Hello Virginia!!

Yesterday, we left Elizabeth City, and traveled toward the Dismal Swamp Canal. We locked through, and traveled up the canal to the North Carolina Visitor's Center, where we stopped for the night. It's a visitor's center for the highway, that also has a free pier for boaters. They offer water, 24 hour restrooms, and a daily grocery store shuttle.

Well, when we got here and tied up, Scott went to fill our water tanks....no water. It had been turned off for the winter, and wasn't on yet. Scott went to the visitor's center to ask about it. He was told that they'd made several calls to the Dept. of Transportation about turning the water back on, with no luck so far. As far as the grocery run(Scott wanted to get ice), it is only offered when 10 or more boats are at the pier. Luckily, we are in the south, and the people are helpful. The woman at the visitor's center offered to go to the nearby store, once she closed at 5pm, and get us some ice. She called the next lock, to see if the water was on at that pier, but no luck. So she then showed Scott where a nearby spigot was, so he could get water(we won't be at a marina to fill our tanks for 4 days, so we need water).

Scott used our supplemental water jugs(we have 10 of them, holding 6 gallons each)to fill our tank. He then took the jugs, two at a time, and walked the 1/8th of a mile to the spigot, which was almost five feet off of the ground. After holding each jug up to be filled, he then toted them back to the boat. Then, he hosed the boat off, as it was starting to become stained yellow, from all of the pollen we've been traveling through. We first saw it in Savannah, Ga., and have been following it north ever since. So, Scott then filled our tank back up, to replenish what he'd used to wash the boat off with. After that, it was back to the spigot, to top off the jugs that he'd just used to fill the tank a second time. He definitely got his workout for the day!

Since we are in a canal, and the water is contained by the locks, it is as calm in here as if we were anchored in a swimming pool. SUCH a nice change for us!! NO wind, NO wakes, NO water sounds, NO tides, and NO currents! Once again, we are alone here, as we are ahead of the normal cruisers' migration north, so NO other boats either!

When we leave today, we head right across the Virginia line...we're getting there! We took a few pictures today, as we came through the South Mills Lock.