The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

I think I will start with a little travelogue about the Tenn-Tom. We will be on this until we get to Demopolis on November 14. After that it is a straight shot to Mobile and then Florida.

“The Tenn-Tom Waterway forms a 234 mile long, 300 foot wide by 9 foot minimum depth transportation artery through west-central Alabama and northeastern Mississippi. Made up of a series of ten locks, each measuring 110 feet by 600 feet, it provides a total combined drop of 341 feet. By connecting the Tennessee River to the Tombigbee River, the Waterway provides a shortcut of as much as 650 miles for transient vessels traveling from inland waterways in middle America to the Gulf of Mexico. “

That is our lesson for today folks.

10/16/07

We are in Grand Harbor Marina. It is very nice and all new. The dock we are on is still officially in Tennessee. However it is at the corner where Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee meet. We have been trying to think of a way to meet up with our friend Wendy. Her son Andrew lives in Tuscaloosa and she will be there for this week. We decided that going there on the water would not be possible so we decided on a side trip. We rented a car and drove to Tuscaloosa for an overnight. It looked like there was no direct route to get there so Rolf printed off a route from Map Quest. Well, it was 32 pages long. I thought that was a little excessive but I have to say it was worth its weight in gold. We would have been soooo lost getting there we would not be home yet. It was a combination of state roads, county roads, interstate, and paths. Yes, some of the roads were so small you had to pull over to the side to let an oncoming car pass. So we did get to see the wilds of Alabama. Of course the minute we got there we stopped at a Best Buy and got a car GPS.

Anyone who knows Rolf knows that would be the next move.

We had a great birthday dinner with Wendy, Andrew and his friend Lisa. Andrew is a history professor at the University of Alabama and Lisa is a “physical geographer” with special interest in river geology.

10/17/07

Today be drove to Birmingham. It is a much larger city. It is not a place we would think of to go to as a tourist destination. However, it was a great place. We felt back in regular civilization for a while. It is hilly and woodsy, with beautiful neighborhoods and surrounding areas. We shopped and went out for a nice dinner in a garden restaurant (ate outside, at night, about 80 degrees). We went to Vulcan Park which has a monument and buildings made out of locally quarried limestone, beautifully colored rocks plus the ironwork. Rolf was looking to buy some new shorts and of course the clerk told him that this is not short season. We told him that we know winter and this is not it. But he did not believe what we said. He thinks the cold is a big exaggeration. Sure would like to invite that guy home in January and make him stay till he cries uncle. One thing we did notice was the lack of street signs. It is not that they don’t have them, they are just pretty inconsistent and things are not very clearly marked. We decided that all those extra state taxes we pay in Wisconsin must be going for street signs.

10/21/07

We are working our way south again. Today we did three locks. All of them took us pretty much right away because there were no tows to wait for. The first one was the most impressive. It is the Jamie L. Whitten Lock. It drops 84 feet. That was pretty impressive for us because most of them are about 35 feet. Here is a view up the lock wall from our deck.

We are feeling confident about the locks now and have a pretty good routine going. Sometimes you have to wait for the gates to open so I generally take the helm for a while and practice backing and holding the boat in one place or potting around.

 In the Whitten Lock we noticed a small powerboat about 25 feet having a lot of trouble tying up to the bollard. They kept smucking the bow into the cement wall and ramming their bikes. It was an elderly couple. So then later at the marina we were tying up the boat and they were moving around us to get to the fuel dock. Suddenly I heard the lady shout “Karl, I’m in the water!” I looked over and there was this elderly lady (est. age 75) hanging from the bow pulpit. So we quickly tied the boat and Rolf, I and the dock guy ran over to them.  The older guy at the helm was driving all over the place. I got the hold of the stern line but then he took off with her. He finally got close enough again that the marina guy jumped on with him and held her hands to the bow but he couldn’t get her up. Rolf managed to get the stern line. Then they got close enough that I grabbed her wrist to sort of keep her attached to the boat and she let go. There was no other choice so I gave a big pull and up she came onto the dock. The blankety, blankety, blank husband of hers didn’t even ask how she was. He just said, “Boy I shoulda hada camera for that” Then he came over to chat with us instead of staying over there to see how she was doing. He left her to tie up the boat. I can safely say that would be the end of the trip for me. But they got fuel and lunch and left. They said that was their son’s boat and they had never been boating before, (no ___) but they were headed for the gulf. Good luck to her. The dock guy was a little shook up cause he said last year his mother fell off the dock and ended up in intensive care for a long time. So that was our Sunday. Always a Sunday adventure, even without a packer game.

