Tenn-Tom'n It

11/1/11 Tuesday     November already? Seems like we were just on the Trent-Severn Canal. That is until you call the Stennis Lock and get a dose of "y'all". As we left Columbus Marina T. Caldwell came out to wave and pass on a few last words of wisdom. For those of you who have been there and met him you know we are much more enlightened for having stayed there. Kind of like staying at a Holiday Inn Express!

Anyway we entered the lock with 1 other boat. Docker's Inn from Hilton Head. Our cruising speeds were about the same and we settled into an easy pace once we exited the lock. Travelling down the Tenn-Tom has become somewhat familiar territory for Pam & myself as we recognize different things along the way that we've seen before.

Left to rot below Columbus, Ms.

The phone booth is still sitting along the way and the old mobile home hasn't fallen in the river yet. The day was a great cruising day with the sun in the sky and the temps in the upper 60's. For the longest time we were the only boats on the water. We did pass the commercial tows Uncle Bob, Jackson III, and Bobby Joe James. In print the names are straight forward. Listen to the captains pronounce them on the vhf and it's a complete different language!
When we got to the Tom Bevill Lock we had to wait for a tow to lock down. Having been in the area before, I thought we should check out the marina just above the lock. Docker's Inn had thought about staying there so it seemed appropriate to pull in and anchor in their cove so they could get a good look at the place. Let's say they were not impressed.

Pirate's Marina Cove. Pickensville, Alabama

Along the way we passed an anchorage and upon looking back into it we saw s/v Lollygag. Both Docker's Inn and I commented on how we have seen them at various times on the loop and that they somehow keep pace with us. Tortoise and the hare?

With the wait at the lock our timing was off to reach an anchorage below the Wilkins Lock that we have stayed in before so plan B took effect. Sumpter Landing about 4 miles above the lock. What a tranquil spot! That is after the pucker factor subsided from the low water alarm going off as we entered. Once in we had plenty of water and enough room for both boats to anchor and swing around.

Sumpter Landing Anchorage. (evening)

11/2/11 Wednesday     Sunrise was spectacular in the anchorage. That is right up to the time a southbound tow went by.

Sunrise in Sumpter Landing.

Knowing that we would have to wait on him at the lock I turned on the vhf to listen to the chatter between the tow and the lock. Horrors! There was another southbound tow just getting into the lock! Don't they know we're ready to go? There's an old saying here that I won't repeat but it ends with "relax and enjoy it"!
A bit later I called the lock and a most congenial lock master said he would give me a call when the 2nd tow exited the lock, which he did.
Once through the lock we again settled into a pace that had us catch and pass both tows that we had waited on at the lock. About 10 miles above Demopolis, Al. we passed s/v Freedom who we had anchored with a few nights ago. We also passed what looked liked a school project gone wrong. Someone apparently tried to make a sailboat from saplings and poly tarps. Oops!

The Kon-Tiki?

Shortly after passing the Kon-Tiki we pulled into Demopolis Yacht Basin to fuel and spend the night. Demopolis is a commercial fueling port for the tows that ply the Tombigbee and Black Warrior Rivers. Sitting at the fuel dock was the m/v Bobby Joe James who we passed yesterday.

 M/V Bobby Joe James @ Demopolis.

We fueled and were given the option of staying in the old section of the marina or the newly opened section. Once Pam, the laundry freak found out that the laundry was on the dock in the new facility the deal was sealed! Still not complete, Demopolis will be a great place to stop or even leave your boat in the future.

New marina at Demopolis.

A happy Pamster in the new laundry facility @ Demopolis!

Turnin South

10/25/11 Tuesday     We finally left Florence around 11am after waiting for the fog to burn off. Travelling downstream and taking advantage of the current our thought was to get to an anchorage called Whetstone and spend one last night on the Tennessee. When we arrived we found plenty of water in the anchorage. Too much in fact. To let out the proper amount of chain would have caused us to swing into the shore if the wind shifted directions. Too bad I'm too lazy to set a stern anchor. It was a pretty spot.

Our back up anchorage was across the river at a place called Panther Creek. Wider and not as deep but still protected from most winds. We dropped the anchor in 14' of water at a location that still offered us a view of the channel. Once the engines were shut down the place came alive with the sounds of fish jumping and flocks of coots quacking as they enjoyed their afternoon gossip session.

