Tuesday – Nov 14
We left Dog River in Mobile and did the Mobile Bay crossing.
We had heard from other Loopers how easily Mobile Bay could get whipped up into some high seas.
Our wind apps “Sailflow & Windy” predicted low wind days on Tuesday/Wednesday.
We were supposed to leave Mobile on Monday, but we delayed 1 day.
The 1-day delay was worth it, the ride across Mobile Bay was wonderful, the water was almost glass near shore & only 1 footers in the center of the bay.
We did encounter some fishing boats with their flock of birds following for the tasty overboard samples.
Now it was time for a memorable day for us, our entry into the GCICW (Gulf Coast Intercoastal Waterway), where we will now spend a lot of time cruising inside the protected covering just inside of the Gulf of Mexico. We were excited about this, but
our entry into the Gulf ICW was somewhat uneventful – No big signs saying “welcome Mike & Jonell”.
where is the entrance, good thing for chart plotters !Is that the entrance ?
About 3 miles after entering the GCICW we passed a Looper Famous place, called LuLu’s Restaurant. All the Loopers stop here for lunch or dinner. We came back at night for dinner.
LuLu’s has a couple of distinctions from other waterway restaurants around here;
1) It is owned by Lucy Buffett, sister of Jimmy Buffett.
2) It was constructed and is operated as the first Green Restaurant on the Alabama Gulf Coast, using eco-friendly wind turbines for power, and grass fed beef & organic tomatoes on their “Cheese Burger in Paradise” https://lulubuffett.com/gulf-shores/#/boards/lulu-s-gulf-shores-facebook-content
Down the ICW another 3-4 miles was our marina, The Wharf at Orange Beach.
After the somewhat rustic marinas we had stayed in over the last few weeks, the princess Jonell & I were happy to get back to a 5-star rated marina complete with restaurants, pubs, & shops all on-site.
As shown below, they also have some nice boats around these parts.
Wednesday – Nov 15 (Good Luck Deer Hunters)
On Wednesday, we swapped the props from the ones we have used the entire trip, and installed the spare set. We have had several underbody knocks/clunks during the trip, and as you recall we did have a slight grounding about 6 weeks ago. But about 5 days ago we had a clunk/knock from a submerged debris which resulted in a vibration and a buzz/humm in the rudders. Most folks driving the boat would never be able to tell there is anything wrong, but I could tell there was a difference from previous operation over the last 4 months.
We had heard good reports from our friends on the vessel Craic (Tim/Patti) of a diver who swapped their props without pulling the boat out of the water.
Diver “Danny Hand” arrived about 11am, and had both props changed and underbody inspected by about 12:30pm, for the cost of only $250. A haul-out in this area for our boat would be $400-600.
Let’s hope the prop swap works to eliminate the vibration. The props we installed were reported as “Good” by previous owner Dave Sylver Sr, so we did not have them scanned before install. We will get the removed props repaired while we are stationary for 1 month in Fort Myers Beach.
Later that afternoon, we washed the first batch of salt water off of the beautiful Gettin’ Looped. I am sure this will become a 3-4 times/week task in the upcoming months. The salt water leaves a very heavy film on the gelcoat.
We also sat out on the dock and watched boats go down the GCICW (Gulf Coast Inter-coastal Waterway) in front of us, and zip liners traveling between towers behind us.
Tiny dot in the blue sky just right of the tower is a zip-liner person
On Wednesday night, we went to dinner at an Italian place called Villaggio, with very nice ambiance & average food taste.
Thursday – Nov 16
On Thursday we had an awesome fun day. We went to a Bar/Restaurant called “Flora-Bama” made famous by many singers/songwriters, but especially Kenny Chesney in the song by the same name, “Flora-Bama”.
Kenny Chesney has also done at least 1 very large concert on the beach at the Flora-Bama !
The Flora-Bama Lounge, located in Perdido Key Florida, on the Alabama/Florida state line, is a honky-tonk, oyster bar, beach bar, and Gulf Coast cultural landmark, touted as being America’s “Last Great Roadhouse”.
The Flora-Bama takes its name from its location on the Florida-Alabama border line, the property does lie in both Alabama and Florida with the bar sitting right on the line.
Widely known as a place where “you can have a millionaire sitting next to a biker,” this unique make-up of bar patrons is one of the contributing factors to its large appeal and attraction.
The Flora-Bama first gained national attention when former Oakland Raiders and Alabama quarterback and NFL MVP Kenny Stabler referred to the Flora-Bama as “The best watering hole in the country”.
Much to our surprise when we arrived, we learned that this week was the once/year “2017 Frank Brown Music Festival”. The Frank Brown Songwriters’ Festival is the oldest festival of its kind, and has been referred to as the largest gathering of songwriters at one time anywhere in the world.
The festival is dedicated to the late Frank Brown, who was night watchman at the Flora-Bama for 28 years, and whose moral values, integrity and strength of character still endure. Mr. Frank, who was 91 years old when he retired, was featured on Paul Harvey’s syndicated radio show, “The Rest of the Story.” In recent years, the event has attracted more than 200 artists from around the world.
We had planned on staying at Flora-Bama for about 5 hours and listening to a little music, having lunch , and spending the afternoon on the beach (oh yea, Flora-Bama is right on the Gulf of Mexico).
We did stay 5 hours, but spent 4 of the 5 hours up in the stage section of the bar listening to all the great music, and only 1 hour on the beach.
The musicians were performing all their original music, it was all very good.
There was a new musician on stage about every 15 minutes, so we saw about 15-20 different acts. This was between 1-5pm, some folks we spoke to said it gets really good at the night time shows.
And the white sand on Perdido Beach was incredible – very white, very clean, & very soft.
There will be 3 posts from Mobile Alabama.
This is the second of the 3 posts from Mobile ;
1. The ride down the Mobile River into downtown Mobile 2. Our visit to the USS Alabama Memorial Park
3. Our visit to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Estuarium
On Friday Nov 10th we had a very special day.
It was Veterans Day, and we celebrated the day with a trip to the USS Alabama Memorial Park.
The USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park is a military history park located on the western shore of Mobile Bay. It has a collection of notable aircraft and ships including the USS Alabama Battleship & and the USS Drum Submarine. The USS Alabama and USS Drum are both National Historic Landmarks.
