2020 – The Year of the Coronavirus Pandemic (Covid 19) Croswell’s Belle of Louisville Tour

What a year this has been! Everything that had been scheduled came to a screeching halt in March as cases of Covid 19 exploded in the United States, after we had watched the toll the “virus with no vaccine” had taken in other countries. The world as we had known it was turned upside down. Everyone was affected. Businesses, jobs and schools closed. Everyone was told to stay home, unless you were an essential worker such as doctors, nurses, policemen, etc. After about three weeks, people started going grocery shopping and venturing out for other errands. In trying to prevent the spread of cases of Covid 19, our lifestyle continued this way for months.

Croswell felt the sting of this major world event which was compared to the Spanish Flu of 1918, and all tours were cancelled. Not a tour bus was on the road for months. This one-day tour to the Belle of Louisville was my first time on a tour bus this year. This was my sixth year traveling as a tour escort and my past years had kept me busy with approximately a dozen trips each year. Needless to say, for me, trying to cope with staying home was not an easy task.

Finally, a few trips started resuming. Our tour buses had been modified to hold a maximum of 30 passengers (as opposed to the original seating capacity of 54). People were anxious to get on the road again. Enough people registered for the Belle of Louisville trip that four buses were put in use, collecting approximately 90 people. Masks were required when moving about loading and unloading, but not as we traveled. As we were checking in at the dock, the manager told us that our group was the first tour buses they had had all year. They were so happy to see us.

On my bus, I had a total of 14. Five people cancelled at the last minute. A lot of people still consider going out with groups as dangerous and they’re afraid. This is understandable as the news reports continue every day with updated numbers of people who are sick and dying. My bus driver was Michele (a new driver and I didn’t get her last name). I saw some familiar faces. In fact, even before I passed out my traditional M&M treats, one lady said “where’s the M&Ms?” I enjoy learning that people remember me by M&Ms. Friends Charlene Gibbons and Judy Zimmerman were on this trip, their first time to join me. We hung out together, along with Ann Johnson who has been on several of my trips over the years. We actually got the chance to do a few line dances as the band played. What I missed was the wonderful buffet lunch that we’ve had in the past. Instead we had a boxed lunch from City Barbeque, which to me was just ok.

The weather was beautiful for our two-hour river cruise. We had some rain on the way home. All in all, it was a great day to be “on the road again”. With the rise and fall of Covid cases, things are still very uncertain. Even though Croswell is willing for other trips to go, if circumstances change where venues close, then they’ll have no choice but to cancel. Like I said, WHAT A YEAR THIS HAS BEEN, and it’s not over yet. There’s still hope.