Rolling on the River

Wednesday, November 14 – Monday, November 19, 2012

Rolling, Rolling…..You know I had to say it eventually! I had Creedance Clearwater Rival running through my head all day, even Tina Turner’s rendition!

With gray skies overhead we made our leave from Columbus. One of men at the marina said everyone should have to take a load of ‘grass’ (water hyacinths) when leaving. Judging by Columbus Lock, we filled our quota!

Water Hyacinths in Columbus Lock

Luckily this vegetation does not get tangled in our props

Twenty some miles later was the Bevill Lock.  The 108’ US Snagboat Montgomery is displayed near the locks entrance. She was the last steam powered stern wheel riverboat working to keep the river way clear. (Hence, the song in my head…)



USS Montgomery

Tom Bevill Lock and Dam Museum

It’s an odd feeling not knowing what state you are in (and I do not mean mental!).  The last few days we have wandered in and out of Mississippi and Alabama. We always know what our location is in relation to the river but not which state in the union. The guide books don’t always mention it unless it is a city of interest.  Sometimes when we dock for the night I have asked the harbormaster, “What state is this?” I have been assured that I am not the first to ask. Time and space no longer have the same significance on this trip. We only need time enough to travel to a safe port for the night.

Eagles in a tree

Rocky banks seem to leak rust

Irish Attitude anchored out Wednesday night at m 287.3; Cochrane Cut-off. This ox bow was a good one. Done Dreaming went in first since they have forward scanning sonar to measure water depths. Everyone dropped a bow anchor and there was plenty of room to swing with the current and mild wind. Thursday morning our early start was hampered by fog but what’s the rush, we have no schedule!

 

Eventually we locked through Heflin Lock and Dam on mm 266.1. After this point the rocks lining the banks changed dramatically. We came upon White Cliffs of Epes. If you have never had an opportunity to see the famed White Cliffs of Dover….this is the next best thing. No passport is needed! It an Alabama secret! These chalk cliffs were formed at about the same time.

 

At mile 217 the Tenn-Tom Waterway ends. We continue our route downstream on the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway (BWTW). That’s 217 miles to Mobile, AL and the Gulf of Mexico! Demopolis was our next port.

See you soon!

Our friends from Limelight left their boat here and drove home (hopefully for a short time). Don’s hip had been bothering him since just prior to leaving Wisconsin, the pain only increasing. He and Anita went home to have it looked at, leaving their boat at Kingfisher Bay Marina. The significance of this location is that it's above 32 degrees longitude. That puts us above the hurricane zone. Passing this point prior to November 1^st is an insurance no-no. Therefore many loopers make this an extended stop.

Since Columbus, Irish Attitude has been traveling with Headquarters and Done Dreaming. Loopers flags were spotted on Godspeed and Emery el., gold loopers seeking warm weather for the winter months. Emery el was traveling with a sailboat attached to its side. While at Demopolis we got to know the people off of Blue Grass. Tom and Margie own Blue Grass, a 39 ft. Mainship trawler. They are making the entire loop with their friends Stephanie and Tony. I remember they introduced themselves at Joe Wheeler. Everyone was astounded to hear that 4 people travel on one boat. Some days it can be close enough quarters for two! Ten of us went to dinner that night making two trips with the courtesy vehicle. (We would be lost without these vehicles!) This marina was large and still under construction so they provided golf carts to travel from our slips to the office and restaurant. Kingfisher Bay wins the award for the nicest bathhouse/ laundry facility! I am talking flat screen T.V.! The next night we ate at the marina restaurant. Plans were made for a dawn departure. The next day would be a long one.


Tom/Margie, Tony/Stephanie, Shirley/Tony, Michael/Mundy and Mike

As luck (or the time of year) would have it, we were fogged in, heavy! The lockmaster would not consider our entry so we readied our boats for departure and listened to the VHF radio for the okay. An hour later we were on the move. The fog was patchy but clear by the Demopolis Lock. We had been forewarned that boat documentation was required at this lock. No problem. The lockmaster must have been a drill sergeant in a former life. His temperament was unlike the typical southern lock tender that we had seen up until now. Not friendly as most are or even showing their distaste in dealing with pleasure crafts as very few have been. This man was unique, barking the same orders at each of the 5 boats in our little flotilla.  “Wear your life jackets! No wake when approaching the chamber! Answer me when I talk to you!” Yikes! Everyone complied with extreme politeness. These are not the people to rile or every lock tender on the river will know your name!

Alabama Sand Dune?

