We're In The Ditch

November 1, 2, 3, 2011

Most people think that boaters take the Mississippi River all of the way to New Orleans as their route to the sunny south.  Actually, very few take that route, because the lower Mississippi is not pleasure craft friendly.  It is too commercial and doesn’t offer the facilities that most boaters need:  fuel, marinas and good anchorages.  Instead boaters take the Tennessee Tombigbee to Mobile.  This 470 mile waterway is made up of three rivers:  the Tennessee Tombigbee, the Black Warrior Tombigbee and the Alabama River.  In 1971 the Corps of Engineers began the largest civil works project ever.  More dirt was moved to build the Tenn-Tom than was moved to build the Panama Canal.  After spending $2 billion the waterway was opened in 1985.  Ten locks and dams had to be constructed to overcome the 341 foot difference in water levels.  One would think that since it is man made it would be a straight line, but NO…..  It wiggles like a convulsing snake 99% of the way.    

November 1

 This was the final day of retracing our path on the Tennessee River from Chattanooga. We didn’t leave Florence until 1:45. Brian decided that he was looking too shaggy and needed a haircut. It took a little longer than expected because the barber had just had rotator cuff surgery & he wanted to show Brian all of his x-rays: pre-surgery through post. Luckily they were all at the barber shop and he didn’t have to call his wife to bring them over! These things only happen in small town, America.

Another good anchorage tonight only 27 miles from Florence, but, hey, we’re retired!  Who needs to rush?     

I’ve seen cabooses made into houses,
 but never a box car.  Might be cute....
  Who am I to talk about unconventional houses –
when I live on a boat!    

Time to thread our way through the rock piles to----

Our beautiful anchorage for the night

November 2

Yesterday was a short day; today a long one – 72 miles and 3 locks.  The locks on this part of the waterway are very close together, about every seven to nine miles.  The first one dropped us 85 feet and the next two took us down 30 feet each.  We were lucky because we only had to wait 20 minutes to enter the first one.  The other two were open and waiting for us.  We have occasionally had to wait two to three hours to enter a lock.  We anchored again tonight just before the next lock.  We can monitor the lock activity in the morning and take off when we know we can get in quickly.  

 The 26 mile ditch – the only straight part of the waterway.
  13 years ago, when we first made this trip,
there was very little vegetation. 
The scenery has greatly improved!

Water would normally enter the river
through a series of spillways. 
Mississippi is in a draught. 
We have only seen a trickle of water in any of them.

 

 Wood chips are a big business down here.
  The crane lifts 10-12 trees at a time
 and drops them into the chipper that can handle 30 trees in a gulp.
  The wood chips are used to make paper.
  Never live near a paper manufacturer that uses wood chips.
  It is one of the foulest smells imaginable….believe me….I’m not kidding.  It’s bad!

November 3 

Yesterday in the high 70’s and sunny. Today, rainy with low clouds in the 50’s. Wow, with fluctuations like that I feel like I’m back in Minnesota. Left our anchorage at 6:15 in the rain and before the sun was up. This is never a good idea. However, a  tow boat was approaching and if we didn’t get into the lock before him, we’d be waiting on him to go through at every lock. That’s a big deal today because we did five locks. We’ve been on the water long enough that we see familiar boats every day. They may get ahead of us, and three or four days later they reappear. Everyone has a different rhythm that makes for their comfortable travel.  

Columbus, Mississippi marina for tonight.  Brian and I are both giddy because we have WIFI and can answer emails and pay bills.

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride

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