We are in Florida!

The past few days have gone by very quickly. Since the last blog we anchored out at one of the most unique environments we had been to since we started. We took a channel off the main river, called the Three Rivers, and looked like a scene from the movie African Queen! The channel was extremely narrow and shallow. Trees were hanging over the river and it was incredible! After getting our anchors set and settled in, Bob and I went for a dinghy ride to explore the area and found ourselves in the middle of a bayou! We found small rustic fishing shacks anchored out amongst gangly looking trees with most of the roots exposed. There were blue heron flying in front of us like a leader to follow thru the channel. It looked like somewhere alligators would definitely want to hang out and with binoculars in hand we searched the shoreline, only to discover one right in front of us. At first we thought it was a log but after it disappeared, and appeared, only to disappear completely, we realized we had seen our first alligator! We went back to the boat to pick up the other crew mates, Jim and Judy, and went back to further explore. It was eerie and awesome. When they had had enough we went back to the boat and the boys went out to try fishing while we made dinner. Another boat pulled in and the boys made a connection and plan to follow them the next day. The weather forecast was for a tropical storm to be moving in with high winds and rain. Not good for river travel. They had done this several times before and so their experience was worth listening to. We had a delicious grilled dinner with our traveling friends from Mystique and enjoyed our last night anchored out. The next day of our journey took us through Mobile, Alabama and an international barge harbor. The large barge lined the harbor along with ocean hauling vessels. Our boat felt very small next to all these large vessels. For the first time we were in open water and at times unable to see land. The Bouys now look like they were made for large bodies of water and we realize we are headed for the blue waters of the ocean. Our goal was to hit the International Waterways. We now had a caravan of 3 boats. We are cruising through open water. Our biggest issue is and always has been our gas usage and mileage. The boys have discussions that can fill the entire day about how fast we are going and how much gas we have and are using. Today was definitely one of those days, and as it turned out we needed to make a last minute decision to change our destination due to the fact both gas tanks were showing that we were on empty and we may not make it to land. Talk was of taking the gas from the dinghy and pouring into one of the tanks on the boat and using one of our beloved water jugs as a funnel. To say the situation was stressful is minimizing the feeling on the boat! And for a non-swimmer looking at the large body of water ahead of us and putting on a life-jacket and trying to swim to shore seems overwhelming! As we watched the gauges going down and land slowly getting closer, we decided to pull into the nearest gas pump, even though we knew it would be closed at this point til the next day. All we wanted was to get to a dock and tie up! As we pulled up to Homeport Marina at Gulf Shores, Alabama someone on the dock told us what slip to pull into and helped us tie up to the dock! We made it! A restaurant called Lulu's welcomed us with Jimmy Buffet music! It was incredible! We have pictures that we will post! As it turned out, it was a fabulous place to end the day! The crew from Mystique stayed at our original destination and wished they had ended up with us. With a full stomach, and having enjoyed great music and cocktails, it was time to end the day thankful to have found a safe and fun spot!
The next day being Tues. Oct. 18th was our last few miles to our final destination....Destin, Florida! We had made it to the Intercoastal Waterway. The water was now a beautiful blue instead of the brown of the rivers. The houses along the waterway appear much larger then what we had been seeing along our river travels. Boats and docks Made for the ocean. As we get closer we have dolphins leading us to the marina. Some right in front of and beside us. Makes us realize we are here!! What a great and yet sad feeling.
Today is Oct. 21,2011 and we have settled into San Destin! Our laundry is done, though bedding and towels will have to wait til Sun. so we can leave things clean for our return. The carpets have been shampooed, the salt washed off the outside and the upstairs cleaned. We are trying to eat up as much as we can before we go, so the fridge can be empty. With that being said, yesterday we had a delicious taco salad for breakfast! The boys are golfing today, while Judy "highlights" her hair, and then the girls will go for a much needed massage after sleeping in "boat beds" for a month. This is the weekend that started the entire process. A birthday party for a dear friend....Happy Birthday Peg! We have loved the experience and would highly suggest it to anyone that would even contemplate it.
We will be home on Mon., with memories that will last a lifetime and a friendship that has endured 30 days of being together in a tight environment! That is something that couldn't be done with many people and we are so grateful we have had the opportunity with Jim and Judy! We love you both!
We are thankful for a new friendship with the Captain's of Mystique, Collin and Irene (and yes that is their real names) that we have totally enjoyed and hope continues! For mostly good weather! For all the characters we have met along the way that helped create those
memories and mostly our safe travels! Thank you for following us on this trip and we hope you have enjoyed reading about it! Safe travels to you all, wherever you may decide to go!

and hope continues!