Day 202 Epilogue - Home

Yesterday WAS going to be my final blog, but Brandi insisted I do one last entry to relate how we reacted to being home and, more importantly, how JACK reacted to being home. John always thought he would be ecstatic. Wrong! We had a calm ride down the ICW and turned into our little inlet. Jack rode under the "dash" as usual. Danny, our son-in-law, helped us pull into our dock. We jumped off, toasted with a beer, then Jack sashayed onto the dock...rolled...then got right back on the boat. We had to carry him into the house complaining all the way. He's better adjusted today. I told Free Bird that my first impression of our home as I walked in was that it felt small. (Free Bird) John said that on the boat, even though it's smaller, you are always outside and unrestrained; therefore, being confined in a house would seem small. Hmmmm. Logical. A pod of dolphins performed a Welcome Home Show this afternoon corralling mullet behind our house - racing, leaping and slapping. Magestic creatures. It was so good to be reunited with Brandi, Madi, Danny, Cam, Kayo and our new grand-furry, Colt. Would have been complete if Morgan, Kevin and Louie were here, but we'll see them soon. I made jambalaya last night. We had a good night's sleep. We visited with our neighbors. Estrellita and Fruit Cakes passed by our home as they continued down the ICW. We waved. It IS good to be home. So as the sun sets on Sundowner ending this amazing odyssey - she is actually just pausing while we contemplate our next adventure. 

Day 201 Loop Completed - Second to the Last Blog Entry

On day 201 - today - as Loopers say, we "cross our wake" and will be back home in Seminole. Our last anchorage of the trip, Anclote Key, was serene and peaceful. This blog has become a daily journal of our exploits and I'm so glad we recorded our adventures. Not only so we could share them, but we can look back and remember. It's almost unreal to think that we have accomplished "the Loop". So many feelings along the way - elation, exhaustion, amazement, anxiety, speculation, satisfaction - but never disappointment. Monumental joy when we completed another phase of the trip and sadness when we had to say good-bye to some amazing people. Can we pick a favorite city, anchorage, marina, river, moment? I don't think so. There's just such a multitude of incredible experiences on this journey that it would be like picking a favorite child. You can't. There are some places that surprised us and we want to return to like Lake Michigan, Canada, and the Panhandle. Three years ago, we didn't even know that you could circumvent the eastern section of the USA  by boat - now we've done it. We've done it with the support and encouragement of our extraordinary daughters, family and friends. I also have to give cudos to Sundowner. She's been an outstanding ship with no issues and the perfect Looper boat. Captain Jack has been a good sport and I couldn't imagine doing the trip without him. He now has "fans" across the country. As we end this odyssey, we are wiser, more adaptable, more spontaneous, more adventurous, and more appreciative. As we left our anchorage, appropriately, three dolphins directed us home. We can cross "completing the Loop" off our bucket list, but sometimes checking off one item creates more to be added. So tomorrow we start planning for our next adventure.

Day 200 Crossing our Wake Tomorrow

Not only is it a historic 200 days since we started the Loop; tomorrow, we will be crossing our wake in dear, ol' Seminole. We pulled out of our Cedar Key anchorage and two dolphins escorted us out of Daughtry Bayou. The waves were maybe 1 foot and the winds were fairly calm as the sun rose on another beautiful day. We hadn't been out an hour when John spied a fog from the coast moving towards Sundowner. In no time, it enveloped us and, as fate would have it, we entered crab trap alley. Thank goodness there was a bright sun so it helped with spying those illusive balls.  At one point, visibility was about 300 yards - a very alone feeling. Thank goodness for radar to advise us that no other boats were around or crossing our path. The fog lifted about 11 and the rest of our journey was uneventful. I've been under the weather with a slight case of seafood poisoning, so I haven't been much help on the wheel for the last two days, but by mid-afternoon, I was feeling my old self. As we got closer to Tarpon Springs, we saw more fishing and crab boats. We also saw clouds building and rain falling where we had planned on anchoring by the power plant. So we made a quick decision to duck behind Anclote Key near a marooned sailboat for the night. It was a bit choppy while the storms were in the area, but by sunset, it was flat. It looks like our last night at sea will bring peaceful rest. To celebrate our final dinner on this Loop, we had steak and mashed cauliflower. No more oysters for me for awhile! Tomorrow we will head down the ICW and return to Oakhurst Shores, family and friends. It has been an unreal adventure, but we are ready to be home...I think. Yeah, we're ready! 

