FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6

Spent the day catching up on boat chores. Our Verizon service doesn’t work here. Ross checked out the courtesy van for a while and drove around until he found cell signal. He made several calls to marinas so we have a number of options depending on what Ida does. Everyone is keeping a close eye on the weather.

We are definitely fresh water folk who are now salt water newbies. No more floating docks and cleats. We now have to tie up to a dock piling and consider the tide factor in to it. Heck, I was just starting to figure out the dock and cleat thing. The photo is the boat in the slip as low tide. Ross got up last night and checked on the boat at high tide. He said at that point the boat was lifted so high we would have had to get off the swim platform to get on to the dock. I take his word for it, and you’ll have to take mine. No way was I getting up at 2 a.m. to take a picture.

There are several commercial shrimp boats in this marina. We went to buy some fresh shrimp off of a boat where we saw a crew. But just our luck, their boat had generator problems and had to come back in. No shrimp. Visiting with them I found out they take the boats out at night. There is a huge outrigger on either side of the boat and net attached. On the ends of the outrigger are gigantic spotlights. They turn them on to attract the shrimp. Dang, I wish they would have had some shrimp!

We used the courtesy van and went to a busy little fish joint in Fairhope named Market By The Bay for dinner. Fellow Loopers Liz and Bob Stagg from “Second Wind” joined us. It wasn’t a fancy place by any means, but good, reasonably priced chow. Ross and I both had the fried shrimp dinner and hush puppies. Very good!! More about hush puppies some other time. I’m not entirely sure what they are, but I’ll find out and report back. But know this, the choice was French fries or hush puppies. They are good! Bob had the gumbo and said it was excellent. Being a native Alabamian I figure he knows gumbo. It was “First Friday” in Fairhope so many of the shops were open late and there were street musicians. We wandered around for a while before going back to the marina.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 5

We made it to the ocean!!! Good bye Zebra mussels.....hello barnacles. As we entered Mobile Bay we passed many large ocean going vessels. We saw ships of every shape.


This is a crane which is offloading a barge of what we think is gravel. The bucket drops down in the barge, scoops up a load and then puts it in a pile. Maybe fun the first few times you did it, but it has to be a pretty boring way to make a living.











I thought these tugs looked cool.










This was a very odd looking Navy ship. There was a sign posted on it to stay away at least 500 feet.


The boat being in the salt water has increased out speed a mile and hour. I suppose because it's more buoyant.

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 4

Last night was a lot of fun with our dock mates at Bobby's Fish Camp. One of the boats was going to be pulled out of the water for a while when they arrive at their destination. Trying to deplete their inventory of food they fed us brats, burgers and salads to our hearts content. Or should I say, our stomach's content. It's always fun to socialize and compare notes after a day of travel. The party broke up by 7 and I think all the boats were dark shortly after. When you get up before the birds to travel, you go to sleep when it gets dark.






























We arrived at our last lock on the river way before dawn. Almost immediately we noticed a change in the smell of the air. The water is now brackish and there is a change in the vegetation.



We now see palms, saw grass and spanish moss.






Dealing with tides also becomes and new issue for us.







This is a photo of the "14 mile railroad swing bridge". It is too low for us to pass under so we radio ahead to the bridge tender. He is located in the rectangular structure you can see at the center of the bridge toward the top. Once you contact him, he will call dispatch and make certain there aren't any trains coming. (good plan!) He then swings the bridge open. We noticed his ride to work was his fishing boat tied to the bridge pier near shore. He then walks out on the bridge and climbs to his office.




I don't remember which highway bridge this was, but I thought it was curious that the locals refer to it as the Dolly Parton Bridge.




