Rembrandt --
There are three obvious river trips to take in the U.S. and I'm going
to extend the definition by suggesting a Great Lakes tour as an
option. Though it's not exactly a river (some would suggest that
Lakes Erie, Ontario and Huron have enough flow to qualify), they offer
tremendous insights into American history.
For example, did you know that Beaver Island in Lake Michigan had a
king, the only royalty ever granted a position in an American
legislature?
Central Michigan University Libraries
Strangite Mormons
http://www.lib.cmich.edu/clarke/cs.htm
North of the Mason-Dixon Line, the best months are July through
September. This is particularly true on the Great Lakes where weather
AND water doesn't start to warm until July 1. The southern cruise
mentioned here extends the season by several months, but the
June-November hurricane season makes it vulnerable to lots of rain.
RIVER TRIPS
============
There are three good options to see a range of the country:
The Mississippi
The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, most often called the Tenn-Tom
The Erie Canal and Hudson River
The other large rivers, the Colorado, Columbia and Missouri don't
offer the range of historical options or are not quite as amenable to
a houseboat or other large craft.
1. THE MISSISSIPPI
--------------------
The Mississippi is used throughout its length for recreation but also
for heavy barge traffic, which makes it a bit tougher. Anchorages on
islands have to be carefully chosen due to the bow wave of passing
barges.
There's an excellent article on houseboating on the upper Mississippi
here, and it includes links to four books that would be useful sources
for research:
Greatriver.com
"Huck's Houseboating Vacations" (2001)
http://www.greatriver.com/
2. ERIE CANAL/HUDSON
---------------------
The Erie Canal system is so extensive that it encompasses not just the
canal but the Finger Lakes and Lake Champlain. Of course the canal
was built to connect Lake Erie and the Hudson River, opening up the
Northwest Territories so that people like my great-great grandparents
could profitably get Ohio farm products to market:
NY State Canal System Map
http://www.canals.state.ny.us/maps/index.html
The home page for the New York State Canal System is here:
http://www.canals.state.ny.us/
Houseboat Magazine has run a series of articles over the last several
years on this canal system, including:
Houseboat Magazine
"175 and Running Strong" (January, 2000)
http://www.houseboatrentals.com/articles.cfm?artid=42
"History of the Erie Canal" January, 2000)
http://www.houseboatrentals.com/articles.cfm?artid=43
"Fun Facts About the NY Canal System" January, 2000)
http://www.houseboatrentals.com/articles.cfm?artid=44
"Erie Adventures" (July, 2001)
http://www.houseboatrentals.com/articles.cfm?artid=240
3. TENN-TOM
--------------
The Tennesse-Tombigbee is the canal that connects the two rivers in
its name, so the entire waterway really encompasses the mouth of the
Tennesse -- at Paducah, KY -- all of the way to Mobile, AL on the Gulf
Coast. It a very interesting waterway for fishing and local
recreation; also for boats from the Great Lakes which are headed south
for the winter because it doesn't have the heavy commercial traffic
found on the Mississippi. The waterway runs north-south, but also
includes cities up-river (and east) of Huntsville, Chattanooga and
Knoxville.
We also have a book on the shelf here, "The Cruising Guide to the
Tennesse River, Tenn-Tom Waterway, and Lower Tombigbee River," by
Thomas Marian and W.J. Rumsey. Written 12 years ago (and published in
paperback in 1995), it's an excellent cruising guide to the waterway
in detail. You'll find this book referenced widely on Amazon.com (and
other sources) and may want to note other cruising guides to boating
in the United States.
And Houseboat Magazine also has an article on the waterway:
Houseboat
"Tenn-Tom 2" (May 8, 2000)
http://www.houseboatrentals.com/articles.cfm?artid=60
GREAT LAKES
=============
We have sailed extensively on Lake Michigan and would recommend it or
any of the Great Lakes for an interesting experience. The population
gets sparser as you move north, away from large cities like Chicago
and Milwaukee, but the lakes have a strong historical perspective. It
was the mines and forests of Michigan that built (and rebuilt after
the Chicago Fire) the cities of the Midwest. You'll find dozens of
interesting historical footnotes as you go from harbor-to-harbor in
any of the lakes (including the fact that there were MORE boats plying
these waters in the 1890s than there are today).
How to prepare?
There are some interesting videos on touring the Great Lakes:
Online Marine
"The Great Lakes Video Cruising Guide Series"
http://www.onlinemarine.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online_superstore/videos/cruising/great_lakes_series.htm?E+scstore
And cruising guides and chartbooks for each of the lakes:
Bluewater Books and Charts
"Great Lakes Cruising Guides"
http://www.bluewaterweb.com/cruisingguides/great_lakes.htm
Google search strategy:
"Tenn-Tom" + charter + houseboat
This search can be repeated for any of the great rivers, including the
Mississippi, Columbia and Missouri
Note that a Google search with the following terms warns of the
hazards of commercial traffic on the lower portion of the Mississippi:
"lower Mississippi" + houseboat
"Great Lakes" + "cruising guides"
Best regards,
Omnivorous-GA |
