7/8/18 Sunday -Columbus Marina Mississippi to Kingfisher Marina, Demopolis, Alabama

Awoke to try to get an early start to a long day of cruising.  Called the lock first(1st lock was only about a mile away) to find we could lock down in about a half hour. We had a bowl of cereal, coffee, and got ready to go. Headed to the first of 3 locks of the day.
The morning went beautifully.  Slightly cloudy which kept the temperatures comfortable. 
We decided to cruise at a quicker pace, about 17 mph, since we were hoping to travel about 120 miles today. 
The view became less "ditch" like and turned to a more natural looking river bank.  It actually reminded us a little of the Muskingum River in spots...except for the swampy areas, Lilly pad fields, and palm tree!
Shortly after the third lock we took turns napping and relaxing on the recliners on the bow.  Just as we were discussing jumping in to cool off, the scenery changed.  We came upon the white cliffs of Epes.  Very similar to the White Cliffs of Dover, the cliffs are white and chalky beautifully outlining the river.  We jumped in and Erik took some pics!  We were back on the water fairly quickly and made really good time pulling in to Kingfisher Marina around 4:30.  After tying up and getting all the info from Anne Marie, we took a bike trip into Demopolis.  We saw some amazing old homes!  Back at the boat we showered and watched some tv.  Coffee, Klondike bars, and HGTV to wrap
up our last day of cruising. 
The last few days have been exhausting. Now we have a busy day ahead to wrap up, pack up, and get ready to head home!
We are blwsss to have made this journey and to be set up for next year's short cruise (about 200 miles) down to Mobile Bay and ready to cross the Gulf of Mexico! 

Flowering lily pads

Maritime museum

Palm tree!

Last lock this year!

White cliffs of Epes

White cliffs

White cliffs

7/7/18 - Saturday - Bay Springs Marina (New Site, Mississippi) to Columbus Marina (Columbus, Mississippi)

We awoke at our usual 6am.  While taking the first couple of sips of morning joe we called the first of 7 planned locks for the day to inquire whether there were any delays.  We were told that we needed to get there in 10 mins or so, or we would be stuck behind three separate barges and would have a several hour delay at this first Lock and likely be behind them the entire day.  This would mean we would be lucky to make it through 3 locks and travel 18-20 miles today.  At break neck speed we disconnected shore power, started blowers, checked systems, and shoved off.   We scooted on down 1 1/2 miles or so to the lock at a blistering 25mph 🤭.  We arrived just as the lock master had finished filling the chamber and was opening the doors to allow us in.....wheeeww!  Glad we made it in front of the downriver regatta of barges before they got in front of us 🤩
We continued our way down "The Ditch" (nickname for this section of the Tenn-Tom Waterway) with no issues.  The first 3 locks on the waterway only have about 6 miles between them so they come up quickly.   The first one (Whitten Lock) was a large drop of 90’.   All of the remaining drops are much smaller (about 30’ or less).   We were starting to catch up with a downriver barge by the 3rd Lock (Rankin Lock) and also had caught up with a 30’ recreational sailboat who would be locking down with us.   We conversed with them on the radio and found that they were coming down out of Peoria Illinois traveling all the way down to Florida.  Once through Rankin Lock we made a pit stop at Midway Marina where we filled up the fuel tanks and checked fluids.  We had been asked by the two gentlemen on the sailboat if we knew of anywhere they could get a fan belt for their 2 cycle Yanmar outboard.   We inquired with the dock hand at Midway Marina and he informed us that they had a courtesy vehicle and that there were several auto parts stores within a short distance.  We radioed and let the guys on SV "Alessandra" know this and they turned into the marina as well to try and get the belt they needed.   We had nice conversation with them and found out that they were brothers, one of whom had recently been diagnosed and was being treated for kidney cancer.   He went on disability for his truck driving job, sold everything, and was sailing/motoring down to Florida where he is planning to live aboard his boat.  Seemed like nice guys!   Also at Midway Marina, we saw replicas of the Pinta and Nina boats that were docked there....pretty cool!
We did now catch up to, and get stuck behind a commercial barge.  We had to wait approximately 1 hr for them to get him locked down. Once through the lock we passed the barge and were able to get ahead of him before the next lock.  This put us back on pace to get to our destination, about 80 miles and 7 locks! We arrived at Columbus marina between 5 and 5:30pm just before they closed at 6pm.
After dinner and while preparing to get showered up to go into town we discovered the fresh water pump was not working.  We decided to mess with it when we got back and headed to town to catch a great lead meeting(lots of people! about 100!) and stopped at walmart for oil, trash bags, and boxes for packing.  Erik found a little ice cream shop on the way home!  Back at the boat we looked at the wiring for the water pump and determined that it was all good.   It appears that the pump itself is bad 😕.  Fortunately, it was bought and installed by us almost exactly 1 yr ago and we do have the receipt (it has a 4 yr warranty).  Unfortunately, that will not do is any good for the last few days of our travels since we will not be able to get it exchanged/fixed in that timeframe.   Oh well...we were tired and decided to sleep on it and decide how to handle it tomm.  We don’t really need water for much and what we do need we can use out of jugs (ie flush toilet and wash dishes).   It was late and off to bed we went.

