2025 Planning: The Illinois Waterway

It’s taken awhile to figure out our next leg of the Great Loop, but as of now we plan to cruise the Illinois Waterway this summer. More below.

Much of my attention this fall and winter was focused on cleaning out and selling my Mom’s house in Madison, WI. I spent my entire childhood there and my parents owned it for 60 years. Dad passed away in 2022, then Mom moved to the Twin Cities in early 2024, so the house and its decades of accumulated possessions sat vacant. The clean-out was a ton of work, and probably not an unfamiliar story to those who have had parents who never threw anything away. We were extremely fortunate to find a buyer that we knew—a childhood friend who wanted to move back into the neighborhood—and executed an amicable and straightforward for-sale-by-owner transaction. Selling a house without a realtor was something that I’ve always been curious about and I was totally surprised at how easy it was. Besides avoiding a big sales commission, eliminating real estate agents on both sides simplified negotiations, since we communicated directly with the buyer. Your mileage may vary, but we had a great experience and would do it again. 

Now that this important and time-consuming task was in the rearview mirror and winter dragged on, it was time to think about boating again. January in Minnesota was the warmest on record, with little snow. Fun fact: Parts of Louisiana and Florida received more snow than the Twin Cities. February, however, was colder than usual, with subzero Fahrenheit lows for about half of the month. Recently, temperatures have been in the 40s and low 50s, giving hope for spring and a chance to go check on Dragonfly, still under its winter tarp.

If you missed our February 8 post, we don’t intend to continue cruising the Florida Gulf Coast aboard Dragonfly, given time, money and interest level constraints. I’ve crossed the Gulf of Mexico twice aboard another vessel and am counting that towards Great Loop completion. Feb 8, 2025: Gulf Crossings.  Editor’s Note: We will not be referring to this body of water as the Gulf of America. The original name pre-dates our country, which was named after a foreigner anyway. Bonus Question: Who was America’s namesake? (Answer at end of post) Where will it end? I feel for the people of California, Colorado, Florida, Montana and Nevada, with Spanish-named states, not to mention New Mexicans, who must be worried that their state’s name is no longer acceptable. But I digress.

We’re planning to continue our Loop in segments, with shorter legs of one month or less. This June, we expect to cruise the Illinois Waterway from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River. This is the last of our powerboat legs, due to the number of low bridges in Chicago, including a fixed bridge at 19 feet that all Loopers must get under to complete the route. We'll leave the mast and sails at home again, hopefully for the last time, with the intent of sailing the remaining portions on the Great Lakes and Atlantic Coast. 

The Illinois Waterway consists of the Chicago, Des Plaines and Illinois Rivers, eight locks and runs 336 miles from Chicago to Grafton, IL, where it meets the Mississippi River just north of St. Louis. French-Canadian explorer Louis Joliet first suggested connecting Lake Michigan to the Mississippi in the late 1600s by eliminating the portage between the Chicago and Des Plaines Rivers. It wasn’t until 1848 that the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal was completed connecting the Chicago River to the Illinois, bypassing the Des Plaines, which was too shallow during most of the year to carry cargo. 

In the 1820s, Chicago was a tiny hamlet with a few dozen homes and a population of about 200 people. With the completion of the I&M Canal, the new water route between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River transformed Chicago into one of the world’s fastest growing cities, ballooning to more than half a million people by the end of the 19th century. The rapid growth created many problems, including turning the Chicago River into an open sewer that flowed into Lake Michigan, the source of the city’s drinking water. On January 1, 1900, the direction of the river was reversed, sending Chicago’s waste down the Illinois River. There was significant opposition to this project from communities along the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, who weren’t in favor of human and industrial waste heading their way. As legal challenges were threatening, Chicago Sanitary Division workers blasted open the final dam in the dead of night on New Year’s Day to start the river flowing south before a lawsuit could prevent it.