Day 199 Anchoring near Cedar Key

Had to pry John away from the Steinhatchee dock this morning. He vows to return to this serene old fishing village. The Gulf was calm - rocking us gently like only Mother Ocean can. We almost fell asleep at the wheel. The only thing that kept us alert was the hundreds of crab traps in our path. The water is now clear and a deep shade of jade. By the end of today's trip, the seas were like glass. We decided to hug the coast so it's shallow which allows us to view the bottom. Dolphins occasionally played along the bow or delighted us by leaping out of the water. Despite the slight chill on the fly bridge, it feels so good to be back in familiar waters. John was anxious about navigating the waters around Cedar Key, namely Sea Horse Island, but he did a fine job to get us to an idyllic remote anchorage. The sunrise and sunset were a gift. Beautiful. No internet tonight.  We were going to stop at Withlachochee, but are concerned about building seas and winds by mid-week so we'll save Withlacoochee and Port Richie for another trip. Tomorrow we are going to make the run to Anclote. Can't believe we are within days of being back home.

Day 199 Anchoring near Cedar Key

Had to pry John away from the Steinhatchee dock this morning. He vows to return to this serene old fishing village. The Gulf was calm - rocking us gently like only Mother Ocean can. We almost fell asleep at the wheel. The only thing that kept us alert was the hundreds of crab traps in our path. The water is now clear and a deep shade of jade. By the end of today's trip, the seas were like glass. We decided to hug the coast so it's shallow which allows us to view the bottom. Dolphins occasionally played along the bow or delighted us by leaping out of the water. Despite the slight chill on the fly bridge, it feels so good to be back in familiar waters. John was anxious about navigating the waters around Cedar Key, namely Sea Horse Island, but he did a fine job to get us to an idyllic remote anchorage. The sunrise and sunset were a gift. Beautiful. No internet tonight.  We were going to stop at Withlachochee, but are concerned about building seas and winds by mid-week so we'll save Withlacoochee and Port Richie for another trip. Tomorrow we are going to make the run to Anclote. Can't believe we are within days of being back home.

Day 198 Steinhatchee .. John wants to live here.

According to my Captain, "this quiet little town has everything - a river and the Gulf along with a forest and wild llife." The locals say that people are either fishing or just passing through. We are the later. Needed a couple food articles, so we took the long way to the small grocery store so we could see what there was to see here. Not a lot in commercial terms. The town's original name was Deadman's Bay and appeared on Spanish maps as early as the 1500's, but their history actually started back in 12000 BC with pre-historic man. In the 1800's, the name changed to Steinhatchee, which was derived from the Native American "esteen hatchee" meaning river (hatchee) of man (esteen). The Stein in Steinhatchee is pronounced as if it were spelled steen. Industries have come and gone like logging, sponge diving, pirating, and of course, their infamous period of drug smuggling. Remember the Steinhatchee Seven? Actually, the name was a misnomer because most of the seven people that were busted in that case weren't from here. They were from St. Petersburg. Also there were waaay more than "7" Steinhatchee residents involved in the marijuana trade back in the '70's. Now the main industries are fishing, shrimping or crabbing. We can vouch for the crabbing and fishing since we had to dodge lots of crab traps and little fishing boats on the way in - even in the channel. After our walk, we washed all the salt off the boat and just relaxed. That's the beauty of this place, it's just comfortable. Had a good meal at Fiddler's Restaurant then strolled around the immediate street looking at Christmas lights. Tomorrow we are off to an anchorage near Cedar Key...unless John changes his mind and we stay another day to absorb more of this peaceful place. (Announcing a new addition to our family - Colt, our beautiful new grand puppy courtesy of Madi and Cam.) 

