End of our Journey!!!

 We left Franklin Lock Dock at 7:40 on Sunday morning, Nov. 18th, for the last leg of our journey! Four locks left…and how different they are from the river locks! First of all, they are much smaller since the maximum lift on the Okeechobee Waterway is 14-15 feet. 

There are no "floating bollards". You grab lines, usually scuzzy ones, that hang down the lock wall. Also, they don't use valves to change the water level in the chamber.The lock gates are just opened about a foot, and the water runs out! What a difference in the colour of the water…since yesterday's pictures of the Gulf of Mexico! 

The landscape along the rivers and canals is very rural. 

 Construction of some sort made for a narrow passage just before Clewiston.

We usually see alligators, but the high water may have them resting elsewhere.

To cross Lake Okeechobee we headed into 15 mph winds and waves. 

IN the channel approaching Port Myaka Lock were white stakes and floats...We asked the lockmaster about them, and his advice was, "Keep comin'!"

 This railroad bridge definitely limits the size of work barges!

We got to say "one whistle" one last time!

At 4:45 pm we turned off the South Fork of the St. Lucie River to our final destination…Stuart Yachts, the end of our amazing adventure. 

Since Hurricane Sandy, the high tides almost reach the top of the docks!

Arriving there, emptying and cleaning the boat, and putting her up for sale has been quite overwhelming, both physically and emotionally. But what a way to end…after our 6,000+ mile journey up the east coast of the United States, through the Trent-Severn Waterway and Georgian Bay, to our home dock in Tobermory, on to Lake Michigan, the rivers through America's heartland to Mobile, AL, and finally, back to Florida. 

We have cruised for the past seven years, putting 1800 hours on Snow Cat. We will always treasure the experiences we have had in the Bahamas, the US, and Canada, and the wonderful people we have met along the way. So… it is with a heavy heart that we end our blog….on this Thanksgiving Day, as we spend time with our son, Jeff, and his family in Sarasota. We are thankful that you came along with us…sharing our day-to-day wanderings along this "Great Loop" that connects, not only our countries, but our spirits as well!

Safe travels to you all, and God bless you!