Year one: 3,622 S Miles   9 months   January 2008 to September 2008

Year two: 1,245 S Miles   3.5 months   June 2009 to September 2009

Year three: 2,825 miles   5 months   June 2010 to September 2010

TOTAL MILES:     7,692/  18 Months/ 3 years

Fuel:  4,586 Gal;    $16,995,            Average $3.70;  Ave 1.7 + MPG

High  $6.11/gal July 2008 in Canada

Locks:

Bridges:

STATES

Year one: 9  states + Washington, D.C. and  the Canadian Provinces of Quebec  and Ontario

Florida

Georgia – Savannah

South Carolina – Charleston

North Carolina

Virginia

Maryland – Annapolis – Chesapeake Bay

Delaware – Cape May

New Jersey – Atlantic City

New York – Statue of Liberty – Hudson River – New York City – Manhattan -Adirondack Mountains

Vermont – Lake Champlain – Shelbourne Museum

Michigan – Lake Huron

In Canada the beautiful cities of Montreal in Quebec and Ottawa in Ontario.

Anchorages in Georgian Bay

Canals and Lock Systems:  Champlain, Chambly, St Lawrence Seaway, Rideau, Trent Severn   700+ miles

Year 2: Lake Huron to the North Channel – beautiful anchorages of the Benjamins, the Pool, Snug Harbor, the Bustards in Georgian Bay, Covered Portage and little towns like Little Current, Kilarney, Gore Bay and Meldrum Bay.

On to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan: Detour Village, St Ignace crossing the Straits to Mackinaw City. Visiting Mackinac Island! Cruising down the west coast of Michigan visiting charming spots along the way, like Leland. Crossing Lake Michigan to Sturgeon Bay and visiting Wisconsin and its charming Door County. Leaving the boat in Green Bay for the winter.

Year 3: Arriving in Green Bay we rented a car and drove to Minnesota. We stayed on Lake Superior in Wisconsin in a charming Bed and Breakfast. Then returning to get the boat we cruised north up Green Bay to Door County and then farther north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Fayette State Park. Magic there! Crossing Lake Michigan to Mackinaw City to spend the 4th of July. Then up to our favorite spots in the North Channel again before returning to Michigan and following its coastline to Indiana and on to Illinois and the beautiful city of Chicago.

We followed the Illinois River through Chicago, one bridge after another. We entered the lock system and cruised with barges and tows, the largest we saw was 32 barges.  Then on to the Mississippi River – St Louis and St Charles were visited in Missouri; on the River we passed St Louis and marveled at the Arch. From the Mississippi to the Ohio to the Cumberland and onto to the Tennessee River which took us through Kentucky Lake, Kentucky, Pickwick Lake. We visited Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee. From the Tennessee River we entered the Tenn Tom Waterway, guiding us through the states of Mississippi and Alabama and bringing us to Mobile Bay.

The truck was then trucked to California where cruising will be familiar. We will boat with our friends and remember the new friends that we mad along the way for those fabulous three years.

Don’t wait. There is always an excuse to put off an adventure…but life is a journey, you must decide its destinations along the way.