October 25 - October 28, Day 134 -137 - At Joe Wheeler State Park (AGLCA Rendezvous)

We woke up early this morning and decided to go for a walk. The sun was just coming up and there was mist on the water …. Very beautiful. Well, we made it as far as the lodge and then the food smells got to us. We went into the lodge and had the breakfast buffet. It had just opened (7:00 a.m.) so the food was still very fresh (not the usual cold buffet stuff). With our tummies full, we then headed out for our walk. It was still quite chilly, but it was more refreshing than cold and we saw lots of deer and autumn leaves. It was a great way to start the day.

Around 2:00 p.m. our friends, and former owners of the Monk when it was Integrity, arrived from Atlanta. It was great to see them and to show them the boat (now that it is Monk’s Vineyard). In keeping with tradition, we did have happy hour with them aboard Monk’s Vineyard.

At 5:00 p.m. the rendezvous officially got underway with a welcome to all members and, of course, a happy hour reception. We had a slight problem when we went to check in as they did not have us registered. Oops !!!!! Gerry ran back out to the boat and printed out our registration confirmation and receipt for payment. As is the case with something like this, it was blamed on a computer glitch.

Anyway, we won’t write much about the next 3 days except to say we found it very beneficial. It featured presentations by several different experienced loopers or individuals with local knowledge about the various waterways we will be traveling over the next several months. It also included looper crawls (visits aboard members’ boats), kayak races, dinghy races (which we participated in, but didn’t win) and vessel safety checks (which we took advantage of so now we have a current USCG sticker).

The rendezvous also included breakfast, lunch and dinner each day along with a reception (happy hour) hosted by one of the many sponsors of the AGLCA. Each day was very full (as were our tummies – ate and drank way too much) and we were tired by the time it was over and ready to be on the road again. We’re sure our path will cross again with many of the loopers we met.

Out on our walk, we spotted this deer

and this deer. They were everywhere.

We happened to see the AGLCA van (notice the logo) under a colorful tree, so snapped a picture

We woke to a misty morning

Here's Monk's Vineyard at the dock .... between 2 bigger boats.

Bill, Linda, Gerry and Ruth. Bill and Ruth owned the Monk before us. We look upon them as our Guardian Angels.

While on our way to town Bill and Ruth took us by a cotton field. We had never seen cotton growing until arriving in the Tennessee/Alabama/Mississippi area. We stopped and picked a few cotton balls (fortunately, the cotton balls were not rotten yet, as you know according to the song you can't pick cotton when it's rotten). However, if the rain continues and they aren't able to get the machinery in the fields ... it may get rotten.

This is a picture of one of the couples during the dinghy race (I think they came in second). As you can see, the driver is blindfolded and you are traveling backwards in the dinghy.

The diningroom at the lodge

The main room where the meetings were held. The rendezvous was sold out, so it was very full.

October 24, Day 133 - At Joe Wheeler State Park

We woke up this morning to very chilly temps …. so back on came the heat. It was also very cloudy and breezy, not really what the weather forecast had called for. We had a nice leisurely breakfast on the boat, then did a few chores. Gerry fixed the 3rd bike so it’s running okay and Linda did a couple of loads of laundry on the boat. Because it was so chilly, she decided to make a big pot of chili. We had some for lunch and the rest went in the freezer for quick meals later on.

After lunch the sun finally came out and we took a nice long walk through the woods and along the water. So as not to waste the good weather, we also took the dinghy down and went for a ride to check out the fall colors.

At around 4:30 we went to an all-you-can-eat shrimp party on the dock next to us. Jimmy on Riff Raff had just finished the loop and was throwing a celebration party. Seems his wife worked and financed the trip and he had several friends join him all along the way so he always had crew. His wife joined him today to “officially” finish the loop.

Back at the boat we watched a little TV, and then Dan and Biddi dropped by for a bit and we shared stories. After that it was off to bed. The forecast for tonight is possible frost, but tomorrow is supposed to a nice sunny Sunday.

On our walk, we went by the cabins. They are very nice .... wouldn't mind winning a 2-night stay in one of these (like we did at Green Turtle Bay)

A picture of the lake and lodge

Front of the lodge

Some of the color that is starting to appear

Trees along the lake while out for a dinghy ride

October 23, Day 132 - At Joe Wheeler State Park

As promised, we woke up to rain this morning and slept in. Gerry got up to make coffee and French toast while Linda was checking email and stuff. Gerry turned on the TV to see if we received any stations here and was surprised to get several stations besides PBS.

