Second Wind on the Great Loop and Beyond

November 2, 2006: Glad to have Internet access again. We are almost there. If the weather improves, we will make it to Fairhope, AL, our first real destination. There we have a reservation at Eastern Shore Marina. Unfortunately, the weather is calling for small craft warnings, so we may be anchoring out a while. Today we locked through our last lock for a long, long time -- the Coffeeville Lock. We have passed even more barges, which is sometimes a a challenge if we meet in one of the hairpin turns, but it’s really not scary any more – old hat now. The terrain has changed. It’s flatter as we near the coast; and we are supposed to start seeing some tidal effects. Also, we saw a real serious-looking alligator lounging on the banks. This anchorage is again beautiful; a quiet bayou abounding in foliage (and mosquitos) at Mile 16.6. I keep expecting Godzilla to come bounding out of the dense foliage. Tonight dinner was spaghetti on Jane and Paul’s boat. You notice the emphasis on dinner – one of each day’s highlights is to eat supper with boating buddies and compare notes on the day’s travels. I thought I would be really bored by now, but it’s still exciting. We fall into bed early every night exhausted but pleased with ourselves for undertaking this adventure.

# posted by Second Wind @ 11:08 PM