Day 197 Crossing to Steinhatchee

Got up before dawn and headed for the Gulf. Followed Beach House out of our anchorage after a fitful night's sleep. Too many noises on board and the cabin was 46 degrees when we made coffee. My proboscis was frozen. It was a magestic sunrise. Seas, which were on the nose, started at 1 to 2 foot and built to 3. At this point, Jack was no longer happy. He crawled down from the bow in the front cabin and proceeded to get sea sick. Not pretty. It was still cold outside so we again steered from down below. A few Loopers passed us on their way to Steinhatchee, but Beach House is a smaller vessel and decided to turn around and wait for smoother seas. They live on their boat so it was not necessary for them to get anywhere today. By mid-day, the waves laid down and it was an easy, pleasant ride to our marina. The last three pics were taken as we entered the thriving metropolis of Steinhatchee escorted by a playful dolphin.  There was a communication mix-up with Sea Hag Marina so we ended up going a little farther up river to River Haven. It turned out to be a nicer dock AND it was only 50 cents a foot. Cheapest marina on the trip. After docking, we watched the Gators get beat by the Seminoles. This facility has a pleasant, open lounge area on the dock with a flat screen - BYOB. It's an early night for us. We are exhausted. Steinhatchee fascinates John so tomorrow we investigate the area. 

Day 196 Anchoring at Wilson Beach

Finally broke the bonds of Apalachicola. It was hard to leave after 9 days, we had grown quite attached to this funky, fishing town, but we will be back. We were the first of our Looper group to leave this morning so everyone gathered on the dock to send us off. Took some final shots of the city as we made our way out into Apalachicola Bay then down the ICW. The second pic is where we ate Thanksgiving dinner - the little room on the dock. The ICW ends in Carrabelle then picks up again in Tarpon Springs. So from now until Tarpon, we'll be in the Gulf with an occasional trip up a river. The seas were right - choppy at first, but they laid down. The wind wasn't bad, but the cold forced us to steer from below. Uneventful 5 1/2 hour cruise to a quiet anchorage off of Alligator Point called Wilson Beach. Dinked to Beach House, Chuck and Susan. Only meant to stay a minute then go exploring, but we talked till almost sunset. They've published a series of "best anchorages" books and have done a lot of cruising. Time flies when you're talking boating. Made a non-oyster/non-seafood dinner while listening to "island music" on the best radio station in the states called Oyster Radio on 100.5. The third pic is the sunset view from our anchorage. Beautiful Florida. Want to get an early early start tomorrow so headed to bed to read at sunset. We need rest after our senses-overload stay in Apalach. Will cross a chunk of the Gulf to the Sea Hag Marina in Steinhatchee. 

Day 195 continued Thanksgiving in Apalach Pt 2

Continuing with our picture tour of Apalachicola. The first photo is of the old sponge exchange built in 1831. I mentioned the sponge trade in an earlier blog. This is now a lady's boutique, but still a beautiful building. Pic 2 is an oyster tumbler cleaning machine that is behind Boss Oyster Republic. We had beers at Boss when we watched a football game but no food. We were warned that none of the locals eat here because it's supposedly unsanitary and had been closed by the health department multiple times. Next photo is of the back of the Tin Shed. This place has tons of cool nautical surplus as evidenced in the picture, but is quite pricey. The forth pic is of the shrimp docks. A shadow of what use to be here. An old timer told us there were 160 shrimp boats on these docks. They had to raft 3 deep. Times have changed. What has caused the decline in shrimp, crab and oyster harvesting? According to the Riverkeepper organization - loss of life-sustaining freshwater, loss of floodplain and wetland habitat, pollution, and unrestrained growth and development. The last picture is of the restaurant, Caroline's River Dining, where we will have Thanksgiving dinner with all our Looper friends who have been waiting out the weather with us. If we can't be surrounded by family and long loved friends, then this is the next best thing. To gather with new friends who have shared this amazing odyssey with us. They are not all here and we will miss the ones that are in different ports today. We have been truly blessed on this journey. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. 

