Suzanne and Denis

We are Suzanne Trubee and Denis Hogan.

A former Director of Purchasing for a Manufacturing Company, and a Major Airline Pilot, we reside in Cincinnati, Ohio. We have been boating in Lake Norris, TN for 13 years.

A now retired couple, looking for an adventure to share, we are cruising the Great Loop.

Upon discovering the Loop 13 years ago, we were intrigued. So, we read, researched, emailed, talked, and read some more. There were lots of talks between us – assessing our boat, and ourselves, as to skills, temperament, and suitability. All that information gathering gave us pause to use our older 28’ single engine boat.  We upgraded to a newer 32’ twin cruiser, with generator and a/c.

That began a concerted acquisition of knowledge, boat upgrades, and skillsets. You would think that with all that preparation one would be comfortable starting out. The closer we got to our put-in date on the Tennessee River, the more acutely aware of just how much we didn’t know was foremost in our minds. We also knew if we waited until we were comfortable, we would never start.

So, here we are, on our way. We invite you to come along with us. The entries that follow will alternately be a memoir, a calendar, a travelogue, a scrapbook of photographs, and a diary. We are out for the adventure of a lifetime, to complete a circumnavigation of the Eastern third of the US.

A major consequence of encountering new places, people, situations, and overcoming the challenges of any trip, is that the traveler is molded – indeed changed – in large and subtle ways; most not even noticed in the moment. The irony of this process is that in encountering the “New”, one has no choice but to be aware of the self; this introspection of the “New” and the self, changes the self ineradicably.

For good or ill:  When we cross our wake (with God’s Blessing) in October of 2025 we will not be the same couple who put our boat in the Tennessee River in July of 2024. 

We hope you enjoy ‘traveling’ with us on this journey!