Do my titles give you an idea how I am feeling about this section of the Loop?
The water in our tank was really low, so we went across the waterway to a small marina on the eastern bank while Jaycie Lynn stayed at our wonderful little anchorage. Boy, did they miss an adventure, We couldn't see a marina anywhere, so again we called the lockmaster. He directed us to the opening of the "path" and assured us it was well marked. Again, stumps and trees everywhere. The markers were PCV pipes painted red and green, some sticking up only inches above the water. The path was not visible to the eye at all, it looked more like a pathway in the Okefenokee Swamp! Finally we rounded a curve and saw the marina ahead, with a fire truck turned sideways at the bottom of the boat ramp. As I came out of the store, the firemen were standing by the edge of the water starting up the hose. They sprayed river water for 30 minutes checking the water pressure of the hose. It was quite a show for us, complete with a rainbow!
Leaving the marina was much less tense than going in! Jaycie Lynn was waiting for us, and we locked down. About an hour down river, Scott radioed us and said, "this is about like riding a lawnmower to Florida." It was an accurate description. We passed several tugs with barges, but not much else. It is hard to believe there is such a long stretch of land with so few signs of civilization.
Scott and Mary peeled off at Columbus, MS, we locked through John Stennis and kept going. We were now in the river section, but it was still straight! The Corps of Engineers had straightened it, leaving lots of oxbow. The chart plotter looked crazy, kind of like dollar signs stacked on top of one another. That's not the best description, maybe one day I can add pictures.
Late in the afternoon we started seeing houses, Danny found a spot to anchor in the mouth of a creek, and proceeded to take a lake bath. Marinas and very cold water had interfered. While we were sitting on the back of the boat, a gentleman in a bass boat pulled up and started talking. As he started to leave, he said he wish he could invite us to his house for dinner, but Thursday was men's steak night with some of his friends.
We still couldn't get the satellite to pick up our local channel for the news so we watched CNN for a little while, ate our shrimp ring and went to bed!
Friday, October 28, 2016
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Wednesday, October 26 - The TENN-TOM again
I wrote a blog post about Wednesday yesterday, on Wednesday, and thought I published it. I KNOW I saved it, but it has disappeared. I am so frustrated. I knew this blog thing would be a steep learning curve, but thought I would be further along by now. And I haven't even started trying to add pictures.
For us, the Wednesday morning start was pretty early, about 8:30. Turns out all the boats at Midland Marina left about 7:00. That's a REALLY early start. We never caught up with them, so the locks seemed lonesome! We did pick up a buddy boat, Jaycie Lynn, in the second of the three locks, and cruised with them down to Aberdeen Dam. We spent most of the day on the canal section of the waterway. Very few houses, few boats, just like riding in a ditch. It was pretty, but an awful lot of the same scenery, and all in a straight line!
Scott, on Jaycie Lynn, our buddy boat, had heard about a free dock with electricity in a park just before the dam, so we decided to join them. We could see the park to our right, but could not see a way to get there. Remember, lots of trees and stumps in the pools on the TENN-TOM. We called the lockmaster and he assured us that boats had been in there and told us where to look for the markers. Scott led the way, after Danny declined, and we crept through the trees. The water was really shallow, but we made it without incident. Scott and Mary were ready to take our ropes, then we sat on their boat to get acquainted and indulge in some cocktails. There was no electricity, but there was a trash can. We ended the evening with a culinary masterpiece, Tuna Helper!
For us, the Wednesday morning start was pretty early, about 8:30. Turns out all the boats at Midland Marina left about 7:00. That's a REALLY early start. We never caught up with them, so the locks seemed lonesome! We did pick up a buddy boat, Jaycie Lynn, in the second of the three locks, and cruised with them down to Aberdeen Dam. We spent most of the day on the canal section of the waterway. Very few houses, few boats, just like riding in a ditch. It was pretty, but an awful lot of the same scenery, and all in a straight line!
Scott, on Jaycie Lynn, our buddy boat, had heard about a free dock with electricity in a park just before the dam, so we decided to join them. We could see the park to our right, but could not see a way to get there. Remember, lots of trees and stumps in the pools on the TENN-TOM. We called the lockmaster and he assured us that boats had been in there and told us where to look for the markers. Scott led the way, after Danny declined, and we crept through the trees. The water was really shallow, but we made it without incident. Scott and Mary were ready to take our ropes, then we sat on their boat to get acquainted and indulge in some cocktails. There was no electricity, but there was a trash can. We ended the evening with a culinary masterpiece, Tuna Helper!
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Tuesday, October 25 - Lock Day
Most of the day today was spent navigating the first three locks of the TENN-TOM. The first was Whitten Lock. We had read about a Corp of EngineersVisitor Center there, so we decided to take it in. The information had said there was a dinghy dock, but wasn't specific about where this dock was located. We turned into the creek just before the lock looking for what showed as a road on my cell phone maps app. We called the lockmaster and were confused by his answer. Finally we anchored the boat, got into the dinghy without incident and went in search of this visitor center.
To say I am apprehensive about traveling in the dinghy is a major understatement! When we took it on a trial run last summer, I fell in the lake trying to get out of the thing, and I can't think of anything that has improved since that time. It's not so much that I am afraid of falling in the water, just afraid of turning the dinghy over, not being able to get back in, breaking something as I fall - you get the idea. So I had a headache before I even stepped foot inside it. SO, we dinghy over to this dock-looking thing, which we certainly wouldn't have called a dinghy dock, I got one knee out and onto the platform, and Danny noticed that this platform was connected only to the boat house, we couldn't get to land from it. SO, I got back into the dinghy and we scooted around to the mud bank on the other side of the boathouse. Yes, you read right, MUD, not sand. Danny drove up far enough for me to step out, but then I couldn't lift my foot to take another step. We are talking MUD! Now we are ashore, but still no signs, no walkway, just woods with a little scattered gravel. We keep telling each other this can't be the right place, but are too bull headed to give up. We climb the hill, come out at a maintenance building, hike around to the upper level, and there is the visitor center. The lady inside doesn't know what we are talking about when we ask about the dinghy dock. Anyhow, we look at the exhibits then walk around an observation area. Down below is, you guessed it, a dinghy dock! There had been no signs on the lake, and we had turned in too soon. We trecked back down to the muddy bank, got into the dinghy without incident, and back to the boat. Carrying lots of mud on our shoes!