Day 195 Thanksgiving in Apalach Part 1

Well, I feel like we've been here long enough that we can call it Apalach like a local. We can be thankful for beautiful weather today - it's crisp and sunny. Could be a little warmer, but we'll take it after the bad weather we've had for a week. Walked around town this morning, taking lots of pictures so we will remember all the great places in this town. It will take 2 blog entries to get them all in. On our journey, we met a man that's been living on the docks for the past 14 years - not on a boat, not in a cottage, not in a warehouse - on the dock in a tent. To each his own. The first photo is the town Christmas tree. It consists of fish netting, buoys, floats, assorted nautical things and lights. Santa arrives tomorrow on a shrimp boat, of course. Sorry we will miss that event. The next pic is of the county jail. It was built in 1949, but the county outgrew it. It's now abandoned. In the back was an outdoor cage elevator to transport prisoners. The third picture is of an old run down building that I felt a connection to every time we walked past it. I kept saying that it spoke to me and John would joke, "Yeah, it's saying - tear me down." Yesterday, I asked a couple, who are renovating a building behind it, what it use to be and they said that it was a cafe, BUT before that, it was in another part of town and it was the school house. How 'bout that! It was channeling to my teacher soul.  The last two pics are of our favorite place - the Bowery Station, it's open backyard, and the marine biologist's package store next door. The old guy, who runs the antique shed that is connected to it, is going to open later and invited us back to do some Christmas shopping. We can beat the Black Friday rush! Will publish part 2 a little later. 

Day 194 Sunshine Finally

When we opened our peepers this morning, we actually saw bright light streaming through the windows. No more gray skies, but still too choppy and windy for trawlers to travel. Free Bird took off for Carrabelle, but the rest of us stayed put.  Had breakfast with Leslee, Chris and Alice, after helping Sara and John shove off. The sky was brilliant blue without a cloud - a brisk cold wind blew as we walked back to the boat. John spent the afternoon working on wiring the radar to the upper helm. I read about the city we've been in for a week. There are something like 900 historic buildings in this town. We walked by a lot of them yesterday. The post office was built in 1922 and is still active today. The Chesnut Cemetary was started in 1833 and houses some the Apalach's founding fathers, Confederate soldiers, scarlet fever victims, and the famous botanist, Dr. Alvin Chapmin. Around the corner is a museum dedicated to Dr. John Gorrie, who invented an ice machine. When the city had an outbreak of yellow fever, he contrived an apparatus to keep his patients more comfortable. It was the forerunner to air conditioning. In the center of town are two cannons. For the most part, Apalachicola was left defenseless during the Civil War, but during one brief period they had 8 cannons. These are 2 that were left after the war. Interesting town. Not sure where the day went, but suddenly it was docktails. Had some good snacks and lively conversation. Afterwards, John and I hiked down to Bowery Station (BS) and listened to some local talent during Open Mike.  We love this tavern and this town. I think we seriously could live here. Tomorrow we will celebrate Thanksgiving with our Looper "family" while we are missing our real family. John says we need to wait one more day before heading to an unprotected anchorage. Hoping all our loved ones, family and friends, have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow. You will be in our thoughts and our hearts. 

Day 193 The Storms Continue

Starting to think we need to trade the Hatteras in for an ark. It rained most of the night and continued into today. Floridians can't take this much gray. Our tans fade and we start getting cranky. Woke up to clouds and Angie and Dan from Sea Horse walking by our boat. Surprise. We've been here so long, boaters, who had to go home or had issues, are catching up with us. During a break in the rain, John and I hiked to the CVS and Piggly Wiggley in the morning. Didn't rain again until we walked outside with all of our groceries. Thanks a lot!  After taking our supplies back to the boat, we wandered down to Free Bird so we could go to Pappa Joe's for the best oysters in town. They are huge, it's hard to eat them in one bite. Delicious. The weather started turning wet and cold again, so we hung out at the boat talking weather windows...again. Quit beating that dead horse and headed for the Bowery Station, our new favorite place. Lisa and Matt bought this vintage store front a year ago and turned it into a comfortable funky tavern with music daily. Tonight the Gray Catz played - two gray haired guitarists, who did a lot of 70's rock. Then at the end of the night, I requested "Wagonwheel" but they didn't know it. Suddenly Matt picked up his guitar then a customer grabbed a mandolin off the wall and they did an impromptu version while one of the duo on the electric guitar picked up the tune. A memorable moment and fun night. Tomorrow Sara and John are sailing to Carrabelle stageing for their Gulf crossing on Friday. Sundowner will stay here one more day, then boat to Alligator Point. We will miss them mucho but they will be in Punta Gorda for the winter so we will reconnect after we get home. Fell asleep to more rain, but it's suppose to FINALLY  move through tomorrow. 

