EXPLORING HUNTSVILLE – Ditto Landing

May – We returned to our boat in Huntsville, Alabama. The spring rains caused the water level in the marina to be so high it had spilled over into the parking lot. We cleaned the boat up and emptied the antifreeze from all the water systems. We met up with Dave McConnell, our fabulous Harbor Host from Ditto Landing and went to dinner at Nick’s Ristorante an old world Italian Restaurant where he was singing.

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JUNE – After Spring Fling sat all winter, we decided to take a shakedown cruise to Goose Pond in Scottsboro to ensure all systems on the boat were functioning. We had traveled along this beautiful area known to be the Grand Canyon of Tennessee last Fall. And we managed to go through the Guntersville Lock with no issues! Goose Pond has a common species of Seagrass known as Eel Grass that grows throughout the marina and its entrance. The marina has a unique machine that drives around and cuts it down like you cut grass.

AUGUST – We arrived back in Huntsville to find the boat covered with the usual spider poop! A constant battle for sure. Ditto Landing was hosting replicas of the Nina and the Pinta so we went and climbed aboard and explored those old sailing vessels of the past.

We took our boat back to Goose Pond for some much needed maintenance work in preparation for our next segment as we head towards Florida. In the first picture they were pulling Spring Fling out, then they had it in the shed and painted the bottom with a special paint recommended for salt water. The sunsets at Goose Pond were gorgeous and we ate at the marina restaurant, The Docks before heading back to Huntsville and Ditto Landing.

We knew this would be our last visit to Huntsville before departing for our next Loop Segment, so we chose to visit the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. The center is known for having one of the world’s largest collection of rockets and space artifacts. And you can attend Space Camp here as well! We had fun exploring and reading all about the growth of the Space Programs throughout the years. It was so interesting viewing and seeing the huge rockets too! Afterwards we headed to the massive Cathedral Caverns. We had a fantastic guide throughout our walk into the cavern. The formations and the Stalactites and the Stalagmites were quite impressive. This is also a wheelchair accessible cavern.