Michael, I'm sure you've probably read WIlliam Least-Heat Moon's "River Horse"...I found it fascinating. If you do make this eastern loop trip, you must start a blog...I can imagine it would inspire much fine writing including poetry.

Would enjoy before and after shots of the new boat...what's her name? josh

Haven't decided on a new name for the boat yet. Must investigate the boats character first.

It's been a long day, hectic day and it's time for bed.

I hope we'll see photographs of your new boat, Michael.

The Loop sounds like a wonderful journey - I hope you can take it sometime. I'd like to take it.

What a wonderful way to see this beautiful country! It gives new defination to "off the beaten path".

Awesome!! I think you need to do more than daydream.

Josh - the first thing I thought of was "River Horse". It's probably one of the greatest contemporary adventure stories I've ever read. There's another guy from Tennessee that set out on the small creek behind his house that eventually connected to the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico.

Another boat? Woo hoo!!! Good for you. I'd love to have a stable full of muscle cars. Show us a pic when you pick it up and let us know what you decide to name it.

By the way - Sara the Brit - how's your boat? Have you had any adventures??

Michael,

Sounds wonderful!!

Mr. Man's family took a small similar adventure when he was a teenager.
They took a pontoon boat with a cabin and discovered the Tennessee River.
He still talks about the adventure and wants to repeat it when he retires.

I can't wait to show him this article.

Keep us updated about your boat and plans.

Yes, Sara, please give us an update on your boat.

Michael, I went back and took a close look at the "looper" map. It's a little scary to be truthful. I can't imagine doing any of the great lakes in a 20 foot boat, as you mentioned some were traveling in. A couple of our neighbors have larger power boats(35-50 ft.) on Lake Michigan that they've also traveled down the Atlantic coast. They've said that the lake is more dangerous than the ocean, so large that it creates it's own weather, and of all things - seyches (I think that's spelled correctly).

Regardless......WHEN (not if) you make the trip, I'll meet you in Winthrop Harbor for lunch.

The limiting factors that determine the largest vessel and type of vessel are the depth of some of the canals and the height of the lowest fixed bridge that a boat must pass under.

A safe maximum draft, which is how deep a boat sits in the water, is five feet, for saftey. Some of the canals have a minimum depth of 7 to 9 feet, under ideal conditions. The maximum height is under 19 feet above the water line, so as to get under safely a bridge in Chicago that is over one of the canals there. One of those canals that Chicago built to divert dumping sewage into the Great Lake. (history lesson)

Heard rumours that a couple of college kids did it one year on jet skis. Bet they set a record time for quickest trip around the loop.

Also, the trip during the northern part is strictly high summer, to take advantage of the short warm season there, when weather is calm.

Also the larger the boat, the higher the overall cost of the trip. Big displacement boats require much more fuel to make the trip than a smaller boat that planes.

For a trawler around ~45 feet, with adequately sized engines (plural) the estimated fuel cost for the trip with prices around $3/gallon is $6,000 for the trip. My boat, with a relatively moderate sized motor of 70 hp, will have an estimated fuel cost of less than $2,000. Also, the bigger boats cruise economically at about 15 mph, whilst at the same fuel consumption my boat will cruise at 30 mph.

I'm doing my homework, to see if this is feasible anytime soon.

Did a quick search for Winthrop harbour and also the Chicago River.

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Not all of the sights will be natural. There are few man-made sights to scope out, too.

Oh yeah......What a view of the city from the Chicago River, it's awesome. Some people who visit Chicago are what we might call "geographically challenged". They'll say, "Oh wow! This is beautiful, I didn't know Chicago was on the water. What ocean is that?"

Before there were canals and such, there were ways to do this by canoe with only short portages.

One connecting point was near South Bend, where you could get to the marshy headwaters of the Kankakee from the St. Joseph River. The St. Joseph flows into Lake Michigan, then you'd paddle on through Huron, Erie and Ontario to the St. Lawrence, which the Kankakee connects with the Illinois, Mississippi, etc. The water voyage around Michigan is fairly long, but La Salle came that way from the East, up the St. Joseph and then on towards New Orleans.

Near Chicago, there was a similar point where you could get to Lake Michigan via the Chicago or Calumet River on the one hand or the DesPlaines on the other.

In Northern Wisconsin there's a spot where you can portage one direction a mile or so and be on your way toward the Eagle Chain and the Wisconsin/Mississippi or carry your canoe a bit east and be off toward the northern end of Lake Michigan in the U.P. I think I've done small bits of this -- the Deerskin going west and the Pine meandering east.

The Wendella tours in Chicago are very worthwhile,

Here is a link that might be useful: Boat Tours of Chicago

After a bit of inspection, detection, and no little rejection, I have come to the conclusion that the boat's name will be Cyridwen's Ceilidh. .

All 'c's are hard, made with a 'k' sound. From me Celtic roots, and associations.

Pictures are forthcoming.

Just wondering, never having been up north (that week spend in Muncie don't count), do the Great Lakes and northern rivers ice over, and if so, how often. Cyridwen's Ceilidh ain't exactly massive enough to break ice.

Elia

Lake Michigan never ices over shore-to-shore, but in January/February there can be ice several miles out along the Chicago shoreline. Huron and Erie, which are shallower, can get 90-100% covered. Lake Superior can freeze over (hence moose and wolves on Isle Royal) and busses drive out to the Apostle Islands that are normally served by ferry boats. Many of the locks close for two months of the year.

One neat factoid: from Liverpool, England, the Port of Detroit is closer than Baltimore, MD.

Here is a link that might be useful: Great Lakes Shipping