MOBILE

We, unfortunately haven't seen much of Mobile. We've been on the boat for only 10 of 24 days.  The marina has a courtesy car which they loan out in two hour increments but it is only available for the 8 hours a day the office is open.  That means four boaters can use the car in a day. Multiply that by the 4 to 8 transient boats that have been in here daily and you get.....a wait to use the car.  We booked it the day we came in for our trips to the airport to pick up the rental to drive to Florida each trip took the entire two hours.  We've been to Wal Mart twice, not that we love Wal Mart but it is the easiest one stop shopping for cruisers when you have limited time to shop.  We were able to procure the car for 3 hours the 2nd day we were here because we were the only transients and we drove to the USS Alabama Memorial Park.  I was able to get some pictures while I waited....

B52 'Calamity Jane' that flew over 100 missions in Vietnam

Blackbird Spy Plane

USS Drum

"Huey" from Vietnam War

This memorial was to the war dogs handled by Alabamians

The MIA bracelet from Vietnam

Vietnam Memorial

Korean War Memorial

 Unfortunately this place would have taken a day to see everything so he missed out on the Airplane Pavilion, the Submarine tour and had to make a mad dash through the ship.  I only got to see the park and take pictures because I didn't tour the ship. Maybe we'll return one day to do it right.

Coming into Mobile from the north on the Mobile River was very interesting. Our son, Kent, had interviewed for a job in Mobile a few years ago and we knew they did commercial ship building here but there is a LOT of action going on in this narrow river which spills into Mobile Bay.

A tug in 'drydock'

                                                       The NEW Navy "starwars" ships

                                     

Mobile Convention Center

Ship Hulls

Mobile is  one of the busiest commercial ports on the Gulf of Mexico

USS Shadwell, retired Navy Research Ship

And my very favorite....back to salt water and the Seagulls, those of you who have been following us for a while know I am afraid of birds...silly I know but none the less true, so why am I so drawn to taking pictures of them...crazy I know.

Back to actually seeing the Coast Guard not just hearing them from stations hundreds of miles away as on the river system.

So today begins the journey across the Panhandle of Florida.  We won't get to see much as we are looking at a possible weather window to cross the Gulf next weekend.  It takes five days to get from Mobile to Carabelle and we would like to get there by Saturday at the latest. It seems like the weather is pretty unsettled everywhere and we are hoping not to get stuck in the Panhandle for the winter!!

Docktails...Mobile....I think there are eight Looper boats here at Turners, two of which we started with in New York.  Some are leaving their boats here to go home for the holidays, some are having work done, and a few of us are continuing on.  It's an ever evolving and revolving group of people who have a common love....boating and adventure!