Episode 85: Around the Great Loop with Dave & Denise Lyga
“There’s so much to see and most people see the water from land, but we wanted to see the land from the water...we couldn’t say no.”
In this episode, Dave and Denise Lyga, a retired Photographer and Banker, join us to share their story of recently completing The Great Loop - a circumnavigation of the eastern U.S., and part of Canada. The route includes the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the New York State Canals, the Canadian Canals, the Great Lakes, the inland rivers, and the Gulf of Mexico. Dave and Denise also discuss:
2:00 - An overview of the Great Loop
5:05 - How long it took them to complete
5:30 - What inspired them to do this trip
6:30 - A boat vs a house
7:40 - Making the decision to go on this adventure
9:40 - First hearing about the Great Loop
11:05 - Denise first hearing about the Great Loop
13:30 - Their boating experience
15:10 - The planning involved before the Great Loop
17:30 - Did they know how long the trip would take
18:20 - Living on a boat during a pandemic
23:30 - Highlights and lows of the trip
27:00 - How the weather affected their journey
30:15 - The boating community
32:35 - How connection happens
33:30 - Awe moments they experienced on the water
37:30 - About the boat
39:30 - Completing the Great Loop
41:00 - What they did after they sold their boat
43:20 - How this journey has changed them
46:40 - Surprising themselves
48:50 - Advice for people who think they can’t do the same adventure
50:00 - Closing remarks
You can learn more about Dave and Denise by following their adventures on Facebook.
See below for photos Dave and Denise shared from their adventures.
Watch the Full Behind The Scenes Episode
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