Day 192 More Rain in Apalach

OK, this is getting old fast. Apalach is a great southern town. Really glad we stopped here, but this weather has got to go. We walked to the bank and it rained; we walked to the package store and it rained; walked to the nautical surplus store and it rained; walked to Free Bird to help them move from a crappy  marina to the city dock and ...well, you know. At least the temperature is mild. Talked to the guy who owned the liquor store. He was a former state marine biologist - really. We asked him about the rumors we heard about Apalahicola oysters - their size, some residents told us the big ones aren't from here and also that they need fresh AND salty water to grow. He said the oysters are big and small here - depends on if they get an influx of water which brings nutrients. He also told us that oysters get nurishment from fresh water, but more importantly, their predators like the conch can't live in fresh water so it protects them. It's not necessary to sustain them. Interesting guy. Sat around the boat for awhile, made lunch then Free Bird called for us to come out and play. We walked around town then landed in the Tap Room. Had some refreshing sangria that I would have loved to be sipping on a hot sunny beach, but it was good anyway. Ordered some decadent "duck fries" that are fries covered in prosciutto, gruyere cheese and crunchy duck skin bits. But that's not all - we also had crab dip with chips. What the hell! We had to bolster our spirits with something. Jack had the right idea. He un-made the bed by pulling down the comforter and pillow and making a nice nest for himself. Tomorrow should be our last day here so going to the museums and gorging ourselves on oysters. 

Day 191 Exploring the Area by Car

Woke up after a fun night and Gary was ready to go exploring the surrounding coastal towns by car. It was foggy and mild as we drove over the long bridges to East Point and Carrabelle searching for a breakfast place. If you blink, you can miss East Point. Carrabelle is a little bigger. At least it had a couple open cafes. The town is pretty non-existent (pic 1) - makes us appreciate Apalachicola. Found a bar-b-que restaurant that served breakfast. Then we drove to Cape St. George Island over another very long bridge. St. George is more touristy but not any bigger - just longer. The lighthouse greets you upon entering the small town then you have to turn left or right to drive the coast. This lighthouse has been toppled by weather 4 times since 1833 but each time, the citizens rebuild it with materials from the preceding structure. The last time they rebuilt it was in 2005 and this time, they moved it farther inland for its own protection. We could see the surf crashing on the beach between stilt houses. The Gulf is angry and we will not be messin' with it for a few more days. Gary went home and Free Bird picked us up in their marina golfcart to go watch football at Boss Oyster Bar. After the game, we went back to their boat and played Catch Phrase. A great diversion on a rainy night. Plan on spending another rainy day here. Hoping by mid-week, we can get to an anchorage past Carrabelle. We will play Weather  Wait and See this week. 

Day 190 Gary Does Apalachicola

The morning started with a little cleanin' and putzin' then Gary arrived by car from Atlanta and Sara and John arrived by Free Bird around lunchtime. We had a little reunion on the boat then went to Up the Creek for lunch. Quaint little waterfront cafe that has a spectacular view and good food. A winning combo!  (Pic 1 & 2) We had steamed in butter oysters this time. Gary had a delicious seafood chowder with a delectable, delicate broth. All sooo good. Then the guys attempted to go to the Maritime Museum and Sara and I wandered the shops. At this point the rain started moving in a little more aggressively. The museum was closed so they ended up talking to a guy building a wooden dingy in the carpenter shop at the museum, then found a great tavern. The weather could not deter Sara and I from shopping. There are so many great local establishments here mingled in with random old Florida stuff like the abandoned boat in pic 3. We ended the afternoon together at Wefring Bar listening to music and watching FSU squeak by Boston College. We parted ways to eat then met back at the Dixie Theater to see Hallelujah Girls. It was definitely local talent, but they did a nice job with some good one liners. Tomorrow we'll do a little car sight-seeing with our good buddy.