11/24/07

We are in Smithville Marina. Still the middle of nowhere. We thought you would enjoy a picture of one of our neighbors on the dock. Most of the boats in this marina look sorta like this. However it was the one with the best TV and internet connections.

So, just when we think we are living high on this boat we get to the Columbus Marina. The next picture is of our neighborhood there.

Quite a change. Goes to show you are always on the top or the bottom of the food chain.

10/27/07

As you all know the weather this week has been cold and rainy. I told Rolf that it made me a little homesick for the cold and rainy weather at home (not really). Also it is finally starting to look a little like fall. There are some red colors on the trees now. We moved down through a couple of marinas and some very nice anchorages again. On 10/26/07 we got to Columbus Marina. The town of Columbus is bigger with real stores besides Wal-Mart. The marina is also new and very nice. We will stay here for a while. Once we head out from here it will be about a 4 or 5 day push to Mobile. Mostly anchoring out because there is not much between here and there. We will get provisioned here and will hope to get to Mobile around the 18^th.

The first day here we went to see Waverly Mansion. It is an old plantation and fun to see the ghosts and antiques. It was abandoned for forty years and the current owners spent one year cleaning out dirt dauber wasp nests from ONE room. As a Yankee I still don’t understand all the talk still going on about the civil war. It was a big event for them. Then we went to several southern restaurants. Proffit’s Porch was located in the boondocks and had the best red beans and rice. When we said we had to leave, to get the courtesy car back on time, he gave us free pie. Can’t beat that!

10/29/07

We watched the Packer Game with friends at the local redneck sports bar. One young guy was running around bartending, taking food orders, cooking the food, serving the food, managing the TVs and lights and music. I think we found the only man in captivity who can multitask. The food was surprisingly good considering the looks of the place. What a finish to that game. Just a little “Hail Mary” pass to end the overtime.

10/30/07

Since it is nice out we got the bikes out and headed downtown. There is a good back road with quite a few dogs barking along the way. After we went to town a couple of times we stopped at a store to ask directions for something. The guy was very friendly and helpful. We already knew quite a few of the streets he was talking about. After a while I said “It seems we know our way around so it’s almost like talking to a native.” Quickly he said. “Sure, until you open your mouth.” I guess we have an accent here.

We also went past some water with a bunch of turtles sunning on a log. They are smart turtles because every time you slow the car down to stop and take their picture they all jump in the water and hide. We were wondering if a lot of people shoot them or something. There is a guy on the next dock who sits on his bow and shoots snakes in the water.

We also went out for breakfast to a small restaurant near the air base here. It was like being in “Top Gun” All the pilots in training were there. Boy they look young.

We also have a marina cat who likes our boat. His name is RT and he lives here. We heard that once he fell asleep on a boat without the owners realizing it. They headed downstream and had to turn around and bring him back when they noticed him. The dock guy says that sometimes he is not in the office when he closes up for the night. But when he opens up in the morning he has found his way in. The staff has no idea how he breaks in. He has been visiting mostly every morning. Comes down, checks everything out and settles in for a nap.

11/1/07

I am trying to do a little southern cooking while I am here. I think it will be fun to learn some new things. So this morning I made Cheese grits with bacon and shrimp for breakfast. Got good reviews from Rolf. Thanks Paula Dean.

We are going to have some extra time so have planned to rent a car and head home for a week. We are leaving tomorrow and will be back 11/12. We probably will not bring shorts. Rolf called the Marina in Mobile to have some things done to the mast. OOPS! They couldn’t find it. So after 2 days of calling around they found it. It turns out that in spite of 3 different companies signing that it was being shipped, it never left Chicago. Rolf is really happy he called now. So now they are hopefully working on getting it down there. I am sure we will keep calling in the next week or two to make sure it is there when we get there. So we will see some of you soon.

11/11/07

We had a great trip back to Sheboygan. The drive was nice all the way. There was very little in the way of traffic or bad weather until we got north of Chicago. Since we have no house, our friends Jere and Diane lent us their condo.  It is very near to where ours used to be so we felt right at home in the neighborhood. We got to see friends, relatives, kids and grandkids. A good time was had by all. We were happy to be able to make Gabe’s birthday party.

So now we are back in Columbus Mississippi which has been one of our favorite stops. A new marina, good city with some restaurants (very important for us) good biking and good shopping (new boat shoes).  We had a long discussion about our feelings toward going back to our home town for the first time. We weren’t sure if we would miss being there or miss being on the boat. While it was great having our own shower, a nice bed, and a full sized refrigerator we decided that the boating life won out. There were big smiles on our faces as we pulled out of the marina and headed out onto the river again. We will see if our feelings change at the end of the year, but so far so good. It would be nice to have more time with the children and grandkids, but there are sacrifices to be made. Yes, kids, we promise we will come home sometime.