As we were pulling up the anchor, we saw several boats headed for the Whitten Lock. We pulled in behind the ten of them, but the only available slot was at the first bollard on the port side. We didn't know it at the time, but this made us the lead boat for the next three locks. There were 12 boats in the lock (one pulled in after we did) with only 10 bollards, so four boats were rafted together. We had never been in a lock with that many boats, it was quite a view. And looking back at the trail from our lead position was beautiful. At 84 feet, Whitten has the highest lift on the TENN-TOM, and the third highest east of the Mississippi. (For you Knoxville folks, Ft. Loudon Lock has a 72 foot lift.)
We spent a lot of time waiting in locks today. One of the three had trouble getting the gate to close behind us, one waited a very long time for the last of the twelve boats to arrive. After we came out of the third lock, John Rankin, we turned into Midway Marina four miles downstream. Marinas are few and far between in these parts, and we needed ice! Again, we were the lead boat, which was great for us, because there was lots of activity with so many boats. We pumped out for $10.00, the first time we have had to pay, got our ice, AND bought Milwaukee's Best Light for $12.00 a case!
Danny found a good place to anchor in our trusty Skipper Bob guidebook (thanks, Marbeth and Tom!), and we pulled in close to a county boat ramp. Anchoring anywhere on this part of the waterway is tricky because of all the stumps. My culinary creation for dinner was Tuna Helper. What a way to end the day!
To say I am apprehensive about traveling in the dinghy is a major understatement! When we took it on a trial run last summer, I fell in the lake trying to get out of the thing, and I can't think of anything that has improved since that time. It's not so much that I am afraid of falling in the water, just afraid of turning the dinghy over, not being able to get back in, breaking something as I fall - you get the idea. So I had a headache before I even stepped foot inside it. SO, we dinghy over to this dock-looking thing, which we certainly wouldn't have called a dinghy dock, I got one knee out and onto the platform, and Danny noticed that this platform was connected only to the boat house, we couldn't get to land from it. SO, I got back into the dinghy and we scooted around to the mud bank on the other side of the boathouse. Yes, you read right, MUD, not sand. Danny drove up far enough for me to step out, but then I couldn't lift my foot to take another step. We are talking MUD! Now we are ashore, but still no signs, no walkway, just woods with a little scattered gravel. We keep telling each other this can't be the right place, but are too bull headed to give up. We climb the hill, come out at a maintenance building, hike around to the upper level, and there is the visitor center. The lady inside doesn't know what we are talking about when we ask about the dinghy dock. Anyhow, we look at the exhibits then walk around an observation area. Down below is, you guessed it, a dinghy dock! There had been no signs on the lake, and we had turned in too soon. We trecked back down to the muddy bank, got into the dinghy without incident, and back to the boat. Carrying lots of mud on our shoes!
As we were pulling up the anchor, we saw several boats headed for the Whitten Lock. We pulled in behind the ten of them, but the only available slot was at the first bollard on the port side. We didn't know it at the time, but this made us the lead boat for the next three locks. There were 12 boats in the lock (one pulled in after we did) with only 10 bollards, so four boats were rafted together. We had never been in a lock with that many boats, it was quite a view. And looking back at the trail from our lead position was beautiful. At 84 feet, Whitten has the highest lift on the TENN-TOM, and the third highest east of the Mississippi. (For you Knoxville folks, Ft. Loudon Lock has a 72 foot lift.)
We spent a lot of time waiting in locks today. One of the three had trouble getting the gate to close behind us, one waited a very long time for the last of the twelve boats to arrive. After we came out of the third lock, John Rankin, we turned into Midway Marina four miles downstream. Marinas are few and far between in these parts, and we needed ice! Again, we were the lead boat, which was great for us, because there was lots of activity with so many boats. We pumped out for $10.00, the first time we have had to pay, got our ice, AND bought Milwaukee's Best Light for $12.00 a case!
Danny found a good place to anchor in our trusty Skipper Bob guidebook (thanks, Marbeth and Tom!), and we pulled in close to a county boat ramp. Anchoring anywhere on this part of the waterway is tricky because of all the stumps. My culinary creation for dinner was Tuna Helper. What a way to end the day!
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Monday, October 24 - First day on the TENN-TOM
Danny decided to wait until we were at a marina with a repair facility to have someone look at the muffler, so we headed down the TENN-TOM Waterway. The TENN-TOM connects the Tennessee River with the Black Warrior River so boats can cut off 535 miles on their trip to the Gulf of Mexico. It is an interesting mix of engineering feats. Today we went through a creek, a canal, and a long cut with rip rap on both sides. It was like riding in a 25 mile ditch! Then into Bay Springs Lake (3 water words) which was shallow and required constant vigilence to stay between the buoys and out of trouble. We shared our cove anchorage with lots and lots of coots and ducks. They were an appreciative audience as we cleaned most of the Eisenglass (vinyl-like covering). I had been dreading this job since we bought the boat, but it really wasn't that bad, thanks to a youTube video, baby diapers, and Danny's long arms.
When the Army Corps of Engineers constructed the TENN-TOM they cut down trees and left the stumps. Thank goodness we used a trip line with our anchor because it got caught under a limb. When Danny pulled on the trip line to freee the anchor, it pulled up a whole branch!
Sunday, October 23 - Last day on the Tennessee River
Danny had noticed a different sound in the engines, so he had asked one of the marina exhibitors at Rendezvous to come to our boat and see what he thought. His guess was a baffle in the muffler. Since we would pass Grand Harbor Marina today, and there isn't another large marina for several days, we decided to pull in and call a mechanic to come out tomorrow.
Grand Harbor Marina is at mile 450 of the TENN-TOM, where it ends at the Tennessee River. As we approached, we turned onto Yellow Creek and ended our travels on the Tennessee River. (We will travel a much shorter section as we come down from the Great Lakes next fall.) Living in Knoxville for 30 years, we had been familiar with TVA, of course. But traveling on its lakes and river for 398 miles on this trip has made us so much aware of its scope and impact.
Grand Harbor has a courtesy van with a decorative wrap, so we borrowed it to go into Corinth to WalMart, where else? We had been to Corinth on our Shiloh tourist day and eaten at Crossroads Rib Shack at the recommendation of a local gentleman. It was so good we decided to go again! The WalMart did not have our favorite beverage, but we did buy some groceries and the equipment to clean the Isenglass. Boy, am I excited!