Gossiping Coots.

We had the anchorage all to ourselves with the exception of an occasional stray fisherman. Dinner was grilled and enjoyed before we settled in to watch a movie. Now completely dark it came as a shock when lights as bright as headlights lit up the side of the boat! They only lasted for a couple of seconds and then we felt the wake hit us letting us know it was a passing boat. At first we thought it was another boat coming in to anchor but a look outside proved otherwise. A flat boat with three guys and enough lights to turn night into day was scouring the shoreline around the cove where we were anchored. Suddenly the banjo tune from Deliverance began playing in my head! They worked the shore for an hour before departing. Neither Pam or myself thought it would be proper to question them about what they were doing and so we live in mystery to this day.

Grill Master burnin some meat!

Panther Creek Sunset.

10/26/11 Wednesday     Today dawned as you would expect on a day when you have a short distance to travel. Clear as a bell! We enjoyed a Pam kind of morning before pulling anchor and travelling the 5 miles to Grand Harbor Marina. Once in our slip we both got to work. Pam with laundry and me with a badly needed washing of Tourist. Both tasks took us the better part of the afternoon before we were done.

Later after we were both cleaned up we were invited to cocktails on Joysea along with the crews from Southern Belle and Bavarian Cream. All fellow loopers who had opted not to attend the looper gathering at Joe Wheeler Park. (Just a note to say that Pam & I must be careful at this point. We run the risk of establishing an identity independent of "the other boat with Coconuts"!) We had a fun time before heading back to our respective boats for dinner.

As the gathering was breaking up I noticed a 60' Viking slip past the marina building. "I think I know that boat" I told Pam and went to check it out. No it wasn't Marv & Carol from Legacy Harbour in Florida, although the boat is the same model. This was Lindonia from Drummond Island, Michigan who we had met at Green Turtle Bay. Being the good dock boy that I am I went over to help them get tied up. Their plans were to spend the night before heading down the Tenn-Tom in the morning.

10/27/11 Thursday     With a forecast of rain and possible thunderstorms predicted for the afternoon only one boat left the marina. Our friends on Lindonia decided to stay another night and plans were made for dinner after cocktails. Most of the day was spent doing the little things you always put off, like renewing the boat insurance!

Our slip faced the channel and offered us a great view of any traffic heading towards or from the Tombigbee.A few more boats came in that afternoon and by nightfall the place was almost full.

Looking out our back door at Grand Harbor.
Speaking of nightfall we had cocktails on Lindonia and then jumped in the courtesy car in search of a rib place. The map on their website showed the location near Pickwick State Park, so off we went. We drove & drove & drove. Hmmm! OK so I swallowed my pride and pulled in to ask for directions. Out of three guys in the convenience store, 2 had never heard of it and the third pointed us in the right direction. Turns out it is near Freddy T's. The complete other direction from the marina. We finally found it and went in. Only 4 people inside. Not a great sign. The final dagger came when we found that they didn't serve alcohol. Freddy T's here we come. Dinner was good and the company better! Before long we were winding our way back to the marina. Oh, the rain? So far a little drizzle but not the T-storms that were predicted.

10/28/11 Friday     The rain came during the night and continued into our planned departure time. Around 9am it let up enough for us to set out towards Mobile. Only 450 miles away. Before long we were travelling down the Divide Cut that connects the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers.

Man made Divide Cut.

We had an easy day of only 38 miles but it was cool enough to bring out the auxiliary heater on the bridge. We pulled in to a cove just above the Whitten Lock and dropped the anchor for the night. A great spot but a bit too cool to enjoy fully. Later we were joined by a sailboat from Michigan, S/V Freedom. Due to poor planning on my part we arrived early enough that I had to play Dominoes with Pam!

Auxiliary heat!

S/V Freedom anchored above Whitten Lock.

10/29/11 Saturday     We awoke to what has become a normal morning occurrence. FOG! So thick that I could barely see Freedom anchored 100 yards away. Finally it lifted and we along with 4 other boats locked through Whitten Lock and dropped 83'. We travelled through four locks today and anchored above the Wilkins Lock along with Lindonia. The other boats opted to go into a marina.

