Midway to Columbus MS
Since returning to the boat on October 19th (in Chicago), we have been aggressive with our travels. Except for the side trip to Nashville, we have not spent more than one night anywhere. Pushing a minimum of 30 miles per day and a maximum of 100, we closed the gap on many Loopers ahead of us. Behind is a relative term, for there are no rules for doing the Loop. But there are sensible “timeline” guides that allow travelers to maximize the weather days on the Loop. We were behind the plan, thus we “enjoyed” colder weather than the normal route. Of course, the record breaking arctic blasts didn’t help the cold weather problem either. We have discovered much beauty here, but compared to the first half of the adventure, the “pretty” on this side falls short. The Georgian Bay, the North Channel, and the Hudson River are in a class of their own. All that to say, fewer attractions have allowed us to focus on getting South as quickly as reasonable. We still enjoy every day, have no regrets, and are extremely grateful for every experience. We do look forward to the Florida keys and possibly the Bahamas, especially when some of the days get a little dreary, figuratively or literally.
Sawdust, sawdust, sawdust. Lots of wood related industry on the Tenn-Tom
Today’s ride, 56 NM, and almost 9 hours bordered on being boring. I didn’t take a single picture. Amanda took two. The scenery was much like the last couple days without a particular “aha” moment.
We met the Living in Awe folks at the first marina after reentering the USA from Canada. Their boat sticker is on top of a floating bollard in one of the locks.
We arrived at the Columbus Marina, just north of the Bevill Lock shortly after 4 pm. We enjoyed the chatter on the radio between the dockmaster and the dock hand as they prepared for our entrance. They brought a smile at the end of the long day. We met a few new (to us) Loopers and reconnected with Bella Gatta (Johnathon and Jane) whom we had met in Manistee on Lake Michigan. A little blogging, dinner on the boat, and we called it a night. After all, tomorrow calls for lots of miles and more locks!