January 29, 2024 - Stuart, Florida

January 29, 2024 - Monday

We woke up to a windy, cold day.  We had coffee and pancakes, then walked to the grocery store to pick up a few items.

We got back from the grocery store and sat on the back deck and read.  Kip took the dinghy up to the marina to pick up a light he ordered, and then eventually set up the grill.  We had brats, corn and Ceasar salad.   Kip turned the heater on while I did dishes.  We talked to my dad, who teased me about the temperature in Minnesota being the same as in Florida, and laughed at the hat I was wearing!  😆  Mary also called, and we chatted with her.  We played a few rounds of dominoes and then just hung out until bed.  Pretty quiet day.

January 28, 2024 - Stuart, Florida

 Sunday, January 28, 2024

We woke up to a windy, rainy day.  We stayed in the boat playing Spades, reading, and napping.

Around 3:15 p.m. we took the dinghy to the dinghy dock and showered.  We walked to town and met Doug and Gwen for dinner.

After dinner Kip and I stopped at Kelwin's for ice cream.  Tonight is outdoor movie and pizza night at the marina, so we grabbed a chair and started watching "The Boys in the Boat."  It was a good movie, but the wind was picking up and the temperature was going down fast.  We stayed as long as we were comfortable (the temperature was supposed to be around 50 degrees) and decided to finish watching the movie another day.

It is supposed to be cooler again tomorrow, so we will see how far we stray!  We do have to pick up Diet Coke (Kip only has 2 cans left), so I'm sure we will at least walk to the grocery store.  

January 27, 2024 - Belle Glade, Florida to Stuart, Florida

Saturday, January 27, 2024

We left Bella Glade at around 7:00 a.m.  There is a one-lane lift bridge that we will have to go through.  Before we left, the bridge operator (who also works at the bait and tackle store) stopped by and said we should fit under the bridge without a lift.  

                                    We are unsure what this structure is, but it is not being used.

We cruised along the outer edge of the Okeechobee Lake again, only running into waves when the lake was in view or when boats didn't slow down when passing us.  

View of the canal outside of the lake above; view of the lake below.

Kip was able to catch pictures of an alligator!

An old, unused railroad bridge.

These are structures that boats can tie up to called dolphins (see boat above).

We went through two locks today:  Port Mayaca Lock and Dam (5') and the St. Lucie Lock and Dam (13').

We were able to score a mooring ball for the week in Stuart, and we felt pretty accomplished when we connected the boat to the mooring without any issues.  Much better than last year! 

Rick and Deanna Shefveland are traveling from Jensen Beach to Stuart to have dinner with us.  We walked the boardwalk, had a nice dinner, shared stories of our adventures, laughed, and did some quick shopping at the Hippie Store.

It is great to be back in Stuart - my favorite spot in Florida.  We will stay here for a week and hang out with Kip's mom, Gwen, and Doug.  Then we will make our way to the Florida Keys.

Nebo Map:

January 26, 2024 - Moore Haven, Florida to Belle Glade, Florida

Friday - Moore Haven, Florida to Bella Glade, Florida

We left Moore Haven around 7:15 a.m. and plan on skirting around Lake Okeechobee instead of going straight across it.  It was a quiet day with a slight breeze.  We tried our best to see the alligators however only saw one!

We went through the Moore Haven lock, which raised us up about 5'.  There was a large trawler in the lock with us with 4 people aboard.  The woman in the back holding the line was yelling at the captain stating, "You're hitting the F***ing wall?"  Yikes.

We are in a riverway with walls on both sides (top picture), and if you look at the pictures below you can see the wide-open lake that we didn't want to go through.

We found the free city dock and pulled in.  Apparently, the birds like it there because you could not step anywhere without walking in bird droppings.  We left our shoes on the dock when we boarded the boat.

We read for a few hours, napped, played two-person Spades (thanks Mike!) and took a couple of walks.  There are hundreds of RVs here and the sites are beautiful.  

We decided to have ham sandwiches and chips for supper (instead of hamburgers from the grill) because the mosquitoes were everywhere.  

Nebo Information:

January 24 and 25 - LaBelle, Florida to Moore Haven, Florida

 Wednesday, January 24

We are at the public dock in LaBelle, Florida for a couple of nights.  We have stayed here before and really like the town.

Kip and I walked to town to get ice and a few other items, and then arranged the boat again - it was really out of control with things scattered all over the place!  We also chatted with some fishermen/women about their catch and another Looper who happened to walk by.

At around 5:00 p.m., Jeff and Laura arrived from Fort Meyers to go to dinner with us at the Forrey Grill.  We love the hot garlic buns!!  After dinner we stopped at the ice cream shop and laughed our heads off, which is pretty much a tradition with us.

We tucked into bed around 10 p.m.  There are usually a few stragglers with music on passing through the park, but they left fairly quickly, and it was quiet (except for the traffic on the bridge right by us). 

 Wednesday, January 25

After making a pot of coffee, we left LaBelle around 7:00 a.m. for the public dock in Moore Haven.  

We went through one lock and dam (Ortona Lock and Dam) which raised us up about 5'.  This Lock closes the back door and opens the front door to let the water in, so there is quite a bit of turbulence to deal with.  We also had 3 manatees in the Lock with us.  They popped up every so often and took off once the Lock door opened.

We Docked at the Moore Haven city dock ($1.00 per foot) for the night.  We have power, showers, and bathrooms!!  Kip washed and cleaned the outside of the boat and checked the engine, etc., and I cleaned the floors inside of the boat.  

We had leftovers from Forrey Grill for supper (Lasagna and Buffalo Chicken Tenders) and played a game of dominoes.  Tomorrow we will boat the outside route on Lake Okeechobee, heading toward Slim's Fish Camp.

Travel Log:  (I forgot to start it when we left, but it is only about 15 minutes off)!