During our visit, we were treated to the following :
1. The World War II-era battleship USS Alabama (BB-60).
2. The World War II era submarine USS Drum (SS-228).
3. Bombers and fighter planes ranging from a B-52 from the Vietnam War, a P-51 Mustang flown by the Tuskegee Airmen, & an A-12 spyplane.
5. A River Patrol Boat used in the Vietnam War.
6. Military equipment ranging from items such as a Skysweeper M51 anti-aircraft gun to a M4 Sherman tank.
7. A Redstone MRBM (medium range ballistic missile)
But on Veterans Day, we were also treated to some indoor ceremonies & an outdoor 4 person parachute jumping demonstration.
It was an awesome way to spend the holiday.
The USS Alabama Battleship In May 1962, USS Alabama had been ordered scrapped along with her sister ships, USS South Dakota, USS Indiana, and USS Massachusetts. Citizens of the state of Alabama had formed the “USS Alabama Battleship Commission” to raise funds for the preservation of The Alabama as a memorial to the men and women who served in World War II. Alabama’s school children raised approximately $100,000 in nickels and dimes from lunch money and allowances to help the cause. The ship was awarded to the state on June 16, 1964. Alabama was then towed to her permanent berth at Mobile, Alabama, arriving in Mobile Bay on September 14, 1964 and opening as a museum ship on January 9, 1965. The USS Alabama was joined in 1969 by The USS Drum, a World War II Gato-class submarine.
The Alabama was commissioned in August 1942. She earned 9 Battle Stars & shot down 22 enemy planes. The crew was 127 Officers & 2200 enlisted men. She carried the following armament ;
* Nine 16″/45cal Guns which could propel a 2000lb missle 20 miles
* Three main Gun Turrets accurate to 21 miles
* Twenty 5″/38cal Guns
* Forty Eight 40mm Guns
* Fifty Two 20mm Guns
The USS Alabama also has history as being the warship that Cleveland Indian pitcher Bob Feller served his military obligation.
The USS Drum Submarine
The USS Drum was commissioned in November 1941.
Her crew was 7 officers & 65 enlisted men.
She earned 12 Battle Stars in WWII
Misc Planes, Tanks, River Boats, & Missle Launchers
The tour of the ships, planes, tanks, etc was really cool, but the best part of the day may have been the indoor ceremony celebrating Veterans Day. The ceremony had WWII veteran speakers, 4th grade student speeches, color guard flag marches, Cadet marches, music of patriotic songs, and the Pledge of Allegiance (click on the link below)
We followed the very fun day with dinner in downtown Mobile, on Dauphin street, a location lined with bars/restaurants/music clubs, and a New Orleans kind of look & feel.
It was a very fun filled day, and a perfect way to celebrate the holiday.
There will be 3 posts from Mobile Alabama.
This is the first of the 3 posts from Mobile ;
1. The ride down the Mobile River into downtown Mobile
2. Our visit to the USS Alabama Memorial Park
3. Our visit to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Estuarium
The ride down the Mobile River, thru downtown Mobile Alabama, and into Mobile Bay was spectacular.
I will just let the pictures tell the story.
The 43ft Viking has never felt so small, vs the mega ships in the Mobile River.
Approaching downtown Mobile , past the bridge. Many barges on the LHS
Bucket List, Rula Bula, & Odyssey in front of our boat. These are all 43-50 ft boats
Mobile Bay
As we exited the Mobile River, we turned into the Dog River, towards Dog River Marina.
We had about 45ft of water in the Mobile River.
As soon as we made the right turn into the Dog River inlet, the water depth was only 6 ft between the Red/Green day markers.
Later that night, we ate at the Mobile Yacht Club.
The special that day was Blackened Grouper.
It may have been the best Blackened Grouper (covered in secret sauce) that I have ever had.
I give a full 5 stars.
Jonell’s jumbo shrimp were also excellent.
We met the chef, he told us the Grouper is new fish / never frozen / every day.
I expect this will be a common update in future blog posts.
After leaving the historic Bobby’s Fish Camp, we continued down the Tenn-Tom/Black Warrior Rivers towards Mobile.
We were now traveling with Odyssey, Bucket List, and Rula Bula.
Our plan was to anchor 2 times between Bobby’s & Mobile (about 130 miles).
The two anchorages were called ;
1. Three Rivers Lake
2. Big Bayou Canot
Tuesday – Nov 7
The route down the Tenn-Tom/Black Warrior was highly twisted/contoured, and had a large area of marsh land that the rivers went through (see the green area in the 3rd photo below).
Our trip down river was led by Larry Kreissler (pronounced Chrysler, how about that). Larry is a Gold Looper and was one of the presenters at the Joe Wheeler AGLCA rendezvous we attended in October. He knows the lower Tenn-Tom very well.
Thanks to Larry’s knowledge of the river, we had an anchorage that we never would have found or attempted to enter on our own.
Larry led us to a place called Three Rivers Lake. The entrance to the lake was so narrow & so littered with fallen trees, that if we were on our own, we would have never entered the canal leading to the Lake. In spite of what appeared to be a canal that would eventually run out of water, the depth remained 10-15ft during the 10 minute/ 0.1 mile ride into the lake. At the end of the canal, the exit opened up into a beautiful secluded lake only used by small fisherman boats. The depth in the lake was 15-20ft.
It was a spectacular afternoon & night
Thank you Larry !
This photo looks back at the exit of the canal, we are now in Three Rivers Lake
Wednesday – Nov 8th
On Wednesday, we left the Three Rivers Lake anchorage and headed to a second anchorage called Big Bayou Canot. It was not as spectacular as Three Rivers, but it was a nice quiet place. We again had a 4 boat raft off and shared a Looper pot luck dinner on Bucket List.
* Nellie made meatballs
* Sue made home-made bread
* JoAnne brought a cheese/cracker tray & ham roll-ups
* The host Cindy made salad, soup, mild sausage, and cheese cake for dessert.
Doesn’t sound like much, but we were all full after dinner.
After dinner we moved from Bucket List to Gettin’ Looped and watched Mike’s Go-Pro video of Three Rivers Lake canal on the 47″ Samsung (we have the biggest TV and know how to hook it up to a computer).
It was a very fun night with our Looper pals telling stories and jokes, and picking Larry/Cindy’s brains about the upcoming trip into Mobile.
That’s it for now.
