Oct. 16 - Indianola, TX

Powderhorn Lake

We've missed being on the water, so we took the kayaks to Powderhorn Lake to enjoy the beautiful fall day. Powderhorn is one of our favorite places to go, it's a wonderful place to see fish, dolphins and birds. Most people go there to fish, but it's also a great place to watch birds...that's what I do while Stan fishes. We saw more birds today than anywhere on our trip. I can name at least 15, but know it would be more if I knew all the names of the different sandpipers we saw. A few of the birds we saw were Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Roseate, White Ibis, Pelicans, Royal Terns and Oyster Catchers  The water was very clear...we could see fish scurrying around, dolphins chasing there dinner and stingrays laying on the bottom. It felt wonderful to be outside on the water.

Lunch time company

Stingray

Black Simmer 

Marble Godwit 

Willet

Snowy Egret

Oct. 6 - Home Sweet Home

We left Port Lavaca on March 7...we had seven months of amazing adventures, filled with lots of new sites and experiences. We traveled 3990 miles, over 4000 miles if you add in the miles we traveled in the dinghy and on our bikes. We visited 12 states and the District of Columbia and countless numbers of wonderful cities and little towns. Some of our favorite places include Ocean Springs MS, Tarpon Springs FL, St. Petersburg FL, St. Augustine FL, Fernandina Beach FL, Cumberland Island GA, Charleston SC, Beaufort SC, Washington DC, Annapolis MD, and all the wonderful little places on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Our favorite day was spent snorkeling and fishing off Sombrero Reef in Marathon, Florida. The list could be so much longer…there were so many places that had their shining moments. We enjoyed learning more about the history of the country and seeing the places we’d heard about all our lives. We especially enjoyed the times we had with family…it was a lot of fun to explore Key West with Kenneth and Earline, and we enjoyed getting to know Kendra, Doug and their girls a little more in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Thank you for sharing a piece of our adventure. The other high point of our trip was meeting people…not just boaters, but the local people of all the great places we stopped. They shared local knowledge and their enthusiasm for the places they live…so many good memories.

It took us a little time to get comfortable with weather and sea conditions, buying groceries without a car, doing normal life activities in such a small space, limited laundry and countless other things we take for granted at home. We definitely have become more appreciative of those things. Stan's confidence in the boat and his ability to handle new situations grew each day. Things that seemed like big deals in the beginning…were nothing by the time we returned. As we have more time this winter to reflect on the places we’ve been, the things we’ve seen and the things we’ve done, I’m sure it will soak in a little more how lucky we’ve been to have this amazing experience.

I am going to miss the sounds and sites on the water….the birds, the fish, the sunset and the unknown around the bend. This is just a break…not an end to our adventure. We look forward to cruising again next spring and summer, and exploring other wonderful spots in this country and Canada.

Stan making the last inspections on the boat

Atlantic Yacht Basin...one of the sheds they keep boats in

One last look at our precious Pearl

Oct. 4 - On Our Way Home

Day 200 - Saying Goodbye to the Boat and Friends
Atlantic Yacht Basin

We spent yesterday finishing up little projects, packing, renting a car and saying goodbye to friends. Avis car rental gave us a pretty good deal on our car...still unbelievably high, but we can use our credit card points to get most of the cost back. Not too bad...our final cost will only be $75.

After renting the car we picked up twenty gallons of potable antifreeze that we will use to winterize the boat. After dropping it off at the boat we went to Insight and had a nice visit with Jim and Julie. They fly home to Arizona tomorrow morning. I hope our paths cross again next summer. We spent the rest of the evening with Pam and Don. As usual we had a great time; they feel like old friends...hard to believe we've only known them for two weeks. We will definitely cruise with them again. They are spending the winter in Charleston and will be back in the Chesapeake next spring. See you then if not before somewhere.

We got right to work this morning. First thing we had to do was move the boat and get a pump out, then back to our spot on the wall. We drained all the water from the water tanks and started pumping antifreeze through all the lines...water, toilet, engine, air conditioner, and generator. We loaded all the stuff we are bringing home, stored our bikes inside the boat and put other things away for the winter. We left the boat on the wall for now, they will tow it to a shed after the fuel tank is welded. It really felt strange just leaving her there...knowing we won't be back for six months. We had an amazing time and look forward to new adventures next year.

We left around one o'clock, and as I'm writing this in the car we have no idea where we will stop for the night. I am going to try and post this from my phone...hope it doesn't look too different from the other posts. I will post a follow up when we get home. Please forgive any grammatical errors my editor is driving.

Dinner at Carraba's

Running antifreeze through the lines

This was to be the longest barge we've seen since we left Texas....a tug, seven barges, and a 1/4 mile of pipe

The Pearl...all alone...😢

Oct. 2 – Great Bridge, VA

Day 198 – Waiting

Atlantic Yacht Basin

Stan did a little more work in the engine room, removed the hot water heater so he could get to the area of the diesel tank that needs repair. He has cleaned the spot that needs to be welded or patched and we are now waiting until tomorrow for a decision on which way we will go. At the moment we are with out hotwater and are using the showers at the marina and warming water in the microwave to wash dishes. If we stay much longer I will have to make a run to the grocery store for more supplies. So waiting is the name of the game at the moment…hopefully we will be able to leave by Tuesday afternoon. 

Seven o'clock opening of the bridge

We woke up to 45° weather...it made the water look beautiful

The afternoon parade of boats

Oct. 1 - Great Bridge, VA

Day 197 - Transition Day

Atlantic Yacht Basin

We still have things to do before we leave, but most of them will have to wait until Monday. We spent the day getting things organized, washing the boat and watching the large boats go by in the ICW. The bridge just north of the marina only opens once an hour and there has been quite a show of large yachts going by today. You know when they're coming, because the bridge blows a horn to warn motorists that the bridge is going to open. A few minutes later a parade of boats comes by. The largest was 130'...the big boys are moving south for the winter. I guess I should have taken a few pictures of the larger ones...they're just unbelievable. I'm going to miss seeing all the yachts, waterman boats, barges and tugs when we get home.

Our friends Jim & Julie Bertch are also here getting their boat ready for winter storage. Since we both have food to use up before we leave, we got together this evening for a communal dinner. We grilled steaks, shrimp and potatoes. We planned on sitting outside in the little gazebo next to their boat, but a cold front moved in last night and it was too chilly. We had to visit on their boat. The prediction is for temperatures in the forties tonight...brrr.

Great Bridge - opened

The weather was a little cool so we had a fire on Insight to keep us warm. Well maybe not, it was a video but still nice