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.