Southern migration on the Tenn-Tom.

Lindonia above the Wilkins Lock.

10/30/11 Sunday     Happy Birthday Reba!!!

Guess what? Fog!!! The radio was alive with chatter between the boats. The boats in the marina wanted to know what visibility was like where we were. Could we see the lock? Did it look like it was lifting? etc. etc. At about 8:30 we decided to go. The fog was lifting but not completely. We only had to travel about 300 yards and we were in the lock. The other boats came in and we locked down. When they opened the gates there was a little fog but not enough to hold us up.

Looking south out of the Wilkins Lock at the rising fog.
We led the parade downstream through swampy areas that were created when the dams were built.

Man made swamp
As we approached Aberdeen Lock I noticed a familiar boat ahead of us. One that we had first encountered in June in Waterford, NY. at the start of the Erie Canal. The homemade S/V Lollygag. As fast as we can go and as slow as they go and here we are, crossing paths again, 5 months later.

S/V Lollygag in Aberdeen Lock.

With the sun shining and a clear sky overhead we pulled into Columbus Marina for a 2 night stay. The familiar face of T. Caldwell was there to greet us with his usual banter. Later in the day we had cocktails on Tourist with Don & Lindy from Lindonia and out of the blue we were invited to their boat for a great dinner. All too soon it was time to call it a night. A big day was planned  for Monday.

10/31/11 Monday     Today is the day. Wal-Mart day! We had the courtesy van reserved for 10am. Before going to Wally World I helped Lindonia get away from the dock since they were continuing on. (I don't think they get the same thrill from Wal-Mart that we do!) Anyway we went and combed the aisles for the provisions we needed to make it to Mobile. Mission accomplished we came back to Tourist for the afternoon. Of course no stay at Columbus is complete without partaking of a BS session with T. Caldwell so off to the office I went.

Awesome!!!

10/20/11 Thursday     Today started rather slow after pushing hard the previous day and waking to a cooler than average morning. Neither one of us had much ambition and didn't get going until around noon. Of course Pam was hungry so the first order of business was to satisfy her hunger pains! Following that we hopped on the free bus and went across the river to see the Delta Queen. Seeing the Queen sitting there being used as a hotel was bitter sweet for me. I have fond memories of seeing the Queen plying the waters of the Upper Mississippi since my childhood. I even skipped school in the fall of '69 to see her go by on what was supposed to be her final cruise. Obviously it wasn't as she went on to get several exemptions from congress over the years. Something about not having the proper fire suppression system was the problem. But alas the regulators finally caught up with her and have forced her into a stationary floating hotel like her sister ship the Delta King which is in Sacramento, Ca.

Delta Queen moored in Chattanooga.

The Real Delta Queen!

We had hoped to get a tour of the Queen but since it's now a hotel we were told they only do tours on Friday at 2pm. The best we could do was see a vacant room.
One last item before moving on. Back in the day we used to book tour groups onto the Queen. During that time 2 of my children had the pleasure of riding from St. Louis to St. Paul with their grandparents on one of those tours. At the time they had the run of the ship.

Adjacent to the DQ is a park with a carousel in it. For $1.00 you can get a ride. Why not? This was a first for Pam who has obviously lived a sheltered life!

What a trooper. Managing to smile through her fear!

Fountain outside the carousel.

An added bonus to our ride was meeting the man who built the various animals used on the carousel. Turns out he has a business on the outskirts of Chattanooga that specializes in building and restoring carousel figures.

By now it was a little after 3 and we had to get back to Tourist to meet our arriving company at 4pm. Now where's that bus?
We arrived back just before Gil & Linda Pingel walked down the dock. The Pingels are long time friends of Pam's family going back to when Pam was in grade school in Elizabeth, IL.

Gil, Linda, & Pam.

Anxious to show us their community we jumped in their car and were off, driving through the downtown area with narration by Gil about what we were seeing. Our destination was the top of Lookout Mountain. You can get there by car or by riding the incline railway. We drove to the top. Something I had done several times before in a bus. The road hasn't improved much since then.
Once on top we parked and climbed to the top of the observation platform at the Incline Railway. What a view!

Looking down at Chattanooga.

Incline Railway. The other way up.