Next Blog Update = The trip into Mobile Bay !!
Oh, BTW – Just heard from Brenda & Kenny that it was 18f in Detroit this am.
It again reminded Jonell & I how lucky we are, and to stop complaining about 45-50f mornings. It was 69f and sunny today in Mobile.
We departed King Fisher Bay Marina in Demopolis Alabama on Monday morning.
We were hoping for a quick lockage at the Demopolis lock (2 miles from the marina), because we had about 100 miles to travel to get to Bobby’s Fish Camp.
I called the lock master at 6:30am and asked what the traffic looked like, he said ” nothin on the schedule, come on down”.
We made it to the lock at 7:15am (with 5 other boats) only to find out that there was now a southbound tow that had just called in. We had to wait for the tow to lock thru and by the time we got out of the lock it was now 9:30am.
The beauty of the 43 Viking, unlike most trawlers, is that we have speed when we need to use it. Of the 6 boats exiting the lock at 9:30am, we were the only boat to make it to Bobby’s before sunset.
We normally drive 10mph (ie , 100 miles = 10 hours).
On this day the Viking did 20mph for 4 hours (80 miles), and 10mph for 20 miles (2 hours).
We were at Bobby’s at 3:30pm !
It was important for us to get to Bobby’s early because there are only 4 dockage spots, then you have to raft off of other boats, and pay the same price whether docked with power or rafting while using your generator.
To our delight, when we arrived at Bobby’s, we were greeted by our very good friends Odyssey (Bud/Sue), Rula Bula (Mike/JoAnn), and Bucket List (Larry/Cindy). It could not have been more perfect, we did not know if we would be with “other Loopers” that we did knot know, but met up with some of our best pals.
Bobby’s Fish Camp is an iconic stop on the Loop. It is one of the “Must Stop” locations, much like Hoppies on the Mississippi.
It is really just a barge with fuel and power (no water, no showers, no toilets, no internet, no cell service). But it is the last fuel stop before Mobile.
Bobby’s Fish Camp is located on the Tombigbee River in the southwest part of Alabama. Bobby’s Fish Camp has been in operation for over half a century and is one of the oldest restaurants in southwest Alabama. Bobby E. Dahlberg built and opened the restaurant in 1956 to serve river traffic. He also built rental cabins on the river in the early 1960’s. The customers of Bobby’s Fish Camp were primarily local folks. In 1985, the Tenn-Tom Waterway opened which resulted in a significant increase with yacht traffic on the Tombigbee River. The yacht marinas at Demopolis, AL and Mobile, AL were nearly 240 miles apart and many yachts could not travel this far without refueling. At the request of the Demopolis Yacht Basin, Bobby Dahlberg installed a fueling station on the river at his Fish Camp which was about midway between the Demopolis and Mobile marinas. Bobby’s Fish Camp became the smallest marina of the Tenn-Tom Marina Association. In the years since the opening of the Tenn-Tom, yachts from all over the world have visited Bobby’s with some making it a routine stop.
Bobby’s Fish Camp has the reputation for serving some of the best fried catfish in southwest Alabama. Additionally, visiting Bobby’s is like traveling back in time. The place is filled with all types of collectibles and artifacts. On the walls are pictures of old steamboats and places that no longer exist. Bobby Dahlberg operated Bobby’s Fish Camp from 1956 until his death in February 2010. It is now operated by his daughter, Lora Jane Dahlberg Mcllwain. The Fish Camp is open seven days a week for river traffic (boat fueling and docking, boat launches, ice, soft drinks, etc.) and to rent cabins and RV sites. The restaurant is open three nights each week (Thursday, Friday and Saturday).
It was a Monday night, but they opened the restaurant for us 4 Looper couples.
We had some fine catfish dinners at the restaurant.
The place is truly iconic for Loopers.
Don’t worry, the Gator is not real. But we did see our first Gator (8ft) along the shoreline during this portion of the route, between Demopolis & Bobby’s
Bucket List (Larry/Cindy) next to Jonell, Odyssey (Bud/Sue) right/front, and Rula Bula (Mike/JoAnn) in the right/rear. All wonderful people !
Oh BTW – we also saw more Monarch Butterflies.
Jonell says that we have seen a Monarch Butterfly EVERY DAY since we left Lake St Clair.
She says that they are Mo-Jan & Mo-Faye (our mothers) following us to keep us safe.
I’m not sure which one is in this photo, they take turns watching over us !
Dear Blog Followers,
Nothing really significant in this post.
The last few posts have been a little “boring?”
But more interesting stuff will be coming when we get down to the Gulf of Mexico in 7-10 days.
Wed – Nov 1st
We left the Columbus Marina on Wed Nov 1st and anchored in a place called Sumter Recreation Area, then went on to King Fisher Marina in Demopolis on Thursday Nov 2nd.
The ride from Columbus to Sumter on Wednesday was warm but rainy. Nellie was wearing her rain jacket again (she has used it many times) but this time commented that the jacket fits fine, but the hood seems a little large. We may have to make modifications.
The ride down the Tenn-Tom had; some nice homes, some rocky walled cliffs, moss starting to form on the trees, and an interesting superman phone booth on the bank of the river.
The Sumter anchorage on Wednesday night, was a nice quiet small cove area with only 4 boats in the cove for the night. Gettin’ Looped & our friends Odyssey (Bud/Sue Hanson) rafted together and had popcorn and movie night. Sue is fond of love stories and musicals, so we watched La-La Land. Bud & Mike had a hard time staying awake.
Thursday – Nov 2
On Thursday Nov 2nd we arrived at King Fisher Bay Marina in Demopolis, a 4 star rated marina with an open pool, cable TV, slip side pump outs, fast WiFi, multiple showers, golf carts, courtesy cars, shuttle vans.
Basically all the comforts that the Gettin’ Looped team has gotten’ used to. Some of the previous marinas and upcoming stops will be a little rough until we get to Mobile.
On Thursday night we went to dinner at a place called the Foscue House.
Just west of Demopolis stands the stately remains of what once was a plantation.
The Foscue-Whitfield, or Foscue House as it is commonly known today, has a history that far outlives any business that has used the building as a home.
