As I write this, we are cruising down the river with a very unusual burst of Verizon bars, so thought I would take advantage of this window and post the blog as I sit on the front of the boat enjoying the sunshine and looking for alligators.
We anchored out again last night tied up with Blue Willow (Mark & Vicki) and Pura Vida (Steve & Sheli) and had a wonderful evening in a narrow anchorage (Basche Creek) lined with trees and vegetation. It was a beautiful spot just off the river, but very well protected from tows and other boat traffic.
Today we left the anchorage about 7:00 a.m. and managed to reach the FINAL lock until we reach the Dismal Swamp (in Virginia). We all seem to be relieved and elated to have the locks behind us, as it tends to cause delays as we meander down the river, so makes it difficult to anticipate with any certainty how long we'll be able to travel in a day. In honor of this milestone, several of us are planning dinner and card games in our anchorage tonight. Pot lucks, as usual, are always the best! Good food, good friends, and memories made.
This has been a monumental day for us. In addition to encountering our last lock, Jim is anxiously awaiting the beginning of the Michigan/Michigan State football game and is hopeful that we will be able to listen to it on our XM radio. Another highlight for us has been the sighting of 2 alligators. The first we saw swimming across the river just before going into the Coffeeville Lock. The last sighting, just a few minutes ago was a large gator sunning himself on the bank of the river.
We are very much looking forward to connecting tomorrow with friends Amy & Ron from Pentwater. Ron will board the boat at the entrance to Mobile Bay and I will ride with Amy in the car. It is likely the guys will smoke cigars and talk about golf, and Amy and I will do what we do best...shop! Tomorrow evening we plan to arrive in Orange Beach, Alabama, where we will spend at least a week at The Wharf Marina, with our free dockage for a month (thanks to my great gambling skills)!!! Ron and Amy plan to spend a couple of days with us, so I'm sure we will do some sightseeing of the area and enjoy some local cuisine. One of the "must-stops" is Lulu's - Jimmy Buffet's sister's restaurant, which is close by.
Life is GOOD, and I hope the same is true with all of you reading this blog. Hugs to you all!!
No comments:
Post a Comment