This is video number thirty seven of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video, the Soulstice crew travels the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers in this video. We dock at the famous Hoppies barge and anchor along the way to Paducah, Kentucky. The Soulstice crew cruises by the St. Louis Arch and takes the obligatory selfie. We meet the challenges of river debris and play dodge the barge on the Ohio River. We successfully lock through the Melvin Price and Chain of Rock locks. We also enjoy exploring the river town of Paducah. We visit the National Quilt Museum, walk the Paducah walls and stroll the downtown and residential areas. The Soulstice crew definitely enjoyed spending time with Looper friends at the Great Loop stop of Paducah. I hope you enjoy the video.

This is video number thirty six of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video, the Soulstice crew travels the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. We dock in the area's rustic marinas and anchor out at several beautiful spots. We enjoy exploring this area and continue to challenge our navigation skills with the frequent barge traffic we encounter. We do take some time to have lunch at the famous Mel's Illinois Riverfront Restaurant. We finally do make it to Grafton, the Key West of the Midwest, and enjoy spending time with fellow Looper friends. We even visit Aerie Winery and ride on the chair lift and bob sled rides. A good time was had by all. I hope you enjoy the video!

This is video number thirty five of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video, the Soulstice crew has entered into a new phase of our Great Loop adventure. We are cruising down the Illinois River and experiencing first hand the whole tugboats and barges situation. We are also learning that the locks on the Illinois River System operate differently than the ones on the Trent Severn canal. That being said, there is a lot more lock drama and waiting time on the Illinois River System. We also have more anchorages and rustic mooring situations on this river system. Again, there is never a dull moment on the Great Loop. I hope you enjoy the video!

This is video number thirty four of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the Soulstice crew spent a couple of days in the Boston area. We immersed ourselves in American Revolution history and spent time with the family. We stayed in the town of Woburn and visited Boston, Gloucester, Lexington and Concord. There is always something to do in this park of the country. In Boston, we visited the Tea Party Museum, walked part of the Harbor Walk and did some shopping in the SeaPort area. In Lexington and Concord we walked the battlefields where the American Revolution began. In Gloucester, we visited the Eastern Point Lighthouse and the Hammond Castle Museum, two off the beaten path stops that we definitely recommend. Finally, we also visited Thoreau’s Walden Pond of literature fame. We had a great break from boat life and loved spending time with the family. I hope you enjoy the video!

This is video number thirty three of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the Soulstice crew left Holland, Michigan, spent a night in Benton Harbor and finally scurried over to Indiana's Hammond Port Authority. Indiana is the 11th state we have visited on the Great Loop. This is our last big passage on Lake Michigan and we are grateful it was a good one. While in Hammond, we tended to some Soulstice maintenance tasks and completed several loads of laundry. We also enjoyed celebrating the Captain's birthday at a local Italian restaurant. This port stop afforded the crew the opportunity to visit a Walmart but we had to walk to the store which was just over half a mile away (good exercise). Finally the Hammond stop is very close to Chicago so we hopped on an Uber and visited the "Windy City." I hope you enjoy the video!

This is video number thirty two of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the Soulstice crew left Grand Haven and cruised into Holland after spending a night at anchor in Muskegon. The Lake Michigan passage was good and we are grateful for that. While in Holland we visited Tunnel Park, Holland Bowl Mill and De Zwaan Windmill. Of course a bowl was purchased for MV Soulstice. The crew also got to see the Saugatuck Sand Dunes after a couple of unsuccessful tries. While in the area, we visited Grand Rapids for the first time. The crew was blown away by the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. We also enjoyed seeing the houses located within the Heritage Hill Historic District, including Frank Lloyd Wright's Meyers May House. I hope you enjoy the video!

This is video number thirty one of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the Soulstice crew left Manistee and ran into a huge cargo ship in the channel on the way to Ludington. The Ludington trip on Lake Michigan was not terrible and we are grateful for that. The crew did cruise by Big Sable Point Lighthouse and saw the Michigan-Wisconsin Car Ferry cruise into town. We walked the Ludington Waterfront Park and marveled at all the lovely sculptures. We eventually left to do a night cruise because of favorable weather conditions on the lake. The night cruise was a good call and we anchored in Muskegon bay around midnight. In the morning, we headed to Grand Haven and had a calm and uneventful cruise on the lake (just the way we like it). I hope you enjoy the video!

This is video number thirty of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the MV Soulstice crew cruised from Suttons Bay to Manistee via Traverse City and Frankfort. We enjoyed our time in Traverse City. The city marina has a great location and excellent facilities. Eventually we did a night cruise straight to Frankfort after considering the weather conditions on Lake Michigan. While at Frankfort, we did enjoy exploring the town and especially liked the Frankfort Lighthouse walk. We also enjoyed shopping and eating at Frankfort. I hope you enjoy the video!

This is video number twenty nine of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the MV Soulstice crew finally left Harbor Springs after waiting five days for a weather window to cross to Charlevoix. We enjoyed our day in the beautiful coastal village. We went to the farmer's market, walked the town, saw the famous Mushroom Houses and had two great meals in town. The crew then cruised to Suttons Bay and rented a car in Traverse City. With the car we visited several places along the Mission Peninsula, as well as the Western side of Grand Traverse Bay. Places we visited included, Mission Point Lighthouse, Chateau Chantal, Fishtown in Leland, Glen Haven, Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes and Point Betsy Lighthouse. I hope you enjoy the video!

