Monday, November 21, 2011

Nov 21 Packing it in for the holidays

We will be on land the next 2 months, spending holidays with family and friends.  It is bittersweet for us.  We want to see everyone and get to our home in Bennett's point, where we have never actually lived.  But, in the 3 years we have owned this boats, we have never been away for more than a couple weeks.  I will post to the blog occassionally over the next 2 months, but resume full time blogging when we return in January.  Happy Holidays to all of you, and we hope we see you over the next 2 months !!!

Nov 19 – 20 The end of the Inland Rivers, a Great Loop milestone

We could have made Mobile Bay, but why end the inland rivers trip?  So, we  pushed down slowly to the Tensas River and found a good anchorage spot about 12 miles north of the Mobile shipping channel.  We were there by noon and enjoyed a great warm sunny day.   About 3:30 the rest of the pack showed up because there were booted out of the anchorage they had chosen (about 3 miles north of us) by the game warden! So we watched the show of them rafting up (first pic).  By the time they finished it was nearly dark.  That meant an early dinner and then to bed for early rising.   We got underway early and excited to finish this leg of the loop.  But, it was so foggy, we just puttered along.   We arrived in Mobile (next pic) and pushed on into Mobile Bay.  Then, a turn west to the Dog River at Turner’s Marine Supply and here we will get off the boat for 2 months for the holidays. 

Nov 18 Sea level at last

We were underway later in the morning due to ice on the boat and fog on the waterway.  There was one last fuel stop before Mobile Bay at Bobby’s Fish Camp.  So, we pulled up to the dock to take on some fuel.  The owner had not arrived to open up the fuel pump, so I was getting prepared to fuel by hopping on the swim platform.  Of course, I had forgotten about the ice on the boat, and in seconds-splash- I was swimming with the alligators in the Tombigbee River, Alabama.  I swam back to the dock and the swim platform of the boat and, with Christine’s help, started to get out.  But, we were laughing so hard, I could not muster enough concentration.  Finally, I got onto the swim platform (first pic), with my winter jacket on—and a lot of other clothes.   After fuel up, we went through our LAST LOCK of the trip-that was 162 locks (next pic), which took us down to sea level.   We were now back in tidal, salt water.  That night, we rafted up with the pack, NautiNell, Sweet Pea, Erica Lynn, and others at Three Rivers.

Nov 17 Underway with a pack of boats

The Demopolis lock was only about 1 mile away from the marina.  We had 11 boats underway by 7am.  The first pic shows a trail of boats exiting the lock.  The problem with running in a pack is that there are no marinas for the next 220 miles only a couple of potential anchorages.  One boat was 112 feet long, so they would take up a whole anchorage alone.   But, we divided into three’s with fast boats going the farthest so that the slower boats could have the nearby anchorages.  We went about 90 miles that day and got a great anchorage on Okalupta creek (next pic).

Nov 16 A milestone, reaching Demopolis, Alabama

We got underway early in the morning, only to hear the forecast of a tornado south of us, at our destination spot.   So, we slowed down in order to keep our distance from there in the morning.  We passed the white cliffs of Epes (first pic) that seemed to be a mile long.  We arrived in Demopolis about 3pm.  Many loopers that were ahead of us were still there because of the foul weather.  Actually, the tornado took out several houses just outside of town and lightning struck the lock, which was out of commission all morning.  That meant we would be underway with a lot of boats tomorrow morning.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Nov 15 Rain on the river

The next day we started out in the rain.  It was calling for showers, but with light winds, so we decided to make way in order to get closer to our fall destination of Mobile Bay, Al.   We headed out with Ookpic, Salty Paws, and Osprey through the Columbus lock and then we picked up speed ahead of them to try for a good anchorage about 70 miles away.  The whole mode of travel has changed from summer to fall.  Now, without daylight savings time, it is very important to get to safe harbor by around 4pm, since sunset occurs at around 4:45 pm.  We have never been so focused on hours during daylight in our lives than now.   So, onward as quickly as possible.  You can never guess what you might see on the rivers in Mississippi in the middle of nowhere (first pic).   We got to Sumter Recreation area for a great anchorage, well protected from winds.   We had about 15 minutes of daylight, so the next pic shows the anchorage the next morning.

Nov 13th-14th Making way to Columbus, MS

The marina was located at the entrance to Aberdeen lock and the 2 sailboats got underway about 0630, so we rushed to make the lock opening as well.  We were underway by 0645 and through the lock by 0730.  That put us on track to get to the Columbus marina by 10 am, because the forcast called for sustained winds of 20 mph and gusting to 35 mph.   It was a good stop.  We used a courtesy car to shop and get some supplies.  And we cleaned up a bit.  That nite was a loopers gathering with Muddy Waters, whom we had not seen since Killarney, along with Ookpic and Salty Paws.  The next morning we got the car and invited the crew from Ookpic and Salty Paws to visit the Waverly Mansion (first 2 pics).  The next 2 pics shows the group on tour of the grounds along with a magnolia tree that is over 250 years old.   The mansion is now privately owned by a retired antique dealer who has outfitted the house elegantly with antiques.  He lives in the mansion full time and does renovation work as funds become available.  The last tour stop was the home where Tennessee Williams was born (last pic).

