As we get ready to leave the rivers, we see salt marshes with skyscrapers in the distance!
Hard to see in this picture, but these are barges lined up on the shore. We see more and more commercial activity as we near the city of Mobile.
Bob calls this a ro-ro - a "roll on - roll off". Its like a huge ocean going ferry for commercial vehicles.
A sight we haven't seen in a while - a SINGLE barge! The freighter behind her makes her look even smaller.
Some fancy tug boats with the city in the distance.
We had quite a surprise to see 3 brand new Navy ships nearly ready for duty. For those of you "in the know" they are Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships This one it the future USS Tulsa (LCS-16). For those of you not in the know - they include stealth design features!
A variety of architecture as the city comes right down to the waterfront.
Container ships are HUGE!!
I try to imagine the beauty this must have been in her day.
As we leave Mobile city and head into Mobile Bay towards our marina, we are in open water for the first time since Lake Michigan. The water is quite good for most of the trip but the last 20 minutes the waves are on the beam so even though they are not high waves, it makes for an uncomfortable ride. Oh well. I think I'm acclimated more that I was when we first started out.
We head into Dog River Marina just south of Mobile to spend the Thanksgiving holiday. We arrive just in time for the day-before feast hosted by Turner Marine next door. They provided the turkey and dressing and the Loopers brought the side dishes. With over 100 people attending, I was the only one that brought mashed potatoes! There were SOOOO many great dishes and a wonderful eggnog - southern style.
Dog River Marina
This house is on the point between Dog River Marina and Turner Marine. Not sure who lives here, but it's a perfect spot to watch the comings and goings in the channel.
As we leave the sheltered bay we meet this fisherman coming back from his morning's work. The pelicans obviously love the parts of the fish that don't make it back to dock.
I've never seen so many pelicans in one spot.
A pretty lighthouse out in the middle of the bay.
Two ducks sunning themselves on a day marker. The markers again, are very important here - the bay, although large, is quite shallow - 2-6 ft in most parts except the dredged channel.
This is just an ordinary barge - but very special because it's the first one I've passed while at the wheel. Bob has been very careful to wait until we pass a barge before letting me take over. This time we both felt that there was enough room to pass with no problems.
As we leave the Mobile Bay we head down the Gulf ICW - canals and cuts through the coastal mainland.
The houses here have a definite coastal feel to them again compared to the houses on the rivers.
The landscape has taken on the sandy soil with more bushes than trees.
Lots of campers in this campground - a testimony to the warmer weather here.
We will eat here later - the owner is Jimmy Buffet's sister. The restaurant is quite popular.
Tacky Jacks Restaurant has sticky notes tacked all around the restaurant. Surprisingly, the name came first! It was a disgruntled employee that posted the first note - a custom the customers liked!
After being in rural areas for so long it seems odd to have a road right next to the water.
An unusual looking ship - it's a barge/tow all in one!
Ducks abound.
Not so many herons here but this guy looks like he's a part of the post he's sitting on.
This tow was pushing the barge up to the next barge. His engines were going full bore requiring Bob to power through his wake.
The Wharf - a popular marina/resort.
One of the "big" boats at The Wharf
This would be a great look out over the surrounding area. We've seen a couple of them so we'll see if we can find it when we have the rental car.
Starting to see more pretty homes.
As we pull into our anchorage I spot these artistic trees that begged a picture.
This sailboat joins us at anchor as the sun sets.
Our anchorage is a popular spot for the dolphins to feed on the local mullet population. I finally got a few on camera.
Good night from Ingram Bayou.
We arrive in Orange Beach to the feeling that we have arrived in Florida - even though we aren't there yet (we're still in Alabama).
The beautiful coastal homes...
....Condos and single dwellings...
...white sand beaches and BLUE water...
...did I mention beautiful coastal homes - and boathouses? Have you ever seen such a tall boat house?...
...water front living...
...more beautiful coastal homes...
...more waterfront living...
...and houseboats...
...and more beautiful coastal homes!!!
We will be at Saunder's Marine for an unknown period of time as we have some work done on the boat. Stay tuned for our off boat adventures to come!
Docked at Dog River Marina 11/23 & 11/24 - Thanksgiving dinner at Turner Marine on Wednesday and on our boat with Al & Ruth (Tortuga) on Thursday.
Anchored at Ingram Bayou - 11/24 & 11/25 - with Francesa & Independence
Docked at Orange Beach Marina - 11/26
No comments:
Post a Comment