Lots of Looper boats at Grand Harbor, but we didn't join the docktails. Driving and shopping had worn us out! Being on the water is so easy and stress free!
Grand Harbor Marina is at mile 450 of the TENN-TOM, where it ends at the Tennessee River. As we approached, we turned onto Yellow Creek and ended our travels on the Tennessee River. (We will travel a much shorter section as we come down from the Great Lakes next fall.) Living in Knoxville for 30 years, we had been familiar with TVA, of course. But traveling on its lakes and river for 398 miles on this trip has made us so much aware of its scope and impact.
Grand Harbor has a courtesy van with a decorative wrap, so we borrowed it to go into Corinth to WalMart, where else? We had been to Corinth on our Shiloh tourist day and eaten at Crossroads Rib Shack at the recommendation of a local gentleman. It was so good we decided to go again! The WalMart did not have our favorite beverage, but we did buy some groceries and the equipment to clean the Isenglass. Boy, am I excited!
Lots of Looper boats at Grand Harbor, but we didn't join the docktails. Driving and shopping had worn us out! Being on the water is so easy and stress free!
Saturday, Oct. 22
Lots of boats headed out of Joe Wheeler this morning, and we fell in with them. Lockmasters like to have leisure boats go through in groups rather than one or two at a time, so we had company as we went down into Lake Wilson. We had been this route to Florence and back last week, so didn't slow down for much sightseeing. Wilson Lock took us down into Pickwick Lake at Florence, AL. We pulled into the marina where we stayed last time for lunch and a pump out. (Those two things probably shouldn't be in the same sentence.). The blackened fish flat on Naan bread was delicious and we got to watch a little of the Alabama football game. Kyle, the wonderful dockmaster, had pulled our boat up and pumped it out while we were eating, and even found a space for us to stay. There were quite a few Looper boats there, but we decided to keep going for a few more miles and anchored in Pickwick Lake. Our first choice for anchorage looked wonderful, but thank goodness Danny saw something ahead that looked like a plant so we kept going past it. Good decision - it was a rock crushing facility that made rip rap and it was busy dumping rock onto barges!
Great Loop Rendezvous - Monday - Friday, Oct. 17 - 21
Rendezvous was wonderful. Lots of information, interesting people, great boats, and good food. I did not find a boat that I would swap Ellis' Island for, but it was so interesting to see the different types of boats and how people have set them up for living aboard.
I did learn a few new terms at this meeting. "Dirt House" is your house on land. "Navy Bath" is spray, lather, wash, spray again to save water. "Pooltails" are cocktails around the pool, not to be confused with "Docktails" on the dock.
The local Chamber of Commerce hosts an event for the group each year. We were treated to an exhibition polo match, at a real polo facility. One of the players was presented as "the oldest polo player in the world." At eighty-six, not many people around to challenge him.
We enjoyed a breakfast buffet at the lodge, with bacon, of course, before heading out. The wind was so strong that a boat backing out from two slips in front of us nearly came in contact! We had planned to pump out before we left, but didn't want to chance it with the high wind.
We cruised about half a mile and anchored for the day in a little cove just north of Wheeler Dam. As much as we enjoyed the past few days, it was good to get out by ourselves.
I did learn a few new terms at this meeting. "Dirt House" is your house on land. "Navy Bath" is spray, lather, wash, spray again to save water. "Pooltails" are cocktails around the pool, not to be confused with "Docktails" on the dock.
The local Chamber of Commerce hosts an event for the group each year. We were treated to an exhibition polo match, at a real polo facility. One of the players was presented as "the oldest polo player in the world." At eighty-six, not many people around to challenge him.
We enjoyed a breakfast buffet at the lodge, with bacon, of course, before heading out. The wind was so strong that a boat backing out from two slips in front of us nearly came in contact! We had planned to pump out before we left, but didn't want to chance it with the high wind.
We cruised about half a mile and anchored for the day in a little cove just north of Wheeler Dam. As much as we enjoyed the past few days, it was good to get out by ourselves.
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Sunday, October 16
Second morning in our almost-cove and again we shared it with fishermen. We ate a leisurely breakfast, then headed up-river toward Joe Wheeler State Park. We passed through Wheeler Dam for the second time, again very slowly. Joe Wheeler Marina was ready for us, and we gassed up, pumped out, and eased into our slip which would be home base for five nights. Fellow loopers in the next slip helped us tie up, and told us "pool-tails' would commence at 4:00.
The park has a striking lodge and beautiful pool overlooking the docks and lake, so that's where everyone gathered. A few folks brought snacks, we pulled up chairs and started visiting. A great start to the conference.
The American Great Loop Cruising Association holds two of these "Rendezvous" (what is the plural of rendezvous?) every year. We attended the spring meeting in May in Norfolk and learned so much. Sessions covered sections of the Loop, with information about marinas, tourist stops, safe passageways, etc. The only problem was they covered NORTHERN sections, and ended right where we would start our Loop. So when we began departure discussions, we planned to leave in time to attend the Fall Rendezvous to get information about the early stages of our journey. A big benefit of attending is that you meet people who are "in progress" and well as those who have completed one or more Loops. Since many of us will head down the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway around the same time, we have a chance to get to know people we might bump into for the next year. And the people who have completed the loop have great advice for us "newbies." There are 60 Looper boats and 260 people here, so we have lots to learn!
The park has a striking lodge and beautiful pool overlooking the docks and lake, so that's where everyone gathered. A few folks brought snacks, we pulled up chairs and started visiting. A great start to the conference.
The American Great Loop Cruising Association holds two of these "Rendezvous" (what is the plural of rendezvous?) every year. We attended the spring meeting in May in Norfolk and learned so much. Sessions covered sections of the Loop, with information about marinas, tourist stops, safe passageways, etc. The only problem was they covered NORTHERN sections, and ended right where we would start our Loop. So when we began departure discussions, we planned to leave in time to attend the Fall Rendezvous to get information about the early stages of our journey. A big benefit of attending is that you meet people who are "in progress" and well as those who have completed one or more Loops. Since many of us will head down the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway around the same time, we have a chance to get to know people we might bump into for the next year. And the people who have completed the loop have great advice for us "newbies." There are 60 Looper boats and 260 people here, so we have lots to learn!
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Saturday, October 15 - Football time!
