Back to the Boat in Alabama

Days on cruise:  209

Distance traveled: 45.0 miles

Travel time: 5 hrs, 29 mins

Total trip odometer: 4,546 statute miles

Our trip to Houston to visit Cathryn’s parents and other family members was wonderful! The drive back to Alabama was mostly boring, though there was occasionally some nice scenery. We covered 1,700 miles in 4 travel days, a speed we’re NOT accustomed to after nine months on the boat.  And freeways don’t offer the most scenic views of much of anywhere.

We arrived at Goose Pond Marina in Scottsboro, AL about 5:00 Wednesday. Thursday morning was all chores: grocery shopping while we had access to a rental car, then driving to Huntsville to return the rental car. After lunch at 1:00 we couldn’t bring ourselves to sit around and do nothing the rest of the day (what’s WRONG with us???), and given a high wind forecast for tomorrow afternoon, suggesting we might not make as much progress as we plan, we slipped our lines and took off down the Tennessee River. Plans are fluid!

We thought we’d only go 25 miles to a quiet anchorage, but on arrival there, realized it was only 3 miles to the Guntersville Lock, so why not go on through? Maybe that was a bad plan as the guy at the lock kept telling us “fifteen more minutes”, and finally an hour later the doors were opened to lock us through.

We kept adjusting our destination and finally ended up at Ditto Landing Marina, a place in Huntsville where we stopped a couple weeks ago on our way upriver to Chattanooga. It’s cold here. At least by the time we arrived at 6:30 p.m. it was, the latest we’ve ever arrived at our destination on a travel day.

We’re on our way on Saturday to the marina at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, Alabama to attend another Great Loop Rendezvous, our last. And we have some news to announce when we get there!