We weighed anchor at 7:30 this morning.  It was 47 degrees, sunny, cold and windy.  Ralph steered from the inside steering station as we traveled on the Lower Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway.  We're now in salt water and subject to tides and tidal flooding.  

I baked strawberry muffins this morning and spread them with butter and homemade peach jelly we bought at a farmers' market in St. Charles, Missouri a few months ago.  They were delicious on such a chilly morning.  I haven't baked much since we were in Canada. 

We passed several tugs and tows today going in both directions and saw a swimming raccoon and a dog all by himself running on the beach.  I hope both the dog and the raccoon are safe because there are alligators aplenty here in Alabama.  

We traveled 52 miles today and arrived at Briar Creek anchorage in Creola, AL at 2:00 PM.  It was sunny and warm with wind gusts to 16 kts.  The landscape is changing. There are low palms, tall pine trees with Spanish moss and little "bayous" tucked in along the sandy shoreline.

We touched base with the kids and Ralph's folks.  April and her family and Ralph's folks are all in NJ and Betsy and her family are in PA.  All are preparing for Hurricane Sandy's approach.  We're happy we sold our house earlier this year and are not absentee property owners in The Garden State. 

Today's photos:

Today's route

We saw this little dog running along the beach alone this morning.

This is a raccoon swimming by us

We passed the downbound Pascagoula pushing coal barges this afternoon

This twin span in the Dolly Parton Bridge

The scenery is changing to palms and sandy shores

Anchoring this afternoon

Strawberry muffins with fresh  peach jelly

Using the hair dryer to dry the condensation on the windshield -- inside steering station