" When Pigs Fly"

We’ve been back on the river a few days now.  Left Ditto in Huntsville on September 20^th after a little sabbatical at home.  The Captain had returned with the rental car on the 9^th and I flew in to Huntsville on the 19^th.  It didn’t take us long to get on the river and we spent a lovely fall day cruising to Joe Wheeler State Park Marina.  Even though we’d only been out a day we decided to stay here for the weekend, celebrate Captain Frank’s birthday and sort of get “boat life" going again.  It’s been a relaxing couple of days with sunny skies, a few little projects and walks on the local trails. 

Trail at Wheeler State Park

As we were sitting on the back deck this afternoon we were reflecting about some of the decisions made in preparation for the whole trip. There were a couple of purchases that stand out as incredibly helpful and I thought I might mention them here.

Our handy Y hook up

Probably most important was the purchase of the “twin 125amp to a singal 50amp Y connector”.  This apparatus allows us to hook both of our power cords to a single 50 amp plug.  Just before we left Buzzard Rock Marina in Kentucky Frank decided we needed this device. At the time he explained he thought we might never use it but felt it could come in handy occasionally.  In fact, we’ve used it every time we’ve been docked.  It seems our two cord power system is antiquated and marinas have generally gone to a system that allows for only one connector.  We have blessed that little gadget every time we’ve hooked up!

Another great appliance has been our washer/dryer unit.  We had to give up precious closet space to have this installed but it’s been well worth it.  Although many marinas have laundry facilities it’s been wonderful not to have to haul our laundry out of the boat, worry about change and wonder about timing.  Nice to have clean sheets and towels when we want them!

Last item I’ll mention is the Little Giant Ladder we use to get on and off the boat.  We had considered several plans for steps that would be easy to use on transient docks. We discussed trying to take the more permanent steps used when we had a permanent slip, but they didn’t fold up so they would be difficult to transport and get on and off the dock. Again, shortly before leaving Buzzard Rock we noticed the Little Giant being employed by another boat.  We checked it out.  It was sturdy, collapsible, and exactly what we had been looking for.  It has served us well at each and every dock.

These are just a few examples of the planning and thought the Captain has put in to this journey.  Lucky for me, he’s always thinking and always has one more idea he wants to check out. 

We head out again tomorrow and we’re both anxious for some time on the water.  We’re looking forward to new experiences as we get to the Ten-Tom Waterway and head south. 

See you on the water