We decided to co-host a happy hour tonight. The crews from Sterling Lady, Where’s Linda and us – Monk’s Vineyard got together and came up with a plan for this evening. Sterling made up flyers and we distributed them to all the looper boats. We came up with a few games to play along with the usual byob and bring a dish. The theme was “Getting Ready for the Florida Keys”. Sterling had some Conch Republic flags to give out as prizes.

Spent the day just kind of hanging out, visiting with fellow loopers, reading, copying computer disks/charts and some tidying up. At around 4:30 we set up for the party in the pool area. Had a great turn out, lots of food and everyone seemed to have a good time. After the party we dropped by Biddi and the Beast for awhile, then it was back to the boat and off to bed.

Sterling announcing the start of the party by blowing the conch shell

This was the theme of the party .... and also the prize for each of the winners of the three fun fantastic games that were planned.

After the "conch call" it took a mere few minutes before the pool area was crowded with loopers

As usual, there was plenty of food. Loopers have perfected the art of grazing!!

We did have to change a few of the signs around the pool area

Several people participated in the conch blowing contest .... but here's the winner.

Here she demonstrates her technique

The next game was a variation of "pin the tail on the donkey". In this case it was affix a looper logo to the Bud Light girl.

As you can see, contestants were blindfolded (fortunately we had them walking away from the pool)

... and here's the winner !!

The last game was butt darts. Didn't take a video, but if you're really interested, you can click on the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsHd5g-MmRU

.

Positioning the quarter ......

Perfect placement

The winning "drop"

... and the winning butt .... on the right.

October 22, Day 131 - Anchorage on the TN River to Joe Wheeler State Park

We woke up fairly early this morning as the temps were warmer and, therefore, it was easier to get out of bed. After a quick breakfast and a few chores, we pulled up anchor and headed for Joe Wheeler State Park. Boy, what a long day on the water -- all of 2 miles.

We are here for the America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association Rendezvous (AGLCA). It officially starts Sunday afternoon and runs until Wednesday night. It includes sessions on various parts of the great loop from the Tenn-Tom to North Carolina, along with a Ship’s Store where you can buy any number of things Great Loop related (charts, guidebooks, clothing, etc). It also includes lunch and dinner each day along with an awards dinner at the end. We went to the spring rendezvous in Charleston this past spring (by car) and found it very beneficial for our trip from Annapolis to the Tennessee River (the part we have been doing the past 4 months). Joe Weeler State Park is located on Wheeler Lake and, in addition to a large marina, has a resort lodge, a restaurant, cabins, camping, fishing, golf, tennis, swimming, and convention facilities.

We got settled in among many other loopers and then went to the lodge to check in. Since it was noon by then, we also grabbed a quick lunch at the restaurant.

Back on the boat, we cleaned up a bit and took the bikes off. We’ll probably use them quite a bit here at Wheeler. Before heading out on a ride, Gerry tuned them both up to make sure they were good to go. We took a ride through part of the park over by the cabins on the river. We saw a huge number of deer …. pretty tame as they just watched us ride by.

At 5:00 p.m. we heard the sound from the conch shell announcing happy hour so we headed over to Sterling Lady to join in. After a bit, we moved over to “Where’s Linda” to continue happy hour.

We had a quick dinner on the boat and then off to bed. Rain is expected tonight and tomorrow. There are around 50 loopers here now and the docks are filling up fast.

The sign to Joe Wheeler State Park

Cabins along the river (this is part of the park)

Looper boats

More Looper boats

and still more looper boats

There was a fishing tournament going on and all the boats brought their fish to the pavillion for weigh in

Once weighed, they dumped them back in the water

Gerry working on the bikes. Once again, WD-40 cures all

October 21, Day 130 - At anchorage on the TN River at MM 275.8

This morning it was quite cool … actually Gerry thought it was cold so he started the generator so we could have heat. It did warm up quickly however, especially after making coffee and breakfast.

We changed our reservations at Wheeler, checked e-mail and did blog stuff until it was warm enough to do chores on the boat.

