I arrived back in Memphis late last night. Had an early morning flight to Chicago and then got stuck at O’Hare because of weather. It’s that time of year.
The boat is ready to go, fueled up and provisioned. Tomorrow morning I head south on the river. Next time I tie up will probably be Morgan City.
The conditions look somewhat challenging. There is a big winter storm coming with strong winds and plummeting temperatures this weekend. So my plan is to try to get as far south as possible over the next couple of days. Tomorrow looks nice, then rainy and very windy Friday, then bitter cold into next week. And the river is forecast to rise about ten feet. Guess I’ll be on the crest most of the way down.
This is a great stopping spot. The marina is quiet and well sheltered, and rates for my 5 week stay were reasonable. Add in easy transport links and it’s a winner. I’ll be back. The manager John was very friendly and accommodating.
Now it’s basically non-stop travel to Florida. I still haven’t checked distances, but I’m expecting it to take about a month.
The next decision will be where I exit the Mississippi. The choices are as follows:
A) Old River or Port Allen, then through Morgan City and Houma to New Orleans
B) stay on the river to New Orleans.
The river gets deep at Baton Rouge and the stretch below is filled with ocean going ships and barges with no good places to stop. Part of me wants to do that section. We’ll see.
I’ve also toyed with the idea of staying on the river to the Gulf. I may consider that if the weather is nice.
But that decision can be put off. For now I’m just going to enjoy the river for a few days.
Wish me luck!
Boating Adventures 