Our last week as river rats?

We have spent nearly 3 months on the river system from Chicago to Mobile.  Too long?  Long enough is my answer!  This homemade sailing vessel (CharlieBrown) made of bamboo, plastic bottles and tarps was heading downbound, and barely moving, wonder where he was trying to get too.  Wherever it was it surely was slow going. 

Later in the same day we came across this raft named SlantyShanty, we have seen a few posts and pics of it on other blogs, on board is a young couple in their early 20's they are heading to New Orleans.  As we were passing by they had a VHF radio and asked if we had seen anyother rafts or homemade crafts up river, we mentioned the sailboat at mile marker 145 and they said they were trying to keep tabs on him.  They had last seen him at about the same mm a week ago.  This raft in the last week was averaging about 15 miles a day and was now about 100 miles from the sailboat.  An interesting journey for sure. They are called river rats by the tows, and not an uncommon site.  

Here is a look at our chartplotter as we meander down the Tenn-Tom.

This last week on the river is without marinas for over 200 miles so we have been on the hook for the past week rafting with others we are traveling with.  Here is Barb and Ken from Dallas TX on LoopDreams and Lynda and Bob from Mystic CT. on ErikaLin at one of our anchorages along the way.

Another night we rafted with our friends Linda and Jeff on Jeremiah along with 4 other boats, once all tied together it time for the pups to get to land.

That evening as always, its cocktail hours, we had a 5 boat raft on this night.  Lifestyles, CatNAround, Jeremiah, SweetPea and NautiNell. 

This is our first site of civilization, Mobile AL we have been without phone or internet for most of the week.

We traveled down the shipping canal in Mobile this is just about all we saw.

More of the same.

Ahhh, finally Mobile Bay, from here we cross the bay to our destination for the next week and where we will spend Thanksgiving with 34 other loopers in Fairhope Alabama. 

across the bay we go, it couldn't of been any smoother.

Land Ho!  Eastern Shores Marina in Fairhope.

We are very happy to be off the rivers and back in salt water.  We Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!