Perseverance

We are still thoroughly enjoying our mountain cruising experience.  People have been wonderful in all locations of our travels, but the people on the Tennessee River have shown an overwhelming level of interest in our lifestyle and experiences.  People are so excited and intrigued by the site of our boat that they go out of their way to interact with us.  This part of the river is outside the normal Great Loop Route, so I believe it is unusual to see cruising boats here.  Of course, we love to share our story with anyone interested...so we have made a LOT of new friends on the Tennessee River.   

People here also go out of their way to offer us help.  Here are some examples, from the past week alone:

•  In Guntersville, AL, one of the guys at NAPA gave Keith a ride back to the boat so he wouldn’t have to carry the oil.
• A wonderful couple camping on Chickamauga Lake visited us by jet ski one night, and when asked if they knew where Keith could leave his kayak to walk to the Evinrude dealer, they insisted on driving him.
• Within an hour of visiting the bank in Guntersville, we received an email from the husband of one of the tellers, asking if we needed a ride for supplies (Fred and his wife are also planning to cruise when they retire).
• Finally, two nights ago we anchored in a small slough at Roberson Beach, off Wheeler Lake.  A boat that was leaving a dock made a bee line straight for us.  We received a warm welcome from the captain, J.J., and crew.  J.J. started the conversation with, “I have 50 amp service on my dock if you want to plug in, I have two jet skis, and you’re welcome to use my truck...anything you need, just let me know!”  

WOW!  The people are amazing!

Why is Keith running circles around the boat???   BECAUSE HE CAN!!!😁👍

For those of you following our outboard saga...here’s how the story ends.  After picking up the new megaphone from the Evinrude dealer, we found a quiet anchorage to disassemble the outboard...again!  At first sight, we were both extremely disappointed.  Research led us to believe that our megaphone  (the large black piece that Keith is unscrewing) might have been made of plastic, and if overheating caused it to melt that could be the cause of our water flow problems.  However, our megaphone was metal...ugh...we were hoping to see the culprit immediately.

BUT...once we got it off, we could see the problem.  The channel (highlighted with red) is where the water travels from the engine output to be mixed with exhaust.  This channel has (or should have) two small holes (green) which allow the water to flow to the exhaust.  One hole was 80% blocked with the crud in Keith’ hand, and the other was 100% blocked with what looked like a piece of wood, or small seed.  Finally...after 14+ weeks our outboard is running properly!  This was a true lesson in patience and perseverance.  I treated Keith to dinner in celebration of his success, and offered to triple his salary as my personal mechanic 😉. He said, “the offer sounds good, but when you crunch the numbers on paper it really isn’t very impressive”

The lakes along the Tennessee River have the most amazing parks we’ve ever seen!  There are numerous parks, campgrounds, and boat launches to ensure everyone has access to the water, and the residents of Alabama and Tennessee seem to take full advantage of the opportunities to enjoy this environment.

We have seen thousands of barges since entering this river system, but none like this one.  We took this picture in Huntsville, AL so Keith is speculating that this is built to transport rockets.  Huntsville is home to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, and Boeing’s Space and Launch division.

I will admit that bugs are getting on my last nerve.  We have gone through some mosquito areas, no-see-em spots, and several swarms of unknown winged creatures.  It is disappointing to sit on the bow with a glass of wine, finally enjoying the cool breeze of sunset, only to be attacked by the swarm.  I will confess to swatting first and investigating later.  However, on this particular afternoon, I was sitting in the cockpit reading when this damselfly ‘crash’ landed on my hand.  My first instinct was to swat, but luckily I took the time to investigate first.  I immediately noticed the insect in his/her mouth.  

I quickly called to Keith (because he is as weird as I am when it comes to enjoying nature in action).  “Come here, you have to see this...hurry!”

As soon as he realized what he was looking at he ran for the camera.  We watched in awe as this damselfly devoured this insect.  I originally thought he/she was eating a mosquito, but Google tells me that mosquitoes have 6 legs, and I only count 4...so I don’t know, but four unattached legs was all that was left on my hand when this damselfly flew away.  COOL!!!

We have also celebrated a milestone recently.  July 1 represented the end of our first year of cruising.  WOW...has it really been a year already?  When we reflect back on everything we’ve seen and done, it feels like 5 years worth of experiences.  However, the time has flown by, and we are happy to roll right into year #2.  We both agree that we have ZERO desire to return to a land based life, any time soon. 

‘

During our first year, we have traveled more than 6,300 miles, and visited 17 states and the Berry Islands, Bahamas.

Here’s a glimpse of the ‘4 corners’ of our first year.

July 2019 - Jewell Island, Maine (northernmost point was Bar Harbor)

February 2020 - Bush Key, Dry Tortugas Islands (southernmost point)

April 2020 - Hoffman’s Cay, Berry Islands Bahamas (outside of U.S.)

June 2020 - Chattanooga, Tennessee (highest elevation and western point)

We are currently heading for Kentucky Lake.  Lovin’ Lake Life!