A Spook-tacular Day

Day 164 |  Florence (AL) to Iuka (MS)  |  5.2 Hours  |  38 Miles

Harry, the resident rescue heron at Florence Harbor Marina, was perched on the roof of the boat shed as we pulled out of our slip and passed alongside several beautiful red maple trees. Just beyond the lighthouse, we turned right and headed down the Tennessee River. We had traveled this stretch before, way back on October 11. There were two things that we noticed to be remarkably different with the passing of three weeks -- the water level was down almost two feet and the leaves were hitting their peak color.

The overcast morning made for interesting photos. The white pelicans almost glowed from their position in the mud flats. We followed one tow downriver and met only one coming upriver. There was not much activity. The clouds cleared long enough to get a photo in my Halloween shirt. I had brought it back from Richmond just to feel a little festive on this Halloween day.

More interesting autumn leaves. My preference is for scarlets and golds. I'm not convinced the pictures do the scenery justice.

These two photos were my favorites.

We arrived at Aqua Yacht Harbor around 1:30 and pumped out before heading to our slip. We took a few seconds to relax before finishing up our unpacking from the trip home. I believe everything is finally back to normal, with all suitcases stored beneath the floor. To our surprise, there are quite a few Loopers here, including three families with children. We all gathered for Docktails and a bit of impromptu Trick or Treating. There were seven kids -- four girls and three boys -- dressed up as Harry Potters, TMNTs, and princesses. There was even a surprise arrival by a Mermaid (one of the locals) who brought a dock cart loaded with candy. It was a fun evening and I was very glad that I had on my Halloween shirt.

The weather will turn overnight, with heavy rain and wind predicted. We will change the main engine and transmission oils tomorrow and then turn our attention to route planning. The next stretch of our journey will require some long travel days, have sketchy phone service, and be split between anchorages and marinas. We also have the option of several side trips along the way before parking Crossroads and traveling home for Christmas. Part of the excitement is not having a real plan.