Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Final destination Aurora, NC Sharp's residents

A beautiful sunset to end a great trip.

Dolphin escort into Mike's cove what a special treat for us!

Ross showing Pat which way we need to go and Pat looking at the charts.
















Here is Reed ready with the lines as we enter Mike's dock with Cool's Change final destination for a couple of months.







Mike's friend Phil helping us with the dock lines as we enter Mike's dock here in NC.






This is Mike's neighbor Phil who helped us dock Cool Change and his wife. with Ross.








Mike and Lindas house along with their neighbor Phil who helped us dock Cool Change.






Here is Mike and Linda Sharp's cute house here in NC, They have let us use their dock to make Cool Change her new home for a month or two during hurricane season.

Cool Change, final destination, Aurora, NC. It is at Ross's friend Mike Sharps place.








Monday, July 26, 2010

Dismal Swamp Journey

Veronica, Shane and Melissa on Guiding Light.

Here is the outer banks of the Dismal Swamp.


Cool Change and her friends Guiding Light and Southern Cross.


Lagoon tie up in the Dismal Swamp. We ran into two other sailing Lagoons going up north.



Reed, Pat, Shelley and Ross on the Dismal Swamp trail.




Ross and I on Cool Change, Pat took this picture on the dingy.
Ross and I cleaning the hull of Cool Change after going through the Dismal Swamp.






Scenic moments of our trip.

Here is a sailboat we passed on our way through the Alligater River, NC
Here are some homes on the bank of the Intercoastal Water Way.













Ross,Reed and Eva up on the upper helm.

















More dolphins riding the bow. There were quite a few escorting us out to sea.




Dolphin encounter leaving Elizabeth City, NC.









Ross and Reed going on a dingy ride in Elizabeth City, NC.





Ross using my vacuum cleaner as a scuba tank to clean the barnacles off the propellers.









Pat and Shelley in Elizabeth City, NC







Shelley and on the deck of Cool Change going down the Dismal Swamp.








Friday, July 23, 2010

Pictures from the Dismal Swamp and State Park

Shelley and I with our opossum friend.
The Dismal Swamp State Park Museum

Here is the snake exhibit both poision and nonpoision.















Here I am with my two buddies in the museum of the Dismal Swamp.


















Here is Reed with his two buddies.













The animals in the museum. It tells the history of the city of Elizabeth City, NC







The Dismal Swamp with a bird nest osprey nest.



















Aview from the crossing to Elizabeth City through the Dismal Swamp




















Here we are rafted up with Guiding Light and Southern Cross two other sailing Lagoons.

Dismal Swamp National Park

Ross, Shelley, Pat and Reed headed toward the Visitors center and trails of the Dismal Swamp.




Here are the boats all hooked up at Dismal Swamp Park

Ross waiting for the bridge to close so we can cross over to the trail.







The bridge is on its way to closing. Pretty neat how it work.s





The bridge is now closed so we can walk to the park.











The view of "Cool Change" on the left as we cross over the bridge to the Dismal Swamp trails.














Ross here on the Dismal Swamp National Park Boardwalk.
















Reed, Pat, Shelley, and Ross on the Dismal Swamp National Park boardwalk trail












Pat, Ross and Reed on "Cool Change" we are hooked up with "Guiding Light" The Dismal Swamp visiting center boat dock was full because of the fallen tree.





Saying good bye to our boating neighbors Vernonica, Shane, and Melissa, Veronica is from Slovakia and she speaks Hungarian, so we shared a few words, Shane is living on his boat and Melissa is from Florida. They met on the internet and got together, Vernonica wanted to learn to sail. The Guiding Light is a sailing cat.











Leaving the Dismal Swamp with Rebecca Balwin close behind. The Guiding Light and Southern Cross Cats are staying a little longer.










Reed as we leave the Dismal Swamp National Park.












The Great Bridge







This is the 65 foot bridge we had to go under as we were leaving the Dismal Swamp towards Elizabeth City, NC