This is video number twenty eight of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the MV Soulstice crew cruises from Michigan's Mackinac Island to Harbor Springs. We spend a night at St. Ignace as well. While at St. Ignace we enjoy a nice walk around town and attend a gallery opening. We also pass under the Mackinac Bridge and enter into the realm of Lake Michigan. We do have a rough ride to Harbor Springs but arrive safely. Harbor Springs is a wonderful little coastal village. It is a great walking town and we do spend quite a bit of time there waiting for a weather window to travel on Lake Michigan. Waiting for weather windows on Lake Michigan is a new experience for us on the Loop. I hope you enjoy the video.

This is video number twenty seven of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the MV Soulstice crew cruises from Michigan's Drummond Island to the very popular Mackinac Island. We rent bicycles and ride them all around the island. We see Devil's Kitchen, Brown's Brook, the Mackinac Bridge, the Arch Rock and Huron's lovely lake shore. We have a drink in the Grand Hotel's swanky Cupola Bar. We also visit the historic buildings found in Mackinac Fort and enjoy the cannon and rifle demonstrations. And of course, we take in the whole horse drawn carriage ambience that is found on the island. I hope you enjoy the video.

This is video number twenty six of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the Soulstice crew comes to the end of its cruise through Georgian Bay. We spend some time at anchorage in Baie Fine's “The Pool” and explore Topaz Lake. We also visit Little Current and Gore Bay and enjoy their small town, fishing village vibe. We finally chart a course through the North Channel to Drummond Island and easily check back into the USA via the CBP Roam App. I hope you enjoy the video.

This is video number twenty five of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the Soulstice crew continues its cruise through Georgian Bay. We spend some time in Killarney and at anchorage in the Bad River area. We did some dinghy exploring in the Bad River area which was a lot of fun. We also hiked a trail in George Island in the Killarney area. And finally we saw the Big Dipper, biggest paddle in North America. I hope you enjoy the video.

This is video number twenty four of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the Soulstice crew finally makes it to Georgian Bay. We spend some time in Honey Harbor, Moose Deer Point, Parry Sound and Byng Inlet. We enjoy a delicious fish and chips lunch at Henry's in San Souci on Frying Pan Island. We see many seaplanes take off and land in the area. We enjoy time at anchor in Georgian Bay and we come across a wonderful hike on Wreck Island. I hope you enjoy the video.

This is video number twenty three of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the Soulstice crew navigates to the end of the Trent Severn canal in Canada. We cruise to the highest point on the canal and start working our way down to Georgian Bay. As we travel through the canal, we descend almost 49 feet on the Kirkfield Lift Lock. We pass through Lake Balsam, Kirkfield, Bolsover, Lake Simcoe, Orillia and finally Severn. We experience some delays along the way at the CNR Swing Bridge and also at the Big Chute Marine Railway. The Big Chute experience was definitely worth the 3 hour wait and if you want to minimize the wait tie up to the blue line the night before. We eventually make it to the town of Severn and head into Georgian Bay. I hope you enjoy the video.

This is video number twenty two of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the Soulstice crew continues to travel the Trent Severn canal in Canada. We see the Centennial Fountain in Peterborough and go up 65 feet in the famous Peterborough Lift Lock. We spend a night in McCracken's Landing and take some time exploring the beautiful Stoney Lake area. We eventually make it to the Bobcaygeon and spend the night tied up to the lock wall, a Looper right of passage. I hope you enjoy the video.

This is video number twenty one of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the Soulstice crew finally makes it to the Trent Severn canal in Canada. The first stop was the Trent Port Marina and we were able to attend one of their Summer concerts. We received a crash course on the Trent Severn canal locks and share with you some of the details of the locking procedures. We also spent a night in the town of Campbellford on the city wall. We also took a small hike to Ranney Falls. In addition, we run into a lot of Canadian Geese along the way. I hope you enjoy the video.

This is video number twenty of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the Soulstice crew finally makes it to Canada. Before getting there, we travel through the Oswego canal and locks, as well as spend an afternoon in the town of Oswego. While there, we see Fort Ontario and the first of the Great Lakes, Lake Ontario. We also visited the 1000 Islands area found within the St Lawrence River and take a walk around the town of Clayton, NY. In addition, we toured the famous Boldt Castle which is a spectacular stop in the area and we highly recommend a visit to the castle. We had a wonderful time visiting this area but we are ready and looking forward to visiting Canada. I hope you enjoy the video.

This is video number nineteen of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video the Soulstice crew spent a couple days in Ithaca, NY. Ithaca is known for its waterfalls and gorges and it did not disappoint. We visited several state parks like, Taughannock, Robert H Treman and the very popular Watkins Glen. We also visited several waterfalls and gorges like Ithaca Fall, SheQuaGa Falls, Hector Falls and the Cascadilla Gorge Trail. In addition, we visited Cayuga Nature Center, Finger Lakes Cider House, Six Mile Creek Vineyard and Mulholland Wildflower Preserve. We had a wonderful time visiting the town of Ithaca and spending time with family. I hope you enjoy our Ithaca video.

This is video number eighteen of our 2022 Great Loop journey. In this video, the Soulstice crew travels from Waterford, NY to Brewerton, NY via the towns of Amsterdam, Little Falls and Sylvan Beach. We thoroughly enjoyed cruising on the Erie Canal. We also enjoyed visiting the friendly towns along the Erie Canal. There is a lot of history, things to see and activities to do on the canal. While on the Erie, we received a crash course on everything locks. By the end of our run on the Erie, we had traveled over 20 locks. This was just the beginning of our Great Loop locking experience. I hope you enjoy the video.