Monday, November 14, 2011

Nov 12 On to Aberdeen, MS

We were travelling the last couple of days with our Canadian friends on Ookpic and Salty Paws. The first pic shows Salty Paws in the Whitten lock, which seemed just as deep and any we have done so far. We could tell that the cypress trees along the waterway that we were starting into bayou country (next pic). We happened along an unusual sailcraft, a Telestar, called Star Hunter (3rd pic) from Seattle who had brought that small craft all way down the Missouri River that starts in South Dakota. StarHunter was with another sailcraft called My Song who grounded out in the entrance to the marina as they were following me in, so, instead they anchored outside the marina near the next lock. The final pic is a nice sunset indicating “pink sky at night—sailors delight”.


Nov 11 Pickwick, TN to Bay Springs Anchorage

We started down the Tenn-Tom Waterway.   This section was cut through by the Corps of Engineers and there are no stopping points for about 30 miles.  It is fairly narrow and luckily we did not intercept and tow barges.  The waterway has baffles where the creek come into the waterway so they do not create current that would push a boat on the opposite shore (first pic).  We arrived at a good anchoring place and it was sunny enough for Christine to sun herself (2nd Pic).   The last pic shows the tranquil evening while anchoring.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Nov 10 Underway once more

It has been 3 weeks since we were underway, but finally we cast of the bowlines and headed out of Joe Wheeler State Park.  We were back tracking to Pickwick, TN where we turned south to head down the Tenn-Tom Waterway.   This waterway takes us to Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.   We traveled back through the Wheeler and Wilson locks that had given us so much trouble 3 weeks ago, however, we had no problem going down through the locks this time.   But, the rest of the trip was rough.  We were going into 15 to 20 mph winds with gusts up to 31 mph.  These winds kicked up the river and found ourselves in 2 to 3 foot waves that brought back memories of the Lake Michigan part of the trip.   However, we made way for 50 miles to the Tenn-Tom and took a slip at Grand Harbor marina.   Our original plan was to anchor out, but a hard freeze in the low 20’s was moving in this night.  We decided to stay warm tonight and use electric power from the marina.  Below is a pic of Christine and I at the Wilson Lock and then a pic showing how deep this lock descends.

Oct 27- Nov 9 Christine meets a special friend

Christine headed off for California to be with her parents for 2 weeks while I stayed put at Joe Wheeler State Park. I worked through re-organizing everything on the boat to make it feel like a well tuned vessel. Otherwise, I watched Alabama loose to LSU, and the Ravens beat the Steelers. And a few guitar tunes and some exercise now and then. But when Christine returned, I picked her up at Nashville airport and then we met Diana, a special friend who was Christine’s maid of honor at our wedding about 36 years ago. After our wedding, Diana moved to Nashville, TN where she stared a family and has been there ever since. Christine saw Diana about 35 years ago when we where travelling to my first job in Virginia. The first pic shows Christine and Diana. The second pic shows Diana teaching Christine and I how to drink shots of tequila.  So, it was quite a reunion—after 35 years !!



Oct 22-26 More exploring and the Loopers Rendevous

Still at Helen Kellers House the first pic shows the water pump where she learned how to understand signing by the blind.


We could not leave Alabama without going to the Coon Dog cemetery (6th pic). Only coon dogs could be buried here and this is sacred ground (next pic).We toured the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and learned about a lot of famous musicians from Alabama. But, it was really amazing to find out the Muscle Shoals, Alabama is the music recording capital of the world !!!! We could not believe it. So, we set out to find the most popular recording studio (8th pic). You would not believe what we found. In a small cinder block building, without any identification, was the most popular recording studio on earth—where the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Lynard Skynard, Elvis Presley, and thousands more have recorded (next pic). The owner of the studio, Noel, gave us the tour (next pic). He said that the sound quality of this studio has not been reproduced anywhere and no one knows why the quality is soooo good. He speculates that it may even be the mold buried in the cinder block !!!


Then, on to the home of the father of the blues, WC Handy.  WC Handy is the father of the blues cause he wrote the first song with the word “blues” in the title.

We ended our tour of northern Alabama in Florence at a renaissance festival –since Florence Italy is the sister city to Florence Alabama ( huh?). The next pic shows some of the costumed participants and the final pic shows a troll, that reminded me of my daughter Chelsea.









Oct 17-22 Stay Put and Explore

We decided to pay for month at Joe Wheeler State Park, since Christine would leave for 2 weeks after the loopers rendezvous to visit family in California. So, we rented a car and headed out to see northern Alabama and western Tennessee. We drove to Shiloh Military National Park, but first stopped at the famous Catfish Hotel for a fresh catfish lunch (first pic). Outside catfish hotel we took a pic of our little midget car, a Fiat, about as big as a smart car and got 60 miles to the gallon (2nd pic). We toured Shiloh on a sunny day. They call is hallowed ground because it was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War (next pic).


The next day it was on to Helen Keller’s home, Ivy Green (next pic). It was a heart rendering experience to hear about courage of this brave woman, and the contributions she made to society.