I watched the sunrise! What a surprise. It was beautiful, but I don't plan to view it every day. We were joined in our almost-cove by fishermen just before dawn. We saw one guy catch several fish and another guy with a lure that looked like 10 lures tied together. I would hate to tangle with that one! Since we had such a good spot to anchor, and we still had a day to spare before the Rendezvous, we stayed in place and hunkered down to watch some SEC football. Georgia lost to Vanderbilt, and Tennessee lost badly to Alabama So much for a wonderful October football day.
We brought enough books onboard to read non-stop for a couple of years. I picked "Jewel in Her Crown" for my second one, but quickly swapped it for a Sue Grafton. I just couldn't wade through the verbose writing, the flips back and forth, and the small print. Maybe I will try again when I am a little more settled. If you have any recommendations for books, I would love to hear them. Especially ones that are connected to the areas we will visit.
Danny grilled chicken for dinner, the Holland Companion grill is great. Jeannie, Luke, Hudson and Lily Skyped us, the first contact since the kids left for Disneyworld with Deanna and Darryl. We watched another beautiful moon rise, taking way too many pictures. You would be proud of me, Stephanie. Now if I can just get them from my camera to my iPad..
Friday, October 14
This morning we had the first rain of our trip. We were in a covered slip and weren't in any hurry so we sat and read and watched the rain. Eva at the marina office had told us to be sure to go to the Visitor Center just across the way, so once the rain stopped, we decided to do that. The marina and Visitor Center are part of a large county park that was once a golf course so the walk was very pretty. A beautiful stand of pine trees, rolling hills, views of the water, and a striking building for the center. We learned that Lake Wilson is the largemouth bass capital of Alabama, that Helen Keller's home is 10 miles away, that W.C. Handy was born close by, and that there is such a thing as Muscle Shoals music. We had hoped to walk from the center to the Frank Lloyd Wright house in town, but the nice lady at the desk discouraged us, saying it was too far and too much traffic. That visit will have to wait until we come back through here after the Rendezvous or on the way home. And the next time we will reserve the marina van earlier.
We did not have a reservation at Florence Marina for tonight, so headed out after lunch. Kyle, the Harbor Master told us there had been some delays at the lock due to construction, and we found that to be true! The approach to the lock is a canal that was constructed in the 1920's to enable boats to avoid the shoals. We passed several large barges and tugs on our way up the canal, and hoped they weren't waiting for the lock. The lock master said we would have to wait two hours for the construction to be finished. We tied up to the wall right beside a huge, dead, smelly fish, and watched the construction crew dump huge buckets of cement into a hole.
When we got clearance, we pulled in, followed by two other cruisers who had tied to the wall with us. We felt pretty smug, as Danny made a perfect approach to the bollard, and I made a good loop followed by a secure knot. The boat behind us spent the entire time in the lock trying to stay off the wall using boat hooks.
On a side note, rather than doors that open at the top of the lock, the gate at this one goes down into the water. Pretty confusing the first time was saw it.
It was after 5:00 by the time we headed up the river. The banks were so steep that we had trouble finding a place to anchor for the night. Danny likes places that are 15-20 feet deep, but with a 70- foot deep lake those were hard to find. We finally stopped about 7:30 in an almost-cove by some houses. Last job of th day was watching th beautiful harvest moon rise over the lake.
We did not have a reservation at Florence Marina for tonight, so headed out after lunch. Kyle, the Harbor Master told us there had been some delays at the lock due to construction, and we found that to be true! The approach to the lock is a canal that was constructed in the 1920's to enable boats to avoid the shoals. We passed several large barges and tugs on our way up the canal, and hoped they weren't waiting for the lock. The lock master said we would have to wait two hours for the construction to be finished. We tied up to the wall right beside a huge, dead, smelly fish, and watched the construction crew dump huge buckets of cement into a hole.
When we got clearance, we pulled in, followed by two other cruisers who had tied to the wall with us. We felt pretty smug, as Danny made a perfect approach to the bollard, and I made a good loop followed by a secure knot. The boat behind us spent the entire time in the lock trying to stay off the wall using boat hooks.
On a side note, rather than doors that open at the top of the lock, the gate at this one goes down into the water. Pretty confusing the first time was saw it.
It was after 5:00 by the time we headed up the river. The banks were so steep that we had trouble finding a place to anchor for the night. Danny likes places that are 15-20 feet deep, but with a 70- foot deep lake those were hard to find. We finally stopped about 7:30 in an almost-cove by some houses. Last job of th day was watching th beautiful harvest moon rise over the lake.
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Thursday, October 13 - Tourist Day, Shiloh and Corinth
It is so nice to be posting about current events! I would say I promise not to get behind again, but that probably won't be true.
Danny has always wanted to see the Shiloh Battlefield (thanks, Ken Burns), so we took advantage of our extra days to be tourists and visit the area. Enterprise was to pick us up at 8:00, so we broke our rule and set an early alarm. Just down the road from the Enterprise office was a Waffle House. Can you believe that?! Of course we had to stop for breakfast. Danny was a happy camper, and my grits bowl was great!
The drive to Shiloh took about 1 1/2 hours through rolling countryside. The Military Park was impressive but so sad. Such a waste of human life, 23,746 killed, injured or missing. The visitor center had an amazing video narrated by Peter Coyote, then we followed up with the driving tour of the battlefield. Next stop was Corinth, site of equal carnage, mostly due to disease and illness. Corinth was a major railroad crossroads and saw lots of action. An interesting thing about the Corinth visitor center was the walkway. Replicas of artifacts from the battles were imbedded in the walkway. Hudson would have loved it! I can't wait to post pictures so you can be impressed, too.
The ranger recommended a local BBQ restaurant, so we stopped and enjoyed our first BBQ of the trip. They served gumbo instead of Brunswck Stew. I thought that was strange since we are so far from the Gulf, but it was very good, as was the BBQ.
Danny was ready to be through with driving! As usual, he caught every red light, and cars kept getting in his way. We both were ready to get back to the boat.
We took a walk to look at other boats tonight, deciding ours was the best, of course. A couple walked by and we started talking, as boat people do, right? They are looking for a boat with an air conditioned bridge, and one is for sale two boats down. They came aboard to look at ours and we had a lovely conversation. We hope to see them this weekend at the Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park.
This is our third night at Florence Harbor Marina and it seems almost like home. We know the people in the office, we recognize some of the other Loopers, we even know our way around town - a little bit. Tomorrow we will head out and anchor on the lake a couple of nights before going to Joe Wheeler. Being around other people has been nice, but we miss the quiet and solitude, and Danny misses his lake baths!