The Foscue House was built by Augustus Foscue in 1840 with handmade bricks and was used as his family residence. There is a lot of history on the renovations of the property and how/when it became a restaurant, but the big draw was supposed to be that it was an “old haunted plantation house”
The folks at the marina had told us that the Foscue House was known for being haunted by the spirit of an old servant who worked on the plantation years ago. We asked the waitress to provide more of the story, but she did not have a lot of additional details. Google search also did not bring up much.
I think the “haunted plantation house” story is just a big marketing scheme ???
We went to dinner with a new gang of Loopers; Tasteful Traveler (Joe/Pam), Blue Haven (Allen/Lila), and Day Dream (John/??).
Friday – Nov 3
On Friday; 1) we went grocery shopping with Bud/Sue, 2) topped off the engine oil, 3)washed the boat, 4) pumped out the heads, 5) ordered a new cooling fan for the Ice Maker, 6) paid the second half of the Royal Oak house taxes, 7) re-upped the FCA health insurance for 2018, and 8) went to dinner at a Mexican place with Looper Pals Ramble On (Scott/Linda).
The Las Fuentes restaurant had some very nice sized margaritas.
After dinner we had 10 Loopers over on the aft deck of Gettin’ Looped. It was a wonderful night with no bugs and a full moon. We all used the new bottle of Tiddys delivered by Kenny/Carla to toast the Great Loop, and how thankful we all are to be able to enjoy this great voyage and meeting new friends. We forgot to get a photo of the gang on our boat, but did get a photo of the nice full moon after the folks left. Saturday – Nov 4th
On Saturday we had a low-key day, spending most of the day at the very nice marina pool (75f & sunny) and watching football (Iowa vs Ohio State – go Hawkeyes).
I was happy to be able to swim some laps again, but am highly out of practice and had to take a little siesta after the swim.
On Saturday night, we went to dinner at The Red Barnwith Loopers “Odyssey” & “Ramble On”. The Red Barn Restaurant, which is located inside of an old rustic barn, is one of the oldest restaurants in the Demopolis area. Before the barn was a restaurant, it was used for several different things, including a hay barn, a John Deere office, and even an antique store.
I had the ribs, Nellie had pork chops, both were very good, & we were stuffed. So much so, that we could not have the signature homemade cobbler topped with ice cream (poor planning).
Sunday – Nov 5th
On Sunday, Nellie & I ;
1) Went to Wal-Mart to get a replacement cartridge for my inflatable life vest
2) Visited a Historic House called Bluff Hall
3) We had pizza/beer on Gettin’ Looped with Mark/Sandy Holtsclaw who we had previously met at Pebble Isle Marina in New Johnsonville Tennessee.
Life Vest
Evidently my inflatable life vest went off during the night while it was stored up in the flybridge. Not sure of the cause, but glad it did not go off while I was wearing it, it would have scared the stuff out of me. We went to Wal-Mart attempting to find a replacement cartridge, but were unsuccessful. There were no open marine supply stores in Demopolis today. We will have to complete this project when we get to Mobile in 2-3 days.
We will probably move the life vest storage space to inside the cabin, as the flybridge does get humid after warm days and cold nights, that could have been the cause of the premature deployment.
Bluff Hall Plantation
Bluff Hall is a historic residence in Demopolis, Alabama.
Bluff Hall was built in 1832 as a father’s gift to his daughter, as a Federal Style house (brick). It was modified in the Greek Revival style (white, tall pillars, large porch) in the 1850’s.
The displays in the house include clothing, Empire and Victorian furniture and an exhibit on local history. Bluff Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
We went on a 1:1 tour with Kayla Jordan, an 18 year old dossin who had immense history on the place. She told us that about 70% of the furniture, art, clothing in the house is original 1830’s vintage. Much of the house is influenced by the fascination the owner, Allen Glover, had with European style.
Rear view from the house on the Tenn-Tom Waterwaydossin Kayla Jordan
kitchenkids room and toysHearing aid on the tableSpecial tapestry made with Bluff Hall in the design
Mark/Sandy Holtsclaw – Pizza Night
On Sunday afternoon in the laundry room at King Fisher, we ran in to Sandy Holtsclaw. We had initially met Sandy and her husband Mark a month or so ago at Pebble Isle Marina in New Johnsonville. It was a strange re-encounter because after we sent the blog post with Mark/Sandra’s photo at Pebble Isle, we found out a few days later that Mark/Sandy are related to Jonell’s brother Adam & wife Patty Silorey. They are the in-laws of Patty’s niece Kristen married to Mark/Sandy’s son Kevin (again a small world). We had pizza/beer/ & great conversation on Gettin’ Looped with Mark/Sandy Sunday night.
Next Stop = The famous Looper destination – “Bobbys Fish Camp”, last fuel stop on the Tenn-Tom before Mobile.
Stay tuned for more on Bobby’s in the next post.
The ride from Fulton to Columbus was fairly uneventful, but a long day gettin’ thru locks.
60 miles / 4 Locks / 9.5 hours.
The ride down the Tenn-Tom was pleasurable, with low traffic and small barges,
In the first lock we met a couple on a 49 ft Meridian boat from metro Detroit.
The vessel “Grayling” was crewed by Bob & Jeanne from Northville Michigan.
Grayling led the day thru the locks and around blind corners with their AIS system.
The first & second locks (Fulton Lock & Glover Wilkens Lock) were quick in/outs.
The third lock (Amory) was about a 2 hour wait for a barge, then 5 slower sailboats.
The forth lock (Aberdeen Lock) was very quick with only Grayling & Gettin’ Looped thru the lock.
We arrived at Columbus Marina about 5:30pm and were tied up and powered just before dusk.
On our way into Columbus Marina, we were greeted by the local welcoming party Byron, a Gold Looper from 2014/2015. We did not know Byron, but apparently he takes photos of all the Loopers arriving at Columbus and shares the photos.
We went to dinner with Bob/Jeanne, who we had just met during the day.
They are an interesting couple, both are UofM grads.
Bob was a lawyer by trade, worked for the city of Detroit, worked for a company that specializes in training companies on the ISO14000 Quality Standards, and has written 3 supernatural horror books, the most popular being “Crooked Tree”.
You can Google him via “Robert C Wilson, Crooked Tree”
Jeanne has her PHD in Biology, but due to a scarce market for people with this background, she has become an IT specialist, making double of what she was making as a biologist.
In spite of living in Northville, they have spent a lot of their life in Grayling Michigan, and named their boat “Grayling”.
