Nov 27th, 28th Day 138 & 139

Got up early 5:30 to get our 71 mile day in. Well ole Mother Nature said I have been pretty nice to you lately so it is time I threw something at you. It was 30 degrees, ice on the deck, and the fly bridge windows were all ice. Started the genny and turned on the heat as the boat was only 50 degrees. Went up on the bridge and used warm water to get the main window deiced so we could roll it up with out it cracking. Got that done and the boat heat was melting the decks so things were looking good. Hello Mother Nature in rolls the fog thicker than pea soup. Well we were finally under way by 7:30 fog had lifted enough to see good and we headed out to the lock three miles south. We reached the Demopolis Lock and it was ready for us. It was a 40' drop and took a about 40 minutes to drop. Longest time in awhile and here we are trying to beat darkness on our longest day. This was the fastest we have traveled since leaving Lake Michigan, Dan lead and ran at about max for their boat, we averaged 10 miles per hour. Reached the anchorage at 4:30 just ahead of dark. Dan went in first as he has a keel that would hit before the props. It was the first time for both of us to drop a bow and stern anchor. The anchorage was so narrow neither of us could swing or we would hit shore. Glad to say everything went well as we each anchored separately.

Nov 28th Up and the fog had us stalled again. This time it did not bother us as our next anchorage is only 23 miles south of here. Around 9:30 the fog lifted and we had another first picking up two anchors. We let the chain loose on the bow and Lin backed up as I took in the stern anchor. When that was in Lin brought the boat ahead as I took in the bow anchor. Again all went well. The channel was too narrow to turn so we backed out into the river. Traveled our 23 miles and are anchored the same way in Okatuppa Creek. One more mile of travel and we will have traveled 3,000 miles on our adventure. We have 123.5 miles to Mobile Alabama where we will spend a few days in Dog River Marina before heading to Pensacola.

Lin & Rich
Okatuppa Creek, Alabama

Nov 26 Day 137

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner with all the Fixings, as usual I ate to much. I talked to the Dock Master this morning and pleaded my case for an extra night. I had all kinds of reasons and before I could use them all he said it was ok with him. So here we are with the heat on enjoying one more night on the dock. It is cold, wet, and foggy out there. We will take off tomorrow and head the 71 miles to Bashi Creek anchorage. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Lin & Rich
Demopolis Marina
Demopolis, Alabama

Nov 24th & 25th Days 135 & 136

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
We left our anchorage at at 1pm yesterday and arrived at Demopolis marina around three. It was only a 7.9 mile run. We convinced the owner to let us stay for two nights they usually only have one night stays. With turkey day there is not much traffic. Lin & I have the turkey. dressing and cranberries and Donna and Dan our doing the potatoes, creamed onions and an apple pie. It has been raining on and off today and now that it is almost time to carry the turkey to their boat it is really raining, We can see their boat but it is probably 700 yards from us by the time you do the dock thing Tonight (25th) it is suppose to get real cold and wet. Tomorrow it will be in the 20's and might get some hail or snow. We are going to try and stay one more night here till the weather gets better have to do some begging. When we leave here it is 71 miles to the next anchorage not a short day and the anchorage is not that good.

Well hope you have, had a great Thanksgiving

Lin & Rich
Demopolis Marina
Demopolis, Alabama
Tonight

Nov 23 Day 134

Got up at 6am this morning to get ready for our 42 mile day. The fog was not to bad this morning so we were able to get underway by 6:40. The trip was nice with some good scenery and nice weather. At Epes Mile 248.8 there iare the white cliffs which were something to see. There was also rock formations along the river which seemed to be wet or have a shiny surface.
We saw a lot of bank erosion and one camp did not have much more time left before it would become a house boat. We traveled 43.4 miles today bringing our total trip to 2,897 miles. Tomorrow we will try to get into the Demopolis Marina which does not take reservations. They are supposed to have 20 transient slips. We hope we can get one or two so we can cook the turkey rather than anchor out to cook the bird. On Friday we will make a 71 mile run to the next anchorage which will put us 145 miles from Mobile Alabama. We are at anchor in a place called Rattlesnake Bend, and have had two heavy rain showers so far but it looks like it is clearing now (3pm).

