibal to St. Joseph)and then completed the trip (as we did) following the Iowa-Nebraska border up to South Dakota, we would have been within a few miles of the Missouri River for the entire 500 mile ten-hour trip. Who knew!  Why make a trip to Sioux Falls, SD? Well, we have been South Dakota residents for the past ten years. Our nomadic RV lifestyle offered us the privilege of choosing the state we would claim as our “Domicile”. Our cruising lifestyle continues to offer us the same choice. Every five years we have to return to Sioux Falls, show proof that we have stayed one night and that we have an address for receiving mail, pass the eye test for our driver’s license and get a fresh photo taken for the picture ID.  Our mail-forwarding service changed owners and addresses, so we paid an early morning visit to Dakota Post and picked up the mail that was waiting for us. We also got the scoop on when to expect the arrival of our absentee ballots for voting in the upcoming Presidential Election. Our SD vehicles’ registrations both come due in February, so we’re all set there. Our health insurance... chosen from those companies that South Dakota offers... seems to be serving us well. Oh Joy for The Life of the Open Road (or Open Waterway, as it has come to be these past three years). One observation we can make after criss/crossing the Great Plains... the corn farmers of America are harvesting a bumper crop this year!!!

Had to have new haircut for Driver License pictures!

Our home in South Dakota

Created by Darcy Campbell

July 15, 2016   Thinking back on our Trent-Severn Waterway Experience so far.

For 15 days we have been making our way from Lake Ontario to Lake Huron by transiting the Trent-Severn Waterway. We have been steadily climbing through 32 locks. In 20 miles we will be at the highest point...840 feet above sea level! Then we begin to lock down. Following that steady decline, we will be arriving at Port Severn on Lake Huron at 576 feet above sea level. On average, our travel days find us traversing 6 locks and various lakes, rivers and hand-dug canals. By early afternoon we get tied up on a Parks Canada lock wall ($.90 Canadian/foot of boat length) or in a marina slip ($1.80 Canadian/ foot of boat length). If power is available near a lock wall, Parks Canada charges $9.80 Canadian/night of “hydro” usage. “Hydro” is included in the nightly rate at the marinas. After a rejuvenating nap, we stroll through the waterside village/town/city to get our bearings. We usually stay two days so we can have time to explore in depth... museums, galleries, concerts on the green, festivals, ice cream shops, coffee shops, bakeries, hardware stores for fix-it supplies and grocery stores for provisions. We have come to know Trenton, Frankford, Campbellford, Hastings, Peterborough, Lakefield, Buckhorn and Bobcaygeon quite well. The lock tenders, for the most part, are very welcoming and helpful. We especially enjoy being surrounded by the lovely park-like setting that the Parks Canada employees create complete with flower gardens, picnic tables, benches and shade trees. We, along with about 10 other boats, seem to be in the middle of the pack of this Looper pilgrimage.  As we cross each other’s paths, we come together to compare travel notes over afternoon beverages and snacks or ocasionally over dinner in a local pub or hometown restaurant. Some Looper boats have pushed on to Georgian Bay and the North Channel of Lake Huron; others are just arriving into the Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River area. We are at Lock #32 out of 42 conventional locks, two Lift Locks and a Marine Railway known as the Big Chute.

Created by Darcy O. Campbell