After lunch, Gerry got the dinghy down and we went exploring the different inlets on the river; we took a few pictures of what we saw. We took the dinghy over to Joe Wheeler State Park to see how many looper boats were there. We counted approximately 30, but only saw one that we recognized. Many of the boats we traveled with along the way are not going to the rendezvous.

Back at the boat we did a few more chores (if you call researching small used boats on the internet a chore) and then Linda fixed dinner. Turkey enchiladas tonight. The gang on Sterling Lady had given us some smoked turkey so we put it to good use. After that we watched a movie and then off to bed.

There was smoke on the water this morning, as the air temperature was cooler than the water temperature.

A shot looking out at the river

Monk's Vineyard at anchor

Another shot of the anchorage

Exploring the river by dinghy

We saw many blue heron ... if you look close you can see one in the center of the picture

... and another one, also in the center of the picture.

Lots of interesting rock formations. Very different from what we saw in Georgian Bay and the North Channel, but nevertheless, very unique

This rock had a cave that went quite far back .... but not big enough to explore

More cave-like rocks right next to our anchorage

October 20, Day 129 - Florence, AL to anchorage on the TN River at MM 275.8

We woke up early this morning and took the courtesy van into town. Grabbed a quick breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then to Target for the ice machine. Also stopped at the grocery store for a couple of last minute items. Given the chance, Linda can always think of one or two more things she needs.

Back at the marina we got the boat ready for departure and then called the lock to check on the status for locking through. It is only a couple of miles from the marina, so if the lock's busy we would wait at the marina until the barge traffic cleared. However, the lockmaster replied that there was no traffic and so to come on up and he'd lock as through. This was the Wilson Lock and the deepest we have done. It had a lift of 93 feet. After raising us to the top, we waited and waited for the gate to open. Actually, the gates don't open as this is one of the locks where the gate drops vertically beneath the water. However, instead of that happening, they started to lower us, about 2 feet. Guess they had brought us up a little too high and had to lower us so we were even with the river.

We traveled a few more miles and had our second lock of the day, the Joe Wheeler Lock. This lock was not as high (only 48 feet), but it did provide entertainment. Like the last lock, we were the only boat, but this lock was loaded with fish – literally thousands of little catfish and hundreds of big catfish. The big ones would swim around bouncing off the lock wall. Soon we were at the top and off we went.

We cruised up to Joe Wheeler Park Marina, just to check it out. Our reservations do not start until Saturday. We may see if we can get in earlier, but for the next couple of days we will be at anchor.

We found a nice spot about 2 miles west of the entrance to Joe Wheeler Park. It is back in a little cove quite well protected, but you can see the river. There is really only room for one boat. There is lots of wildlife (besides Gerry), including fox, squirrels and many blue heron. The weather has turned quite pleasant – sunny and in the mid-70's. We sat out on the bow of the boat and just listened to the noises of nature. Early in the evening, Gerry grilled steaks and Linda made a concoction of potatoes, onions, green peppers and mushrooms, along with a salad. Yummy. After that we caught up on e-mail and the blog and then off to bed …. It was dark.

Approaching Wilson Lock ... this is the deepest lock we have encountered

A view behind, watching the lock gates close. We are the only boat in this HUGE lock.

This is a view towards the front of the lock

This is a view looking up. As you can see, it's a long way up!

Gerry pondering the way we are attached to the lock wall. Linda had commented that the line crossed over to the other side of the cleat and didn't flow free. He is trying to figure out what on earth she was talking about.

A view behind now that the lock gates are closed. Time for a long ride up ...... 93 feet

Here we are at the top and you can see the lock gate lowering to let us out.

Leaving the Wilson Lock

Approaching the Joe Wheeler Lock. You may not readily see any difference between this and the Wilson Lock, but if you compare the pictures you'll see this one is not nearly as deep.

The gate closing.

Gerry appears to be happier in this lock. Perhaps it's because Linda switched the line to the left horn of the cleat so now you can run the free end on the right horn. (In truth, he couldn't care less, she just told him to smile).

Leaving the Joe Wheeler Lock

Here's proof .... it says Wheeler Lock

The bridge as we exited the lock

A shot of our anchorage

Looking out at the Tennessee River at sunset