Since we knew the weather would be nice, we decided to take our RV and we were not disappointed. We did not have to run the air at all and we got to see some nice fall foliage, nice break from the Florida heat!
Rendezvous' are put on by the Looper Association (AGLCA) twice a year. May in Norfolk, Virigina and October at Joe Wheeler. Mainly because many Loopers are in the area at those times of year. This is a great opportunity to those of us in the planning stages to meet others in progress and those that have already completed the Loop, called Gold Loopers.
There are several seminars a day, basically the do's and don'ts of cruising the Loop. From how to provision both food and medical supplies to learning about where to stay and things to do on different legs of the trip. Dinner and lunch are provided each day. Most everyone looks forward to the "Looper Crawl". Where anyone can go aboard boats that are owned by Loopers attending the Rendezvous. It's especially useful for planners who are unsure of what kind of boat they want. We even got to go on then "Reflection", owned by a Looper that wrote a book about their trip. They are on Loop #2.
To me, the best part of the weekend was meeting fellow Loopers. Our favorite couple was Mel and Ann from Mobile. They attracted our attention when we saw their Auburn shirts at lunch. Due to all the trees in the RV park, our satellite could not pick up anything. So I decided I needed to make friends with these two and maybe get an invitation to watch the Auburn/Kentucky game that night. So I found them later at their boat, yelled War Eagle and the deal was sealed. Mel is quite the storyteller. He got me hook, line and sinker three times!
But we had a great time, plus Auburn won the game! We exchanged info and are hoping they can stop by our home in St. Pete Beach, since we are just off the Intracoastal Waterway, before we leave in January. Otherwise, we are planning to meet up in the Bahamas sometime in February.
But we had a great time, plus Auburn won the game! We exchanged info and are hoping they can stop by our home in St. Pete Beach, since we are just off the Intracoastal Waterway, before we leave in January. Otherwise, we are planning to meet up in the Bahamas sometime in February.
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| Mel's boat, Morning Star II, if you look hard you can see the Auburn Shirts. |
Everyone tells us the best part of this adventure is "the people you meet that make it so worthwhile". This is a big reason why we are embarking on this journey. We exchanged info with several other couples as well. A few plan to stop by our St. Pete house and others we are making plans to meet up somewhere down the road on the Loop. Who knows where, but that is half the fun. No schedule...just take it day to day.
We had an added bonus while we were there. An old friend from college (no offense Carol), Carol Darden Gordon and her husband Mike, were on their inaugural trip on their new boat, just up the road in Florence, Alabama. We enjoyed a champagne toast on their new boat and a great Mexican dinner. They completed the Loop in 2006-07, so we picked their brain about their experience. Carol would do it again in a heartbeat, Mike not so much.
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| Carol and Mike's new boat, Evelyn J. |
