So where did I leave off last? We were rained in. The next morning, we woke up to fog. So we waited a while to take off. Had some trouble starting the engine. Squirted some WD-40 in it a few times, and that worked. Once the engine is started, it runs fine. We're still troubleshooting. Then down the river we went! Also passed the dinghy back to Mom & Dad, so we were scooting down the river again. Amazing how much that thing slowed us down. Dad didn't think it would have any effect, but he's been proven wrong. Mom & Dad caught up with us just in time to go through Heflin Lock. We intended to anchor in an offshoot right after the lock, but neither of us could get the anchor to set. Rocky or something. So we went downriver, looking for a decent place to anchor on the side of the river. And then it rained. Cold rain blown right in our faces! No fun. But it cleared, and there was a gorgeous sunset! None of us were quite up for taking pictures of the sunset, though, because we were desperately trying to find a place to stop for the night before dark. And after the sun goes down, it gets dark fast! Finally, we settled on a spot to try. I crept in toward shore, with the depth finder telling me everything was okay. So we anchored there. It was a little uncomfortable for a while; none of us had much confidence in our anchor set, but it turned out okay. A few barges passed in the night, but they didn't rock us around much. So all was well. Trevor and I ate mac & cheese with chili. Yum!
Wednesday morning, we woke up to water dripping on us. Not from rain, but condensation. So much condensation! Looked outside, and there was thick fog. Very thick fog!
The fog lifted around 9:00. We had to use WD-40 to start the engine again. Then we took off ahead of Mom & Dad. A couple of miles down, we passed the White Cliffs of Epes! Sounds pretty dramatic, right? They are unexpectedly awesome! I took tons of pictures.
I thought they were pretty cool. So we chugged on down the river, like we do. Came to our anchorage around 2:15. Turned on the depth finder. The cruise guide said it was 10-15 feet inside, but shallower at the entrance. Didn't say what that the actual depth might be. So we eased in, the depth creeping up slowly. Finally got to 6 feet, and I was a little uneasy. But then it dropped back to 7, 8, 10. Alright! So we anchored there, and it was pretty. We took the dinghy and rowed to shore. Our first beach!
Not exactly the Corona commercial Trevor was looking for. But it was solid ground for the first time in a week, so we were happy! Look how happy he is in that picture! (The beer might be helping that, too.) Also, we found a cool trail through bamboo. Check it out!
And did I mention the anchorage was pretty?
Woke up yesterday morning to some rain, but not much. Engine started first try. No idea why. Then we headed the last 10 miles to Demopolis. So happy to get here! Got some fuel, took some showers (yay!!!), did some grocery shopping, and ate dinner. Twice. Life is good.
Yay! It's good to see Trevor's smiling face! And Happy Birthday!! :)
ReplyDeleteWOW! Those cliffs are VERY cool. I would not have expected something like that along the way. Sorry you are getting damp, but so glad you are not soaked.
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