The Day Before

Day 147  |  Rogersville

It didn't take long to learn a bit more about Joe Wheeler. Obviously an important man, he has a lake, dam, and state park named after him. The monument at the end of our dock gave us a more complete picture of "Fighting Joe" who was a Confederate calvary general, general in the US army, and a US congressman. Joe Wheeler State Park is a 2,500 acre resort park that includes a lodge, 18-hole golf course, marina, cottages, cabins, and hiking trails. We found a short one today after walking up the hill of the main entrance road. A first for me today was seeing a real armadillo. I gave him a good look and don't believe he was sleeping. I think they must be kin to our infamous Virginia possums as they "sleep" in the same locations and positions.

We returned to Crossroads and I found a photo of us as we came in last night. It was posted on the AGLCA Facebook page and shows how expansive and pretty the area is. Crossroads, however, was filthy and we needed to give her a good exterior wash.

I removed items from the decks and screens from the windows, Barry scrubbed, and I wiped everything down with the chamois before reinstalling all of our covers. As part of this big cleaning, we took down the flybridge enclosure. I think she looks a whole lot better with the open-air top deck. At 3:30 all the ladies gathered on Miss Utah for a nice happy hour. While I was visiting, Barry walked the docks and found this sailboat that just moved here from Gloucester Point, VA -- small world. It was a beautiful afternoon here in Alabama.

Sunset came with just enough color to be photo-worthy. (And since this was a slow photo day, I am thankful.) The trees on the hill across the water are beginning to change color. I'm hoping they'll be closer to peak color by the time we leave here on Friday morning.

We get down to business tomorrow. We'll explore a new hiking trail in the morning, then come back and clean up the interior before Rendezvous events start at 2:45.