We are SO happy to be here in Dunedin! This marina is the most welcoming and helpful of all the marinas we have visited along our journey. In addition, the area is the most biker-friendly of all we have visited. There is a wide, flat, well-maintained bike trail that spans from Clearwater to Tarpon Springs. While the trails are the best, we have voted the bikers on the trails the rudest we have met. We have enjoyed bike trips to Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, and have found it to be a perfect way to see the area. Yesterday and today we attended a farmers market and art fair in downtown Dunedin. Tonight we will hop in our rental car and go to Tarpon Springs for a seafood festival on the sponge docks.
This has truly been the journey of a lifetime and we are so thankful to have the opportunity for this experience, to have seen so much, enjoyed so much, and to have met so many fantastic people that will be dear to us for life! Last night we gathered with other Looper friends and enjoyed grilled burgers, pot-luck dishes, and great conversation.
In just a few days (on Friday) we fly from Tampa to Grand Rapids and will spend the Thanksgiving holiday with our family. We are VERY anxious to see the kids and grandkids, but not looking forward to the cold weather and snow. Therefore, this blog will be "on vacation" until we return from Michigan and begin the next leg of our journey.
We wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving full of appreciation for good health, family, and all positive things in your life!
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
November 12, 2014 - Gulf crossing behind us!!
We had been listening intently to our weather advisors as to the window where it would be optimal for our night-time cruise across the Gulf to Dunedin. Originally we had thought we would be leaving Tuesday, but the weather window turned out to be a slim one, so on the spur of the moment we agreed that our best option would be to join the numerous other boats planning to make the crossing on Monday. Not knowing when another weather window would present itself, we fueled up and left oyster heaven behind.
We left with Blue Willow and headed through the intracoastal waterway to the place near Carrabelle, FL where we joined two other buddy boats (Charis - Ken & Ann and Infinite Sea - Paul & Stephanie), plugged in our Dunedin waypoint, engaged the auto pilot and embarked on our 21 hour trip across the open water. For the first part of the trip, the Gulf was pretty calm, but around midnight or 1:00 a.m. we were shaken from our reverie and the waves increased. Although a big uncomfortable for us, it wasn't dangerously rough and luckily the waves were pushing us along rather than hitting us on the beam.
Because we would be traveling for 21 hours and throughout the night, we planned to take turns sleeping and watching the helm. In addition, buddy checks via radio were scheduled every half hour among the 4 boats in our group to be sure everyone was o.k. and alert. Five boats had left around noon from Carrabelle (boats traveling around 7 mph), we four boats left around 2:00 p.m. (traveling around 8 mph) and five boats left around 5:00 p.m (traveling 10 mph) to make the trip. By the time daylight dawned, all boats had caught up to one another and we were traveling and communicating by radio as one big fleet.
Our strategy in traveling the hours we did was based on the need to be near our destination after daylight, mid-morning, to be able to see the many crab pots scattered throughout our path which could pose serious damage if we had an unexpected encounter with one or more of them. Thankfully, the trip went flawlessly for us and only 2 of the boats in the entire group had minor crab pot damage.
It was quite a journey...gorgeous sunset, spectacular moon-rise, incredibly full and bright starry night sky, a beautiful sunrise, sunny sky, warm breeze, and a welcoming marina - Marker 1 in Dunedin, FL.
Once we settled into our slip we took naps for a couple of hours to catch up many hours of lost sleep the night before. We ate dinner, went for cocktails with fellow Loopers and came back to the boat to crash for a long night of sleep.
After catching up on laundry and some boat projects we went with Mark & Vicki on a bike ride to downtown Dunedin where we ate dinner and enjoyed conversation and MUCH laughter. There is a great bike trail in this area and future days will bring bike rides to Tarpon Springs and Honeymoon Island. We will be here until after December 1, so will hopefully become familiar with the many things this area has to offer. SO FUN!!!
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| The last bit of sand we will see for 21 hours...the entrance to the Gulf near Carrabelle |
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| Officially in the Gulf, very calm |
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| Charis, one of our buddy boats |
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| Sunset, closing the first few hours of our journey... and then the sunrise, a welcome sight telling us that our long trip was coming to its conclusion |
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| Bridge to Honeymoon Island, just before the entrance to our marina |
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| This sticker was attached to our slip when we pulled into Marker 1 Marina...very welcoming place!! |
Sunday, November 9, 2014
November 9, 2014 - Preparing for the Gulf crossing
Our trip yesterday was reminiscent of our "river passage days", as we passed through some very narrow, river-like parts of the intracoastal. It was rather uneventful, other than spotting a few eagles and a few sunken boats.
