It May Be Alabama But, It Feels Like Florida

November 12, 2011

This was a quiet day.  The marina has a West Marine Store.  Brian has been up there several times to get a few more parts….always parts, parts, parts.  The third time he went; I walked along to get wrist bands for the Gulf crossing.  (I never used to get sea sick, but the body has changed – in so many ways.  Gale Cousins has assured me that the wrist bands will be the cure.)  We decided to walk around the marina.  When we got directly across from our boat, we saw that Captain Sid was unloading beautiful big shrimp.  They hadn’t had any success for a month, but today they hit the mother load!  We bought two pounds of the freshest shrimp we have ever eaten.  They were delicious!  What fun to buy them right off the boat.  Even the quiet days can have memorable moments. 

Gotta smile – we’re lovin the ride!

Mobile Bay On Our Horizon, But First....

November 9, 10, 11, 2011

November 9

Good-bye Demopolis

Off for an early start:  6AM, no fog, the sun is up….untie the lines.  We have 271 miles to pound out before we get to Mobile Bay and the Dog River Marina.  We’d like to get in 70 miles today and with only one lock it shouldn’t be a problem.  Short days are our biggest obstacle.  The sun is up at 6 and sets at 5.  We like to allow an hour to get the anchor set and make sure we are secure.  Everything always hinges on how fast we can get through the locks.  The Demopolis Lock is within a couple of miles from the marina.  We arrive at the lock and it is open, but by the time seven boats move inside the chamber and tie off, the water is dropped 37 feet and we get out – two hours of our daylight is gone.   It’s raining, but inside the pilot house we are warm and cozy.  The new inverter is doing its job.  Time for me to do a little cleaning.  I’ve got the vacuum humming while Brian drives the boat.

I don‘t know how this boat floats.  Looks like a skeleton of bamboo partially wrapped with plastic garbage bags.  And, those sails.... I'm concerned.

 

 

 

 

Looking at the scenery I keep thinking about the force of moving water:  eroded walls of rock, massive land erosion, and huge mature trees pushed around like a baby’s toys.  It has an unforgiving power.  Twice in my life when I was much younger and stronger I was overpowered by water. (And, I bet you’ll be surprised to find out that I was a synchronized swimmer and life guard in high school and college.)  In California I was caught in a riptide that just kept pounding me wave after wave and pulling me further away from shore.  The second time was on the flooded Cannon River in Minnesota.  It is a terrifying feeling to be tossed around with no control of what happens to you.  It certainly doesn’t look like man has a prayer of controling this river.    

Eroded shoreline

  

Eroded stone wall

November 10

We put out both a bow and stern anchor last night.  Our anchorage was along the main channel.  The stern anchor keeps us from swinging towards shore or the channel.  It worked great.  We saw four tows go by before we went to bed.  It is pretty eerie.  They are so huge and they move so quietly.  Their giant spotlights constantly search the path ahead of them.  From inside the boat it is difficult to judge distance -- they look extremely close from my little galley porthole.  When we went outside, we could see that they were about one and a half football fields from us.  They resemble an alien space ship hovering in the dark. 

Again, off early this morning – 6:05….lots of blue sky and sunshine.  It feels good after yesterday’s gloomy rain.  The last lock on the Tenn-Tom is Coffeeville.  (The locals call this series of locks the ‘Dirty Dozen’.  No explanation given.)  We went through it with just a short wait and only two other boats.  Much quicker than yesterday.  Today our goal was 80 miles and we actually made 92.    That will make Dog River a distinct possibility tomorrow with 64 miles and NO locks.  Our planned anchorage for the night was shoaled over so we are anchored just off the channel again with fore and aft anchors.  In case you are wondering where we are -- We’re just south of Alligator Slide and Hell Cat Lake.

 

A portion of the convoluted path we are on.

Lover's Leap -- noted for scenery, but no juicy details about why it has the name.

 

I have to get the scoop on ‘Lollygag’.  This is the 3^rd time we’ve seen it.    Those windows scare me!

You’ve seen old tires used as planters.  How about a barge?

 

We got the anchor set, looked up and saw this beautiful full moon rising.

November 11

In spite of a late start due to fog and an almost two hour delay waiting for a bridge opening; we made it to Mobile by 4:00.  I had a package waiting for me and Brian had more engine parts waiting for him.  We were both able to collect our loot before the offices closed for the week-end.  Lots of boats here that we know or recognize from our trip.  Joe and MaryJo Boyle on Paradise from Stillwater, Minnesota had the loaner car reserved and invited us to join them for oysters.  Had a fun evening comparing notes and gorging ourselves.  She is recuperating from breaking her femur in two places and is on crutches!  Crutches are terrible anytime, but on a boat….I’m not sure that I could do it.    