Our 100th lock on Aquaholic!

100th lock

Nina and Pinta at Midway Marina

A different landscape than we have seen!

White Heron or Egret.....the debate is still on!

Another heron/egret stalking the fish in the lock

After the water recedes there are usually fish on the gate ledge!

7/6/18 - Friday - Florence Marina (Alabama) to Bay Springs Marina (New Site, Mississippi)

We both got a good nights sleep after a long day.  We awoke at about 6am.  We had gotten the keys to the marinas courtesy vehicle the night before.  We found an AA meeting that was only about 4 miles away.  The 7am meeting was very well attended (about 30 people) and was good...lots of good sobriety and discussion on fear.   My comment was that I FEARED that if I did not get to a meeting soon that Renee was going to fill my life vest with lead and throw me overboard!

After the meeting we drove to nearby Ivy Green which is the birthplace and childhood home of Helen Keller.  It was a $5 tour and was well worth the money!  The guide was knowledgeable and friendly and did a great job describing all of the history of the house/plantation and talking about Helen's life.
A quick stop through McDonald’s drive through for breakfast sandwiches on the way back to the marina filled our bellies for the cruise.  At the marina we fueled up, pumped out, and were on our way.
The cruise down this portion of the river was nice and relaxing.  We started a a slow pace for the first hour or so then kicked it up a notch as we realized we wanted to try and make Bay Springs Marina by 6pm when they closed.  Once again, the rain clouds moved in and were looking ominous.   Fortunately, we managed again to dodge the worst of the rain and only had some light showers to contend with.   Erik drive from the lower helm for a couple of hours through the light rain.  Erik then napped on the couch while Renee took the helm for an hour or so.  We switched up and Renee then napped while Erik drove.
About 45 miles into the days cruise we came to the end of our adventurers on the Tennessee River when we got to the mouth of the Tenn-Tom Waterway.  This was a major change in scenery.   The first 25 miles or so of the waterway is a fairly narrow (maybe 300’ across) canal with rock/gravel on both banks and mowed grass above those banks and nothing around exciting to see.  This is surely why many Loopers refer to this section as "The Ditch".   After this first stretch it opened back up into a beautiful lake (Bay Springs Lake) with many coves and great remote, undeveloped shorelines that would be perfect for anchorages.   However, we had a long day and were now in the mindset of making miles for several consecutive days to come so we opted to go into a marina again tonight where we felt we could best get a good nights rest.
We had some good conversations with the locals on the docks.  They are mostly from Tupelo.  We walked the docks and shopped for our next boat/s 😂.   Back to the boat Erik grilled up a more than healthy helping of tatos/peppers/onions/zucchini/mushrooms that we filled our bellies with.   As we were finishing up dinner it became evident that Mississippi also has nice sunsets!   The storms that had moved through a bit earlier left just enough clouds and moisture in the air for there to be brilliant colors!  Gods good on the waters.
As I write this I’m debating if I have room in my belly for one of those Heath Klondike bars that I know are in the freezer?  Yea, likely 😋

Sign at the AA meeting

Ivy Green, Birthplace of Helen Keller

The pump where Helen Keller signed "water"

The cooks house at Ivy Green

Ivy Green - pump

Moon tree

Moon tree

"Annie"  docked behind us, we had seen this boat in Marietta!

Sunset at Bay Springs

sunset

7/5/18 - Thursday - Guntersville Marina to Florence Harbor Marina, Alabama

We were in the last outside slip of a dock that had no break wall protection from the main lake last night at Guntersville Marina.  With the heavy boat traffic due to the Independence Day holiday this made for a rockin and Rollin evening and night!  Probably the rockiest evening we’ve ever had at a marina.  Fortunately we were exhausted and/or the wave action finally settled down a bit because we both slept well and awoke at about 6am.
We made our coffee, stowed things, opened up windows (turned off AC) and just as Erik was preparing to cast off the lines to get another jump on the days heat Renee called the Guntersville Lock and Dam (just about 10 miles further downriver) to inquire if there were any delays due to commercial barge traffic.   She was told there is a 3hr delay....ugh.  Oh well, this is the nature of river travel and we roll (float) with the punches.   Guess it’ll be a slower start to the day than we planned.  We’ve learned that "Planning" and "boat travel" are not really synonymous 🤔.
We left the marina at about 9am and headed up to the Lock slowly.  We waited another 20 mins or so to get into the lock.   Down we went and on our way down river we cruised.  It was uneventful and pretty quick motoring (for us) at about 14 - 15 mph.  Until we got to the railroad lift bridge in Decatur.  There was a train on the tracks and another one right behind it.   We had to wait for 30 mins or so for the bridge to lift and let us through.   Shortly after, the rain clouds rolled in. We had called ahead to the lock at Wheeler Lock and they said if we could make it there in an hour he’d lock us down but otherwise we would have to wait a couple of hours.   We picked up the pace to 18-20 mph and somehow (dumb luck) managed to skirt all of the thunder boomers around us.  We locked down and called the next lock (Wilson) only to find out that we would have a 2 1/2 hr wait.  We were only about 10 miles or less from it.  We slowed our pace drastically and tootled downriver to what turned out to be a gorgeous anchorage cove where we sat for a while to wait.  Fortunately the rain in the area had cooled the temps and the scenery was beautiful in this cove.   The one house that was in the cove is for sale.  We tried to find the listing for it because it was on an absolutely stunning lot and we thought we might buy it with all our extra cash 💰 😂.
After a while of floating we slowly made our way over to the top of the Wilson lock where we ended up having to wait yet another hour for the barge (that got locked up in two pieces) to connect back together and motor out.  By this time it was after 730pm and it was starting to get dark (we are in central time).   It was only a couple of miles down a canal to the Florence Harbor Marina.   We pulled in and got settled into our slip.  On the wall immediately behind us is the motor vessel "Annie" whom we had encountered and met the crew in Marietta at the Sernwheeler Featival a couple of years ago.   It is a very cool large old boat with a complete pipe organ set on the top bridge that belts out wonderful tunes 😊
We had planned to cook dinner but the hour was getting late (830pm or so) and the allure of the on-site restaraunt drew us in for Philly Steak flatbread sandwiches and fries.  We showered and are back at the boat planning our day for tomm.  We are planning to do some siteseeing and an AA meeting in the AM before our next days cruise.