Lin & Rich
Rattlesnake Bend
Tenn-Tom River, Alabama

Nov 22 Day 133

Beautiful morning no fog at all this morning. We were underway at 8:40, it was a little cloudy and the sun kept getting behind the clouds. Saw some beautiful camps along the shore today. Everyone of them are raised up on stilts for the flood waters and we mean high and the banks are high. We did one lock today the Howell Heflin Lock which dropped us 32'. Right after the lock was our anchorage for the day. We traveled 21.7 miles today but the river was so winding we probably only covered 10 miles as the crow flies. At the anchorage there was a log with about 6 turtles sunny on it. It was in the 70's today even with the clouds. We are anchored in a place called Tombigbee Ox Bow. Tomorrow we have 42 miles before the next anchorage, that will put us 7 miles North of Demopolis where we hope to get dockage and electric to cook the turkey and fixins.

Lin & Rich
Tombigbee Ox Bow
Alabama

Nov 21st Day 132

Great anchorage last night had to go quite a ways in to get under 40' of water.
Up this morning to be fogged in like pea soup. One of the tows waiting to lock thru
decided to wait out the fog. We pulled anchor at 10:30 and headed to the lock. Two barges one South bound and one North bound had been thru the lock. When we got to the lock there were 4 boats waiting to get thru and a South bound barge on its way. Barges get the right of way so we had to wait for the barge to be dropped and then raise the lock for us. We were finally in the lock by noon. South we headed after being dropped 27' by the Tom Bevill lock. We traveled 21.4 miles to our next anchorage at Cochrane Cut Off and anchored in 6' feet of water. Our travels today brought our total mileage traveled to 2832 miles, 9 states and 2 Providences.

Lin & Rich
Cochrane Cut Off
Alabama

Nov 20th Day 131

We got up early and headed to the Columbus 3rd Annual Holiday farmers market. It was nice but we thought it would be a little bigger with more fresh produce. After that venture we stopped to pick up some groceries as our next chance is 120 miles down river. Got back to the marina fueled, pumped out and took on water. We left Columbus marina at 11:30 and went thru the John C. Stennis lock a 30' drop.We headed south on the Tenn-Tom and after 22 miles entered our 9th state Alabama. We traveled 29.8 miles today for a total of 2811. We are anchored in a cove in Pickensville Alabama. Tomorrow we will go thru the Tom Bevill lock which has a 27' drop. At the lock ther is the US Snagboat Montgomery which was the last steam-powdered sternwheeler. For 60 years it kept 7 of the South's major waterways Navigable.

Lin & Rich
Pickensville, Alabama

Nov 18th, 19th Day 129 130

The Aberdeen Marina was a convenient store and had gas pumps by the road. It was pretty nice and was a real thrill getting in and out. When we called the lock in the morning after the fog lifted we were told to stay at the dock as they had a diver in the water. Well at 11:30 the lock called and they could let us down. We found out a 65 footer had gotten a cable wrapped around the prop and shaft. Long story but when we went into the lock the 65 footer was outside the lock still waiting to be repaired. We traveled 16.8 miles to Barton Ferry Cutoff where we anchored in a nice cove off the Tenn-Tom on the Tombigbee River. We saw a baby Raccoon swim across the cove behind us, thrill for the night.
On the 19th we had to wait out the fog one more time, lucky we only had 8 miles to the Columbus Marina. We arrived at Columbus Marina 1:30 real nice marina and we had full use of the courtesy car. We went into Columbus and visited the house of Tennessee Williams, which looked like they just redid it over, real nice. Did the tour of the city and found a great place for dinner, made reservations for 7pm. Good choice the food and service was great. Tomorrow we are heading to a farmers market at 7am. After that we will decide to either stay one more night or head south. The next lock is just below the marina. We are going to try and reach the next and only marina till Mobile by Wednesday. It is 120 miles from where we are now. Main reason to get there is to cook our Thanksgiving dinner.

Lin & Rich
Columbus Marina
Columbus, Mississippi

Nov 17th Day 128

Today was a great day we left Midway Marina at 9am and got thru the Fulton Lock and dam which was a 26' drop and was a mile from the marina. This area of the trip is really remote with mainly Cyprus trees and dead heads. The day was so nice and in the 60's we decided to go farther than planned. We ended up going thru the Glover Wilkins Lock a 25' drop and Amory Lock another 25' drop. Each lock was perfect timing for us and the wait was minimal. After the Glover lock the lock master total us to favor the Red buoys for three miles. As we were doing this we ran into two tows(barges) changing tugs. Needless to say that did not give us much room to get by. Dan asked one of the tows if there was enough water depth to pass, tow captain said should be. We decided to pass on the mid channel side everything went well. Our first choice of an anchorage was too narrow for us to have a safe swing distance. On we went to our next choice, as Dan was heading in he ran into about 2' of water, second and last choice for anchorage was not good. There was another marina on the west bank that said we could get in there. Well it was 1/2 mile off the river in a winding channel in. It was getting late so we decided to take another night in a marina. Well we made our way thru Cyprus trees and Lin and I thought we were on a Disney ride or heading into a deliverance situation. Well we made it in fine thru the shallow water and are safe at dock. Tomorrow the plan is for 9 miles, anchor, relax and fish. The following day we will head to Columbus, Mississippi for Friday and Saturday.
Today we traveled 37 miles and a total of 2756, we are 357.5 miles from Mobile Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico.

