AGLCA Fall Rendezvous Side Trip (Days 144-150)

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We set our sights on the AGLCA Fall Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park.  To get there we cruised up the beautiful Tennessee River. Initially we went through Pickwick Lake formed by the Pickwick Dam.

The colors of fall continue to offer us very pleasant views along the waterway.
Our first stop on the way up was Florence Alabama.  This town is famous for the Muscle Shoals music industry which had its beginnings right across the river.  The weekend we arrived was the song writers festival.  We were able to enjoy some live music at a bar called Swampers after the band that started the movement here. 
One of the best things about Florence is that old Army Air Defense families live nearby. On the way up to the park Rob and Tammy Jassey came for dinner.
The night was just beautiful and we had a beautiful sunset cruise.
We had an early morning departure to get through the Wilson Lock.
Several boats joined us.  This is one of the largest lifts on the river, 90 feet.
And this guy seemed to be the lock sentry.
At the top we still had a slight glow from the sunrise.
And the crew set off across Lake Wilson.
The early morning sun enhanced the color viewing. 
We had a great time at the Rendezvous.  We met a lot of people, saw a lot of boats and learned a lot about the route ahead of us going to Florida and the Bahamas.
This information will be so valuable to us the days ahead.  Fortunately Mike did get a few drone shots. We were so busy the entire time.
After the Rendezvous we had another early morning departure for the Wheeler Lock.
After scrambling to get out we arrived at the Wilson Lock but needed to drop an anchor for a 2 hour wait to get in the chamber. The good news was we rafted with another boat and met some more new people.
We stopped at Florence again.  We toured a Frank Lloyd Wright home in the afternoon. This time Air Defenders, Dave and Robyn Mann, joined us.  Unfortunately it was raining and we didn’t take any photos, but it was sure great to see these friends again.
Our Journey 

“A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬



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