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Terry & Larry's Cruise Journal

Sunday, November 15

Columbus Marina (Mississippi), Mile 335, TennTom Waterway

We went through one lock on the way to Columbus Marina. Other than that, the trip was uneventful. When we got to the marina, we were glad to see Joe from Takitez II on the dock. After we pumped out the holding tank, we moved to a slip.

Sunday night we had a nice visit with Joe and Joyce, who are leaving early Monday for Florida.

Outer Reef will stay here while we go home to Austin for the holidays. Our plan is to return in March and go back up the rivers to places we didn’t visit this trip, such as Kentucky Lake and Nashville.

This river trip was much better than we expected. The beauty was profound and the cruisers we met were interesting and fun. We look forward to our adventure in the spring. This journal will continue then.

Friday, November 13-Saturday, November 14

Blue Bluff Dock, Mile 358.1, Aberdeen, Mississippi

There was a lot of debris on the river today. We had to keep a careful watch to avoid running over the logs. The channel to the Blue Bluff anchorage was a little scary. We entered very slowly because of uncertain depths and we didn’t want to run aground.

We tied up to the free dock, instead of anchoring. Two couples on a pontoon boat came by to visit. Like a number of folks we’ve heard about, they came here when they were cruising, liked it, and moved here! They were very generous and offered to take us wherever we needed to go.

Saturday we had one of our best days. We walked about two miles into Aberdeen, looked around the little town and had a very good lunch at Tony’s Café. There we met three friendly, elderly women who were fascinated by the idea of cruising and asked us lots of questions.

Instead of walking directly back to the boat, we took a side trip and walked to the top of Blue Bluff. That area of the park was closed for the season, so we were the only people there. It was beautiful.

We figured that we walked about six miles in all.

We’ll leave tomorrow for Columbus, where we plan to leave Outer Reef while we return to Austin ‘till spring.

Wednesday, November 11--Thursday, November 12

Smithville Marina, Mile 376.5, TennTom Waterway (Mississippi)

The wind was really blowing Wednesday. There were whitecaps on the river! Tying up in the locks was a challenge for the first time.

Smithville Marina is family owned and operated. It is very small. While we were there, two boats tied up on our dock. One was a sailboat we met in Florence. The other was Young America, a Great Harbor that we really liked.

We took the marina's car into town and had a buffet lunch at Phil's. Not the best meal we've ever had.

Monday, November 9--Tuesday, November 10

Cotton Springs Anchorage, Mile 412.4, TennTom Waterway (Mississippi)

Where was the sun today? It was overcast all day. We left the beautiful Tennessee River, entered the Tenn-Tom Waterway and traveled through the Divide Cut, which is 24 miles long and 280 feet wide bank-to-bank. The sides of this man-made cut look like a park.

Two motor yachts passed us today going south. That’s the most traffic we’ve seen for a while.

We returned to the Cotton Springs anchorage we used when we were going north. While Larry was lowering the anchor, a deer rushed off the shore into the shallow water and ran parallel to the beach before swimming across Cotton Creek to the woods. A day is always better when we have a wild life sighting!

Tuesday was gray and windy until late afternoon. We didn't get the rain we were expecting last night or this morning. We haven't seen any other cruisers today.

We plan to leave here Wednesday.

Friday, November 6--Sunday, November 8

Pickwick Landing State Park Anchorage (Tennessee), Mile 207

It was very cold last night, but we were layered and bundled up so we stayed comfortable.

It's another beautiful day. Lots of sunshine. We passed three sailboats going upstream. Two had their masts down. (There are several low bridges on the Great Loop route.)

We anchored at Pickwick Landing State Park (right across from the marina) just before lunch.

Saturday was another beautiful day, so we took the dinghy from off the pilothouse roof and went to the dock in front of the park hotel's restaurant. We had a delicious country-cookin' buffet meal, the best we've had in a long time.

This is such a beautiful place and the weather is perfect, so we decided to stay another day. We'll leave Monday.

Sunday the great weather continued. We took the dinghy into the marina and walked .7 mile through the beautiful trees to the restaurant. Today it was crowded and we had to wait for a table, but the food was delicious.

Thursday, November 5

Ross Creek Anchorage AKA The Rockpile, Mile 229.8, Tennessee River

At pre-dawn, a very loud speaker announced starting times for the big fishing contest and woke us up. More than 300 fishermen are competing for $1 million in prizes.