Source: The Inland Waterways of North America

Our cruise down the Illinois Waterway should only take about two weeks, depending on weather, river levels and barge traffic at the locks. There are two options to enter the waterway from Lake Michigan—one through downtown Chicago and the other about 15 miles south in Calumet, IL. Vessels over 17 feet in height must take the southern route, which is more industrial, but has fewer bridges. We plan to travel relatively early in the boating season, when water levels are higher, most other Loopers are north and east of here and all of the locks are working. The waterway was closed to navigation for significant portions of the 2020 and 2023 seasons due to scheduled maintenance at multiple locks. This was a factor in our decision to begin our Loop on the Upper Mississippi River in 2023, as three of eight locks on the Illinois River were closed June-September, creating a backup of commercial vessels and more than 280 Looper boats waiting to get downriver. Currently, the Brandon Road Lock is only open on weekends, and the Lockport Lock is completely closed for repairs, but both should be fully operational by the end of March, and no other lock maintenance is scheduled for 2025. Fingers crossed…

Bonus Question Answer: The Americas were named after Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer, navigator and mapmaker. A contemporary and friend of Christopher Columbus (who never got closer than the Bahamas), Vespucci charted the South American coastline from 1499-1501 and was the first European to correctly identify that the land mass he was mapping was not the east coast of Asia as hoped but a different continent entirely, publishing his findings in a pamphlet titled “Mundus Novus,” (New World). In 1507, a German cartographer honored Vespucci’s discovery on a world map, labeling these new continents “America,” a Latinized version of his name. Historians believe that this new map didn’t reach Spain, Vespucci’s adopted home, until after his 1512 death and he likely never knew of the tribute and lasting fame that had been bestowed upon him. 

St. Paul to Lake City, MN (2020 & 2021)

This is another catch-up post to fully document our boating journeys. When people ask us where we started our Loop, the answer isn’t always the same. Sometimes we say Lake City, MN, where we raised our AGLCA burgee and departed from on Labor Day of 2023 (after our fantastic send-off party). Other times we respond with St. Paul, our home and homeport, where we launched Dragonfly for the first time in 2019. We bought the boat in July of that year and kept it at Watergate Marina, about six miles from home, using it as a power boat on the Mississippi River for the rest of that season. Map link: Watergate Marina

“Anticipation,” the boat’s previous name, is still on the hull

In late May of 2020, we raised the mast for the first time, launched the boat at Watergate and parked it in a slip. We made the one-hour drive to Lake City to drop off a car at our destination, then spent the night at home. The next morning we set off from Watergate Marina into an unsettled forecast and encountered some driving rain north of Lock 2 in Hastings, MN. It cleared up by the time we got to Point St. Croix Marina in Prescott, WI, a voyage of 34 miles. There are several marinas in Prescott, we were the only sailboat in town and our arrival attracted quite an audience. There was a strong current running and we had to turn broadside to it to get into our slip, with plenty of locals around to observe, advise and protect their boats. We did just fine, and were told later that most sailboat dockings there are pretty ugly, hence all the attention. 

Ready to launch. New name, old engine.

Ready to go. Watergate Marina, St. Paul, MN

Hastings, MN

Point St. Croix Marina, Prescott, WI

Prescott, population 4,300, is at the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers and is a popular and attractive river town that we have enjoyed before by car. The town’s namesake, Philander Prescott, and his Dakota wife, Na-he-no-Wenah (Spirit of the Moon) set up a trading post here in 1839. Prescott was also a government interpreter for the Dakota language and was killed at the initial engagement of the Dakota War of 1862.

Our visit in 2020 was during COVID restrictions, but all the bars and restaurants were open, with only mild attempts at masking and social distancing. We ate dinner on the water at the marina’s restaurant, stuffing ourselves with their locally famous jumbo shrimp, then had a chat with Bill, the marina’s owner, learning that our server was his granddaughter. After dinner, we walked over the Prescott Lift Bridge back into Minnesota and Point Douglas Park, then returned to Dragonfly to relax and play cribbage. The trains run right through town (about 400 feet from our slip) and we were awoken at least four times during the night. Map link: Prescott, WI

