Home in Ely

We left our anchorage at Briar Creek and wandered down the last 20 miles or so to Mobile and then Dog River Marina on the west side of Mobile Bay. There had beena cold front with north winds for the past 3 days and the wind blew the water out of Mobile Bay. It is shallow on good days, but when we got to the marina, we couldn't get into the slip, not enough water so they put us on a face dock for 2 days until the water came up and then moved to a more permnent location where the boat will sit until the end of January. Dog River Marina is  boat yard as well with lots of maintenance stuff going on. Huge buildings for housing boats while they are worked on. We arrived on Saturday and then did chores and got the boat ready to leave. We got an Uber and flew home on Wednesday morning early, flights went well and got to Duluth around 5:30 with Barry picking us up. We'll return the end of January after skiing, hockey and getting our grandkid titer up.

Resting at Dog River for a couple of months

View down the fairway at Dog River

Add captionMobile is a huge port. Lots of shipping

Mobile skyline at the harbor

Last campsite for a while at Briar Creek

Lower Alabama

We pulled over in Demopolis for a couple of nights, took their courtesy car and replenished the larder and bar and did some recon for the rest of the river trip south. Demopolis has a great briefing for the lower river that we attended, then left the following morning with 2 other boats, one of them a Krogen 58 that was at the rendezvoux in the Chesapeake with us last fall a year ago. They kept their boat in Demopolis through hurricane season and knew the riveer well. We left Demopolis in the dark nd locked through the Demopolis Lock just as it was getting light. Our timing was good, no delays and we put on a long day to get to Bobby's Fish Camp to tie up for the night. This is really the only place to stop on the river in this section. There aren't many creeks deep enough to pull up into and you have to get off the river to avoid the tows and barges. Bobby's is a cross between the Winton Liquor Store and dueling banjoes. We left the following morning again at dawn to get through the Coffeeville lock, the last one. Glad to have the locks done. When we left, it was pouring, 74 degrees and a dewpoint of 73. The cold front  came through within an hour, the temp dropped 25 degrees and we travelled in the mist the rest of the day. Came down river 45 miles or so and camped at a place called the Alabama River cut off. It was narrow, but plenty deep and well off the river, and were all alone which is the best. When we got up in the morning, there was ice on the anchor bowsprit and the temp was 34 at the closest reporting station. Yesterday proceeded on a short day to Big Briar Creek anchorage, again a mile or so off the river and it is really beautiful here. Quiet except for the occasional bass boat that flies by at 70 mph. Another trawler pulled in late afternoon. We spent the fternoon beginning to clean the boat up to leave nest week. The locks have taken a toll on the fenders and when they are mudded up, they get the boat dirty as well. Today we have a short 25-30 mile run to the Dog River Marina where we will leave the boat and fly hom on Wednesday.

Mist on the river in the early morning

Water over the Demopolis dam

Cliffs along the river

Coal being unloaded a a big power plant

Big Briar Creek last night

and this morning.