Danny has always wanted to see the Shiloh Battlefield (thanks, Ken Burns), so we took advantage of our extra days to be tourists and visit the area. Enterprise was to pick us up at 8:00, so we broke our rule and set an early alarm. Just down the road from the Enterprise office was a Waffle House. Can you believe that?! Of course we had to stop for breakfast. Danny was a happy camper, and my grits bowl was great!
The drive to Shiloh took about 1 1/2 hours through rolling countryside. The Military Park was impressive but so sad. Such a waste of human life, 23,746 killed, injured or missing. The visitor center had an amazing video narrated by Peter Coyote, then we followed up with the driving tour of the battlefield. Next stop was Corinth, site of equal carnage, mostly due to disease and illness. Corinth was a major railroad crossroads and saw lots of action. An interesting thing about the Corinth visitor center was the walkway. Replicas of artifacts from the battles were imbedded in the walkway. Hudson would have loved it! I can't wait to post pictures so you can be impressed, too.
The ranger recommended a local BBQ restaurant, so we stopped and enjoyed our first BBQ of the trip. They served gumbo instead of Brunswck Stew. I thought that was strange since we are so far from the Gulf, but it was very good, as was the BBQ.
Danny was ready to be through with driving! As usual, he caught every red light, and cars kept getting in his way. We both were ready to get back to the boat.
We took a walk to look at other boats tonight, deciding ours was the best, of course. A couple walked by and we started talking, as boat people do, right? They are looking for a boat with an air conditioned bridge, and one is for sale two boats down. They came aboard to look at ours and we had a lovely conversation. We hope to see them this weekend at the Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park.
This is our third night at Florence Harbor Marina and it seems almost like home. We know the people in the office, we recognize some of the other Loopers, we even know our way around town - a little bit. Tomorrow we will head out and anchor on the lake a couple of nights before going to Joe Wheeler. Being around other people has been nice, but we miss the quiet and solitude, and Danny misses his lake baths!
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Wednesday, October 12 - I am caught up!
Finally, I am blogging about today today! I got so behind when my posts went to "preview" then disappeared. I spent a lot of time looking for them, then couldn't get anything to post for a while. But I'm OK now, except that I can't include pictures. I put out an appeal on the Great Loop blog and a gentleman has agreed to help me while we are at the Rendezvous. He doesn't know what he is in for!
Anyhow, today was great. Actually, we have decided that every day is great, some are just more eventful or cover more distance. We had reserved a rental car for today, we thought, even got a conformation email. Than a call this morning saying Enterprise didn't have a car, even though we had a confirmation. So plans for a trip to Shioh National Battlefield were delayed until tomorrow. What to do today? LAUNDRY!
The laundry "room" at the marina is a closet with a stacked washer and dryer. They are full sized, thank goodness, but three loads of clothes takes a while. We read on the dock, ate lunch at the restaurant, and read some more while waiting on the clothes. There is a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Florence, and we had thought about going today but there is no Uber in town, so we postponed that visit until tomorrow, too. It's amazing how easy it is to relax on the water. We chilled until our marina courtesy car reservation, then took off to the WalMart Supercenter. I do NOT like WalMart, and never shop there if I have another option, but we needed a gas can, a sink sprayer, vitamins and food, so where else do you go? Dinner tonight was frozen pizza, the first thing we have cooked in the convection oven. I spent some time rearranging storage, can't wait to post pictures of the bathroom cabinet.
I wish I could explain how incredible this trip has been so far. The past year and a half have been so stressful for us (more about that later), that the freedom and relaxation has been marvelous. We have no schedule, no keys, no calendar, just each other and a lot of wonderful water. Who could ask for more?
Anyhow, today was great. Actually, we have decided that every day is great, some are just more eventful or cover more distance. We had reserved a rental car for today, we thought, even got a conformation email. Than a call this morning saying Enterprise didn't have a car, even though we had a confirmation. So plans for a trip to Shioh National Battlefield were delayed until tomorrow. What to do today? LAUNDRY!
The laundry "room" at the marina is a closet with a stacked washer and dryer. They are full sized, thank goodness, but three loads of clothes takes a while. We read on the dock, ate lunch at the restaurant, and read some more while waiting on the clothes. There is a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Florence, and we had thought about going today but there is no Uber in town, so we postponed that visit until tomorrow, too. It's amazing how easy it is to relax on the water. We chilled until our marina courtesy car reservation, then took off to the WalMart Supercenter. I do NOT like WalMart, and never shop there if I have another option, but we needed a gas can, a sink sprayer, vitamins and food, so where else do you go? Dinner tonight was frozen pizza, the first thing we have cooked in the convection oven. I spent some time rearranging storage, can't wait to post pictures of the bathroom cabinet.
I wish I could explain how incredible this trip has been so far. The past year and a half have been so stressful for us (more about that later), that the freedom and relaxation has been marvelous. We have no schedule, no keys, no calendar, just each other and a lot of wonderful water. Who could ask for more?
Tuesday, October 11
We need to be at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, AL for the Great Loop Rendezvous Sunday. Well, we got there today! Danny included extra days in his trip planning just in case, so now we have a few days to fill. We had heard good things about the marina in Florence, so decided to cruise down there and take in the sites and do laundry.
We locked through Wheeler Dam into Wilson Lake, then 15 miles later through Wilson Dam into Pickwick Lake. Wilson Lake seemed so short compared to the lakes we have traveled through so far on our trip. Wilson Dam predates TVA and is the oldest dam in the system, and the slowest it seemed to us. We exited the lock into a canal made to bypass Muscle Shoals. Muscle Shoals is a rocky outcrop in the river that prevented navigation on the river until construction of the dam and canal.
Florence Harbor Marina was just below the dam. The lock master was waiting for us as we pulled in and helped us pump out, then directed us into a covered slip. Uptown! There were several other looper boats, and the marina office has a Looper Board to post boat cards and put a corresponding number on the map to show your home port. We are the first ones from Knoxville. We signed out the marina courtesy car and went in search of beer! Danny says driving and traffic on land seem awful compared to "driving" on the river. We had a nice, quiet evening sitting outside reading and catching up on Internet stuff. It's the first night we have had internet service.
