Tuesday, November 24, 2009

November 22, 2009 Bates Lake to Mobile




















November 22, 2009

Bates Lake to Dog River in Mobile

We made it to Mobile!!!!!!

We were so excited today because we knew we were finally going to make it to big water. We had approximately 80 miles to go – part winding river and part marshland. We had rain, low clouds, but very little wind. We decided to stay at Turner Marina as recommended by Queen Ann’s Revenge in order to get some mechanical help with our inverter and starter switch.

The Mobile Harbor was very interesting, and fortunately it was not as busy as reported in our books. Hank from Queen Ann’s Revenge was our tour guide – he had been here last year. We were very excited to view the Navy’s newest ship utilizing stealth technology. Hank told us that there are only 35 crew members. We were curious about the red, white and blue super structure and what it did. The pictures tell the rest of our story.

After settling in, we went out to dinner with Linda, Fred, Hank and Ann. We have come to the land of great seafood. We will be here for a couple of days and then we plan to go east to Eastern Shore Marina in Fairhope. A couple who live in Fairhope have invited any “Loopers” to their house for Thanksgiving. It’s not the same as family, but it will be interesting and fun.

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9 comments:

  1. UnknownNovember 24, 2009 at 9:19 AM

    M&C,
    Congratulations on reaching Mobile Bay. Wow, what a storied arrival with danger, quick action and heroism. Mark can surely now use his skill saw again making repairs. We hope you make it to the T-Giving party and rest well. There is still much adventure ahead. Our weather here continues to be unseasonable warm but that is coming to an end later this week. We look forward to seeing you soon in FL.
    T&L

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  2. Grateful Dreamin'November 24, 2009 at 4:10 PM

    Hi T&L,
    It has been a very pleasant stay at Turner Marina. To our great surprise our nightly rate is $25.00. We have replenished our food supply at Walmart, purchased an alternative keyboard for our laptop,and completed 8 loads of wash. We are going out again tonight for oysters - I'm going to order a dozen - Mark will try shrimp or hamburger. We are having our starter looked at today and it seems it is more than the switch. We are having part of the actual starter rebuilt. There are also a few other things the mechanic noticed so we may be here a little longer than intended. Tomorrow is a Thanksgiving Marina potluck that we will attend. But life is good.
    Take care and I hope we get to Florida:)

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  3. Matt & HollyNovember 25, 2009 at 11:10 AM

    Hot babe on deck! :)

    $25 a night & shopping at Walmart... holy cow, you're living on the retired budget now!
    xoxo

    Happy Turkey Day!!! Love you.

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  4. Judy EarleNovember 25, 2009 at 5:57 PM

    So, who's doing the turkey for your pot luck? I am going to the ol' beach group (30-40 people) for turkey day. Lots of great food and more and more grand kids.

    Hope you get everything fixed before crossing the bay. Have you thought of "sail power"? Just as a back-up. Sounds like you are traveling with good people. Will they be in Fort Myers so that we can get more stories about you two from them?

    Happy Turkey Day! Love you, Judy

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  5. UnknownNovember 26, 2009 at 7:17 AM

    Mark & Carol,
    Hello from Seiko!
    Enjoying following your adventure, can't wait to hear more....
    Happy Turkey Day.
    John

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  6. Grateful Dreamin'November 26, 2009 at 9:06 PM

    Great to hear from everyone. We had plenty of turkey and are in a holding pattern again. Thankful to be here.

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  7. MonicaNovember 29, 2009 at 8:00 PM

    Happy Thanksgiving!
    So great to talk to you guys on turkey day...so many great adventures to hear of (including eating oysters -- ick!).

    Call before you cross the gulf! BE SAFE and travel with others! Make sure Porter pees lots before you head out!

    Love you!
    Monica

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  8. UnknownNovember 30, 2009 at 1:42 PM

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  9. UnknownNovember 30, 2009 at 1:45 PM

    Mark & Carol: What a great trip so far! I'm incredibly jealous of your adventures on your floating house. You know how much I love those huge waves that crash the bow.
    I'm sure you're enjoying each moment of this dream-come-reality trip.
    Keep taking pictures and blogging. It's great to see the progress.
    See you in Chicago ;)

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