We left the marina after lunch and had a pleasant trip to Ross Creek, where we anchored on our trip upstream. We made really good time. We couldn't believe our eyes when the GPS said we were going 11 MPH! We usually speed along at about 7 MPH, so we really like this downstream current.

It was getting cooler. When we got the weather channel on the tv, we learned that there was a FREEZE warning tonight. So we ran the generator to get the cabin warm before we went to sleep.

Monday, November 2--Wednesday, November 4

Florence Harbor Marina, Mile 256.2, Tennessee River

The return trip to Florence Harbor Marina was uneventful, except for a two-hour wait to get through Wheeler Lock. The marinas have already started limiting their services for the winter season. At Joe Wheeler, the marina store closed November 1 and won’t reopen until March. At Florence, the restaurant at the marina is closed for the winter and the marina will be closed on Mondays.

Tuesday we borrowed the marina’s loaner car and headed to Lowe’s and Wal Mart for supplies. The beautiful weather continues: sunny and clear. Highs in the 70’s.

One of the downsides of this marina is that we can get only four television stations: all public television, two kids’ stations, one preachin’ station and one station where they’re always building or cooking something. However, we have a supply of DVDs. So far, we’ve learned that the new ones we buy at WalMart are not as good as the used ones we get at Blockbuster.

We’ll leave here Thursday to continue south.

Wednesday Terry had a great day shopping and having lunch with Eva, who runs the marina.

Friday, October 30--Sunday, November 1

Joe Wheeler State Park Marina, Mile 277 Tennessee River

Friday morning, we went in to the marina. Paul and Stacy off of Seasea helped us with our lines. We also immediately met Wes and Jeanie from Miss Ruby, a 42 foot trawler which they built themselves.

Marie and Joe from Takitez II are here at the marina. We met them at Shellmound and ran into them again at Chattanooga and at Goose Pond.

After a delicious catfish lunch at the marina restaurant, we took Wes up on his invitation to visit Miss Ruby. Larry always likes to check out other boats’ engine rooms. Wes and Jeanie gave us a full tour of their beautiful boat, which has handsome cabinetry and lots of storage.

We got caught in a deluge returning to Outer Reef and got soaking wet! This marina is spread out and our boat was a long way away!

For Halloween, we’re not dressing up. We figure the way we look every day is scary enough. We are going to watch the Longhorns game tonight. One reason we came in to the marina is so that we can hook up to the cable for better TV reception.

The fall colors are becoming more vibrant. Leaves are changing colors very rapidly, it seems to us. Photos don’t capture the beauty.

Sunday was a beautiful sunny day! Sadly, Terry spent most of it doing laundry using the marina’s ONE washer and dryer. Surprisingly there was one, large dryer that was free. Larry visited with Bob DeGroot from Spirit Dancer. Bob and Kemba are Texans and their boat is beautiful. Bob posts on the Trawlers and Trawlering blog, which Larry reads faithfully.

Most boats that were here for the Great Loop Rendezvous last week have left. Takitez II and Spirit Dancer are leaving tomorrow, as are we. We plan to continue down river to visit Florence again.

Wednesday, October 28--Thursday, October 29

Joe Wheeler State Park Anchorage, Mile 277, Tennessee River

We left the beautiful mountains today, but there’s still an occasional hill. The fall foliage is beautiful. There was only one railroad bridge that had to be raised for us today and no locks to go through. There’s not much boat traffic going south with us. We did see one motor yacht going north. Where is everyone? The American Great Loop Cruisers Association is having a gathering at Joe Wheeler State Park Marina, so we’ll anchor out there for a few days until a slip is available for us.

We hope to be there on Saturday night so we can hook up the cable and watch the Longhorns play.

The evening was beautiful, sunny and warmish. We enjoyed happy hour on the forward deck for the first time in a while.

Thursday morning it started raining. It was gray and chilly. Layering clothing is the answer. We are not exactly making a fashion statement, but we are warm. We see boats leaving the marina, so there will probably be room for us there. We are glad to have Internet access on this rainy day when we don’t want to go outside.