They are on a similar schedule as us, having left Michigan this past summer, but they have much more experience than us, having spent about 2 months in Florida & the Bahamas, when they purchased the boat in Florida in 2014.
Jonell thinks that Bob, minus the white beard, looks like my dad James Murphree – what do y’all who know Jimmy think ?
Today, July 31st is Halloween.
Completely forgot about it, we tend to lose track of the days of the week or holidays while Looping (Dave Hinman knows this fact).
We were reminded by 2 young trick or treaters in the marina this afternoon.
Luckily, Mike keeps a lot of candy on board, and Kenny/Carla left a bag.
The youngsters were treated to Reeses Cups, Twix candy bars, and M/M packets.
In spite of not knowing what day it is, we have been able to keep up with the World Series via the internet & Fox Sports Go.
Games #2 & #5 were two of the most exciting World Series games I think I have ever seen.
Game #6 – We were hoping that Justin Verlander would have won it all for Houston Tuesday, oh well didn’t win but pitched very well again.
Game #7 tonight – Go Astros !
Oops , just heard from another Looper couple that we missed it
Congrats Houston !
After saying farewell to Kenny & Carla on Friday, we left Grand Harbor on the Tennessee river in Counce Tennessee, and started our trip down the Tenn-Tom Waterway towards Mobile Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico. We hope to be in Mobile around the middle of November.
Departure on Saturday morning was Very Cold , 38F !
So cold Mike & Nellie had to break out the stored away winter coats.
The early morning started with an oh-crap – the Auto Pilot is Inop.
It may not seem like a big deal (just have to steer the boat vs using auto pilot, right ?).
But the Auto Pilot also shows the location of the rudders, and when the rudders are strait vs turned. Rudders that are not strait significantly affect the ability to use the twin shafts to steer in tight marina quarters.
Note = the rudders are 1 tick to starboard (right) in this photo
Apparently the Auto-Pilot issue was a cold temp related issue, shortly after we were under way, normal auto-pilot function returned.
Our initial ride down the Tenn-Tom was wonderful.
Very pretty sights, low barge traffic, and relatively quick lock passages.
The Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway (popularly known as the Tenn-Tom) is a 234-mile man-made waterway that extends from the Tennessee River to the junction of the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River system near Demopolis, Alabama.
The Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway links navigation from the nation’s midsection (near the intersection of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama) into the Gulf of Mexico, exiting in Mobile Alabama.
There are 10 Locks between Pickwick Lake (Grand Harbor Marina) in Counce Tennessee & Mobile Alabama.
Out first day on the Tenn-Tom we completed 60 miles & 3 locks, each with only 30ft drops. Gettin’ Looped had the pleasure of leading a 6 boat flotilla thru the 60 miles & 3 locks, calling ahead by cell phone to the lock masters and communicating via VHF radio the lock-thru plan to the other 5 boats.
The flotilla leadership role comes simply from being the first one into & out of the first lock of the day.
Towards the end of the day, shortly before we got to Midway Marina in Fulton Alabama, I noticed on the chart plotter a place called “Murphree’s Landing Marina”.
Unfortunately the water levels outside of the channel would not allow a 43ft Viking on shore to explore.
The marina looked to be a very small place with max size boats of about 27ft.
We arrived late Saturday afternoon at Midway Marina, shortly after passing Murphree’s Landing.
Midway is a somewhat Bla-see marina, nothing special, folks were again very friendly.
We were only at Midway for 2 nights, Saturday & Sunday, Oct 28-29.
On Sunday we did a couple cool things.
We borrowed the Midway courtesy car and went to 2 places;
The first place we went was back to Murphree’s Landing Marina
When we arrived there was nobody around, it was about 11am Sunday morning, I was sure that all the Murphree’s were tucked away in a nice warm church.
So I called the owner Clifford Murphree.
Clifford Answered.
I told Clifford that my name was Mike Murphree, and that I was from Detroit, and that my dad had an uncle who lived in nearby Tupelo Mississippi, named Elvis Murphree.
Clifford said “well I’m currently in Murphy NC, but I think we are kin”.
He said that his grand dad and my dads uncle Elvis were cousins.
I sent my dad the photo, and my dad said that Clifford was his cousin.
My dad also said that he and his brothers Wayne & Charles threw dead fish down Clifford’s drinking well when they were kids.
I’m still not sure about all the facts, but it appears that we are related to Clifford (more research req’d, especially the fish story).
The second cool thing we did on Sunday was to complete our Elvis Presley tour that we started in Memphis Tennessee with our Graceland visit two weeks ago.
Midway Marina / Fulton Mississippi are right next door to Tupelo Mississippi.
Tupelo was the birth place of Elvis Presley.
So we went to the birth home of Elvis in Tupelo.
The Presley’s were very poor when Elvis was young.
The house was a very small 2 room house, with a combo living/bed room & a kitchen/dining/bathing room (note the steel tub at the back door).
No water or electricity.
The birth home showed quite the humble beginnings compared to where Elvis ended up after becoming famous (see Graceland post – port #34 Oct 9-14th, Counce Tn) .
Our next stop on the tour was the actual little Assembly of God church where the Presley family attended service. It was moved 2 blocks from its original location to the birth place property so visitors could see both significant buildings w/o having to travel 2 blocks. The structure has been restored and the pulpit is the original one from the time that Elvis attended service. Once inside the church, we sat down on the pews and a video presentation began. Three video screens dropped from the ceiling & covered the entire front wall and side walls of the church (not original equipment). The video consisted of sights and sounds of a recreated Pentecostal church service. The reenactment of “having church” was well done. At one point in the old home movie, Elvis was led by his parents to the front of the church where he was called upon to sing “Jesus Loves Me” in front of the congregation and then the pastor prayed a special prayer over him.
The pastor, Frank Smith was one of the early teachers of basic guitar chords to Elvis.
Unfortunately , we were told before the video began that photos & video of the service recreation were not allowed.
The video provided great insight into why Gospel music became such a large parts of Elvis’ life.
Elvis’ only Grammy awards were all for Gospel music (How Great Thou Are, You’ll Never Walk Alone, He Touched Me).
Next Stop = Columbus Mississippi
60 miles / 4 Locks
If you haven’t already, check out the GPS Tracker
We are making good progress towards Mobile Alabama & the Gulf of Mexico.