From here we drove along the top of Lookout Mtn. stopping at an area where hang gliders gather to ride the wind currents to the valley floor below.

Landing zone.

Hang glider launch pad.

Fortunately it was too late in the day to strap on a kite and jump off the cliff. Maybe next time!

Further down the road we came to our turn around point. The Canyon Grill. Did we stop? What do you think? A great spot in an area that seems as remote as the North Pole but with great food. By the time we were done it was time to head back to Tourist. It was enjoyable getting a personalized tour of the area and even better being able to see long time friends of Pam's family. Thanks Gil & Linda!

10/21/11 Friday     Do we stay or do we go? When we decided to come to Chattanooga we knew we had a short window of time to make the trip. Two things were lurking in front of us. 1. was the scheduled lock closure at Wilson Lock for 2 days on the 25th and 26th and 2nd was the looper gathering at Joe Wheeler that would be breaking up by the 27th sending a whole flock of boats toward the Tombigbee Waterway. The same route we'll be taking south. With that in mind we decided to head back down the Tennessee and save the remainder of Chattanooga for another trip.
The ride down river can best be described as Awesome! I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Lookout Mtn. from the river.

We ended the day anchored above the Nickajack Lock at Little Cedar Mtn. A cove with a view.

View from Little Cedar Mtn. anchorage.

We spent a peaceful night on the hook without another boat around.

10/22/11 Saturday     In what has become a recurring theme we awoke to fog over the water.

Another morning fog photo.

By 9am it had lifted enough to pull up the anchor but not before calling the lock just around the corner to see if they were busy or not. With a green light we left the anchorage and made our way to the lock for the first of many downstream lockages on our way to Mobile. The sun came out and we enjoyed a relaxing cruise to Goose Pond Marina.

Goose Pond Marina

The highlight of our stay was dinner at The Docks Restaurant where they served alcohol. I had shrimp & grits and Pam had fettuccine alfredo. Both our meals were very good.

10/23/11 Sunday     Over the past month we have stayed in contact with Coconuts while they attended to family business and we continued to cruise. Finally back on the water and within 150 miles we thought we could possibly get together tonight. Our only obstacles were 2 locks for them and 1 lock and 1 train bridge for us. A plan was made on where to meet (you know how plans go!) with progress reports as we neared one another. Well as we each neared our first lock we hit the first snag. Our lock wasn't busy but the lockmaster was in reverse. Not very communicative and definitely only one speed. Sloooow! However we had it good. Coconuts was behind a tow that required two lockages to get through and at Wilson Lock with a 93' lift it was going to be possibly 3 hrs!
Long story short, we both got through eventually and changed plans to meet at an anchorage just above Joe Wheeler Lock. We kicked in the after burners on Tourist and arrived at the entrance to the cove just as Coconuts was coming out of the lock. By the time we got anchored and rafted together we had covered an even 100 miles for the day. Cocktail time!
It was great being able to get together again and we joked about how our identity among the looper crowd was as the "other" boat with Coconuts. Except for travelling with them we have apparently been invisible!

10/24/11 Monday     Fog!!! The silver lining was that we got to visit awhile longer before heading out. The anchorage was protected and beautiful with the trees starting to turn colors.

Turning leaves.

All good things must end and so it was once the fog lifted. We said so long and headed out to the channel. One turned North and one turned South. I'm sure we'll meet again down the watery highway. I hope so so we can get an identity again!

If you look close you can see Sandy crying on the back of the boat.

Our destination today is Florence, Al. and Wal-Mart. 19 miles and 2 locks away. We got through the 1st lock and was cruising along when we were hailed on the vhf by Nauti-Nell. Just when I thought no one knew us! They were heading upstream and saw us out in the middle of the lake. We were able to talk for a few minutes before we arrived at our next lock.
Going down! Dropped 93' the whole locking process only took us a half hour. From the lock it was a short ride to the marina.
Just a side note; Today marked a first for me. A hair cut at Wal-mart. I think I'm ready for a camper

Pushing on to Chattanooga

10/17/11 Monday     After travelling with Tumbleweed the past few days Pam thought I was getting soft on our morning departure times. As we pulled out of the marina at 7:15am she quickly realized Capt Bly was still at the helm. It was sad to leave Floyd & Linda at the dock as we slid past but the Wilson Lock wasn't busy and could take us right up. Wilson Lock has a lift of 93' which is the highest we have been raised in our travels.

