We left Ingalls Harbor in Decatur a little after the other two Looper boats that spent the night on the free dock with us. Wheeler Lake has been very different—and much more enjoyable—than our passage upriver, where we did a fair bit of rocking and rolling on this stretch of water. Light winds and daytime highs in the 70s made conditions ideal as we traveled 17 miles to Lucy’s Branch Marina in Athens, AL, a family-run operation, easily identified by the white barges used as breakwaters.
We were the only transient boaters, and did a little laundry and boat cleaning before enjoying dinner at Lucy’s Barge, a bar and grill located on—you guessed it—a barge. It was Saturday night and the place was full of locals watching the Alabama vs. LSU college football game. Coincidentally, I was wearing a red fleece (Alabama’s color), and Kathleen had on a yellow sweatshirt (LSU), so we fit right in with the friendly, but passionate crowd.
This morning we went 11 miles in picture-perfect weather to Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, AL, to attend the annual America’s Great Loop Cruiser’s Association Fall Rendevous. We’ll be here for five nights; there are already 34 Looper boats in the harbor with more expected tomorrow, and the lodge is full of Loop planners who traveled by car. After settling in, we took a walk around the park, and met some very tame deer.
This evening there was a kickoff happy hour in the marina, hosted by AGLCA Sponsors and Harbor Hosts. We enjoyed seeing some familiar faces from our travels, and meeting new Loopers, including a couple from Stillwater, MN.
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