A Recap of our 2018-2019 Loop Adventure (with links)

It's been a long time since I've updated our blog. We haven't had much to share, the pandemic the last couple years has changed a lot of plans (not just for us).  We've been keeping busy rediscovering the trails and rivers around home. 

Staying active keeps us happy! (Fundy Park, NB)

I've been wanting to compile a list of all the blog posts, with links, from our Loop for some time now. (Just for ease of looking them up and sharing with friends and family.)  

The planning stage: (January 2018 to June 2018)

• First Post!
• Trial and Errors – finding the right format (for the blog)
• Going to the Boat Show
• Cooking on a small boat
• Recap January 2018
• Why Migrating Loons as our blog name?
• Recap February 2018
• Recap March 2018
• Next: Road Trip – Norfolk Virginia
• Road Trip: AGLCA 2018 Spring Rendezvous
• When boat projects rule everything
• June surprises

Part 1 (July 2018 to December 2018)

• Friends, fireworks, false starts, and dinghy rides / Big Rideau Lake, Rideau Ferry ON
• What do you do when you’re waiting for parts? / Rideau Ferry ON
• Good news, bad news kind of day! / Rideau Ferry ON
• We are back on the Loop! / Rideau Ferry to Upper Brewers Lock (Rideau Canal ON)
• Starting the “Trent” / Rideau Canal to Campbellford (Trent Severn Canal ON)
• We have wheels! / Campbellford to Lakefield Lock (Trent Severn Canal ON)
• Check out the Park Canada video that we’re in: Lock Tales - Lock 21 Peterborough Lift Lock
• Lock 34, the highlight this week / Lakefield to Bolsover Lock 37 (Trent Severn Canal ON)
• Exited Trent Severn Waterway Canal and now in Georgian Bay! / Beausoleil Island (Park Canada) Georgian Bay ON
• Georgian Bay and the North Channel / Beausoleil Island to Little Current ON
• Getting ready to leave Sault Ste Marie Ontario / Thessalon to Sault Ste Marie ON
• Lake Michigan – a new boating experience for us! / Sault Ste Marie ON to Charlevoix MI
• 1 of 2 - Time does not stand still on the Loop!  / Charlevoix MI to Chicago IL
• 2 of 2 - Time does not stand still on the Loop! / Chicago IL to Grafton IL (Illinois River)
• Mississippi River, Ohio River, and Cumberland River / Grafton IL to Barkley Lake KY  (Mississippi, Ohio and Cumberland Rivers)
• Road Trip to Nashville!
• Tennessee River / Barley Lake KY to Clifton TN
• Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (aka:Tenn-Tom) / Clifton TN to Columbus MS (Tenn-Tom)
• Photos taken at Tupelo Automobile Museum (Side Trip)
• Columbus, Mississippi to Demopolis, Alabama / (Tenn-Tom)
• Our thoughts as we near the end of “Part 1” of our Loop
• Preparing the boat for our absence – on the “Hard” (Demopolis)
• Lessons – What we learnt the hard way (on part 1 of our Loop) / From Rideau Ferry ON to Demopolis AL

Part 2 (January 2019 to August 2019)

• Back to the Boat - Boat yard Demopolis, AL
• Ready to leave Demopolis AL, and head down river
• Louisiana - Road trip to New Orleans and Lafayette
• Last of the Inland Rivers and start of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway / Demopolis to Gulf Shores
• GICW - Gulf Shores AL to Niceville FL
• Niceville to Steinhatchee Florida
• Steinhatchee to Cayo Costa Island, Florida
• Fort Myers, Florida with a road trip to the "Keys"
• LaBelle to Stuart Florida - Okeechobee Waterway
• Vero Beach to Titusville, Florida (AICW)
• Daytona Beach, FL to Jekyll Island, GA
• Savannah GA to Myrtle Beach SC
• Southport NC to Porthsmouth VA (via the Dismal Swamp)
• Chesapeake Bay - White Stone VA to Delaware City Delaware City, DE (C&D Canal)
• Cape May DE (NJICW) to Croton on Hudson NY - UPDATED
• Kingston NY to St. Jean sur Richelieu QC
• Saint Jean sur Richelieu to Gatineau, QC
• Gatineau, QC to Smiths Falls, ON
• Rideau Ferry, ON - crossing our wake!

 Post Loop

• Our thoughts now that we're Gold Loopers and are back home
• We've signed up to be "Harbor Host" in Atlantic Canada

Cap Pele, NB

Some may wonder what we've been up to since we've finished the "Loop". Well, we're both back at work, our boat is still in storage in Ontario.  The "pandemic" has changed what we thought our plans would be.  We've done no traveling, instead, keeping active by kayaking (the only boating we've done), hiking and exploring, trying to spend time outdoors in our beautiful corner of the world. We did get to spend time with friends who are "retired" now, they had time to isolate and respect all the "restrictions" imposed with covid. 

Cap Enrage, NB

Kouchibouguacis River, NB

Hopefully, next spring will allow us to go to the boat to prepare it to put up for sale or to ship here to New Brunswick - we're still undecided. Plans will change (and they have) and we are adjusting, but we're looking forward to days we can travel safely again. I have all this vacation time saved up that I am itching to use! ☺

Kouchibouguacis River, NB 

For those planning on doing the Down East Loop, I do hope you'll look us up! I will work on updating the "Harbor Guide" for the "Maritimes" (for some reason the links in the document don't work).

Safe and fun travels to everyone!

Tina & Papi

"In life, it's not where you go, it's who you travel with" 

– Charles Schultz