We recently became aware of the whole concept of people travelling around the Eastern United States on the nations waterways. The trip is known as the 'Great Loop' and is about 6400 miles around.
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| We attended a presentation telling of the Great Loop waterway trip and received this map of the various routes possible |
We decided we want to do a small part of the trip to see how we like the idea. That requires a few items for boating we didn't have so we decided to go to the Chicago Boat show to check out the offerings. I think 'Cabin Fever" had something to do with the decision.
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| We took the southwest Chief Amtrak train to Chicago and stayed in a roomette for the trip. |
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| The train was right on time for our early morning departure from Newton KS |
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| Julie in the "Bar Below Chicago" |
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| We found there is a former Speakeasy in one of the Chicago basements in the Loop that is known for their Mac and Cheese variations. We checked it out and found the reputation was well deserved |
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| Winter in Chicago brings out the ice skaters |
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| We rode the Metra train from the Loop to McCormick Place for the Chicago Boat show |
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| The stairs up from the Metra station take you to the Boat Show |
We met my sister and BIL at the show and enjoyed looking at really big boats!
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| John and Carol |
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| The show had many of the kinds of boats you'd find for exploring the Great Lakes |
We were wanting to see what a trailerable trawler looked like and found a 23 foot Ranger Tug was pretty hard to beat.
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| Such a beautiful boat. |
More in keeping with our budget however was a new outboard motor with electric start and a decent battery charger output. We also wanted to see the latest in chartplotters - these are like the GPS in your car, but set up for waterways rather than roads.
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| All of our research on outboard engines intended for a 22 foot sailboat show the Honda is the leader. Long warranty, good power, high battery charging output and reliability were the best of the bunch. |
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| These are examples of the various displays that can be found on state of the art Chartplotters |
We attended several education seminars including one on sailing the Apostle Islands near Duluth. That looks like a lot of fun...
Another Amtrak trip from Chicago to St. Paul MN in bitter cold weather got us to the Minneapolis boat show and a chance to see Betsy and Blake and family.
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| Waiting in Chicago's Union Sttion |
We made it to the Minneapolis Boat Show. I must say, it takes a real optimist to go to a boat show when the wind chill is 15 degrees below zero...
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| The Minneapolis boat show was aimed more at folks who need smaller boats than those for the Great Lakes |
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| Julie and Betsy checked out one display of a fellow who makes bas relief maps of any lake you desire |
One of the nicest displays at the boat show was that of the folks who restore classic boats. There was a bit of everything there.
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| This was a Chris Craft wooden boat built after the war. Mahogany was in short supply so they used cedar for the boat. It does not take a stain finish well so the boats were painted instead of being varnished. |
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| This is the more typical finish you'd expect to see on a classic Chris Craft boat |
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| Fiberglass boats from the 50's are now getting the restoration treatment |
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