Irish Attitude's Adventures: AGLCA Fall Rendezvous @ Joe Wheeler SP, AL

October 19-25, 2012
The fall rendezvous, October 21-24, 2012 at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, Alabama….. This is the only date and location on our schedule so far. Purposely! After years of scheduling it has been nice (and a little foreign) to just be out there with no plans. We arrived a few days early, to get settled in and were directed to our slip. The wind was blowing and it was a tight fit. Luckily six fellow loopers waited on the dock to assist us in! Look at all the AGLCA burgees! Sixty boats attended the rendezvous! Surprisingly, we knew many of the loopers and recognized many of the boats names of others. Our dock was dubbed the party dock! As I mentioned before, the state parks down south are full service. A hotel, cabins, conference center and restaurant, marina and campground were all on site. Some of the people attending were still in the planning stage and took advantage of these services.

Loopers in every direction!

The AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Assoc.) has two conferences every year, spring and fall. The fall agenda has seminars on the loop from the Tenn-Tom waterway, around Florida and up the east coast to Norfolk, VA. The spring conference will pick up from there, continuing up the east coast, through Canada, the Great Lakes and down the rivers (we just completed). There were also seminars on boat maintenance, cooking in your galley, electrical systems, ‘suddenly in command’ and buying or selling your boat. Loopers could

The rendezvous officially began Sunday night. After dinner, introductions were made by way of loop status; current, completed or planning. Ron and Eva Stob, authors of “Honey, Let’s Get a Boat…” sat at our table. They founded the AGLCA in 1999!

Ron Stob & Tom Conrad's 'weather parrot'

Lisa and Jim Favors on Kismet

Mike, Me, Don and Anita

Jim, Joy, Deanna, Dick, Judy and Mike

Bob and Ivy

Mike and I stayed an extra day as some of the crowd dispersed. We planned to head up the Tennessee to explore Chattanooga. The last night, Anita suggested a potluck on 600 dock. Everyone was in and it was a great way to end the rondezvous. Our good friends from Limelight, Anita and Don were heading the other way towards the Tenn-Tom waterway. (Don’s hip had been bothering him just before they left Wisconsin and Anita feared surgery may sideline their trip.) We said our good-byes, hoping to catch up with them down the river.