Water snake, Prescott, WI

The next morning we ate breakfast in the cabin, waited out some approaching rain at the dock and prepared to leave Prescott for the 36-mile run to Lake City. Our 20-year-old Honda 50 HP outboard was hard to start and I noticed a small gas leak that seemed to be coming from the fuel pump. Then the high-temperature alarm came on while exiting Lock 3 near Red Wing, MN, but cleared, and we babied the engine for the final 15 miles to Hansen’s Harbor in Lake City, raising our sails upon entering Lake Pepin. As we made the final turn from the marina fairway into our slip, the outboard died—fortunately we were close enough and had enough speed to coast into the slip without incident. We had run out of gas—there were two six-gallon fuel tanks aboard and I thought that we could make it all the way on one (and technically we did). After tying up, we got takeout from Railhouse Grill in Lake City and ate it in Roschen Park on the lake. Reading, cribbage and more reading rounded out a very peaceful and comfortable evening. The next morning was Memorial Day and we woke up to a passing thunderstorm after sunrise. We had considered daysailing, but there wasn’t any wind, and more rain in the forecast, so we packed up and went home. The next day I called Hansen’s Harbor to get the outboard issues addressed, and they quickly diagnosed a bad fuel pump and water pump impeller, which were both replaced. Map link: Hansen’s Harbor, Lake City, MN

Safe and sound at Hansen’s Harbor

Lake Pepin

At the end of the 2020 season, we hauled the boat out and trailered it back to Watergate Marina for the off-season, keeping it closer to home for fall and spring maintenance and upgrades. One downside to keeping it there was an early spring break-in and theft of about $500 worth of gear from inside our locked cabin (handheld VHF radio, binoculars, battery charger and a couple of other things).

Thieves forced open our locked cabin hatch 

In early May of 2021, we launched the boat at Watergate, shuttled a car down to Lake City, then headed downriver again the next morning. We encountered heavy barge traffic in downtown St. Paul, which was a little stressful, but otherwise had an easy run on a beautiful day, with temperatures going from the upper 50s to the low 80s, and we eventually put up the bimini to keep the sun off of us. We cruised at 8-9 mph with a favorable current and decided to make the 70-mile trip to Lake City in one shot, arriving at Hansen’s Harbor just after 6:00 PM in calm weather. Dinner was takeout pizza from Papa Tronnio’s, then we spent a quiet night aboard before heading back home the next morning. 

At the end of the 2021 season our trailer bent when we hauled the boat out of Lake Pepin, and we opted not to tow Dragonfly back to St. Paul. After launching again in the spring of 2022, we got the trailer straightened, and kept everything in Lake City until we left in 2023 for the start of the Loop.

Bonus Content: Palindromes!

A Toyota’s a Toyota

Do geese see God

Yo, banana boy

No X in Nixon

Senile felines

Never odd or even

Oozy rat in a sanitary zoo

Was it a car or a cat I saw

No lemons no melon 

Pa’s a sap

Ma is as selfless as I am

May a moody baby doom a yam

Go hang a salami, I’m a lasagna hog

Gulf Crossings: Mobile to Miami (2019) and St. Thomas to Key West to Mobile (2014)

So we haven’t crossed the Gulf of Mexico on Dragonfly (and probably won’t), but I did it twice aboard Sun Spirit, an Island Spirit 40 sailing catamaran owned by a friend, Perry Phillips. You may recognize the name from an earlier post—we saw Sun Spirit at its new home in Demopolis, AL, on our Fall 2023 trip down the Tombigbee Waterway. Blog link: Demopolis, AL, Dec 9, 2023

My initial trip across the Gulf was after Perry bought the boat in the U.S. Virgin Islands in April 2014, and I spent two weeks aboard on the delivery from St. Thomas, USVI to Mobile, AL, with a stop in Key West, FL. The first leg was a pleasant eight-day, 1,200-mile tradewind run in perfect weather up the Old Bahama Channel, passing Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba to port. The 580-mile voyage across the Gulf from Key West to Mobile was more challenging, with frequent headwinds, bigger seas, and multiple engine issues, although Perry quickly responded to every breakdown with ingenuity and skill and got us going again. Fortunately, we were able to keep moving under sail power while engine repairs were happening. Despite these challenges, this voyage was memorable because of an amazing encounter—a large pod of spotted dolphins swam alongside our vessel for about half an hour, dazzling us with their beauty and grace (see video clip).

The second passage aboard Sun Spirit was a 670-mile, five-day voyage in January 2019 from Mobile to Miami, where Perry planned to live and work for the winter and spring. We timed our departure perfectly after a cold front came through Mobile, and had a steady northwest wind at our backs with following seas for the entire run. There were no engine troubles on this voyage, but twice we fouled a propellor on crab pot lines in Florida Bay (between the Everglades and Keys) while transiting at dusk. It is illegal to place traps in the navigation channel, but fisherman do it anyway. Both instances required sending someone over the side with a knife to clear the snag. We also had good luck fishing and enjoyed a couple of outstanding grilled tuna dinners.

