Mike and Beth's Adventures

November 27-28, 2021 A cold drink and good music is never too far away.  The Gulf Coast has spawned an industry of boat in Tiki Bars.  That frozen concoction that helps you hang on is never too far away.  Two of the favorite fueling stations in the Orange Beach area are FloraBama and Pirates Cove.  In both locations you can either beach your boat or tie up to the dock and then belly up to the bar, surrounded by the smell of sun tan lotion.  FloraBama also has a music venue that offers live music from 1pm in the afternoon to late at night. Available online is a list of daily and upcoming events.  Typical examples are open mic night, ladies out night, bingo night and many other choices.   We anchored inside the no wake zone and dinghied ashore.  FloraBama is located on the state line and has been a local institution for 55 years. I found Gilligan's Island and Mary Ann was still waiting for me! See, I found her - she changed her name to Beth! Pi...

The Wharf Resort - Orange Beach November 22-27, 2001 The white sand beaches adrift in turquois seas drove home that our adventure experience had changed dramatically.  Left behind was the anchoring in creeks and rivers, the colors of fall, and the muddy river banks.  We were now under blue skies and it was time to break out the shorts.   The gulf coast is also a land of contrasts.  On one hand it is very much Las Vegas without the gambling.  Marlins adorned with Santa hats that belch fire after dark.  Light shows cast is an artificial fog. Tourist attractions beckoning in an effort to vacuum your last dollar from your pocket.  This is all occurring in the context of the absolutely lovely gulf coast.  Fortunately we found vast tracts that have, to date, resisted the developers bulldozer.  The parks were large and awe inspiring.  An eco-system of which we were not familiar.  From our mooring we had an unrestricted view of dolphin...

Beth celebrates our crossing of Mobile Bay November 21st, 2021 Lulu's Jimmy Buffet's sister, Lulu, has a place on the Gulf Intra-Coastal Waterway (GICW) that is a wonderful stop to reward yourself for having completed the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and successfully made the transition from fresh to salt water.  She has thoughtfully provide guest dockage so you can tie up just outside.  It is easy to find on the north side  of the channel in Gulf Shores Alabama.  The timing is great too.  We arrived just after the lunch crowd departed, around 2pm.  We could see other Loopers were already in the attached Homeport Marina.  So overnight berthing is available too.  We recognized the names of boats whose crews we meet while travelling the inland waters. I'm a happy camper So what do you have to eat?  The menu had many good items, including lots of seafood choices.  In my mind though, the choice was obvious.   I didn't even need a m...

November 20th, 2021 We completed our Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway journey!  We arrived in Mobile Alabama with the Grand Mariner Marina on Dog River as our overnight destination.  It was so exciting to segue from the river system to a coastal salt water environment.  We loved our trip downriver, but the coastal environment, warmer weather, sunshine and salt air just make it special.   Approaching Mobile Alabama Mobile is a busy working port Here's a tanker getting the bottom repainted Littoral Combat Ship under construction  We arrived just before the start of the Alabama - Arkansas football game.  The marina staff, friends and guests were gearing up for the Game.  Roll Tide Roll!  A boat in the marine was named Troll Tide Troll.  The BBQ was going and grilling shrimp shish kebabs, sausages, fish, and hamburgers.  The big screen was set up outside and chairs were arranged facing the TV.  Are you ready for some Football!  At...

Mike out Exploring November 18th, 2021 Towboat captains use landmarks to identify their position on the river.  Sometimes they make sense and correspond with features on your charts.  Then sometimes they don't, so you have to use your imagination.  Here is one of those features where the reference name differs from that noted on the charts. The "Dolly Parton Bridge" I would like to share that the north entrance to Big Bayou Canot  is to starboard, as you head downriver, and just beyond the Dolly Parton Bridge. Big Bayou Canot  was our final anchorage on the Black Warrior River.  The shores were lined with cypress trees streaming long strands of Spanish Moss.  The north opening was deep and wide.  We anchored a quarter mile short of an island with some old fishing cabins.  The water was moving faster than expected, but we were under tidal influence from Mobile Bay, about 20 miles south.  To contend with the current, we deployed ...

November 15th, 16th, 17th, 2021 We arrived in Demopolis, excited to have reached this major checkpoint on our trip.   This is an inflection point, as it is the last river city before we reach Mobile, still 216 miles away.   So that fact makes Demopolis a major stop for groceries, topping off fuel and water tanks, and making sure the black water tank is empty on departure.   In the next stretch we will be exclusively anchoring out, no cushy marina nights which means  you have power, water, fuel, pump out, wifi, showers and access to shopping.   So the 4 or 5 days after we leave Demopolis we will need to be entirely self-sufficient.   As when skippering any decent pirate vessel, our first concern when we hit port is our wine supply.   How can pirates adventure without sufficient quantities of the fruit of the vine?   Thank goodness we were back in Alabama as, unlike Mississippi, we could again purchase wine at the groceries store.    ...