This is a picture of the control room in our new boat. Actually it is the Montgomery. The last steam powered paddle wheel boat to work the rivers. It is a snag boat which means it would go up and down and pick snags (old trees and debris) out of the water to keep the way clear. It was a beautiful old boat.

11/14/07

We went the 120 miles to Demopolis in 2 days with a beautiful overnight anchorage. Demopolis is not much more than a fueling stop. They are building a new marina and it really needs it. Things are pretty run down. I don’t know the population but the phone book for the two cities is about the size of a pamphlet. Like always, though, very friendly people. This is also the fueling stop for the tows. They have their own side of the fuel dock. When they come in, they usually need about thirty-six thousand gallons at a time. Yes, that is thousand. I am surprised they don’t bust out laughing when we order or 20 gallons with a jerry can. Small world though. Yesterday we were in a lock and the guy across from us was Jessica Ambelang’s cousin from Alaska. She is a Dr. who used to work at the clinic with us.

Here is a picture of the white cliffs of Epes.  Wakes from passing boats bounce off of this wall and make travel very interesting.

I am also including a picture that Rolf took of me the other day. Contrary to the way it looks, we are actually still getting along. No stab wounds yet.

  Along the way we passed the remains of the Rooster Bridge. It was the site of an incident that happened in April of 1979. The river was 24 feet above flood stage when the tug Cahaba came to within a few feet of the steel drawbridge. Although the captain was following accepted procedures, he was unable to buck the current and back away from the bridge. The tug disappeared into the muddy water and they heard the sound of it being banged and scraped along the underside of the bridge. Badly battered and with water pouring out of its pilothouse, the tug still had one engine running. Three Crewmembers although badly shaken, weren’t seriously injured. The bridge, already scheduled to be demolished, was removed a few months later. The tug was eventually sold, repaired and renamed the Capt. Ed Harris. It now works out of Charleston West Virginia. That is one tough boat. If you want more information about what exactly happened, there are quite a few websites devoted to it. So check out the you tube pictures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYenOVS2OXU 

11/17/07

We have left Demopolis and are heading for the last 216 miles to Mobile. A cold front has come through which you all know about I am sure. For the first time it feels really cold. Not that pretend coolness that they have here. There was slippery frost on the piers. We have had to bundle up the last two days with hats and mittens and fleece galore. I even got the big socks out. We really only had Friday night when the boat was uncomfortably cold. However I fixed that by doing some baking. The oven warms it up nicely. Saturday morning also, I made a cherry custard cream tart. If it stays cold we will put on more weight.

It will take us 3 days to get to Mobile. Our range for the day is about 70 miles. We can’t leave till the mist goes off the river so we can see. It is pretty thick because the air is cold and the water is warm. Also the sun goes down at 5:30 so we should be anchored by 4:30 or so. Saturday, we didn’t quite make it. The anchorages are few and far between and, with needing to stop at the Coffeeville Lock (our last one till spring) and getting fuel, we had a long day. The last five miles or so we could only see the marks with the binoculars so I watched and Rolf drove. Our anchorage was a little creek which we slid into after dark. We used all of our night sailing skills and a flashlight to get in safely.

 I needed to turn the boat around so we were facing out because of the current. We did ok and in the morning looked out and saw we hadn’t anchored in a bad spot after all. I am getting better at backing the boat in tight spots. It is much less nerve wracking when all you will hit is mud or bushes instead of other boats.  The guide book says that this is the remote area. That is so funny to me because every time I tell someone we are out in the middle of nowhere the next week it is more nowhere. Pretty soon we get to Florida and a whole different civilization. We saw some deer the last few days. Some little ones like you see in the Keys and we also saw a large Wisconsin type deer swimming in front of the boat. He was gray, instead of brown, and was dragging seaweed off his antlers then got to the other bank and bounded into the woods.

11/18/07

This is our last day on the river system. The river is widening out and looking more tropical. It looks more like a delta that a canal. Rolf said it looks sort of deltoid. We are seeing pelicans and palm trees. There are warm Bama Breezes.

 We reached Mobile around 1:30 but didn’t get to the marina till about 4:30. It is a big harbor and a long waterway. Every year more than 40 million tons move through this port. It ranks 12 in the U.S. in imports and exports. It is the nations leading port in the movement of forest products. There is a lot of ocean going ships around. I took a picture for the kids of a harbor tug bringing an ocean ship in. It reminded me of the Theodore Tugboat books that we used to read. It looked like a pretty close match. So this is the end of our river leg of the trip. We will get the mast put in today or tomorrow and we are off to Florida’s sun and salt water. We will be sailing on Thanksgiving Day. Happy Turkey day!