(L to R: Gerry Shimek, Perry Phillips, Tony Green, Owen Hays)

I’m posting this to document the completion of the Gulf portion of the Great Loop route, mainly because we likely won’t take Dragonfly back to Carabelle in the panhandle and then head down the west coast of Florida. There's no rule that says the Loop must be completed on a single vessel, and switching boats for part of the trip is not unheard of. And while many Loopers do a single overnight passage on part of the Gulf, few cross the entire body of water in one shot, adding a little uniqueness to our Loop.

We’re not too upset about missing the ports of western Florida, as we’ve been there before, and we’ll avoid the time and expense of a trailer trip down to Florida and back, and avoid cruising in a region where dockage is scarce and 3-4x the cost of what we’re used to. We were looking forward to seeing Florida’s Big Bend region, especially Steinhatchee and Crystal River, and we may get there someday. Many Loopers miss these towns, and nobody stops at every possible place on the Loop anyways. That’s one reason why so many choose to go around again, and maybe we will too.

India: Wedding #2

We spent the holidays in India for Danielle and Jay’s second wedding—the first was last July in Minneapolis (see post: July 10, 2024–Wedding Break). It was quite the journey to get there; an eight-hour flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Amsterdam, then another eight hours to New Delhi, arriving on December 23 at 1:30 AM local time, an 11.5-hour time difference. Our first two flights were accompanied by Kathleen’s twin brother Lars and his daughter Caroline. In Delhi we connected with our younger daughter Amy and Lars’ younger daughter Rachel, who are both studying in France and traveled together from Paris. We also met Danielle and Jay and their friends Owen and Melissa, who all connected through Rome from the USA. Unfortunately, most of the bride and groom’s luggage was misplaced, and it took several days to track it down and get it returned. After they reported their bags missing, we all rushed through check-in and security to catch our connecting flight to Indore. Kathleen, Amy and I were the last passengers to board the flight. 

In Indore, Jay’s parents and extended family were there to greet us and drive us to the Essentia Luxury Hotel, arriving many hours before the 2:00 PM check-in time. We killed some time eating breakfast in the hotel restaurant, then the front desk staff got our rooms sorted and us upstairs, possibly out of pity based on our travel-weary appearance, but more likely to get our group of ten people plus luggage out of the lobby, as they were preparing for a wedding and reception that evening. We spent the afternoon napping, the wedding party did some planning, we all had dinner at the hotel restaurant and went back to bed to try and reset our body clocks.

On Tuesday the 24th, we ate breakfast in the hotel, learning about new Indian dishes at every meal, then took a walk around the neighborhood. Indore, population 2.2 million, is the largest city in the state of Madhya Pradesh and the largest metropolitan area in Central India. It is mainly a commercial center, with little tourism, and the residents are proud of their community being repeatedly selected as “India’s Cleanest City” Map link: Indore, Madyha Pradesh. The afternoon was spent at the upscale Phoenix Citadel Mall shopping for wedding clothes, followed by a late lunch at the mall’s food court, then back to the hotel.

Indore, near the hotel

Essentia Hotel on the right

The view from our hotel room. Nice pool and outdoor bar, with
an outdoor wedding on the lawn. Smog in the air was common.

On Christmas morning we had an early breakfast at the hotel, then Ubered to the Saint Francis of Assisi Cathedral for their Catholic mass in English. In Indore, the cathedral is known as the “Red Church,” distinguishing it from the Protestant “White Church’ across the street. Christianity is India’s third-largest religion, after Hinduism and Islam, but Christians comprise only about 2% of the country’s population. The cathedral was beautiful and the service was well attended by more than 200 people. During our three days in Indore, we rarely saw other Caucasians, and the journalists and photographers covering the Christmas festivities were very interested in our presence, especially when we interacted with locals.

Merry Christmas from Indore!