We spent last night and tonight in Apalachicola, FL at one of the local marinas. The marina is right in the heart of town and last night we went with Ken & Ann from Charis for an evening of oysters. We are currently in one of the oyster capitals of the universe and they were delicious, just as we had expected. Today, we walked around town with Mark & Vicki seeing the sights and checking out the few shops that were open.
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| One of the several eagles we saw perched along the way |
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| This is the biggest of the boats we saw sunken along the bank. |
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| This boat has been here so long that the eagles or osprey have built their nest on the mast |
We spent last night and tonight in Apalachicola, FL at one of the local marinas. The marina is right in the heart of town and last night we went with Ken & Ann from Charis for an evening of oysters. We are currently in one of the oyster capitals of the universe and they were delicious, just as we had expected. Today, we walked around town with Mark & Vicki seeing the sights and checking out the few shops that were open.
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| One eagle perched just outside our boat, a short distance |
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| ...and then there were 2 |
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| Another beautiful sunset. |
Friday, November 7, 2014
November 7, 2014 – On the water again
Our “adult bingo” adventure at Toby Keith Restaurant was
very profitable in terms of fun and winning. Out of 10 rounds of bingo, our
table (Steve & Sheli & Jim & I) won the majority of prizes, with
Sheli being the biggest winner. Our winnings included alcohol, food, champagne
and “bucks” to be used at the restaurant. It was SUCH fun!
Blue Willow joined us at The Wharf on November 4, so we had
an enjoyable evening catching up with them. The following morning 5 of us (Jim,
me, Mark, Mary & Roger from TaTa) went for a long bike ride through the
Orange Beach recreational area. This led us to the Gulf State Park where we
celebrated a beach encounter. It was a beautiful sunny day so we went barefoot across
the gorgeous white sand and dipped our toes in the Gulf. Ahhh! We have arrived
in paradise. After our ride back, we said our good-byes to Steve & Sheli
and left the marina for our next destination. We settled on an anchorage in Pensacola Beach, which turned out to be a great spot with plenty of
protection from the wind. On our journey to the anchorage we enjoyed a Blue
Angels airshow, as they were practicing for this weekend’s big celebration in
Pensacola.
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| Bikers loving the adventure |
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| Jim, toes ready for the sand |
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| Powder-fine sand on the beach...sunny day. Ahhh! |
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| Mary & Roger lovin' it!! |
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| Officially in Florida!! |
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| Sometimes 6 planes |
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| Sometimes 4 planes, with the other 2 doing rolls and other tricks...a beautiful sight |
Yesterday’s journey was a nature extravaganza…sightings of
dolphins, eagles, and jellyfish. We had originally planned to stop along the
way for a couple of hours on the beach, but rain kept us from doing that. Thus, we traveled along to the Fort Walton Beach City Dock, a nice
location with slips enough for the 5 Looper boats docked there. It was in a
great location, walking distance to Publix grocery store, boutique shopping and
good restaurants. After our shopping trip we took a short rest, then went for
cocktails on Freedom (Martha & Carey) before going to dinner with Karty
Party (Paul & Lynn) and Blue Willow (Mark & Vicki). Had a great meal at
Magnola Grill, with plenty of leftovers for today’s lunch.
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| Good times, good friends...all from Michigan! |
One of the problems for these waterfront locations is that
they are beginning to have a problem with vagrants purchasing very inexpensive
boats and anchoring them just off the docks. Last night we witnessed a near
disaster on one of the vagrant-inhabited boats when a guy left the dock in his
small dinghy and tried to board his boat. He was obviously very drunk and
nearly fell into the water. Police told us there have been a couple of
drownings recently because of similar situations. We never felt unsafe, but did
lock our boats when we went downtown and when we went to sleep for the night.
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| Alternative to the cardboard box for Fort Walton Beach's homeless |
We left this morning at 7:30 a.m. for the next leg of our
journey, heading toward Panama City, hoping to be in Appalachicola tomorrow,
and anticipating a night crossing from Carabelle to Dunedin on Monday or
Tuesday.
Because the waves were kicking up when we crossed Choctawatchee Bay, our windows and entire boat got pelted with salt water. Patriot was desperately in need of a bath, so that was our top priority after tying up to the dock in St. Andrew Marina in Panama City. Jim and I exercised, showered and then went with Mark & Vicki, Martha & Carey, and Al to HUNT's Oyster Bar, our favorite place in the entire world for fresh oysters. Several years ago, brother Jerry had introduced us to Hunt's, so it's always been one of our top points of interest.
