LaBelle

LaBelle is a favorite spot not least because the city has a nice dock but no fee.  You can only stay 3 days but it is a super bargain.  The city is at the crossroads of two state highways and has gone through ups and downs like all small cities.  The waterfront is near the old part of town with cute cafes, beautiful parks and a very nice library.  This is the only place where we have to drop anchor and back down to the wall, Mediterranean Mooring.  After our less than stellar performances in the locks we did a superb job docking so our egos were a bit restored.  We went to Mass at a church nearby and really enjoy the diversity.  The priest is Polish and the congregation were a mix of Hispanic, Anglo and a smattering of Asian.  There were four children baptized today, always a moving experience.  The rest of the day was devoted to resting and catching up on the blog with only minimal maintenance before we press on.

This sign welcomes all travelers and explains the different contributing
agencies that make this dock available.

It is a very nicely kept dock with free water and power.  Quite the deal.

The library is across the parking lot and provides free WiFi.

The town is known for it's towering oaks.

This tree was covered in orchids and Spanish moss.

A well kept memorial honoring the service of all military branches.

Since we're saving on dock fees we have no problem spending the money
in town which is the plan, I'm sure.  This old building was a
restaurant.

Not sure of the story behind this old engine.  The writing on the
placard had been washed away by rain.

The county courthouse looks substantial.

This owner found a great artist to advertise their wares.

Another place converted into shops for us to spend our money.

The Other Side of Lake Okeechobee

The next lock was Moorehaven and we didn't get the lines quickly enough and were blown down to the other side of the lock.  Fortunately there wasn't another boat for us to run into so we only scraped our rubrail.  The next lock was Ortona and we managed to actually swing 180 degrees.  Again, we were fortunate there was no other boat in the way and the lock is over 42 feet wide.  Other than those incidents, it was fun watching the towns and other boats go by.

Climbing up 

He just wants to see.

What is over the levy

Base fishing is a huge industry in all the little towns on the lake.  This is
one launch ramp with docks to put your boat while you move your
tow vehicle.

This is the Glades storage yard.  We've never visited but we've heard it's
as big as the Indiantown yard.  They don't have transient slips.

A view back the way we came.

This sign had either been knocked by a wind or a boat.

This huge catamaran was sitting near an industrial site.  Worker housing maybe?

Several miles were home to horse ranches.

One of the Corp of Engineer parks along the way.

This was a large area being cleared with the huge,blue  travel-lift
on site.  We figure it will be another haul-out and storage yard.

This is a boat manufacturing plant.  They are quite proud of being
all American made.

Boats coming out of the lock before we enter.

A railroad bridge in use.

Opened up for us to pass.

Sad end to somebody's dream.

In case you wondered how they know the depth of a river, here's the float
and gauge arrangement.

This poor couple is moving this houseboat with a small boat our front
with the jet ski acting as stern thruster to keep the aft end in line.  The winds were so
fierce they were having a hard time.  We could hear them on the radio trying
to coordinate their efforts.  This was back near Clewiston.

We saw them again today with signs of damage from their lock experiences.
This was 40 miles farther along.

Lake Okeechobee

When we left Indiantown, our primary goal was to make it across Lake Okeechobee.  One boat who passed us that morning said he'd seen water as low as 5 feet 2 inches.  Our keel is 5 feet 3 inches below the surface so not good news.  Then we passed another boater a short while later who said he'd seen nothing less than 6 feet.  The official depth for the day was 5 feet 6 inches so we pressed on.  Happily we made it across but we did bump over low spots twice and kept a constant eye on the depth gauge.  When all was said and done, we were glad we hadn't delayed another day.  We covered over 60 miles that day and had a few more sticky (embarrassing) encounters with locks.  The wind was howling and we were tired, never a good combination but we managed to get nothing more than scrapes on our stainless rubrail and bruising to our egos. We did see a lot more alligators but they refused to pose and I didn't feel like making them.

The Port Mayaca bridge is only lowered when a train comes along.  It is
the only lift bridge we've ever seen.  usually railroad bridges swing.

We had room this trip but still nerve wracking when you only have inches to spare
from hitting some expensive parts at the top of the mast.

The last bridge and lock on the eastern side of the lake.  

This is 38.8 miles from the Atlantic.

The water is so low in the lake that it is the same level as the canal so no need
for opening and closing this particular lock.

Going by one of the areas where a side canal splits off the main channel.

This large concrete structure is in the middle of the lake.

The day we crossed had a steady 18 knots of wind with gusts to 25.
The sea was rough that day my friends

One of the marks we passed.

Those are birds standing in the shallows.

The area is home to thousands of acres of sugar cane.  Some of the seeds
must escape on the wind.  We see lots of it all along the shores and shallows.

Marsh grasses swaying in the wind.

A welcome sight, the last leg of the route across.

An even better sight, the Clewiston lock and the juncture of the
canal leading to the Caloosahatchee.

This lock is only closed when the lake level is high enough to threaten the city.

These rocks are under water when the lake is full.

Exposed tree roots due to low water.

Creative Names

We apparently have no imagination with boat names as we have simply kept the name on the boat.  We did name our earlier small boats but only spent the money to have one name decal made.  We enjoy seeing what things more creative people can come up with.

Some make us look up the place the owners call home.  Great geography lessons.

This owner must be a fan of the Douglas Adams series, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Another literary reference.

And then you have irony.

And the movie buffs are heard from as well.