So fun watching the jet skis get "air" on our wake!

These guys followed us and played on our wake for a while!

Painted Bluff again

Views!

the water suddenly looked really green as the storm clouds rolled in

Storms in the distance

Our future "home port" lol

One of the biggest drops!

Annie!

7/4/18- Wednesday - Chattanooga, TN to Gu Kerrville, AL

We got an early start after topping off water tanks and pumping out.  Headed down the river around 7am, EST.  Shortly after leaving Chattanooga we entered back into central time, our internal clocks are so confused! We came upon some pretty dense fog for a little while, but after a short time we hit Nickajack Lock, our first and only lock of the day.  The lock master was filling the chamber when we arrived, so after a short wait we were lowered down and on our way.  Heading back down river we are trying to cover distance. We stopped a few times to cool off but mostly kept moving all day.  Because we were moving at a pretty good pace, and the time change, we arrived at Guntersville Marina around 3.  Not bad for a day of 105 river miles!  Just as we were getting settled in, we watched a storm move in from across the lake. Perfect timing today!  We took showers, did laundry, played some pool in the shower/laundry house, then Erik made shish-kabobs, YUM!!!!  We made a quick trip to the store then watched the Guntersville fireworks from the back of the boat.  We were both to exhausted to leave the dock to go watch them, but we could see pretty well from the dock.  Finishing blogs as my eyes start to get heavy....goodnight moon....😴

Leaving at sunrise

Sun rising behind us

Lookout mountain (where we went to Ruby Falls)

Ruby Falls entrance from the river

Very cool looking.....is it smoke, fog, or cloud?

We foundout shortly that it was fog....very dense fog for a while!

The fog is lifting

What a beautiful backdrop to river setting!

Another lift bridge, but plenty of clearance

7/3/18 - Tuesday - Chattanooga

We had a great layover day in Chattanooga today.   We’ve found this city to be very boater friendly as well as may neat things to see and do.
We started the day slowly by sleeping in some and relaxing on the boat a good part of the morning.   After a late breakfast we ventured out to the Tennessee Aquarium which’s right above the city docks where we are located. The aquarium is huge and very nice.  It has an entire large building dedicated to the river systems; how and where they start all the way to the oceans.   It is very well done, and bonus....it was inside and air conditioned on a VERY hot day 😎.  We spent 5 or so hours here and could have spent even more (except for our feet getting tired).
After the Aquarium we hopped on the free shuttle bus and went across the river to do some shopping at Publix.   Provisioned back up for the long boating days we have planned for the coming week.
Back at the boat we ventured back up into downtown for a few for ice cream (gotta have it 🍦) and then rested our tired legs for a bit before cooking dinner and settling in to enjoy the Independence Day festivities.  We sat in our zero gravity chairs on the bow of the boat and enjoyed a nice concert by the Chattanooga Sumphony while eating our baklava cheesecake we had gotten yesterday 🤩.    The fireworks were not as good as the Ft Loudon display we’d seen on Saturday but they were nice.
To bed we went to rest up for a planned long cruising day of 100+ miles tomorrow in the predicted 96 degree heat.

Rowing team practice

Otters playing at the aquarium

American Alligators.....I hope I don't see any this close on the rivers!

Paddle fish, they open their mouths and filter food from the water!

Petting stingrays!

Albino??? catfish

The lemur exhibit was pretty cool!

Ring tailed lemurs

Lots of butterflies!

Penguins!

more penguins!

Jellyfish are so much cooler here than at the beach!

All different types of jellyfish

SHARK!

Aquaholic at the docks at the Bluff, Chattanooga

Our neighbor at the docks!

Our view of the pops concert and fireworks 

Chattanooga fireworks