Lin & Rich
Aberdeen Marina
Aberdeen, Mississippi

Nov 14th 15th 16th Days 125 126 127

We are safe and sound in Fulton Mississippi. Guess no one noticed that on the last blog I said days 112-114 instead of 122 123 124 I will let it go this time. Guess we are doing so good and having a great time days don't really matter. If I haven't said it before it is great traveling with Dan and Donna, we have cocktails and dinner together most nights and decisions are easier when 4 do it rather than 2. It is also good to know if you have a problem there is always help near by. To bring you up to date on the 14th we traveled 35.2 miles and anchored in a beautiful cove in Cotton Springs just before the Jamie Whitten lock our first of ten locks on the Tenn-Tom. On the 15th we rose early and got underway to a storm headed our way. We caught the lock with perfect timing as they we just letting out a North bound Tow(Barge). This lock dropped us 58 feet, from here on we will be let down on the locks as he head to the warm South. We went thru three locks on the 15th and due to the inclement weather took dockage at Midway Marina. Used the courtesy car and we stocked supplies at a super walmart. Today the 16th we decided to spend the day here as the weather called for more rain. It gave us a great opportunity to catch up on laundry, boat cleaning, maintenance, relaxing and news (have TV). Tomorrow we will head out and might make our destination Columbus Mississippi.

Lin & Rich
Midway Marina
Fulton, Mississippi

Nov 11th, 12th & 13th Days112,113,114

We were in a couple of bays the last few days and had no phone or Internet service so here is an update from the sunny south. On the 11th we left Dry Creek and headed up the Tennessee River looking for a waterfalls at mile marker 217.8, well we found it but did not look like a good anchorage so we went a little farther to a place called Whetstone Branch and anchored there. We took the dingies back to the waterfall for a look see. Was real nice and we probably could have anchored there but it was not very big and our spot was nicer. I had to climb to the top of the waterfalls just to say I did it. Did some more fishing but not much luck. Traveled a big 8.8 miles today TOUGH DAY in paradise.
On the 12th we left the anchorage at 9:45 and headed upriver to Waterloo on the way there we were in three states in 5 minutes. It is where the state lines meet at Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi so with a little zig and zag we accomplished this feat. Waterloo had nothing and there was no place to dock so we headed back down river and anchored in Panther Bay on the opposite side of the Tennessee river. Big day we did 18.6 miles and we were directly across from where we anchored the night before. Dan did some fishing and caught cat fish and yellow perch. I was letting my finger heal which I slammed in the fly bridge sliding door, bleed for about 4 hours and is all black, finally got it to stop and put butterfly tape on it.
Today the 13th we entered Yellow Creek and the start of the Tenn Tom Waterway. We did a long 8.1 miles brings our total trip miles up to 2,664 miles and entered the state of Mississippi our 8th state. We stopped here because the next 25 miles there is no place to stop or anchor it is called the CUT. We will do that tomorrow and stop short of the first lock about 30 miles from here. The locks(10) from here are on request except for weekends where they open every one or two hours depending on the lock. It is a little cooler today and is calling for rain later this afternoon. Got to move south as they are calling for temps in the 20's Thursday night.

Lin & Rich
Goat Island
Tenn-Tom Waterway
Mississippi

Nov 10th Day 110

What a beautiful day today was, we decided to stay at anchor in Dry Creek and do some relaxing.
Dan & I did some fishing and caught yellow bass nothing big. There were these huge fish called Sauger near the surface around the boat but no matter what we used they were not interested. Would have liked to catch one and try it out. It is dark here by 5 or 5:30 so it makes for a long night. We get out the cards and games till dinner usually around 7pm. We are slowing down our Southern travels due to insurance regs. Tomorrow it is suppose to be in the 7o's sure don't miss the cold weather.

