After living on Next To Me full-time for 10 months, and following “summer weather” around North America for the first 9 of those months, we began to complain a bit when the weather turned cold and rainy, then cold and sunny, from Chattanooga to Mobile on our Loop journey. No more complaints!
Here at home the conditions make Looping weather look like a warm beach in Hawaii! It hasn’t broken 50 degrees since our arrival; it’s rained 4.3 inches this week; our one-lane roadway suffered a mudslide that made it briefly impassable til a neighbor drove through the muck in his full-size pickup truck, clearing the way for regular cars;
and Bob had to stand in the surf on the stairs to our beach wrestling a giant tree trunk out of the stairs before the waves bashing it around could break off the entire stairway. Oh, and we had a brief power outage. We’re mindful this is nothing compared to what the folks in New York and New Jersey experienced recently, but Mobile’s weather is looking pretty good right about now!
During a typical year in Seattle, folks launch their boats in May or June, and pull them back out by October 1. It’s a short season due to cold water (48 – 52 degrees year-round) and cold weather. We expected to suffer withdrawal from boating after leaving Next To Me in Mobile. But Bob volunteered for an all day boat ride Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, to accompany friend Bob S (whose Loop boat christening party we attended last weekend) and his son-in-law on the delivery of their boat In My Element from their home in Gig Harbor to LaConner for shipping, up north on the Swinomish Channel.
It’s about a 75-mile journey, and the weather this time of year is usually windy and rainy, or foggy and cold. Bob’s contribution on the trip is to run through Garmin 5212 Chartplotter/Radar use with Bob S, as it’s the same electronics package we installed in Next To Me last February. Photos to follow after the journey takes place.
3 comments:
I can imagine your 'withdrawl'. It won't be your last. Going home after the Loop is another story ;-) I know you are enjoying your time home with friends and family, just as we are. The sun is still shining in FL and we will all be back there soon.
I just found your blog and have been reading your journey. My family and I were just in Gulfshores and the weather was perfect. Don't forget to stop and get a bite at Lulu's, it is right on the ICW and they are great. The Loop is my #1 item on my Bucket list and I have started the ititial phases of my dream ie, research boats, costs, timelines, peoples stories, etc. I have already read "Honey, lets buy a boat" and currently trying to convince my wife of 27 years to be my First Mate/Co Captain. Thanks for posting and sharing this part of your life with us dreamers out here. Jean
We expected to suffer withdrawal from boating after leaving Next To Me in Mobile.
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