Thursday, October 22--Tuesday, October 27

Ditto Marina, Mile 333.3, Tennessee River, Huntsville, AL

Larry stayed on the boat while Terry went to Houston to the reunion of the Bellaire High School Class of 1959. She couldn’t believe it’s been half a century since she graduated and is demanding a recount.

It was a wonderful weekend with 200+ class members attending. She especially enjoyed seeing her best friends Kay, Sally, and Karen.

We’re going to stay an extra day here before we continue South. We’ve spent a lot more time in marinas on this river cruise because with colder weather, we want to be hooked to marina electricity and not have to run the generator to keep warm at an anchorage.

Tuesday it was cold and rainy. A good day to stay on the boat.  Wednesday we plan to leave for Joe Wheeler State Park to anchor for a few days.

Tuesday, October 20--Wednesday, October 21

Ditto Marina, Mile 333.3, Huntsville, AL

Fog delayed our start and we didn’t pull away from Goose Pond Marina until almost eleven. We went through Guntersville Lock with Adagio. We met them yesterday when they arrived at Goose Pond. They were bound for Ditto Marina, too.

Going through the locks southbound is a slightly different experience with less turbulence because water is being let out, rather than pumped in.

We passed a towboat pushing 15 barges! That’s a record for us! We have seen few tows on the rivers and then to come upon one with 15 barges! Wow!

We arrived at Ditto Marina after four. This time we are tied up next to a dock and not next to the fuel dock. We won’t have so many curious passersby here and will be in less danger from explosions! It will be much quieter here.

We’ll be at Ditto a week. Over the upcoming weekend, Terry will go to Houston to her 50^th (!) high school reunion.

Wednesday we went for a walk along a nice bicycle trail that runs beside the river.

Friday, October 16--Monday, October 19

Goose Pond Marina, Mile 378, Scottsboro, AL

We took the marina’s courtesy car into town and did a bit of shopping for the boat. We bought a new faucet for the galley sink.

It’s looking like Old Home Week here. Boats that have joined us iinclude Heritage, Kawliga, Jejuda, and Takitez II. We’ve met and enjoyed them all before, but it’s too cold to get out and visit now!

Saturday we watched the Longhorns beat Oklahoma. It was a good game, but closer than we would have liked it. A W is a W, I guess!

Larry spent the rest of the day after the game installing the new faucet. He had to remove the sink, which was a bigger job than we expected. He didn’t finish until 10 o’clock.

Sunday the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day, although still cold. It’s supposed to freeze tonight.

We had a very nice evening with Joyce, Joe, Marie and Jim aboard Takitez II. They’re leaving Monday to head south.

Thursday, October 15

Goose Pond Marina, Mile 378, Scottsboro, AL

We forgot to set our clocks back to Central Time, so we left an hour earlier than we’d planned in very heavy fog and rain. We went through one lock (Nickajack) and one railroad bridge that had to be lifted.

We’re back in Alabama and out of the high mountains.

The rain had stopped by the time we got to Goose Pond Marina in the early afternoon. We were pleased to see Bruce and Alice aboard Heritage. We met them at the Florence marina. They plan to stay in Goose Pond for a few days.

We’re looking forward to dinner at the marina’s restaurant. It has an excellent reputation among cruisers. Its specialty is shrimp grits.

Tuesday, October 13--Wednesday, October 14

Shellmound Recreation Area Dock, Mile 425.5

We started back downstream late this morning. The sun came out and was very welcome! We were going over 10 mph occasionally, which is about 3 mph faster than when we were traveling against the current. Very nice.

We hoped there would be space available for us on the free docks at Shellmound Recreation Area, where we stopped on the way up the river. What luck! There was only one boat there, so we got our old docking space.

Judi and David from Jejuda helped us dock. They are from Massachusetts and are making the Great Loop trip.

Wednesday was so dreary. Totally gray and very rainy. We decided to stay here one more day.

Monday, October 12

Chattanooga Marina

A gray, rainy day. Larry spent most of the day searching for the source of a mystery leak. Terry worked on bringing the website up to date with all the pictures from Smoky Mountains National Park. (See link on the left)

Ann and Ralph invited us for drinks aboard Harmonie II and we had a very nice visit. They plan to leave tomorrow.

We might leave, too. It depends on the weather. We will hate to give up the good Internet/cell phone connection and all the tv stations!