Expand the scale out to see the entire eastern half of the USA, and see the our full track
This week on the Murphree’s Great Loop Adventure we had the treat of a visit from family. My brother Ken Murphree & 1st mate Carla joined us for a week of Looping.
They met us in Rogersville Alabama where we had just completed the AGLCA Rendezvous.
Kenny & Carla arrived late on Friday Oct 20th.
On Friday evening, we basically got them unpacked from the car/packed into the boat, had some drinks on the rear deck of Gettin’ Looped, and then had dinner at the Rogersville Marina Lodge.
Saturday – Oct 21
On Saturday we traveled from Rogersville Alabama to an anchorage near Florence Alabama. We traveled thru 2 locks; the Wheeler Lock & the Wilson Lock. The Wilson Lock is over a 100 ft drop from Wheeler Lake to the Tennessee river. The Wheeler & Wilson Locks were Kenny & Carla’s first experience going thru a lock.
Entering Wilson lock – High Water at Wilson Lake level. The lock is in front of us & the Dam is off to the left sideExiting Wilson Lock, 100ft lower at Tennessee river levelLook at the dark wet marks on the lock walls, that is how far we dropped, over 100 ft, only the upper 10ft in light gray color is not wet.
The Florence Marina was booked for Saturday night so we had to anchor for one night before gettin’ into Florence Harbor. Our anchorage for Saturday night was on the Tennessee river between an active passenger car bridge & an ole unused railroad bridge. It was also just after the Wilson Lock near the deadhead of the Wilson Dam. Carla grilled dogs for dinner and we played euchre well into the night on the aft deck (yea, no bugs).
Our anchorage was between the 2 bridgesOur anchorage was between the 2 bridges on the RHS, Florence Marina is in the center of the photo. We anchored Saturday night & went into the marina Sunday morning.An excellent dusk time photo from our anchorage, compliments of Ken
While anchored Saturday night, we noticed a lot of people walking on the old railroad bridge. Later during the week, we went for a walk on the ole railroad bridge that we had anchored under a few nights before.
Sunday – Oct 22
On Sunday we moved from the anchorage into the Florence Marina, and drove the Florence Marina shuttle van back to Rogersville to get Carla’s car.
Sunday night we had drinks at “On the Rocks” and went to dinner at “Ricatoni’s Italian Grill” both in Florence Alabama.
Monday – Oct 23
On Monday we had a big day, going to 2 of the famous Muscle Shoals Recording Studios & and also visiting the birthplace of Hellen Keller.
The city of Muscle Shoals (just across the Tennessee river from Florence) is famous for being the home of 2 recording studios which have produced many well-known hits; FAME Studio & Muscle Shoals Sound Studio.
Prior to going to the studios, we watched a DVD loaned to us by our Looper pals “Pharm Life”.
The DVD was called “Muscle Shoals”, created by film maker Greg Camalier who pays tribute to a city that holds a prominent place in music history.
The DVD gave the history of the “FAME” recording studio created in the late 1950’s by a man named Rick Hall. FAME initially became famous for “when a man loves a woman” by Percy Sledge, and later by recording hits from Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and numerous others.
The studio band at FAME, created by Rick Hall, were 5 white guys named “The Muscle Shoals Sound & Rhythm Section. The 5 piece band consisted of members ; Pete Carr (lead guitar), Jimmy Johnson (guitar), Roger Hawkins (drums), David Hood (bass guitar) and Barry Beckett (keyboards).
These guys essentially created the “Muscle Shoals Sound”, a combination of southern/gospel/blues type sounds, and ultimately became more well know as “The Swampers”.
You may recall the Lynard Skynard song Sweet Home Alabama, which says “Muscle Shoals got the Swampers”.They were paying tribute to the studio band at FAME.
The Swampers helped producer Rick Hall make FAME Studio very famous and established Muscle Shoals Alabama as being a hot bed for creating a distinctive sound.
The Swampers left FAME in 1969 and with the help of a NYC producer Jerry Wexler (Atlantic Records) formed their own studio named the “Muscle Shoals Sound Studio”. The separation from Rick Hall at FAME was evidently due to new contract demands that Rick Hall was attempting to impart on The Swampers.
The Muscle Shoals Sound Studio became equally known as “3614 Jackson Highway”, the address of the studio in Sheffield Alabama. The Swampers, developed many hits for Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Bob Segar, Joe Cocker, the Rolling Stones and others. When Paul Simon arrived at the studio he asked to meet the band and was shocked to learn that the distinctive sound he had previously heard on other hits from The Shoals, was from 5 white guys.
Studio Bill to The Rolloiung Stones for recording Wild Horses
Both FAME Studio and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio are still in operation. While famous for older recordings from Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Bob Segar, Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, & The Allman Brothers, recent hit songs such as “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood and “I Loved Her First” by Heartland continue the city’s musical legacy.
In addition to the music history, Muscle Shoals was also the site of an attempted community development project by Henry Ford in 1922.
The original streets of Muscle Shoals were named after streets in Detroit due to Henry Ford’s influence in the area.
Ford Motor Company operated a plant in the Listerhill community 3 miles east of Muscle Shoals for many years before closing in 1982. Just like Detroit, Woodward Avenue is the main road through the city even today. Henry Ford’s inability to acquire land from the Tennessee Valley Authority foiled his desire to create a 75-mile Industrial Megalopolis from Decatur to the Tri-State border of Pickwick Lake
After touring the Sound Studios we stopped for a quick lunch at a place called “Champy’s”, recommended by the tour guide at FAME. Champy’s specializes in fried chicken & catfish (yum).
Also on Monday, we visited the birthplace of Hellen Keller, known as “Ivy Green”.
Ivy Green is the name for the childhood home of Helen Keller. The house was built-in 1820 and was a very nice home at that time. The actual well water pump where Helen Keller uttered her first word of “water” with teacher Anne Sullivan is located at Ivy Green.
If you are not a Helen Keller expert, she was born in 1880 and died in 1968 (same year the Tigers won the World Series). She became well-known for her perseverance of overcoming her handicaps of hearing, speech, and vision to become a well versed author, lecturer, and crusader for the handicapped.
Born physically normal, Keller lost her sight and hearing at the age of nineteen months to an illness now believed to have been scarlet fever.