Mobile -- The busy port

 

  

Each of the rectangles on the ship is a truck trailer.  We counted 14 rows with 73 trailers per row on the deck.  Additional ones are below deck.

Don't adjust your screen -- Mobile Bay is huge, but very shallow.  Boaters must be very careful to stay in the channels.  Stray out of them and the water is frequently between five and seven feet deep.

Luckily we were greeted by others with more enthusiasm!

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!

An Unexpected Event

November 7, 8, 2011

November 7

On Sunday we discovered our inverter quit working.  The inverter is one of those really important mechanical parts.  It changes 12 volt electricity from the batteries into 110 and it also charges all of the batteries that run our household when we aren’t at a dock hooked up to an electrical post.  Monday morning calls are made to the inverter company's tech support.  There’s a chance it might be a bad fuse inside the unit.  That would be great news!  Brian takes the inverter apart and does some testing only to find that is not the problem.  The inverter is shot and we need to find a new one.  This isn’t a small item that you can buy at the Wal-Mart Super Store or the local auto supply.  After checking the internet and making numerous calls one is found on the East coast.  It is being sent overnight air express and is due to arrive at the marina Tuesday afternoon. So instead of being on our merry way this morning; we hope to leave on Wednesday.  The operative word is hope….  Still, can’t be too upset.  The temperature this afternoon was 78.

November 8
While waiting for the FedEx delivery, we go the the gas dock and take on another 500 gallons of diesel.  There we meet Mary Russell from another trawler.  She and her husband, Bill, have the loaner car reserved and are going to Wal-Mart at 2:00.  They ask if I want to join them.  I'm told that we could use 10 gallons of oil, so sure!  You are beginning to see what an important part in our lives Wal-Mart plays...a source of all things necessary and a social outlet.

Fed Ex delivered our new inverter around 11:00.  It has to be delicately installed in a very tight space in the engine room.  Brian has to lie on top of the battery boxes and turn himself into ‘pretzel man’ while lifting this 70 pound box.  Of course, I am no help….  Really, no one can help.  

I know it looks like he's dead, but

he's installing the inverter.  It's the box

next to his butt with all of the gauges

on the front. 

This was my first trip into the engine room --ever.

I probably won't be down there again

in the near future.

Guys love this place with all of it's machinery and the smell of diesel -- they call it the holy place.

At 7:00 the inverter is installed and working and most of the tools are put away.  Ok, I have to admit the man is a mechanical genius.  We will be leaving Demopolis tomorrow morning.  

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride! 

Demopolis, Alabama

November 6, 2011

Demopolis, Alabama is the big city on the Tenn-Tom and the Demopolis Marina is a must stop for pleasure boats and tow boats. Every day this marina pumps 70,000+ gallons of diesel fuel. An average size tow boat down here carries up to 60,000 gallons of diesel. And, believe me, they never run near the empty end of the dial. The marina also has a pump to remove the tow boat’s bilge water, which can run around 12,000 gallons/boat. The tow can’t pump it overboard because it has oil in it. So, the marina pumps it out and runs it through a separator to recycle the fuel and clean the water. The gas dock is open all night. Tow boats float in and out 24 hours a day.

One of the big boys getting fueled.
They also load food that is delivered to the marina
and, they may change crews while here

November of 2009 we were stuck here for nine days while a tropical storm pounded Mobile. Besides raging high water, all of the anchorages and marinas were full south of us – no place to go – everyone was staying put until the river calmed down. Even though we are in what is considered a big city -- in this part of the world (it does have a Wal-Mart Super Store) it’s not big enough to have a car rental or reliable cell service. Just want you to have a little perspective on how isolated we are.

No Diet Coke yet ---hopefully only a couple of hours away! We need to wait to use the loaner car.

Pink arrow is the start of the Tenn-Tom.



Green arrow is Demopolis.






Blue arrow is Mobile Bay

Don't ever think that you are unique.  We just met Joe and Mary Jo Boyle from Stillwater, MN.  They sold everything, are living on their Marine Trader trawler and have no itinerary or schedule.  We even have mutual friends.  Need I say...small world. 

Time for a little history: 
The city of Demopolis was founded in 1817 by a few officers from Napoleon’s army.  They planned to establish a Vine and Olive Colony using the land grants that they were given.  The plan was a complete disaster because the French officers didn’t know anything about raising grapes or olives and the climate and soil were completely inappropriate for those crops.  Next came the plantations with cotton and huge homes.  Three of the local mansions are on the National Register and a portion of the commercial area downtown. 
Ok, our big excursion today was to the Wal-Mart Super Store.  And, YES, I got Diet Coke.  Three 24 packs are now stowed in my food locker.  I'm not sure it is enough, but I'm going to try and show a little restraint -- maybe get down to six cans a day. 

