Third night straight on the hook...

I could not post yesterday because we were in an area where there was no WiFi or even cell reception. We tend to be anchoring out away from civilization. 

Yesterday we left Virginia and are now in North Carolina. After leaving Buck Island we exited The North River and entered Albemarle Sound, which is a big body of water that is fairly shallow. This area of water is west of the Outer Banks. Following the channel was easy, but it took a couple of hours to get across the Sound. The water was calm and winds were light. We then entered the Alligator River and last night anchored off of Bear Point, in a protected area at the south end of the river. This morning at 7:00 a.m. we raised the anchor and cruised out of the Alligator River and into the Alligator River- Pungo River canal. A lot of the area around the canal is swamp and marsh, and sections of it reminded me of the Erie Canal.  After leaving the canal we were in the Pungo River where we stopped at Dowry Creek Marina for fuel and a pump out. The marina was nice and their off season price of 1.00 per foot to spend the night was tempting. Shirl and I opted to use the afternoon to continue south.  We are anchored tonight in Goose Creek, just off the ICW. The weather was fantastic today with a high of 68 degrees. We are supposed to have another great day tomorrow. We plan to head south at daylight. 

The last time I got fuel was in Hampton, Virginia. Today 20.5 gallons filled the tank. We also use the fuel for our diesel heater. I am not sure how much diesel the heater uses but on a cold night I do not care. Although we motor sailed a little today, since we started in the ICW we have mostly motored. It feels good to be making progress south, and the great weather is definitely a plus.

Shirl and I were talking about what we miss most today. While some things are obvious others are not. We will work on a post to list these in the next few days. Here are some pictures from the last two days…don’t you just love digital photography. I can still remember my dad on family vacation with a 35mm camera, a strobe flash attached on the hot seat, and a light meter around his neck. A roll of film with twenty exposures and only ten good pictures…but you still paid for twenty, which made my mom very unhappy. Come to think of it, things were pretty much the same when my kids were young…except for auto focus. The good old days! 

 Alligator River Swing Bridge. This is a really cool bridge to pass through.

 Sunset on our anchorage. There were four other boats anchored in the same area.

 Sunrise this morning...ready to travel!. You might not believe this but we went to bed at 9:00 last night. It sure makes it easier to get up early.

 Sunrise with dew dripping...Shirl is trying to get some creative shots.

 We know we are headed south...we saw our first palm tree today!

 Our window on the world view...The Alligator River - Pungo River Canal.

 Still seeing fall colors

 Shirl's Sunday bridge picture.

 Bottle Tree at Dowry Creek Marina.

We got the Genny out today...see the Lee's Ford Flag? Still flying after a hurricane and a nor'easter.