We locked through Wheeler Dam into Wilson Lake, then 15 miles later through Wilson Dam into Pickwick Lake. Wilson Lake seemed so short compared to the lakes we have traveled through so far on our trip. Wilson Dam predates TVA and is the oldest dam in the system, and the slowest it seemed to us. We exited the lock into a canal made to bypass Muscle Shoals. Muscle Shoals is a rocky outcrop in the river that prevented navigation on the river until construction of the dam and canal.
Florence Harbor Marina was just below the dam. The lock master was waiting for us as we pulled in and helped us pump out, then directed us into a covered slip. Uptown! There were several other looper boats, and the marina office has a Looper Board to post boat cards and put a corresponding number on the map to show your home port. We are the first ones from Knoxville. We signed out the marina courtesy car and went in search of beer! Danny says driving and traffic on land seem awful compared to "driving" on the river. We had a nice, quiet evening sitting outside reading and catching up on Internet stuff. It's the first night we have had internet service.
Monday, October 10
As we promised ourselves before we began this adventure, we are taking it easy! No schedule, no long days, just go with the flow. Well, our flow didn't start until noon on Monday. We started out by untangling the anchor trip line. That sounds pretty simple, but we had to turn the boat around and head into the dock, this time without our Alabama friends to help. When Danny was finished untangling, I had to untie the back rope, then the front rope, then get to the back again so I could get on the boat before it started drifting. Danny said it was the first time he had seen me run in a long time!
The wind was still pretty brisk as we pulled out of the marina. Decatur has LOTS of industry along the riverfront, it went on for miles. There was even a building with a sign "Port Decatur." We saw our first tugs and barges since leaving Knoxville. That seemed so odd to us since we see them frequently on Ft. Loudon. They have to come from somewhere. The railroad bridge over the river in Decatur was unusual. A section in the middle raised so large boats can go under! I posted a picture on Facebook. When I master this blog, I will post a series showing how it worked.
We stopped for the night at 3:30, another long, hard day! We watched lots of barges go by, Danny went fishing and for a swim, we watched a beautiful moon rise. What a day!
The wind was still pretty brisk as we pulled out of the marina. Decatur has LOTS of industry along the riverfront, it went on for miles. There was even a building with a sign "Port Decatur." We saw our first tugs and barges since leaving Knoxville. That seemed so odd to us since we see them frequently on Ft. Loudon. They have to come from somewhere. The railroad bridge over the river in Decatur was unusual. A section in the middle raised so large boats can go under! I posted a picture on Facebook. When I master this blog, I will post a series showing how it worked.
We stopped for the night at 3:30, another long, hard day! We watched lots of barges go by, Danny went fishing and for a swim, we watched a beautiful moon rise. What a day!
Sunday, October 9
We anchored in the lake (no marina) every night until last night. This morning we took advantage of the water hook-up at the dock and cleaned the boat! It wasn't as bad as I expected. No marina spiders makes a BIG difference!
Our excitement for the day was a visit from Carol Downs, her daughter, Amy, and grandchildren, Scarlett and Solomon. Carol was our across-the-street neighbor in Jasper, AL, 36 years ago, and gets much of the credit for my loving Jasper so much (along with the Gunn family). She got me into all kinds of things, all good! She is a CPA in Jasper in practice with her son, JoMo. Amy, also an accountant, and her kids live in Birmingham. We had such a good time catching up. So many of the people I remember are still in town, and if they had moved, Carol knew where they are now. Connecting with friends and family along the Loop is going to be awesome. Watch out, we may be coming your way.
We went back to the Hard Dock Cafe to get tuna burgers, which were wonderful, and watched part of the UGA South Carolina game, but without sound. We had hoped to watch the last part on the boat with our own refreshments, but the satellite wouldn't work, so we had to follow updates on the Internet.
Our excitement for the day was a visit from Carol Downs, her daughter, Amy, and grandchildren, Scarlett and Solomon. Carol was our across-the-street neighbor in Jasper, AL, 36 years ago, and gets much of the credit for my loving Jasper so much (along with the Gunn family). She got me into all kinds of things, all good! She is a CPA in Jasper in practice with her son, JoMo. Amy, also an accountant, and her kids live in Birmingham. We had such a good time catching up. So many of the people I remember are still in town, and if they had moved, Carol knew where they are now. Connecting with friends and family along the Loop is going to be awesome. Watch out, we may be coming your way.
We went back to the Hard Dock Cafe to get tuna burgers, which were wonderful, and watched part of the UGA South Carolina game, but without sound. We had hoped to watch the last part on the boat with our own refreshments, but the satellite wouldn't work, so we had to follow updates on the Internet.
Saturday, October 8
We planned to stay at anchor most of the day, but Danny decided he was ready for a meal! The closest food on the water we could find was in Decatur, AL, at River Walk Marina. Reviews were mixed, but we decided to take a chance. The marina is on an island accessed by the highway bridge. There was no one around when we pulled in so I had my first attempt at looping the cleat. It's a long way from the boat down to the dock! We made it, though, and went in for lunch. The restaurant was a typical on-the-water bar, waitresses were very friendly, and football was on the TV. I had to try the catfish, of course, which was very good. We decided we would stay overnight since the wind was really whipping and the restaurant was good. The review we read said there is no office, just check in at the restaurant. Nobody there knew anything, but finally the manager came out, said he thought it was $.75 per foot with water and electricity. SOLD! We moved the boat from the pier into a slip, with the help of some friendly Alabama fans, one wearing a SEC championship ring. We had a great afternoon and evening watching football.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Friday, October 7
Danny: "Started at 8:45, took a bath, started again." The man loves his lake baths!
We saw only one house on the river the entire day! And very few boats. We did find a marina, Ditto Landing, to get gas. Reproductions of the Nina and the Pinta were at the dock and lots of school children running around. A three-year-old named William came on the gas dock to see our boat and came right on board! The cabins on the reproduction ships were closed, and he wanted to see inside a boat. We gave William and his Grammie a tour and visited a little bit. When I can figure out how to add pictures, I will post one so Grammie can show it to him.
My earlier posts was incorrect, not that it matters to anyone, but water aerobics was today, along with a trial run in the dinghy. The davits work great for getting on the dinghy, but we can't pull it up until we get out. Thank goodness for our wonderful ladder. (More about that later.)