Gotta Smile -- we're lovin the ride!

Mayday, mayday…

November 4, 5, 2011

November 4

We have an emergency on board!  I thought we had two more 24 packs of Diet Coke packed away and it turns out we are down to our last 17 cans.  If you really know me, you understand the urgency.  I am seriously addicted to diet coke.  (Don’t judge – we all have our weaknesses.)  I drink about eight cans a day and Brian probably drinks four.  We may not get to a grocery store for another two and a half days.  As a way of rationing, I’ve decided the best thing to do is ----- not let Brian have any more until the supply is replenished!  I think that is the only reasonable solution.  

About 20 boats left the marina this morning headed for the lock.  Since we are a slower boat, we opted to go in group two.  We are all headed to Mobile – and there’s only way to get there.  The main issue for this night is to find an anchorage that is deep enough for us and not already full of other boats.  We found a great spot.  We had intended to go another 15 miles, but we could hear conversation on the radio indicating four boats were already snuggled in that bay for the night.  At first we thought our second choice was going to be too shallow, but after easing in and out numerous times we found a space where the water was nine plus and dropped our anchor.  73 miles to tomorrow’s destination, Demopolis.  We’ve gone through 45 locks since we left Bayport – and, of course, we are far from done.  1796 miles so far.

I don’t know what to say --
a phone booth on the river bank in the middle of no where. 
We haven’t had cell service for two days.  Maybe I should try it.



Not all tow boats are created equal.

Claw pulls scrap metal from barge,
drops it in a funnel that feeds into a dump truck. 
Four claw loads and the dump truck drives away. 
Very efficient.

November 5

We didn’t get an early start because of….you guessed it, FOG!  Left our little nest at 8:15, cranked the engine up to 1800 RPM and we’re moving 9.2 MPH.  Sun sets about 6 tonight so we have to work it to make 73 miles and get through a lock.  We got to the lock; it is open and waiting for us, but, wait…a sailboat is approaching and the only courteous thing to do is wait for it.  In spite of a couple of small setbacks we arrive in Demopolis at 4:45.  Plenty of time to reunite and swap stories with other boaters. 

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!

                                                                  About to be a houseboat

    

 The White Cliffs of Epes formed from Selma Chalk and loaded with fossils.  Eroded into fantastic sculptures.

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

Looking for a quiet vacation?
One bedroom floating cabins for $99/night.
2nd night during the week is 1/2 price.
No swimming or fishing from dock & no town in vicinity.

  

This All Looks Strangely Familiar

October 29, 30, 31, 2011

October 29

The scenery is even more dramatic today. It is a bright sunny day with beautiful fall color.  The heavily wooded mountain slopes come right down to the river’s edge. We are backtracking on the route that we took to Chattanooga. It’s interesting to see some of the areas from the water that we drove by when we rented a car a couple of days ago. We have a much better perspective of the area than we did on our previous trip. We’re going downstream now so speed has increased from 7.3 mph to 9.1…..get out the water skis! 

October 30 

Coconuts belongs to Bru and Sandy. 
We met them on the shuttle bus in Chattanooga
and discovered that we both own Krogens.
We have been traveling together for two days. 

Most mornings are a little slow to start (not because we are retired),  but because of fog.  The water is warmer than the air.  So, the conditions are right for fog!  That’s the science lesson for today, kids.  A few more tidbits of information:  the Chattanooga area has the widest variety of plant life in the world – other than central China.  And, the Tennessee River has more species of fish than any other river in North America.  Yikes -- too much information!   

October 31 -- Halloween 

FOG!!!!!

We got tricked by Mother Nature again this morning. No fog in the marina or river when we entered and then POW -- a fog bank that gave us zero visibility. Three times we got socked with fog before we got the treat of a warm sunny day. Halloween gremlins come in all shapes and sizes. Our second trick was a heat exchanger that is leaking antifreeze from the engine. Brian has been trying to trace the antifreeze drips that he had noticed for the last couple of weeks. Today he found the source. Not the best of news -- a big list of parts has been compiled and they will be waiting for us at the Dog River Marina in Mobile.  

The bright light in the fog
is the sun and it's reflection the water

Everywhere we go we run into relatives....
This one appears to be listing a bit to port!
Maybe she started celebrating too early.

Dinner tonight in Florence, Alabama with Bru and Sandy from the Krogen Express, Coconuts.  We had hoped to have another night of great entertainment in the bar above the marina, but unfortunately it was closed.

Gotta smile -- We're lovin the ride!