Blogs from Alabama, United States, North America - page 19

We're on the road again!!! We left Brighton on the 26th, and decided to go a bit west to avoid some of the winter weather south and east. Interstate 69 to 65 brought us to the south on clear roads with lots of sunshine. The last trace of snow was in Birmingham, AL - Ron gets credit for seeing the first armadillo (a live one) and I get the first palm tree sighting. So far only a few things we realize we left behind - most importantly my earplugs! I had a set especially made so I wouldn't smother Ron with a pillow some night when the snoring got too bad. Kris is mailing it so he will live to snore another night. We are at Gulf Shores State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Lovely park, ... read more

Epilogue December 2010 The Marilsnick had made it; captain and crew were elated. There had been highlights and “lowlights” during our journey. The highlights were the 18-hour crossing of the Gulf of Mexico at night, the crossing of Lake Okeechobee, the endless but beautiful Intracoastal Waterway, my vacation onboard when Skip and Barb ran the boat, the entering of New York Harbor with my siblings, the vacation on land at the cottage of cousin Marianne Duenhoelter and the scenic wild Georgian Bay and Northern Channel, the camaraderie with other Loopers and finally returning to Dog River after having completed the Loop. The “lowlights” were the accident in St. Augustine at the Bridge of Lions and the two groundings. Problems, which I had to overcome were an unexplained weight loss of twenty pounds, which according to my ... read more

Sunday, 28 November, 2010 After fueling up and paying for dock fees, we left the marina around 8:40. The sun was shining, but it was still windy and cool. Heading out the Dog River channel, there was a light chop, maybe 1-2’. Not bad, we thought, but we were in the lee of a point of land. By the time we reached the ship channel, it was choppy, the waves were 2-3’ and on our beam. That means from the side, so we were really rocking and rolling, and not in a musical way. The further south we traveled down the ship channel, the rougher it became. We had to tack like a sailboat to take the waves on our bow and stern. After only 6 miles (and 2 hours) we had to do something. Turning ... read more

Le retour au bateau s’est bien déroulé, même si nous avons dû effectuer un peu de gymnastique pour notre transport. Une location pour nous rendre à Windsor, Ontario et Christine, notre fille, est venue gentiment nous chercher pour nous traverser à Détroit et prendre une autre auto de location pour retourner au Tennessee. It was most enjoyable to spend a night with our daughter and grand children and the next day, early morning off to New Johnsonville. It was a beautiful day for travelling. Everything was fine on Trusty III and the next day was a cleanup day. Nous avons quitté Pebble Isle Marina, le vendredi le 12 par un soleil radieux et des températures presque d’été et apprécié notre première journée de navigation sur la rivière Tennessee. Ce fut de courte durée et l’automne fait ... read more

Wednesday, 24 November, 2010 We thought today would be another busy tow day, but we really only passed one on the river and a few have passed the bayou where we’re anchored. By the way, I’ve been told I need to explain tows. On inland waterways tug boats push barges filled with whatever and all strung together. On the Mississippi they may be 5 barges wide and 7 long, on the Tennessee they’re usually 3 wide and 5 long, but on the Tombigbee it appears they are up to 3 wide, but usually only 3 long, I guess due to the twisty nature of the river, as they are pretty awkward to turn. Anyway, the tugs and the barges together are called a tow, even though the tug pushes the barges not pulls. Is that clear ... read more