Day 121 Wednesday October 19, 2022
Florence Alabama MM256 to Ingalls Harbor Free Wall, Decatur Alabama MM303
Very cold, 40 degrees at 5:15. PopTart breakfast. EARLY morning call to the lock at 5:30am for arrival instructions. Lock master directed us to arrive for 6am as he was emptying the lock. Seven boats left Florence Harbor Marina in pitch dark headed to the lock. The Wilson Lock is 91 foot lift, the largest change for us so far!
Picking our way in the dark on our way to Wilson Lock.
We entered the lock at 7:00 and were out at 7:30, pretty quick for such a big lift. This lock is different from others -- the back wall drops to let you out instead of swinging open.
We arrived at Joe Wheeler Lock at 9:10 and out at 10:05. 56 more miles to our destination at the Decatur Free Wall.
The Decatur Free Wall is actually a long floating dock with lots of room for boats to stay. Water depth is good with a boat ramp for the local fishermen. We arrived at 1:45pm, a 7 hour 45 minute travel day. We enjoyed visits and docktails with The Grand Wazoo, Phil-N-Wild, Arion, Masquerade, and No Agenda. BBQ leftovers for dinner.
Good news for the day -- we were able to get reservations in Key West Florida for a month.
Day 122 Thursday, October 20, 2022
Decatur to Guntersville Free Wall, Guntersville, Alabama MM358
It was a cold night with 2 extra blankets on the bed. 34 degrees at 7am. It never got above 60 degrees all day. It was so cold that Jerry drove from below for about an hour to let the canvas dry but ended up staying the entire day. It was really different being inside -- I got a lot accomplished! I spent a good share of the morning preparing the necessary paperwork for our stay at the Florida marina and then emailing it to them.
When we got to Guntersville Lock we had to wait for a tow inside and another waiting to come through from the other side. Once out we had another 9 miles to go to the free wall.
We arrived at 3:30 and set out for a walk into town. The stores and businesses were decorated for Fall and Halloween with pumpkins, bales of hay, corn stalks and costumed figures.
The Police Department even had a tribute to the Sanderson sisters. Guntersville has developed the waterfront, improving the docks and encouraging businesses at the waterfront. We visited the Co-Op Brewery and shared one of the best soft pretzels we ever had! We were entertained by all of the 8th grade students celebrating before their homecoming dance.
Arleen invited all of us to their boat for homemade chili. Laura made salad and brownies, Susan made cornbread and we brought pumpkin pie. Dinner was delicious and the company even better . We spent the evening playing Catch Phrase.
Tomorrow we head to another anchorage at Shell Mound.
2 comments:
You are making great strides in your journey. I am sure you are looking forward to your stay in the Keys; it is a beautiful area to visit. I enjoy your posts. Safe travels on your next leg of the trip. cj
The plan right now is to be in Clearwater December 5th to January 5th then Stock Island in the Keys from January 15th to February 15th. glad you are following us. I think of you guys often. Hopefully someday we can see you.
Post a Comment