Because the waves were kicking up when we crossed Choctawatchee Bay, our windows and entire boat got pelted with salt water. Patriot was desperately in need of a bath, so that was our top priority after tying up to the dock in St. Andrew Marina in Panama City. Jim and I exercised, showered and then went with Mark & Vicki, Martha & Carey, and Al to HUNT's Oyster Bar, our favorite place in the entire world for fresh oysters. Several years ago, brother Jerry had introduced us to Hunt's, so it's always been one of our top points of interest.
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| Nice park on the Gulf in St. Andrew |
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| 250 year-old oak tree |
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| In the park at St. Andrew |
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| The 4-headed palm |
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| Hunt's oyster bar. Delicious!!!! |
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| Anticipating the scrumptious oyster treat |
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| The girls, having a great time! |
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| Mark & Vicki |
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| Carey & Martha |
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| Carey, Martha & Al |
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| The banks of the "Grand Canyon", a narrow part of the intracoastal on our way to Panama City |
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| "Grand Canyon" waterway |
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| Sandy shores of the "Grand Canyon" |
Monday, November 3, 2014
November 3, 2014 - More fun with family & friends
Yesterday Jim's cousin and husband (Ron & Carolyn Graves) joined us in Orange Beach and after a few minutes of catching up we hopped in their car and went to the Pensacola Naval Air Museum. After spending a good part of the day there, we came back to the boat and cooked dinner. Ron & Carolyn spent the night with us and left this morning. It was great to have them with us, even if for just a short time.
Today Steve Sterk (Pura Vida) came to help Jim change the oil in the boat, while Sheli and I went for a walk and some shop browsing on our return trip. After those jobs were complete, we took off in their rental car for lunch at The Gulf and then some beach time on a beautiful strip of land between the Gulf and the Intracoastal. Luckily, it was considerably warmer today, but still quite windy. Seeing the Gulf with its whitecaps rolling, it was easy to understand why we had been told this is not the window of time to be making the crossing from Carabelle to Dunedin.
After a brief rest and bite of dinner, we are joining Steve & Sheli at Toby Keith's restaurant to play "adult bingo" tonight. Not sure what that is, but we're open to any new adventure!
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| Ron & Carolyn Graves |
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| Family forever! |
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| Retired Blue Angels suspended from the ceiling |
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| Touching sculpture of Navy dad greeting his family after a tour of duty |
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| Sea King helicopter used by Presidents Nixon and Ford |
Today Steve Sterk (Pura Vida) came to help Jim change the oil in the boat, while Sheli and I went for a walk and some shop browsing on our return trip. After those jobs were complete, we took off in their rental car for lunch at The Gulf and then some beach time on a beautiful strip of land between the Gulf and the Intracoastal. Luckily, it was considerably warmer today, but still quite windy. Seeing the Gulf with its whitecaps rolling, it was easy to understand why we had been told this is not the window of time to be making the crossing from Carabelle to Dunedin.
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| Kicking back, waiting for lunch on the beach. Ahhh! |
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| Feels like a cooler version of Mexico |
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| Steve & Sheli in their shirtsleeves, pretending it's a heat wave |
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| Notice that we are in sweatshirts |
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| The beautiful Gulf with its whitecaps rolling in |
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| Steve, showing off his physique doing his Sylvester Stallone look |
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| Jim got up close and personal with the head of this decapitated fish we found on the beach |
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| Admiring the beautiful blue skies with the moon peeking through the sea oats |
November 3, 2014 - Pictures from our visit to Bellingrath Home & Gardens
As I mentioned in a previous post, Ron & Jim brought the boat from Mobile to Orange Beach, while Amy and I spent the night in a hotel and took a sight-seeing trip on our way back to meet the guys at the marina in Orange Beach.
We took the lower route back to Orange Beach, which required that we ride the car ferry across from Dauphin Island to Fort Morgan.
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| Nestled into our spot on the ferry |
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| Leaving Dauphin Island |
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| View from the ferry bridge |
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| Mobile Bay has many of these platforms which are owned by Exxon Mobile. They are located in 11 feet of water but drill over 20,000 feet to extract natural gas. |
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| These next few photos show some of the flowers in the Bellingrath Gardens |
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| Rose garden |
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| Many waterfalls and fountains throughout the gardens, sourced by Artesian wells throughout the property |
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| Located on the Fowl River, it's a perfect setting |
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| Riverview of the Bellingrath Home |
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| Grotto facing the river |
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