Saturday, October 10--Sunday, October 11

Road Trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Click on the link on the left to see our Smoky Mountains pictures.

When we planned this trip, we failed to consider three important factors: (1) Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most popular national park in the country. (2) October weekends are the busiest. (3) This was a three-day weekend. So, there was a lot of traffic, but that didn’t detract from the beauty of the place.

We took a longer, more scenic route to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, passing through Cherokee National Forest. The fall colors were breathtaking and some of the wide vistas looked like paintings with vivid hues, especially bright yellows, golds, and reds. The road was very curvy and we climbed higher than we expected. At one point, we entered North Carolina for a while.

We were very surprised to find rapids alongside the road with many brave souls riding them. White water rafting is a thriving business here.

Dozens of motorcycle groups of all ages were enjoying the scenery and we saw several ingenious entrepreneurs poised at curves in the road to take pictures of the riders. Big posters advertised websites where the pictures could be purchased. That was almost the only commercialism we saw.

Our modest motel room in Townsend was expensive, but we were glad we stayed there. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, where rooms were also outrageous, were very touristy. We got to the room in time to watch the University of Texas play (and beat) Colorado.

Sunday morning we drove the 11-mile Cades Cove loop, one of the park’s most popular places to visit. We saw deer, wild turkey, chipmunks, beaver, and two dead possums. We were disappointed not to see any black bear, which are common here. Cherokees hunted here and settlers lived here for a hundred years before the park was established. We visited their rough log cabins, churches and a mill. It was beautiful and very interesting.

We were disappointed to see that people had carved their initials and written their names on some of the historic homes.

After Cades Cove, we had a delicious lunch at The Alamo in Gatlinburg before driving up Newfound Gap road to Clingman’s Dome. We hiked the strenuous trail to the very top. Because the air was so thin, there were strategically placed benches along the way and we took advantage of them. It was a little disconcerting when we were passed by a middle-aged man hiking at an energetic pace while smoking a cigarette!

At 6,643 feet, Clingman’s Dome is the third-highest mountain east of the Mississippi. At the summit there is an observation tower. No photo can do justice to the panoramic view there.

Because of the leisurely Sunday traffic in the mountains, we didn’t get to the boat until 9 o’clock, even though we took the speedier Interstate Highway 75 back to Chattanooga. We were really lucky because the rain stopped when we left Chattanooga Saturday morning and didn’t return until after we got back to the boat Sunday evening.

We traveled more than 500 miles! A great road trip!

Thursday, October 8--Friday, October 9

Marine Max Marina, Chattanooga, TN

Thursday we crossed the river on the lovely pedestrian bridge to explore and ran into Joe and Marie (Takitez II) and Jim and Joyce (Kawliga), who invited us to join them for lunch at the Mud Pie. We had a great time and were glad to see them again before they left Chattanooga.

After lunch, Larry washed the boat and Terry went to the Hunter Museum of American Art and explored the artsy area on the bluff. After Larry finished (and the boat looks great now!), we visited with Ann and Ralph, who tied up behind us on Harmonie II. They have circumnavigated the globe on their boat and had some great stories to tell.

Friday we got our rental car and had some memorable times trying to navigate around Chattanooga. Once we ended up in Georgia, but that’s a story too long to tell here. While we were doing laundry in the evening, some very stormy weather came through and two tornadoes were close by.

The weather’s supposed to be rainy on Saturday, which might put a damper on our trip to the Great Smoky Mountains.

Tuesday, October 6--Wednesday, October 7

Marine Max Marina, Chattanooga, TN Mile 463.6

We arrived at the Chattanooga marina about 4 o’clock. The trip today was even more beautiful. We passed through the “Grand Canyon of the Tennessee,” some of the most stunning scenery we’ve seen yet.

The mountains are steep and in some places the river is narrow and curvy. According to our cruise guide, only central China has such a wide range of plant life.

In some spots, the river follows an ancient earthquake fault and the water is very deep. We left Alabama and entered Tennessee and the eastern time zone. So, we lost an hour. The day was cloudy and threatening, so the photos of the mountains won’t be as pretty as they could be. The camera couldn’t capture this beauty anyway.

We saw Signal Mountain and Lookout Mountain as we approached Chattanooga. The marina’s floating docks are really nice, but there is no laundry here! What a surprise! We’ve never stopped at a marina without a laundry before.