Five years later, on the advice of Alexander Graham Bell, her parents applied to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston for a teacher, and from that school hired Anne Mansfield Sullivan. Through Sullivan’s extraordinary instruction, the little girl learned to understand and communicate with the world around her. She went on to acquire an excellent education and to become an important influence on the treatment of the blind and deaf.
The story is well told in the movie “The Miracle Worker” starring Anne Bancroft & Patty Duke. We watched a short video clip of Helen giving a speech late in her life, it was amazing that a deaf/blind person could have become such an eloquent speaker.
Also on Monday (whew) we introduced Kenny/Carla to our pals from vessel Mother Ocean (Dennis & Jan).
Dennis/Jan gave Ken/Carla a tour of the cruise ship Mother Ocean, and after a few Beam/Cokes, the photos show that Kenny/Carla also became good friends with Dennis/Jan.
Also on Monday, we had dinner at a place called “Legends”
Tuesday – Oct 24
On Tuesday, we went to a place called “Tom’s Wall”, in Florence Alabama.
Tom’s Wall is a memorial to his great great grandmother.
In the late 1830’s, a young teenage Yuchi Indian girl was living near the Singing (Tennessee) River. Unfortunately, this was also during a dark time in American history known as the Trail of Tears, when Native Americans were forcibly removed from the Eastern portion of the United States and moved west. This young girl, along with her sister, were discovered by Army personnel and forced to walk to Oklahoma. She listened for singing waters in her new surroundings of Oklahoma and found none. Convinced she would die if she stayed, she escaped and spent five years walking back to Alabama. The journey was extremely difficult with many trials and tribulations along the way, however she returned to her singing Tennessee river.
In the 1980’s, Tom Hendrix, her great great grandson, visited the Yuchi people and had her journals translated and after the trip vowed to honor the great Native American woman. A wall of stones was going to be the memorial and over 30 years later, the monument is truly something to behold. It is the largest un-mortared rock wall in the United States. Each stone represents one step of her journey. Also, the shape, height, and width of the wall changes to represent the various obstacles she encountered. There are stones from over 120 countries that come in every size, shape, texture and unique geologic features you can imagine.
Tom Hendrix gave an interview prior to his death which said ““Over 32 years ago, I had the great honor and privilege of sitting with one of my great grandmother’s people. She changed my life. I told her I wanted to do something for my great grandmother. She said, ‘We shall all pass this Earth, only the stones will remain. We honor our ancestors with stones. That’s what you should do”.
The wall is over a mile long, it contains 8.5 million pounds of stone with no fill and no mortar. Hendrix worked for Ford Motor Company until age 55 when he then began to spent more than 33 years building the wall.
Tom Hendricks passed in Feb 2017, but we were able to meet his grand daughter.
After Tom’s wall, we visited the Spring Park Waterfalls.
A beautiful man-made waterfall within Spring Park, in Tuscumbia Alabama.
While driving to Tom’s Wall we passed several large cotton fields.
Wednesday – Oct 25
On Wednesday we took the ss Gettin’ Looped from the Florence/Muscle Shoals area (Florence Marina) to Counce TN. It was a return for Jonell & I back to Grand Harbor Marina at Pickwick Lake. We had to backtrack after the rendezvous in Rogersville, to get back near the entrance to the Tenn-Tom Waterway, and our upcoming ride down to Mobile Alabama.
On Wednesday night we had dinner at Freddy T’s with Kenny/Carla’s new pals Mother Ocean (Dennis/Jan) and new Looper pals Don’t Think Twice (Andy/Pat).
Pat had a steak & the biggest baked potato I have seen. Thursday – Oct 26
On Thursday we went to the Shiloh National Military Park, home of the Civil War Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing.
The Battle of Shiloh was a major battle in the American Civil War fought over only 2 days April 6/7, 1862 in southwestern Tennessee.
We hired a Shiloh Civil War historian named Larry.
Larry’s family previously owned some of the land which is now the Shiloh National Park.
He gave us a very in-depth 2 hour tour of Shiloh.
Larry educated us about the battle as we drove around the grounds where many americans lost their lives.
The Story ;
The Battle of Shiloh began on April 6, 1862 and lasted for only two days.
It was fought between the Confederate army which was led by General Albert Sidney Johnston and the Union army which was led by General Ulysses S. Grant.
Before the Battle
Before the battle began, General Grant had set up a camp at Pittsburg Landing where he trained his new soldiers and waited for reinforcements from another Union force led by General Buell coming from the north. Pittsburg Landing (on the Tennessee river) was a critical supply line via boats, and source of fresh water for the men.
The Battle Begins
On April 6, 1862 at around 5 a.m, the Confederates attacked the Union position at Pittsburg Landing, attempting to surprise Grant’s Union forces and gain the victory before union reinforcements from the north could arrive. The initial attack was successful since most of the Confederate army was made up of new/untested soldiers and the more trained Union army was caught somewhat by surprise.
The Hornet’s Nest
The attack by the Confederates broke the Union lines very quickly but some of the Union lines managed to stay intact. There was one area that became known as the Hornet’s Nest because it was a battle held in a sunken road. This was where the Union soldiers who managed to stay in-tact were holding back the Confederates while reinforcements requested by General Grant started to arrive.
End of the First Day
The Confederates had won the first day of the battle because of Johnston’s surprise attack but the battle wasn’t over yet. – General Johnston Is Killed in action !
Despite the Confederates’ victory on the first day of the battle, they had suffered a great loss. General Johnston was shot and killed on the battlefield. When he got shot in the leg, he didn’t realize how serious the injury was because his leg was already numb from a previous hip injury & a full day in the saddle. The shot to his leg behind his knee eventually resulted in too much blood loss hidden by his boot, and he died at the end of the first day of battle.
Second Day of the Battle
On the second day of the battle of Shiloh, General P.G.T Beauregard replaced General Johnston’s position. He didn’t realize that the Union reinforcements (another 25,000 men) had arrived the night before so the Confederates fought a fierce 2nd day battle until General Beauregard saw that they were now highly outnumbered & ordered his Confederate soldiers to retreat, ending their hopes of blocking the Union advance into northern Mississippi.
Results
The result of the battle of Shiloh was that the Union had about 20,000 more soldiers than the Confederates, which earned them a victory on the second day of the battle.
Overall, the battle of Shiloh was one of the most bloodiest battles in the Civil War.