We spent the night at the Tensaw River Cutoff at Daymark 12.2. The locals refer to it as a hurricane hole so we felt very secure there. It was in incredible spot. So quiet and serene. We sat out on the bow of the boat at dusk and found ourselves whispering because if we spoke it sounded like we were yelling. We could hear many types of birds and a great horned owl hooting. We noticed the tree tops moving several timesand could here what sounded like twigs snapping. We finally noticed some type of critter moving around from branch to branch. We can only guess. Maybe an opposum? I suppose it's safer to move around up in the trees than on the ground. There are gators in this area along with snakes. The breezed died down and the water was like glass.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3

Tuesday November 3

Checked the sea strainers when we first got up. After all the debris we drove through yesterday they were full of stuff. The sea strainers strain water that is sucked in to cool the engines. If the strainers get clogged, the engines over heat. The engines over heating is not good. We started toward the lock way before dawn so were very happy for the light of the full moon. Made it much easier to pick out floating logs. Chilly morning but a clear sky so it promises to be a nice day. The lock was full with boats headed downriver. (Just a warning for Mom, Lori Lindboe and Swing, you might not want to read this next part) As I was untying from the bollard so we could leave the lock, I saw something fall by my head and heard a “thunk” sound. I looked to see that a Cottonmouth snake had fallen from 40 feet above from the lock wall and landed on the steel bollard. That’s a heck of a way to wake up in the morning! Kind of felt sorry for the guy. The stun from the fall and the cold temperatures had it moving slow, thankfully, so it gave me time to get out of the way and to grab the camera. It was maybe 3 ½ feet long and looked nasty. By the time we pulled away from the lock, it was looking much more alert. Ross radioed the lockmaster and told him about it so an unsuspecting boater wouldn’t tie up along there. By that time I’m sure the snake would be wide-awake, have a huge snake headache and not be any too happy about the pickle it was in. The fog rolled in as we left the lock making it difficult to see other boats and debris. As there were 12 of us leaving the lock, we were happy to have radar so we knew where the other boats where. It was sunny, but cool and started out cold. I was happy for my sweatshirt and its long sleeves which work well as mittens on the cold steering wheel. We arrived in the late afternoon at Bobby’s fish camp. It consists of dock that looks none to secure to the shore. You can tie up for the night but there’s no services. At the time I am writing this, there are 9 boats tied up where there should be 3. We are all rafted together and just decided to have a potluck. What else are you going to do? In the morning we will head through the last lock before arriving at the ocean a day later. Tomorrow night we will have to find an anchorage as Bobby’s is the last place to tie up and get fuel before making it to Mobile, so we will most likely be out of cell phone and internet range.

MONDAY NOVEMBER 2

Headed out before daylight. The river winds back and forth along this stretch with sharp turns. There is a lot of stuff in the water. Floating masses of sticks and debris, huge clumps of water-lillies of some sort, (sorry Deone, I can’t bring any back) but the biggest concern is logs. Sometimes there is so much debris in the water that you can’t help but hit some of it and have to choose what looks to be the lesser of the evils. We went at a pretty good clip today trying to make up time for the day we lost earlier to weather. We also had to keep a sharp eye out for fishermen and hunters. They have been known to shoot at your boat if your wake is too big. We’ve heard stories of bullet holes in boats. We passed these beautiful white cliffs. No idea what type of rock it is. We had a 2 to 3 mile current most of the day that helped us along and saved on fuel. We made it to Demopolis in the late afternoon. A long day of travel, but worth it. I have no idea how many locks we have passed through. What I do know is we only have two locks left and then it’s the ocean. Ate supper at the little restaurant at the marina. A group of boaters asked us to join them. They recommended the crawdads so that’s what we ordered. They were lightly battered, fried and very spicy. Good, with enough left over for our lunch tomorrow.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1

Back to Central Standard Time last night. Thought we’d be getting an extra hour of sleep. Remember that new coffee pot I had to have? Well, I forgot to change the time on it and it started perking away at 5 am. We were up and sipping coffee before we realized what was going on. So we got an early start today. It’s a cool day but a wonderful fall day with clear blue skies.

Arrived at the Columbus Marina mid afternoon. Much to our pleasure, the Vikings vs Packer game was on a local channel. Ross was a happy boy. There is a restaurant named Woody’s which is across the parking lot at the marina. This time of year it normally isn’t open on Sunday. There were so many of us transient boaters in for the night that they opened it up. It was a very nice place to have dinner. Since they were very short staffed, they only had a few menu choices. One was a shrimp dish in some type of sauce served over grits. Ross ordered it and gave me a taste. After one bite I knew I had ordered the wrong thing. It was delicious!!! He kept saying how good it was, ”comfort food”. If we ever come back this way, I know what I’ll be ordering. I think grits are an acquired taste, which we have unfortunaltely come to enjoy. Smothered with butter and sugar. Oh ya!!! But they serve them in many different ways. So what the heck are grits anyway? We asked and they told us it is hominy. Well that answers that question….not. I do love the internet for finding answers. So for y’all who don’t know, hominy is dried white or yellow corn with the hull removed and then ground.