On the not-so-happy side, the carbon monoxide alarm went off just before dinner. We had stopped rather early and run the generator longer than normal. We cut the generator off, opened all the windows and doors, and went outside to get away from the noise. This happened once before when we were out all day with Jennfer and her friends. Danny's pretty sure it was just the direction of the wind blowing fumes back in. We had pimiento sandwiches by candlelight and went to bed. Danny didn't find any leaks around the hoses and we haven't had any more trouble.
We saw only one house on the river the entire day! And very few boats. We did find a marina, Ditto Landing, to get gas. Reproductions of the Nina and the Pinta were at the dock and lots of school children running around. A three-year-old named William came on the gas dock to see our boat and came right on board! The cabins on the reproduction ships were closed, and he wanted to see inside a boat. We gave William and his Grammie a tour and visited a little bit. When I can figure out how to add pictures, I will post one so Grammie can show it to him.
My earlier posts was incorrect, not that it matters to anyone, but water aerobics was today, along with a trial run in the dinghy. The davits work great for getting on the dinghy, but we can't pull it up until we get out. Thank goodness for our wonderful ladder. (More about that later.)
On the not-so-happy side, the carbon monoxide alarm went off just before dinner. We had stopped rather early and run the generator longer than normal. We cut the generator off, opened all the windows and doors, and went outside to get away from the noise. This happened once before when we were out all day with Jennfer and her friends. Danny's pretty sure it was just the direction of the wind blowing fumes back in. We had pimiento sandwiches by candlelight and went to bed. Danny didn't find any leaks around the hoses and we haven't had any more trouble.
October 6
Danny 's note from his log: "Lake was cool but refreshing." He took a lake bath at 7:30 a.m. That water was cold, not cool! I declined the invitation to join him. I don't do cold water.
The highlight of our day was visiting with my Cordele friend and college roommate at
Samford, Carol Hardin and her husband Randy Smith. They took us on a tour of Guntersville, to lunch at The Rock House, to a wonderful fishing store to buy a license, and to their beautiful lake house. I had not seen Carol in 40+ years, so we had a lot of catching up to do. About that fishing license, a one-year license was more economical, but still $50.00. I didn't have my driver's license with me, so couldn't get mine. I told Danny if he started catching fish, then we would buy mine. So far that has not been a problem.
We had noticed that most of the boat houses on Lake Guntersville were big and completely enclosed, which we thought was against TVA guidelines. Randy said they are allowed, and even different sizes are allowed in different areas of the lake. Their boat house had eight garage doors, two on each wall! It was awesome! Lake Guntersville also had lots of beautiful waterfront homes, which was a change from the scenery the last two days.
After leaving Carol and Randy, we cruised for a couple of hours, then got into the water for a water aerobics session. It wasn't as good a workout as the YMCA, but it was exercise!
October 5
We started the day at mile marker 432, cruised down to Nickajack Dam and into Guntersville Lake. We started looking for a place to buy ice (again, those of you who know Danny know why), get water, gas, and pump out. Marinas are few and far between in this area. We finally found Goosepond Colony Marina about 3:30. The entry registered 3 1/2 feet. We were about to turn around and leave, but called the dock and they told us that the hydrilla (green stuff) caused a false depth reading and assured us we would be OK. Sure enough, we made it to the gas dock where they were waiting to take our ropes. The service was wonderful! Jeff helped with everything, in fact, he did most things. I think I could have handled this stop by myself. Danny borrowed the marina van and went to Bruce's Foodland to buy dill pickles (we were already out), hot sauce (we had forgotten), and beer (of course). We were tempted to stay overnight, but decided to keep going a little longer. We anchored for the night at mile marker 374.
Monday, October 10, 2016
October 4
October 4
I omitted two items from the Day 2 post. First, October 3rd is my brother Emory's birthday, and was my Daddy's as well, and second, we had our first contact with a Looper boat - Miss My Money. He was docked at Blue Springs Marina on his way to Knoxville and saw us cruise past. They will be at the Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler as part of their second Great Loop. Later in the day we made contact with two other Loopers, Anchor Down and Follow That Dream. We love making connections with this incredible community.
Now to October 4th. This is my dear Friend Jane's birthday. We missed celebrating it with her, but I mailed her a funny card just before we left. That is astonishing since I never remember to mail cards when I am in town. Maybe this Loop thing will spur me to develop better habits.
Our first gas stop was at Shady Grove Harbor just north of Chattanooga. No, we weren't out of gas, Emory, just getting a feel for how long a tank will last. The owners were so helpful and friendly and of course talked about The Loop. This was my first time to throw out the ropes at a dock. Thank goodness the owner was there and ready to catch!
At 12:30 we locked through the Chicamauga Dam into Nickajack Lake. I had a bit of a meltdown in the lock when I had trouble hooking onto the bollard. The rope just wouldn't go where I wanted it to go. My second set of tears already, and I had wondered why people mentioned tears when they finished their loop. Danny was wonderfully supportive. Yep, you read that right.
I had looked forward to seeing Chattanooga from the water, but must admit I was a little disappointed. It was pretty, I guess, but not the bustling place I expected. Maybe because it was a week day in the fall, but still . . . The scenery leaving town was impressive. Lookout Mountain on our left, Moccasin Bend on our right. We blew the horn for some school boys high on the cliff, and saw some gorgeous houses. A little further west, there were some great lake houses, places we would all like to spend the week-end.
There was still lots of green stuff on the water but we managed to find a spot to anchor just north of Hales Bar, which was at one time a hydroelectric dam, but has been dismantled. We got in the water, but I stayed on the ladder - the water was cold! Danny never thinks the water is too cold.
I omitted two items from the Day 2 post. First, October 3rd is my brother Emory's birthday, and was my Daddy's as well, and second, we had our first contact with a Looper boat - Miss My Money. He was docked at Blue Springs Marina on his way to Knoxville and saw us cruise past. They will be at the Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler as part of their second Great Loop. Later in the day we made contact with two other Loopers, Anchor Down and Follow That Dream. We love making connections with this incredible community.
Now to October 4th. This is my dear Friend Jane's birthday. We missed celebrating it with her, but I mailed her a funny card just before we left. That is astonishing since I never remember to mail cards when I am in town. Maybe this Loop thing will spur me to develop better habits.
Our first gas stop was at Shady Grove Harbor just north of Chattanooga. No, we weren't out of gas, Emory, just getting a feel for how long a tank will last. The owners were so helpful and friendly and of course talked about The Loop. This was my first time to throw out the ropes at a dock. Thank goodness the owner was there and ready to catch!
