Day 236: Sunday, April 28 , 2013

Port to Port: Elizabeth City to the Dismal Swamp Visitors Center Dock

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 23      Stayed At: Free Dock

First Things First: First pontoon bridge across the waterway.

Mile 51 to Mile 28: …not us, just the waterways we passed through today. After passing through a basqual draw bridge just minutes from the Wharf, we gradually wound our way north through a narrow (or so we thought) curvy tree lined river 18 miles north to the Dismal Swamp Canal. The waterway gradually got skinnier and skinnier to where we thought the trees overhanging the banks might touch the sidestays. The scenery was beautiful and we had it all to ourselves. Turtles were resting on every branch and log lying along the banks and geese and ducks were nesting on top of the numerous beaver mounds. Spring is in the air. Then we turned into the Dismal Swamp Canal and the path straightened out and got so skinny that the sides seemed to come to a point of light off in the distance. We just followed a narrow band of reflected sunshine down the middle of the channel. It would be a challenge to pass an oncoming boat by now. But it was calm, quiet and surreal. We finally saw a boat come up behind us and, surprise, surprise, it was our friends on Slow Churn.

We made our way to the Dismal Swamp Visitors Center where boaters can tie off to the pier (thank you North Carolina) and we tucked in behind Seaquel and Slow Churn (we let them pass us again). The pontoon bridge opened as we got close and we were soon docked and ready to explore. We chatted with everyone for a while and then Cindy and I walked across the pontoon bridge to go to the museum on the other side of the ditch. The Dismal Swamp area has a fascinating history – even George Washington owned land in the area. The ditch was used to move logs and shingles out of the swamps in the late 1800’s and is now a recreational canal – mostly for snowbirds and Loopers heading north and south.

We finished the day with a pot luck dinner on Slow Churn – we brought the rice cooker and made rice and beef tips and Dorothy made a wonderful orange chicken dish in her crockpot. We told stories and laughed until after nine -it is especially fun to travel with people you have gotten to know pretty well and enjoy spending time with.

There are only a few miles left of North Carolina before we enter Virginia. We are 28 miles from Portsmouth and Norfolk. Rain is forecast for tonight and tomorrow (100% chance) so we may stay here or move on to a dock up by the next lock tomorrow. We will see what the morning brings.