Down the Tenn- Tom Waterway (Days151-156)

-

 


The Tenn-Tom Waterway connects the Tennessee river at Pickwick Lake with the Tombigbee River. While we had no locks the first day, We had six on the second day and two on the third. I spent a lot of time on deck watching the bollards and fenders to ensure a good drop.
This is a floating bollard also known as a pin. When they work properly they move with the water level up and down this tall shaft.  Occasionally they get stuck which would be really bad.  That is why I need to keep a very close eye on the situation.
Before we went through the first lock My cousin Julie and her husband Owen met us on Bayspring Lake at the Marina there.  It was really wonderful to spend time with them. I hadn’t seen Julie in about 15 years.
We met up with a lot of loopers in the lock and stayed together with them for all six locks.
We progressed through the locks.
This was the last lock of the day and one of the shortest drops we had.
We made the anchorage right at sunset.
We had a beautiful peaceful night.
The next morning we waited for a barge to pass then began making our way down the Tenn-Tom.
This lock and dam also had a sentry.
This sentry didn’t really want to stay on duty.

The colors were lovely.
The White Cliffs of Epps are a natural wonder.  They are deposit of chalk in the Selma Chalk formation.
Although not as well known they are similar to and the same age as the White Cliffs of Dover.
Did I mention we enjoyed the fall colors?
Demopolis is the last stop on this section of the river.  It also has the last marina, grocery store etc. until we get down to Mobile Bay.  While we were there we were able to see them making preparations for Christmas on the River.
The best part of Demopolis was how many Loopers were there. We had a docktails with over 28 boats represented. Nineteen of those left in the morning.  We had to loaner car so we dragged this crew to the Red Barn. Unfortunately in this section of the river our port engine developed a problem.  Our port engine turbo doesn’t work.  Mike spent our two days here trouble shooting and making arrangements for repair in Gulf Shores Alabama. We will be going very slowly down the  next section of the river (7 Mph.) Because of that we will not be able to make it home for Thanksgiving.😢
Our Journey 
“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭KJV‬‬




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Down the Rivers We Go (Finally)Days 115-121

-
Image
  After leaving Chicago we went to fill up our diesel tanks at Hammond Marina before heading into the Calumet- Saganashkee Channel a.k.a Cal-Sag.  Unfortunately the starboard engine would not start after filling up and we limped up the Channel with just one engine to our first stop at Marine Services.  We thought we might end up staying for a few days unless Mike could work his magic on the engine.  Turns out after we ordered a new starter, Mike decided to use a hammer on it and it worked.  In fact it has worked ever since.  We left without the new starter but the “Looper Express” has it just a few days behind us. We left Marine Services on the Calumet River before the sun was up with a small flotilla that Mike was leading to the Joliet wall. Although this was in the middle of Chicagoland, we did manage to find some beauty.  Most surprising were the three deer swimming across the river. There were several of these surprisingly pretty parks with waterfalls that turned out to be the Chic
Read more

Sandestin Resort Florida (Days 162-210)

-
Image
  Here we are at the Marina Grill at the Baytowne Marina for what we believe will be a 6 week rest. Along the way we were accompanied by numerous dolphins as we are discovering, they love to surf in our wake. I did not get the best video because the Blue Angles surprised us coming out of formation right above the boat.  I grabbed my camera and caught them making their final approach.  They had been out of town and were just returning to Pensacola Naval Air Station. As soon as we arrived at the marina, Mike rinsed the boat with fresh water given several days with it in the salt air. To our delight, the marina had our golf cart waiting for us at the dock. Unfortunately, it was much colder there than we thought it would be. Some Looper friends, Jaleen and Hunter, from Catniss joined us for one night, but left early for an unexpected weather window to cross the Gulf. For Thanksgiving we took the golf cart to the beach and walked along the gulf to the Surf Hut.  It was cold and I thought it
Read more

Mighty Mississippi (Days 125-128)

-
Image
As we left Grafton we noticed a lot of color change. There were beautiful cliffs and although the day’s cruise was short it was Gorgeous. We filled with fuel and water as we staged for a long stretch with no marina services at Alton Marina. I was able to take a long walk on the levee and Mike changed the oil. In the morning, the lock-master at the Mel-Price Lock and Dam had us wait for the fog to lift.   But after we got the word everyone was quick to respond and we still made it through before 8:30. Our next and final Lock on the Mississippi River was the Chain of Rocks Lock and Dam.  We’ve heard of many boaters who miss this turn even with the big sign.  If they go the other way there are strong currents at…Rocks.  Fortunately I do NOT have pictures. The big event of the day was passing in front of the Gateway Arches in St. Louis.   We were traveling with our mini flotilla from flotilla 4 and traded photos. The Mississippi River is a busy super highway for barges.  These folks work h
Read more