This barge is sprouting new life

Bashi Creek is 75 miles downriver at mm 145. Done Dreaming ran ahead and dropped anchor. Headquarters, Irish Attitude and Blue Grass realized that we still had another slower boat behind us and did not believe everyone would fit in this narrow creek. We moved on to mm 118.9, Bobby’s Fish Camp! Nearly a 100 mile day!!! Bobby's is a must stop for 2 reasons. It’s a river icon and it's the last fuel stop before Mobile!  Done Dreaming stayed at Bashi Creek, having already settled in. We picked up speed and made it in just before dark. Emery el was already docked having left Demopolis a day earlier. We filled the dock space with barely enough room for our stern to reach the gas pump.

 

Now Bobby’s Fish Camp is just what it sounds like. There are small cabins where fishermen stay, similar to our deer camps. A restaurant is on site.  I had my first Catfish here. You can choose from fried, fried or deep fried! The batter was light and it was not bad! The new bathroom was a Rubbermaid shed with an enclosed shower, toilet, sink and mirror. What more could you ask for? (I took my shower on the boat!) Most importantly, they have fuel! I stood on the hill by the restaurant and called out gallons to Mike on the boat. A phone call earlier that day told us supplies were limited. One hundred gallons, call it good enough.

 

Okay.... New tune playing through my head. Ode to Billy Joe. We have been traveling through Choctaw County and have passed ridges and bridges that bring the song to mind. Like everyone, I wonder what did the couple throw off the bridge and why was her family so blasé about his death?
 
Our next and the last lock for a while is the Coffeyville Lock at mm 116.6. Twenty-nine locks including our side trip to Chattanooga. From this point south the waters would be tidal. Tides and currents charts will now be an integral part of docking and anchoring. There was only a slight fog but news from the lockmaster was not good. Three tows were ahead of us and would need to be locked through first. That put our departure time to around 11:00 a.m.! We hoped that Done Dreaming would catch up but that was not to be. It turns out they developed a problem with their starter and were running on one engine.

Around 10:30 a.m. we headed toward the lock. The next 2 nights we planned to anchor out. Actually there is no other option as there are no more marinas. Headquarters took the lead. Not many pictures were snapped. It took all our eyes to navigate the BWTW. This section of river did not receive the attention that the Tenn-Tom did. The river meanders to and fro as a lazy river will. Remember the tows we waited that earlier…. we caught up with them plus 3 others heading north! The tows keep moving so it is not unusual to pass the same tows again and again in both directions.

Switch back turns

We pulled into Three Rivers Lake on the RDB at mm 63.8. There was plenty of room. Irish Attitude and Blue Grass rafted together using bow anchors and pointing in opposite directions, in lieu of the use of a stern anchor. Headquarters stayed closer to the entrance where it was deeper. Mike launched the dinghy and with the aid of Tony from Blue Grass assisted Headquarters in setting a stern anchor. We all got together on Blue Grass for hors d’oeuvers that lasted until looper midnight (9:00 p.m.)! It was a great time with great people.



Blue Grass

 

Burr… The next morning our cabin temperature was 50 degrees. A downside of anchoring out is no electricity. We cannot run our generator all night long. Sigh. Something is lacking with our battery system that has just enough juice to run the refrigerator and our anchor light. This has plagued us the entire trip and has limited our ability to anchor out. So when our Siamese neighbors woke up both boats turned on the generators for heat and breakfast!  The upside of anchoring is disembarking. Pull the anchor and you’re off. No lines or power cords!



Can you see the two tows?
 



Curvy

Irish Attitude took our turn at the lead today. Before leaving the anchorage 2 tows passed us, heading north luckily! It looked like another day of twists and turns on the river. There is the Pascagoula and Thelma Parker again, one whistle or two? It became very confusing as the day wore on. The river switched back and forth and we could hear tow and boaters communicating from over 10 nautical miles away but only two miles as the crow flies. It was difficult to decipher who the tows were talking too. Once contacted, we had to negotiate a pass before the next curve. Many times we followed along for miles awaiting a safe window. The tow captains were great and more than patient with us.

 

Unusual Cargo

Bullish!

We could have made it to Mobile Bay but decided to stay at Big Bayou Canot anchorage at mm 16.6, considered to be one of the best on the BWTW. Again we rafted with Blue Grass. Everyone was ready for a break. We sat on our boats and chatted with the last of the sun. Owls could be heard in the woods but they sounded more like a strange laugh. (Maybe it was the locals teasing us.) Still no gators but that’s okay with me! Stephanie, Margie and I thought a group dinner would be fun and the guys were all in. They got short changed on last night’s light fare. Headquarters brought their dinghy over to Blue Grass. It was another evening filled of tales and laughter.

Tomorrow the Irish Attitude will finish the western river trek. A portion of the loop I was apprehensive about and glad to have conquered. Mike said he has had enough of rivers for a while. We are looking forward warm temperatures and the ICW!

First palm sighting