Hello,

We had a nice cruise whilst passing some very nice homes overlooking the Tennessee River. The weather was perfect and the boat performed great.

As we passed Grandharbor Marina, several other "Looper" boats joined our procession up the Tennessee until we approached the Florence Harbor Marina.

The marina in Florence isn't a very large marina and although the entrance is well marked, it is pretty narrow coming into the harbor. We contacted the harbormaster and they gave us directions to our temporary home for the next several days.

Kris, coffee and email!!

Like any small neighborhood, the residents are what truly make any place a "home". Marina life is no different. Once tied up for the weekend, some of the local residents dropped by to welcome us to the "neighborhood". One neighbor was from Fairbanks, Alaska and had purchased a home near Florence, Alabama after he and his wife had completed the Loop. They still maintain a residence and business in Alaska but spend most of their time in the "lower 48". He is a 5th generation Alaskan and can trace
his roots back to the gold rush days.

There was one particular boat near us that was interesting and would catch the eye of any boating enthusiast. The boat is a late 1950's Berger 58 and was meticulously restored by the country western singer, Alan Jackson.The name "Lady J" was aptly given to a very pretty boat.

Lady J

On Friday, Kris and I rented a car to drive up to Nashville. We had purchased tickets to the "Bolder and Fresher" tour and were excited to see Bill O'Reilly and Dennis Miller at the Ryman Auditorium (home of the "Grand Ole Opry"). The show was great and certainly didn't disappoint.  When it ended promptly at 10pm, we managed to get our car from valet parking and were on the road at 10:05pm. Wow!!

The rest of the weekend we spent exploring our new area on our bikes. Currently our plan is to leave some time Sunday morning to make the short 22 mile trip to Joe Wheeler State Park. There are two locks to transit, so you never know how long that will take.

Thanks for checking in on us.

All the best,

Rusty