HALLOWEEN!!!!

We left Grand Harbor Marina in the early morning along with 11 other boats. Which was kind of a hassle. Lots of Loopers headed the same direction and the crummy weather had many of us jammed up. It was always a zoo when we came to a lock. We are no longer on the Tennessee River, but on the Tenn-Tom waterway. Which winds its way through Mississippi and then enters back in to Alabama. Cloudy and cool day to start with, but the sun finally came out and it was a beautiful day. We stopped for the night at Midway Marina. It is the closest marina to Tupelo, Mississippi…Elvis’ birthplace. (Eileen, I blew a kiss towards Tupelo for you) We were welcomed to the marina by several of the locals. A few of them were wearing costumes. There was an annual marina Halloween party about to take place and they insisted we attend. A few kids were in costumes and trick or treating on the dock. I hadn’t prepared for the holiday so offered up some of Ross’ Snicker bar stash. Ross had a look of horror when I appeared with the bag. The party was such fun. Some great costumes and tasty potluck food. They called out numbers and everyone got a prize. Except me, I lost my number. I made out okay though. Ross’ prize was a bag of caramels. Which he doesn’t eat but I adore. The entertainment was Karoke and was a big hit. There was a little girl dressed as a fairy who told us she would grant us a wish. She sprinkled some fairy dust on us and then bonked us on the head with her wand. Well, I’m still 56. Crap. We must have worn the fairy dust home as it’s scattered about on our boat now. Maybe it’s magic will keep us safe.

Heres a few photos from the Halloween party.

The dock trick or treaters. The fairy is the one who granted our wish.

This guy had on the funniest shirt. You could check the box which costume you wanted it to be. He had the box checked: Someone with absolutely no time for this crap.

King Neptune who granted us safe travels

Friendly looking couple......yikes!

Princess Leah, the later years

The redneck and his Nascar babe. He made me rub his belly before he'd let me take their picture.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 30TH

Hot and muggy. Highs in the 80’s with high winds and storms predicted. We decided to stay another day at Grand Harbor. Finished getting our list of projects done. It was very windy all day and the storms hit in the afternoon. When they hit we were happy we decided to stay put. Once the first storm passed the temp dropped to about 60 degrees. Not much else to report on so I’ll just tell you what I have learned about this section of the river.

The Tenn-Tom

Started in 1971 the Corp of Engineers moved more dirt to build the Tenn-Tom than was moved to build the Panama Canal. It was completed in 1985. Now it is possible to cruise to the Gulf Coast and the Midwest without having to risk the lower Mississippi, which can be very hazardous. It’s a 234 mile waterway project to connect the Tennessee River and the Tom Bigbee River.

The elevation at the north end is 414 feet. So the lock system in that 234 mile section will lower us to sea level by the time we arrive at Mobile Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico. There are a total of 12 locks we will pass through to achieve this. The average lock is 10 feet wider than a football field and the length of two fields. The protocol at the locks is somewhat different on this waterway. Back home on the river, we are use to being thrown lines by the lock tenders. Here you rarely see a person at the locks. It is only floating bollards, which are great. Once you are secured to one, you must state on the radio your boat name and that you are secure. By law everyone must be wearing a life jacket in the locks. They close the gates and then sound a horn that sounds like an air raid siren before the water rises or lowers. Scared the beejeebers out of me the first time I heard it!

Here are some fun facts about barges. You never know when info like this might come in handy. Could be a Daily Double question on Jeopardy! Okay, one barge carries the same amount of cargo as 15 freight train cars and 60 large semi loads. We’ve seen towboats pushing up to 30 barges. In gas pump terms, a gallon of fuel will move one ton of freight 500 miles by barge. So now you know.