Florence to Home

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Hey all, we've been home since last Wednesday, but I haven't had a chance to post. So here's what happened:

We left Florence on Sunday morning under overcast skies and occasional sprinkles. As we headed downriver the sprinkles turned to drizzle and the drizzle to rain. We anchored again at Whetstone Branch, thinking we'd be sheltered from the wind, finding instead that the surrounding hills funnelled the wind into the cove. We anchored farther back in the inlet than we normally do, but the anchor didn't grip as well, so we moved out a little. It rained all afternoon and most of the night, the wind huffed and puffed, but we were snug and comfortable with only a few leaks and drips. (Have you ever seen a boat that doesn't leak somewhere?)

Monday morning we stopped at Pickwick Landing State Park Marina for fuel. We were told that the rainfall total for the past 24 hours had been 2.4"; no wonder we felt damp. We saw a tow leaving the lock as we left the marina and figured we wouldn't have to wait, but the lock was already emptying for a pleasure boat coming upriver, so we waited about an hour before locking down. Pickwick Dam was no longer spilling, but the current was still strong; I guess Kentucky Dam was sucking the water down. We checked our speed on the gps and were travelling at an amazing 11.1 mph! We anchored again at Wolf Island near Savannah, but this time shared our anchorage with 2 other boats.

Tuesday the current seemed a little slower, but the water levels were still dropping. We saw a goat on a rock ledge on the bluffs just north of Perryville. It was probably 10 feet above the water and the same distance from the top of the bluff. Near Peter's Landing we saw a majestic bald eagle high in a tree. We could see it from a long way off. That was the only one we saw this trip. I guess he was the early bird.

Wednesday morning at Marsh Creek was sunny and bright after a cool, drizzly night. We saw the moon setting over the treetops before we headed out. This day we saw more southbound snowbird boats that we'd seen the whole trip. We haven't seen as many tows as usual either. Since the forecast was for more rain, we decided to go on home. We were happy to see our home port and the sweetgum trees starting to change to red. Our little inlet is one of the prettiest places on the river to us, and it's always nice to get back.

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Photos

Yellow Creek Falls
Pickwick Lake

Moon over treetops
Wed morning in Marsh Creek

Wildlife Cove
home port