Lin & Rich
Dry Creek
Picknick Lake, Tennessee

Nov 9th Day 120

Another great day with lots of sunshine and warm weather. We had a little fog this morning but the boat was 61 degrees when we got up. We left the anchorage at 8:30 and headed south on the Tennessee River the current was a little strong as we approached the lock at Pickwick. Went thru the lock our first in a long time and were in Pickwick Lake. We found a great anchorage in Dry Creek. Saw two coyotes on shore one eating a huge catfish head. We will spend a few days exploring the lake before head down the Tenn-Tom waterway. Tonight Lin and I are cooking a chicken dish we got from the Great Loop Cook Book.

Lin & Rich
Dry Creek
Tennessee

Nov 7th & 8th Days 118 &119

Yesterday the 6th we visited the fresh water Pearl farm which was pretty interesting. We also went for a hike in the state park probably did about 5 miles Nice hike and good exercise, saw 6 deer. Night was cold and again, we had frost on the windows on the 7th. Headed out after it warmed up and headed South we traveled 47.4 miles on a beautiful sunny day. The Tennessee River is really nice with great landscape and we had calm waters. We set anchor in behind Kellys Island around 3pm. Have to get to anchorages early since the time change. Night was great and it was 58 in the boat in the morning of the 8th. We can tell we were getting out of the cold and there was no frost just some fog. Once the fog cleared on the morning of the 8th we were underway. Again the water was calm, scenery was outstanding and the trees were still green. After 48.5 miles we dropped anchor behind Wolf Island. We took a dingy ride around the Island before putting it on the top. Tomorrow we will go thru a lock at Pickwick a little south of Shiloh National Park(civil war). We will stay at the Pickwick Landing marina to take on fuel. We are hoping they have a courtesy car so we can visit Shiloh. Tomorrow will be a 15 mile day, to date we have covered 2,607 miles and have seen some real nice places and have had some great and some not so great experiences.

Lin & Rich
Wolf Island
Savannah, Tennessee

Nov 5th & 6th Day 116 &117

Woke up at 5am 0n the 5th to heavy rain. Rained on and off from heavy to lite, so we hung at anchor till 9:30 before heading out. After 1/10 of a mile we crossed in the state of Tennessee which is our 7th state. The Tennessee River was rough with following seas which are actually better than taking waves straight on, just have to do a little more steering as it pushes the stern of the boat from side to side. This is the second day we have pulled the dinghy behind us and decided if it made it thru these two days of rough water it was good to go. We decided to stay at Pebble Island Marina in New Johnsonville Tennessee since it was suppose to go into the 20s at night. Good decision, when Lin & I got up this morning there was frost on the railings and windows. We ran the heat all night so the boat was warm but it sure was cold outside. We most likely will stay another night here as the weather will be the same. After tonight the weather is suppose to improve, sure hope so. There is the only fresh water pearl farm not far from here so we plan on using the courtesy van to visit that and also get some exercise by hiking in the nearby state park(if it warms up) We are about 600 miles from Pensacola where we plan on leaving the boat and head home for the Holidays for a few weeks.
Well that is it for now from COLD Tennessee.

Lin & Rich
Pebble Island Marina
New Johnsonville, Tennessee

Nov 4th Day 115

Today we left Eddy Creek and headed south. We crossed from Barkley Lake to Kentucky Lake via the Barkley Canal. We traveled 52.6 miles today in 6.5 hours. The seas were at our stern which make for a swirly ride. The rollers brought back memories of Lake Michigan in a small scale. We are tucked into Panther Bay and are at anchor. Today was very windy and cold, high in the 50's. Tomorrow night we decided to stay in a marina so we can have heat as it is going down into the 20's. Seems to be a cold front in the middle south where we are, hope it passes quickly. We are 1/10th of a mile from the Tennessee state line.

Lin & Rich
Panther Bay Kentucky

Nov 1st, 2nd, 3rd Days 112, 113, 114

Well today we planned on leaving Eddy Creek and start our journey down the Tennessee River. Well, again Mother Nature is trying to make a decision for us, it is cold and raining. Tough decision, head out in the rain, anchor in the rain, spend the night in the cold wet anchorage OR stay at the marina one more night with heat. If it does not get a lot better soon we will give in to Mother and hang here. The anchorage we plan on is about 3 hours or so from here and we would want to be secure before dark which now is getting sooner and sooner.
We changed the oil and filters, put fluid in steering, cleaned the boat, got dingy down and redid the dingy holders so we can leave it inflated while we were here. This will be the first time we have pulled the ding behind so we will have to see how that goes, if not good we will put it back on the holders. The marina says it is suppose to go down to 20 this weekend so we want to be SOUTH of here soon. Still on schedule to be in Florida by December and it looks like we will leave the boat in Pensacola for the Holidays.

Lin & Rich
Eddy Creek Marina, Kentucky