The Sterling Lady
on
America's Great loop
for
the Second Time!
This is one of the only stops  in  this section of  the river, a small creek, that fits just a few boats. We opted to continue on.
After 95 miles, we arrived at  Bobbies Fish Camp. Now Bobbies is simply a dock, limited water, no electric, and he charges $1 a foot, because he can! After all, he is  the only game in town. There is a good fried catfish meal available there.
With light fog,  at 7 am "Southern Accent" and the lady headed down river 1 mile to the lock.
The lock  was ready for us.
Lots of sand and rock round here!
We spend as  much time traveling East, West, and North, as we do traveling South.
We are 74 miles from Mobile  Bay, and the ground elevation is defiantly getting lower, closer to sea level.
<---Our GPS track  that goes for miles miles behind the boat...Shows that...
Finally, Swamp. I feel much closer to home now.!!
Look,  palmettos on the shore, starting to look a bit like Florida!!
The Tugs call this the "Dolly Parton Bridge"
That's all I have to say about that.
As it gets latter in the day, with the sun lower, every time  we turn West (which is alot) there is an awful lot of glare on the water.
At the end of the Day, as the sun is setting, we find this gorgeous anchorage, just off the main river and up a small creek about a mile. Whew.. long but good day.
11/2/09
Up at dawn, with light fog and we are off to Mobile Alabama.
Swamp land!! We are defiantly getting closer to home!
and more swamp,,,
and more.
Then we  turned the corner, and there it was, Mobile Alabama.
Mobile is a very commercial port.
My first Brown Pelican in months dove on a fish, right in front of the Lady.
Felt like a small rubber duck in a huge pool.
Mobile  Bay is HUGE!!! and beyond, the end of the world, The Gulf of Mexico.
Looking back on Mobile
The shrimpers were working, which the Pelicans love.
Just a few miles south of Mobile, behind this bridge is Dog River Marina,our destination today.
After many many tries thoughout the U.S. and Canada, I finally got close enough to a Blue Heron for a decent picture.
This is what happens when a 40 foot boat burns while in the water. They burn really good, very hot, right down to the water line, then sink. It a total loss.
I bet these two guys boat together alot.
I like Dog Marina for several  reasons. They give you a free dock with a fill up, they have a courtesy car which gives you acess to Wintzells Oyster house, the Admirals very favorite place.
$2 drinks and cheap oysters at happy hourz!!!
The bar and it's decorations.
11/3/09
Traveled the 22 miles south from Dog river and entered the ICW. (intra coastal waterway) which  will take us home.
This part of the ICW is very protected. Not all of it is.
Tonite we will happy hourz at lulu's bar and Grill, Jimmy Buffetts sisters place.
The marina at lulu's is very new, pricey, but did have palm Trees!! Dang , they sure looked good to me.!!
This  marina had three things I have  never seen before.


A handicap elevator (Think about that)

A purple plant

and a stainless steel wire fence all around it.

Somebody put a lot of $$ in this place
And this is LuLu's. As far as I remember anywayz.
11-4-09
Immediately after leaving LuLu's, we are back in Florida!!
The white sands of Pensucola Beach line the waterway.
This evening we stayted at Boat House Marina, only $21 a nite. Exposed to the ICW traffic, but well worth it. They even lent me their car to go to the store.
This is a working boat yard marina. The office and home of the owners is this 150 foot ferris concrete old tour boat.
I love those red after sunset skys.
11-4-09
This morning is really cold and windy, and we had 25 miles of choppy , rough, exposed water to cross, so I set the auto pilot and drove from below.
Then we entered the narrow man made part section of this part of the ICW.
As are most man made channels, it's very straight. The sides are sand and rock cliffs, dough out and wind worn.
Grass and pine trees. Sure looks like Florida to me!
O, it  is!!
We arrived at Sun Harbor Marina, just in time for Happy Houz.
11-6-09
This is what will keep us here for several days, Hurricane Ida, with predicted ground zero at, yep, Panama City, where we are birthed.
Prepared the Lady for her 1\1th storm. Doubled all lines, tied in the center of the slip at 6 places on the boat, and to 6 different pilings, with 12 lines.
Got a rental car, took the passports, some chlothes, and rum off the boat, and got a room here.
They have a No Name pub here too!
11-10-09
Long story short, the storm pretty much went on the predicted path, however, it turned in to not much, a 50 mph storm.
Here is the lady, after the storm passed ,6 hours after high tide. You can see how we got about a 4 foot tidal surge.
Gotta tell you , sittin in a hotel room sucks!
Ended up doing the tourist thing, went to Ripleys Believe it or Not Museum, which looks like the Titanic going down.
Hopefully we can leave tomorrow.
<-----the propellers turned