It was eventually followed by the Battles of Antietam, Chancellorsville, and soon after the 3-day Battle of Gettysburg, which would prove to be the bloodiest overall battle of the war.
The Civil War began on April 12, 1861 and ended May 9, 1865 and led to over 618,000 casualties (severe injury or death).
The tour that Larry gave us around Shiloh consisted of many sites including ; The Pittsburg Landing, the Hornets Nest, & the Shiloh Church.
The tour also showed us the hour by hour & day to day actual locations of the Union and Confederate forces.
The most interesting thing for me were some of the gravesites;
There was a large cemetery for the Union forces with individual graves & numbered markers (not names).
There was another area with the Confederate forces buried in a mass grave, reportedly 750 men in the mass grave below.
Evidently, the spoils of victory & ramifications of defeat.
But sadly, all men were our americans buried in two different ways.
Union Graves
Confederate Mass Grave (between the rows of cannonballs)
Reportedly 750 men buried in this mass grave between the cannonballs. There were several sites like this.
We also saw some less morbid sites.
There were several areas showing the staging of how the artillery lines were set up, and noting the fact that the Union Army was much better equipped than the Confederate.
The cannon wheels and stand are recreations, but the gun barrel is actual civil war barrels
There were also specific areas dedicated to the battalions of each of the states involved.
Larry also showed us some of his civil war possessions, cannonball shots and bullets.
Cannonball shots, the cannons were loaded with coffee can size containers of this type of shotLead bullets, white because they are highly oxidized. Larry gave me & Kenny each one bullet.
We ended the day on Thursday with some drinks on the aft deck of Gettin’ Looped, Ken played with his drone taking some excellent aerial photos of Grand Harbor Marina, and we had dinner at the Aqua Marina Grill.
Friday – Oct 27
The sad day when Kenny & Carla had to return back home to Michigan !
Not sure why they had to leave, if they were missing Michigan weather it is supposed to be a low of 38f and rainy here in southern Tennessee tonight, with a high of 51f tomorrow (YUK, need to get further south quickly).
Next stop Fulton, MS (near Tupelo, MS the birthplace of Elvis).
Sorry for the lack of updates, we have been very busy this past week at the AGLCA Looper’s Fall Rendezvous in Rogersville Alabama (AGLCA = America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association).
The event is 1 of 2 annual events for AGLCA members.
The intent of the Rendezvous is to share Great Loop knowledge between folks who have Completed the Loop, Current Loopers, and Loopers in Planning.
The event was held at the Joe Wheeler State Park Lodge & Marina in Rogersville Alabama.
It was a week long event with about 260 attendees and about 50 boats (about 100 active Loopers & 150 planners).
The activities this week included the following –
1. Classes discussing the upcoming sections of The Loop
2. Looper Crawls
3. Social Dinners
4. A Polo Match
5. Dinghy Races
6. Meeting a lot of new people & new friends.
1. Classes discussing the upcoming sections of The Loop
These classes are given by folks who have already completed the Loop multiple times. The classes at this weeks seminar included travel sections of the Loop between Rogersville Alabama & Norfolk Virginia (the Spring Rendezvous in Norfolk will cover the Loop between Norfolk & back to Rogersville). The classes include recommended marinas, anchorages, and potential high risk areas due to high & low tides/current, shoaling, etc.
The classes in the main conference room included the following sections of America’s Great Loop (the classes were mainly for Active Loopers).
– Tenn-Tom Waterway to Mobile, AL
– Mobile to Tarpon Springs, FL
– Crossing the Gulf w/o Drama
– Tarpon Springs to Jacksonville, FL – via Lake Okeechobee
– Fort Myers to Stuart, FL – via The Keys
– Side trip – Cruising the Bahamas
– Jacksonville, FL to Beaufort, SC
– Beaufort to Norfolk, VA
The classes in the secondary conference room included the following topics (these classes were mainly for Loopers in Planning).
– Buying your Looper Boat
– How to Finance your Boat
– Insurance
– Marine Electronics
– Emergency Medicine at Sea
– Reluctant Partners
– DIY Maintenance
– Locks
– Looping on a budget
– Selling your Boat after the Loop
2. Looper Crawls
Looper Crawls are a daily event where the newbie “Loopers in Planning” can come on all 50 of the “Active Looper” boats and talk to the owners about their boats.
You typically discuss why you bought your type of boat, what you like/dislike, and how you have your boat outfitted for the Loop. If you are in the process of buying a boat to Loop with, this is a great opportunity to compare many different types and sizes of boats.
3. Social Dinners At the end of every tutorial day, there is a large group dinner for all 260 participants to compare notes from the day of classes and socialize.
4. Polo Match
On Wednesday of this week, the social dinner was off-site from the Joe Wheeler Park.
The dinner was held at a nearby Polo Field. The Loopers were treated to a Polo match, followed by a dinner, a band, and a lot of dancing.
5. Dinghy Races
This was a very fun event where Loopers race against time as a couple, against other Loopers, with one spouse giving directions to the other spouse who is blind folded. The dinghy race is also run in reverse gear (not so easy to steer). They only announced the winners, but me & Nellie finished in the middle of the pack. There were 12 boats that participated in the Dinghy race.
6. Meeting a lot of new people & new friends.
We met so many new friends at the Rendezvous. Many of the new people we met are not currently Looping, they have either completed the Loop or are in the process of planning their future Loop.
The most interesting of the new friends were Bobby & Wendy Wilson.
Bobby & Wendy completed their Loop in 2015/2016, but what was most interesting is that they completed the Loop in a 32 ft Bayliner, WITH THEIR 4 DAUGHTERS (remember, Jonell & I are doing the Loop in a 43 ft vessel with only 2 of us).
A large part of their desire to do the Loop with their entire family was that their youngest daughter Mia was born with a congenital heart defect. Mia’s heart condition affects her pulmonary function, and she has to do similar breathing treatments as our son Dan (imagine coordinating all the medicine deliveries).
Their desire to do the Loop was because they do not have certainty of Mia’s future health condition, and they wanted to create the family memories while they were still able to.
Bobbie worked while Looping, he runs a business which helps process credit card transactions. Wendy home schooled the 4 girls while Looping.
The Wilson’s are very active in AGLCA teaching courses such as ; Looping on a Budget & Looping with a Family.
They are wonderful, inspirational people.
gettinlooped2017.com 