After church, we drove to Jay’s parents for a visit, then hired three Uber cars by the hour for some sightseeing in Indore. We were so glad to leave the driving to someone else, since the traffic in the middle of the city was completely insane, with cars, buses, auto-rickshaws (tuk-tuks), bicycles and pedestrians all jockeying for the very limited space on the narrow streets and lanes, with little regard for traffic laws and etiquette. But it all seemed to work—we traveled in safety and saw no mishaps. We visited Rajwada Palace, which was mostly closed for renovations, but were able to enter part of the temple and gallery dedicated to the Holkar Dynasty that ruled here in the 18th century. The main building of the palace suffered extensive damage during the 1984 riots following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. We also visited Kanch Mandir, a Jain temple that is lavishly decorated with glass mosaics, then returned to our hotel. 

Rajwada Palace gallery courtyard 

Kanch Mandir temple

On Boxing Day, December 26, we had a planned rest day with no family activities planned, which turned out to be fortuitous. We had some ideas about more sightseeing, but beginning with breakfast the older folks in the group started to drop out one by one with traveler’s dysentery (aka Delhi Belly) and by midday both Kathleen and I were flat on our backs and sick in bed. On the 27th we were still recovering, but Kathleen found the energy to attend Mehendi; Day 1 of the wedding activities, where women are decorated with elaborate and  beautiful henna designs on their hands, arms and feet.

The main wedding ceremony was on December 28 at our hotel. The bride and groom were on a small stage, sometimes joined by family members, and directed in a series of rituals by two Hindu priests chanting in Sanskrit. Amy, Kathleen and I all had a part to play, although there was no rehearsal and I’m still not exactly sure what was said and what we did. During the ceremony, guests moved freely between watching, visiting with each other and eating—a notably different format than a Western church wedding. The reception was also free-flowing, with guests mingling, taking and posing for photographs and enjoying the two buffet lines. The food and service were excellent and it was fun to meet so many of the Parchure’s family and friends, most who spoke enough English to communicate. Many of the locals expressed surprise and appreciation that we chose to wear Indian outfits. We found our new clothes to be beautiful and comfortable and were delighted to have had this experience.

On the 29th there was a family-only ceremony at the Parchure’s house, the main purpose being to welcome Danielle into the household. Traditionally, an Indian bride moves in with her husband’s family, and even though Danielle and Jay planned to return to the U.S. after their honeymoon, the ritual was observed. At the end, Jay’s mother, Sarita, sidled up to us, winked and slyly stated “she’s ours now,” confirming that Kathleen and I had given our daughter to their family. They seemed like nice people.

After three days of wedding events, we left Indore on the 30th for some sightseeing in Northern India’s Golden Triangle, consisting of Agra, Jaipur and Delhi. We first flew to Delhi, and were met by our van and driver who we’d booked in advance through Amin Tours, then drove five hours to Agra to meet Sadiq, our tour guide. Our only stop that day was at the enormous and magnificent Agra Fort, home of the Mughal Emperors during the 16th and 17th centuries. Map link: Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Agra Fort

The sloping entrance ramp was defended by rolling boulders
down it and pouring boiling oil over the walls onto invaders

On December 31, we awoke early to arrive at the Taj Mahal by sunrise, mainly to avoid the crowds—the hazy smog prevented much of a sunrise spectacle. Completed in 1653 on the banks of the Yamuna River, construction of the Taj Mahal was begun by Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal Emporer, as a mausoleum to his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. Made of white marble inlaid with semi-precious gemstones, it took more than 20,000 workers 22 years to build, is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, receives more than five million visitors annually, and is considered to be one of the most attractive buildings on Earth. We would agree—it is a stunning structure that gets lovelier the closer you get, and its beauty, presence and story of love and grief brought more than one member of our party to tears.

L to R: Kathleen, Tony, Melissa, Owen,
Lars, Rachel, Caroline & Amy

After the Taj, we had breakfast at our hotel, then made another long drive to Jaipur, stopping at Fatehpur Sikri citadel, another Mughal palace and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then it was on to the Chand Baori stepwell in the state of Rajasthan. This magnificent, 13-story structure was built in the 8th-9th century to store rainwater that was plentiful during the summer monsoons and scare during the winter months. The ingenious, inverted pyramid and 3,500 steps allowed access to water regardless of the water level. Movie buffs may recognize it as the prison pit Batman escapes from in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises. A group of peafowl appeared to be living there, and we took just as many pictures of them as we did of the stepwell. They are the national bird of India, protected by law and an important Hindu symbol, associated with Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. Peafowl feathers are believed to bring good luck and good fortune. Fun fact: Only males are called “peacocks;” females are “peahens,” and together they are “peafowl.”