At 12:30 we locked through the Chicamauga Dam into Nickajack Lake. I had a bit of a meltdown in the lock when I had trouble hooking onto the bollard. The rope just wouldn't go where I wanted it to go. My second set of tears already, and I had wondered why people mentioned tears when they finished their loop. Danny was wonderfully supportive. Yep, you read that right.
I had looked forward to seeing Chattanooga from the water, but must admit I was a little disappointed. It was pretty, I guess, but not the bustling place I expected. Maybe because it was a week day in the fall, but still . . . The scenery leaving town was impressive. Lookout Mountain on our left, Moccasin Bend on our right. We blew the horn for some school boys high on the cliff, and saw some gorgeous houses. A little further west, there were some great lake houses, places we would all like to spend the week-end.
There was still lots of green stuff on the water but we managed to find a spot to anchor just north of Hales Bar, which was at one time a hydroelectric dam, but has been dismantled. We got in the water, but I stayed on the ladder - the water was cold! Danny never thinks the water is too cold.
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Day 2 - Need more exciting titles
Danny was up to see the sunrise, I was not! We did get an early start and headed downriver on another gorgeous day! There has been very little boat traffic, It's an away weekend for the Tennesseee Vols so the Vol Navy stayed at home to watch the game. (No comment)
Our first social visit of the loop was with our wonderful OSM friend Jeff Coker. His lake house is just off the channel, so we stopped by to visit with with him and his "girls," Roxie and Kiki. We hated to miss Carla, but she was teaching a spinning class.
We locked through Watts Bar Dam and headed down the Chicamauga River. The impact of an 8 mph travel speed began to sink in as we drove on and on and on! When we brought the boat back from Chattanooga, we were cruising at a much higher speed. I couldn't understand why Danny was planning so many travel days to Joe Wheeler when we made it from Chattanooga to Knoxville in a day and a half. NOW I understand. The scenery was pretty, but not pretty enough to keep time from dragging a bit. There was so much green "slime" as we called it, that we had trouble finding a place to anchor for the night. Places that were shallow enough for us to anchor had slime. We ended up violating Danny's rule and cruising until 7:00, and even then anchored in the middle of the lake.
Our first social visit of the loop was with our wonderful OSM friend Jeff Coker. His lake house is just off the channel, so we stopped by to visit with with him and his "girls," Roxie and Kiki. We hated to miss Carla, but she was teaching a spinning class.
We locked through Watts Bar Dam and headed down the Chicamauga River. The impact of an 8 mph travel speed began to sink in as we drove on and on and on! When we brought the boat back from Chattanooga, we were cruising at a much higher speed. I couldn't understand why Danny was planning so many travel days to Joe Wheeler when we made it from Chattanooga to Knoxville in a day and a half. NOW I understand. The scenery was pretty, but not pretty enough to keep time from dragging a bit. There was so much green "slime" as we called it, that we had trouble finding a place to anchor for the night. Places that were shallow enough for us to anchor had slime. We ended up violating Danny's rule and cruising until 7:00, and even then anchored in the middle of the lake.
Day 1 - Part 2
As we pulled into Ft. Loudon, my heart tightened. This is where I leave 5 of my 6 kids and not see them for3 months. We had said goodbye to Jennfer the week-end before, So make her 3 months and 1 week! I know we have phones and Skype (if I can work it!) but it's just not the same. The grown kids will understand and they know how much we love them and will miss them. But Hudson and Lily have stayed with me at least one day a week from the time they were born until they started school, and I still had them some afternoons. Would they understand why I'm not there for them anymore?
As we filled up with gas, Hudson was so excited that the tank kept turning for so long! I told him that DanDan wasn't quite that excited. We took pictures, hugged a lot, and waved goodbye. I didn't cry until we were out of sight, but it was so hard.
The highest lock of our entire trip was just outside the marina, Ft. Loudon Dam, and we made it through with flying colors! We were now in Melton Hill Lake, and the cruising and the weather were beautiful! Danny is determined that we will limit our traveling time, and try to stop by 4:30 every day. Those of you who know him can guess why! So our first night's anchorage was in a cove just south of Kingston. We slept like babies.
As we filled up with gas, Hudson was so excited that the tank kept turning for so long! I told him that DanDan wasn't quite that excited. We took pictures, hugged a lot, and waved goodbye. I didn't cry until we were out of sight, but it was so hard.
The highest lock of our entire trip was just outside the marina, Ft. Loudon Dam, and we made it through with flying colors! We were now in Melton Hill Lake, and the cruising and the weather were beautiful! Danny is determined that we will limit our traveling time, and try to stop by 4:30 every day. Those of you who know him can guess why! So our first night's anchorage was in a cove just south of Kingston. We slept like babies.
Day 1 Part 1
What a day! Exciting, sad, funny, relaxing, can't begin to list all the emotions. First, closing up the little house, then packing and then unpacking the LAST load in the truck, and trying to find a place to stack that last load. We are out of places to store so have resorted to stacking. Jeannie, Luke, Charles, Hudson and Lily joined us 9:00, Jeannie bearing gifts of Egg McMuffins. I am going to miss my favorite breakfast, don't think we will find McDonalds at many marinas. Once we took off, th grandkids had to drive, of course, and Hudson loved the new chart plotter, it was like a video game to him. One small glitch - Danny found a hose squirting water in the engine room while making his rounds. Thank goodness he, along with helpers Charles and Luke, and message relayers Hudson and Lily, were able to fix it. The kids thought it was so funny when DanDan got squirted when the first plugging effort didn't work. Jeannie and I spent the ride trying to get me up to speed technologically. Hopeless cause. I can now operate the Kindle at least, but still can't download my pictures to this blog. I hope there will be a kind hearted and very patient techie at the Great Loop Rendezvous who will help me. We also tried to set up an e-mail list at the request of my nephew, William. He just wants the important updates without having to search the blog or Facebook. No luck with that, either.
(Day 1 continued in next post)
(Day 1 continued in next post)
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!
"You'll never be ready. Go anyway!" This quote from a boat blog pretty much describes how we feel tonight. We have packed, loaded, stowed, moved, until we are exhausted. Departure is scheduled for 9:00 am Sunday morning. Charles, Jeannie, Huson and Lily are riding with us as far as Ft. Loudon Marina where we plan to stop for gas. Then we will be off! Once underway, I hope to have more time for blogging. My learning curve is steeper than I thought, so I'm making no promises!
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