Meeting people is definitely what makes this Looping so much fun. And we struck gold in Tom and Liz, home port Eufaula Al. They have been great travel partners this past week. Their boat is a 78 foot house boat named Fair Majesty...same engines as Tumbleweed. We cruise at about the same speed. We've had some great laughs, though they totally missed Floyd stepping into mud up to his knees. They lead the way for us down river and through Mobile Bay, as our chart plotter quit. We were able to help them dislodge their anchor on Monday. They say they'd still be stuck in the river if Floyd hadn't been there. I say that Chapman's Schooling has really paid off....anyway...boat and friend photos....and don't we look like boat people...anchoring out for a couple of nights, and those cool, damp days...yep, turned us right into boat bums. We didn't care what we looked like. We had made it to Mobile safe and sound. We wanted food we didn't cook and a stiff drink or three.

Another highlight was the 14 mile railroad swing bridge. We thought our train friends would enjoy these. With only 4 feet of clearance, we were at the mercy of the bridge tender to swing it open. Our lesson in pleasure boats being at the bottom of the food chain was never more obvious. We called and were told that men were working on the bridge, we'd have to wait awhile. After an hour of circling, a tow boat appeared, called the tender to open, and in the blink of an eye the bridge swung open. Interestingly enough it was a tow we had followed out of Demopolis, passed, and he was now headed back up river. The Gilbert Taylor...good guy to know I guess.

Trip highlights included passing under the I-65 bridge. We hear tell the locals refer to it as the "Dolly Parton" bridge. It's up to you to figure out why...

We made it to Mobile. Boat is running GOOD. We managed to get 9 MPH with same rpm's that only got us 7.5 MPH last summer. I told Floyd it was because the water is so cold. hehehehe....The beauty of it is that the trip we thought would be 41/2 days only took us 3...and we made friends along the way. Tom and Liz left Demopolis on Saturday morning ahead of us. We were able to anchor with them Saturday night. Then travel together the rest of the way to Mobile. We are currently at Dog River Marina. Weather tomorrow is suppose to be rainy, cold and windy. When it clears on Thursday we are headed east across the bay. Seems as though Jimmy Buffet's sister has a little place about 30 miles from here....we are excited to check it out.

Inverter now inverts....we'll see how long that lasts. We've been down this road before. Water tanks have been cleaned. We are ready to head for Mobile. Demopolis photos are posted here. It has been nice. We were tied up close to laundry and parking which made chores easier. Supplies were close and easy to find... Wal-Mart, they do make life simple when boat shopping. We'll pull away from the dock and keep left right into the river. The Demopolis dock is about 2 miles away. Our plan is to travel between 6 and 7 hours a day, at 7.5 miles an hour. We should have enough gas to make it all the way. It will take us until Wednesday to arrive. We plan to stop tonight at Highway 10 bridge. Folks around here keep telling us about a GREAT catfish place, Ezel's. We'll have to anchor and take the dingy into the restaurant...though I hear tell it is more of a joint. Should prove interesting in any case. Sunday night should find us at Bobby's Fish Camp, the only marina and gas stop between here and Mobile Bay. The next two nights are anchorings that I don't think you can locate without river charts. We plan to be in Fairhope, Ala on the 11th. Can't predict if we'll have Internet and or cell phone coverage between here and there. So this could be it until Wednesday....weather is predicted to be clear and warmer. We are ready.

Ran on the river today. Things weren't perfect but we had our new best friend Alan on board to do the instant repair. New engine cooling system seems to be working fine now. The inverter is another issue. We have battled with this since last July. If we can't get this resolved it will reek havoc with refrigeration and heat while we are bound for Mobile. As things stand now, we are hopeful that the guys will solve inverter problems tomorrow and we will head for Mobile on Saturday. We'll anchor out, travel 6 or 7 hours a day, and arrive in Mobile on Wednesday, Feb. 11. There is only one place to stop for gas, but we should be fine without a fill up.

Things are looking up. Plans went off without a hitch today, including the three hour trip to the grocery store. Floyd installed the new table top...it matches perfectly. In fact, looks like it came with the boat. We love the look but, more importantly, we love the fact that there is no ridge biting into our arms. The dingy has been restored to its rightful position. Things are unpacked. We are hoping to go for a cruise tomorrow afternoon to make sure engine and inverter are up to snuff. Temperatures are suppose to be warmer. Right now it is 58 inside...low tonight is suppose to be 20. We want to head South soon.