Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-2021 (Day 34)

 North Carolina Great Dismal Swamp Visitors Center, South Mills, North Carolina. October 7, 2020.

Marc-  We left Hospital Point in Norfolk at 09:00 this morning in order to time our bridge crossing so as not to be affected by train bridge closures for Amtrak.  It all went very well with the first two railroad bridges up and then we reached the combination Gilmerton highway bridge and railroad bridge number 7.  The Highway bridge will not open without the railroad bridge being fully raised.  There is literally no space between the two bridges.  We radioed the nice lady operator of the Gilmerton Bridge who opened for us as soon as the railroad bridge opened.  We waited only a short time with a barge and tugboat as well as Michael and Doreen's Ranger tug.  Within the hour we were at the Deep Creek Lock of the Dismal Swamp Canal.  Several hours later we arrived at the North Carolina Visitors Docks and were warmly welcomed by the staff at the Visitors Center and as well as by the Park rangers at the Dismal Swamp State Park nearby.

Early morning at the Portsmouth marina.

We are off to the races on who gets to the bridges before they close.

A few more ships getting repaired on the Elizabeth River.

One of several railroad bridges (they are remote controlled).

THe Gilmerton Highway Bridge and Railroad Bridge #7.

Fidler's Green grows a brown mustache.

A retro look to a retro kind of place.

Luckily Fidler's Green arrived early to save us a spot.  Rafting is no longer the norm in days of Covid 19.

Yes we found the still in the swamp.

This is a floating bridge that crosses the canal from the Visitors Center Docks to the State Park.  A hydraulic ram swings the floating bridge to one side rapidly when a boat approaches.

The pace of life seems slower here and that is a good thing.