Kim’s Korner:
It was nice to be back on the water and see our Great Loop burgee flying again. The dolphins didn’t take long to join us – I really missed those guys!
We went through our first lock since the Tombigbee waterway. Instead of tying to a floating bollard, there were ropes hanging every 10 feet or so and you just grabbed one at the bow and one near the stern. The lock master would close the lock behind you and then open the lock in front of you just wide enough for water to enter or exit – this is called a gravity lock. Once the Franklin lock lifted us about 2.5 feet, the lock master opened up the doors the whole way. We threw the ropes back over the railing and were on our way.
The Franklin Campground was immediately to our port after going through the lock. The trip took about 2 ½ hours due to all the slow speeds during manatee season. Once we got Overtime settled, we got on our bikes and rode over to Caloosahatchee Regional Park. The park has trails for horses, walkers and trail bikes. Well, we have hybrid bikes but are not really into trail biking and these trails just reinforced why. And maybe I should clarify – “I” am not into trail biking – David would do just fine if I wasn’t in front of him. Staying on an 8” wide path with a ravine off to one side worrying about snakes and alligators and then hitting a root just wasn’t my idea of fun. But I’m glad we did it – go figure. I scared a raccoon or maybe I should say – a raccoon scared me. A tortoise was crossing a field so I stopped to take a picture – whoever said that tortoises are slow is just wrong – this guy was right next to me in no time – he was definitely on a mission. We only saw one human in the whole place.
Are most of the docks first come first served or do you have to call ahead and reserve them?
ReplyDeleteMost of the slips can be reserved which we try to do but because weather can change so fast, most times we don't call till the day before or day of. Most do not have cancellation fees although some do - like the one in the Keys. Most of the mooring balls are first come, first serve as well as free docks. A free dock is a long dock or a few slips that some cities offer for overnight usage with no fee. Sorry - a simple question turned into a long answer.
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