Florence, Alabama

The morning started with a thunderstorm. We stayed put in the marina and watched a good lightning show with heavy rain, wind, and thunder. The storm moved out quickly and then we were on our way. We saw some pretty cool cloud formations. 

We started the day in Tennessee, spent a short time in Mississippi, and ended up in Alabama. We're taking this side trip east on the Tennessee River to go to America's Great Loop Cruiser's Association Fall Rendezvous in Joe Wheeler State Park. We plan to get there early and will rent a car to go sightseeing. We want to see Memphis, Nashville, tour the Jack Daniel's Distillery (Jack Daniel's is our new favorite drink) and any other places that interest us along the way.

We stopped at the Florence Harbor Marina. In 1818 this area was surveyed by Italian surveyor Ferdinand Sannoner, who named the town after the capital of Tuscany in Italy.

Tomorrow we'll go through 2 locks and then get our slip at Joe Wheeler. We'll keep the boat there until after the rendezvous. We'll continue our journey on October 17.

Cloud formations after the storm

The view over Pickwick Lake. It was the roughest water we've seen since Lake Michigan 

Houses so high up on the hills that they have a tram to bring them down to the water

Fancy house on stilts

It has a matching guest house down below

Houses high up on stone cliffs

There was a mega yacht from Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the marina. We heard that when the water was lowered on the lake he got stuck in the mud & couldn't move. They released water from the dam to get him floating again & he moved out of the marina.

Florence Harbor Marina