Approaching Wilson Lock.

Lock Treat!

We were raised 93' and drove out over the top.

Water boiling as it raises.

By the time we exited the lock the sun was shining and it was a calm day as we continued upstream. An hour and a half later we were arriving at the Joe Wheeler Lock which only has a 48' lift. We waited a short time for an exiting barge to leave the chamber and then it was our turn. Once through the lock we entered Joe Wheeler Lake and travelled past Joe Wheeler State Park Marina better known as Looper Nirvana this time of year. That's right. The AGLCA has their fall rendezvous there every October attracting loopers from all over the country. Officially it doesn't start until the 23rd but the parade has already begun.

We travelled on past Decatur, Alabama enroute to Ditto Landing Marina near Huntsville, Al. where we were going to check out Tumbleweed's slip (read free night!) but the marina guys thought we would be too tall and put us in one of the new transient slips. The price was still right and the staff more than accommodating. The only downside was the laundry which was behind the storage building and shared with the adjacent campground. Not a happy Pamster but laundry got down anyway. The better news was that we were able to watch DWTS & Castle for the first time in a few weeks.

Who knew?

10/18/11 Tuesday     The forecast called for thunderstorms moving in by afternoon which caused us to alter our destination plans for the day. We had hoped to anchor for the night but in my condition and with severe weather forecast we decided to stop short at Goose Pond Marina near Scottsboro, Al. This proved to be a good move on our part since fuel was 3.90 per gallon and dockage was a buck a foot. As we pulled up to the fuel dock I recognized a boat at the dock that I had seen in our friends blog. 20 Buck$, crewed by Ken & Pat Goewey from Minnesota who we had not yet met. That quickly changed once we were secured for the day. Seems Pat & Ken had travelled down the rivers with Marc & Michelle (Marc's Ark) who hail from our hometown of Galena, IL. Ken & Pat are hanging around to attend the looper rendezvous before continuing south.

Before we could get down to the serious business of cocktails Pam & I had to run to the grocery store and re-supply.  It was fun meeting Ken & Pat and of course exchanging the "dirt" on Marc & Michelle!

Meeting the M/V Emma Kate near Huntsville, Al.

Tn. River scenery.

I've almost got Pam convinced of the benefits associated with the quote at the bottom!

Pat, Pam, & Ken @ Goose Pond Marina.

10/19/11 Wednesday     Since we stopped short yesterday we needed to get going today since we wanted to get to Chattanooga by nightfall. As we left Ken & Pat were wiping the sleep out of their eyes while waving good-bye. The river was quiet with no traffic for miles. Eventually we met a couple of boats headed South and 3 test boats from Yamaha roaring up and down the river testing outboards. Not long after I started hearing chatter on the VHF from the Nickajack Lock. Not a good sign since it means the one lock we have to pass through may be busy. When we got within 5 miles of the lock I gave them a call to see what conditions were. The response was "I've got a tow just about to leave the chamber down bound. A rec craft above to bring down, and an up bound tow below the lock switching barges. We're pretty busy so I don't know how long it will be." Hmmm! I weighed our options and made the decision to speed up since he had to raise the water after the tow left and maybe we could get there before he closed the gates. If not we'll have lunch!

We arrived just as the down bound tow was leaving the lock. A quick call to the lockmaster and after he got over his shock that we were already there we were granted permission to enter the lock and get a ride up without any delay! That doesn't happen often.

Train bridge at mm 414.4

Nickajack Lock Sentinel.

The day was cold, overcast, and drizzly making picture taking rather futile. Let me just say the scenery is Awesome! Hopefully when we come back down river the sun will be shining.

I-24 bridge over Nickajack Lake. I've almost driven off this bridge many times while gawking at the river!

Looking up river near Hale's Bar.

Outflow drains from the Raccoon Mountain Reservoir.

It was a long day of 85 miles by the time we pulled into Chattanooga. Of course as we pulled in the wind picked up and the drizzle increased. It felt good to get the power cord plugged in and the heat turned on. Nothing to do now but snuggle!