Mike and Beth's Adventures

Joe Wheeler State Park Joe Wheeler State Park We completed our Chattanooga sojourn by returning to Joe Wheeler State Park.  Upon arrival we picked up packages that we had sent there to fix items we broke on our two week and 400 mile round trip to Chattanooga.  The inverter died, operator abuse, and the microwave died, probably due to the bouncing it endured on the trip across country.  We installed both these items before leaving the next morning for Florence Alabama.  To get there, we had to travel through two locks.  First up was Wheeler Lock with a drop of 52 feet.  Within 15 miles we would drop 92 feet, the largest drop of the entire Loop, at Wilson Lock.  We were fortunate that the gates were open and we were able to transit Wheeler quickly.  At Wilson we waited about 30 minutes before we could begin our transit of that lock.  We were happy that we really had no delays of any consequence on our first day out of Joe Wheeler State Park. Th...

Today is the big day.  We set off on our 6000 mile journey.  Our initial destination will be Chattanooga Tennessee.  The Great Loop Conference is complete.  We topped off our knowledge banks with all sorts of information on rivers, intra-coastal waterways, weather, charts, marinas, anchorages, etc.  Now it is time to put all that knowledge to practical use.  So about 9am, we will throw off the dock lines and let the adventure begin! Here's a picture of the Mariners following our visit to the fuel dock.  All tanks are either full or empty and we are ready to sail off and look for America!  We felt like kids anticipating Christmas morning as we waited for this day.  Now it is here!  Time to cast off the lines and commence our journey. Here's a photo of all the attendees at the Great Loop Fall Rendezvous.  58 boats were in attendance as well as "Planners", people who attended in anticipation of doing the Loop in the future.  We me...

Morning fog at Joe Wheeler State Park   A mystic softness to start the day