Where are the Loopers? Here!

Now that I’m back on The Loop, I find myself wondering where the other Loopers are now. Well, here! Some of them, anyway. Three other Looping boats joined us this week at Hontoon Island State Park on the St. Johns River in Central Florida, and three more passed by recently or arrived as we prepared to leave. This is a bit surprising because this park is more than 100 miles off The Loop route. But it’s also not surprising because this is a well-known “destination river” for those passing time in Florida before heading north. And most Loopers are spending the winter in Florida, by design — some of them three months or more. Most of our friends are south of us, but I’m heartened to see that a few are slightly north of us as we prepare to head that way. We are cleaning and organizing the boat for travel after my 6 days here, and Jeff’s 6 weeks. As he ends his stint here as park volunteer and then marina host, there’s the usual mixed feelings … sadness to leave new friends behind and eagerness to move forward. (Sort of like military duty, when you’re always saying good-bye to someone as duty stations change.) I’ll publish one more post featuring the awesome flora and fauna of Hontoon and then will post from under way again as we head north. Forward, Many Moons! About 3,400 miles under your hull, and about 3,000 more to go. Maybe. 😉 Photos and captions below. {Note, for those tracking our daily movements via this blog: As I write this, we have left Hontoon Island and are anchored in Silver Glen Spring on our way northward. And, for anyone who has experienced technical challenges–which is all of us!–I’m amazed I got this post done, at anchor, after my laptop lost its charge and then my clumsy tablet-with-remote-keyboard option raised a ruckus and then we couldn’t find batteries for the keyboard. It feels like another “shakedown cruise.” 😉 But I’m grateful my mobile hotspot works here, as I remember many signal-less days on the inland river system. Why do I bother? It anchors my memories. And I know that many of you look forward to the next post. Thank you! PS: Boo-the-cat is doing fine.}