Human Parcheesi board, Fatehpur Sikri citadel

 

Chand Baori stepwell

Peafowl

We arrived at our hotel in Jaipur, Rajasthan’s capital, and were treated to a complimentary New Year’s Eve buffet and dance party. The food was terrific, but the noise level was painfully loud, and even the youngsters in our group opted out. Map link: Jaipur, Rajasthan

On New Year’s Day, we visited the massive, hillside Amer Fort, with its myriad of gates, palaces, pavilions, ramparts, temples, gardens and courtyards, all overlooking Lake Maota. Begun in 1592 and taking 150 years to complete, this popular attraction averages 5,000 visitors per day, and was probably higher on the day we went due to the holiday. Many tourists take an elephant ride to the top, but we walked, led by Kishor, our guide in Jaipur. The Amer Fort, also called the Amber Palace, was home to the Rajput Maharajas and their families. Its first occupant, Raja Man Singh, had 12 wives and built a residence inside the fort for each queen.

Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace)

Jaigarh Fort, connected to Amer Fort by a tunnel

We spent that afternoon in Jaipur at the City Palace and Jantar Mantar observatory, then closed out the day at Galta Ji, known as the Monkey Temple, where rhesus macaque monkeys from the surrounding hills are as regular as the tourists and pilgrims. Jaipur is sometimes called the Pink City—in 1876 Maharaja Ram Singh ordered that the city be painted pink (the traditional color of hospitality) to welcome the Prince of Wales (who became King Edward VII). Today, residents of the Old City are required by law to maintain the pink facades.

Hawa Mahal in the Pink City

City Palace

Jantar Mantar observatory

The Scorpio Twins

Galta Ji (Monkey Temple)

On January 2 we had an early start and drove to Delhi to meet Raghuveer, the assigned guide for our last day of sightseeing. One of the world’s oldest settlements and India’s capital, Delhi is officially called the National Capital Territory (NCT) and was led by various Hindu and Muslim sultanates until Babur, the first Mughal emperor, seized power in 1526. The Mughals ruled for some 300 years until the British colonized the sub-continent in the mid 1800s. The original capital of British India was Calcutta, but it was moved to Delhi in 1911. King George V ordered that a new city be built as the seat of government, and New Delhi was created, south of the original settlement. India gained independence in 1947, when the British Crown ended its rule, or Raj, and split the region into India and Pakistan, based on Hindu and Muslim majorities. In 1971, East Pakistan became Bangladesh. Map link: Delhi, India

The NCT’s population was an astounding 16.8 million in 2011. The 2021 census was postponed due to COVID and the 2025 population is estimated to be well above 20 million. To say that Delhi is crowded is an understatement—we got a small taste of it as our driver struggled to get through gridlocked traffic, and Raghuveer eventually put us in tuk-tuks or on foot to navigate the throngs of people and vehicles. Delhi also has some of the worst air quality in  the world, and it’s especially bad in winter, when high pressure air masses trap the smog. We’re glad to have seen India’s capital, but the overcrowding and pollution makes it unlikely that we’d return. We visited Jama Masjid mosque, the Chandni Chowk spice market, Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Sikh temple, Humayun’s Tomb, then capped off our final evening in India with an amazing dinner at Chido, before being dropped off at the airport for early morning flights home.

Jama Masjid mosque

Chandni Chowk spice market

Delhi crowds

Lovin’ the tuk-tuks!

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Sikh temple. Besides being a
place of worship, its enormous kitchen staffed by
volunteers provides free meals to thousands daily,
365 days a year, to anyone who wants one.

Humayun’s Tomb: 2nd Mughal emperor, buried here in 1556 

After again connecting through Amsterdam, we arrived home on the afternoon of January 3. We were exhausted and exhilarated—visiting India was a memorable and incredible experience, made very special by the strengthened connections with Jay’s family.

Photo Journal:

Camel in the passing lane

Bracelet maker at the market

Happy travelers, riding in comfort 

Cows are sacred in India; they are tame and roam freely

Cow dung is used for fuel and people dry it wherever they can

Rose-ringed parakeets

White marble inlaid with semi-precious stones

Lunch in Indore

Monkeying around