The evening was drizzly but we walked to Big River Grill, and had a delicious dinner.

Wednesday the sun was shining and it was almost like summer again. The two boats that were with us at Shellmound arrived in the morning. We greeted them when they pulled up to the fuel dock.

In the afternoon, we went to the Tennessee Aquarium, the world’s largest freshwater aquarium. It took us several hours to see it all. The exhibits were very impressive and include the largest freshwater tank in the world.

Today (Wednesday) is our anniversary. We celebrated at The Big Chill and Grill, a local bar that had $1 beer and delicious hamburgers. The people were very friendly and welcoming.

Saturday, October 3--Monday, October 5

Shellmound Recreation Area dock, Mile 425.5

Tennessee River

Last night the moon was full and the moonlight was beautiful. In the dark, we could see lights from houses in the mountains; the houses were hidden by the trees in daylight and we didn’t know they were there.

It was cold again this morning, in the 40’s, but it warmed up fast. Today we had to request a railroad bridge opening and also went through the Nickajack lock. We left Alabama and are now in Tennessee!

Less than a mile from the lock, we pulled over to the Shellmound Recreation Area dock (free!!!) This is a beautiful park. We look forward to exploring it tomorrow. We plan to stay here 2-3 days.

Sunday it was cold and gray. We took a walk around the park. There are tent campers, pop-ups and trailers . One family is having a reunion in the gazebo. It started raining in the early afternoon and continued all day and all night. We wish the sun would come out!

Two cruisers tied up to the other dock on Sunday and on Monday the six of us took a short hike to the Nickajack dam. One couple was from Canada, the other, Arkansas. The day was overcast but it didn’t rain on us. We saw some deer, which were larger than those who nibble in our neighborhood.

We are planning our trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. When we get to Chattanooga, we’ll rent a car and head out!

Friday, October 2

Jones Creek Anchorage, Mile 388, Tennessee River

It rained overnight and was overcast most of the day. However, the cloudy day couldn’t mask the amazing beauty of this river. Mountains, trees, and water. Can’t beat it.

Today we had about a two mph current against us. Cruisers warned us about going upstream, but until the last couple of days, the current was hardly noticeable.

There are some beautiful riverfront houses. Not Florida-mansion tacky, but very comfortable looking. Many of the homes along the river have boathouses, which look like garages on the water.

A few miles before we reached tonight’s anchorage, we passed a boat with a Texas flag. Just Rosie is from Kemah, where Larry used to keep Outer Reef. They’ve been cruising the rivers for about three months and plan to keep their boat here.

A powerboat rocked us mightily when they passed and then they turned in to the anchorage where we were headed! We followed a second boat into the anchorage because the markers were confusing. The two boats must be local because they advised us over the radio which markers to stay near and which to avoid. A third boat joined them later and they all rafted together.

This is a beautiful cove surrounded by wooded mountains and hills. Life is good.

Thursday, October 1

Pumpkin Hollow Anchorage, Mile 351.8, Tennessee River

No matter how much we like a marina, it always feels good to be underway again. We left Ditto Landing at noon.

Before we got to the Guntersville Lock, we were passed by a half dozen old (but restored) Chris Craft boats. We went through the lock with three of them. This was the first time we’d shared a lock on the river.

The scenery on the other side of the lock is beautiful hills and trees. Today there was a lot of current. People had warned us about going upstream, but the current hasn’t been an issue ‘till today. Just before we entered the lock, the water was very turbulent.

We passed the Painted Bluff today. It is one of the highest bluffs on the river between here and Paducah and gets its name from the multi-colored rock. We also went by a cave that is a sanctuary for federally endangered gray bats.

We anchored behind Goat Island, where a man kept his goat herd before the Civil War. No sign of goats now.

Saturday, September 26-Wednesday, September 30

Ditto Landing Marina, Mile 333.3, Huntsville, AL

The rains started again this morning and lasted all day until just before we entered the marina. These were some of the hardest rains we’ve experienced, and we turned on the radar so that we could see what was coming ahead.

We’ve been spoiled with short days underway, so this six-hour, 48+ mile day seemed long, especially with all the bad weather.

There were no locks today, but we had one railroad lift bridge that had to be raised. The bridge tender was a hoot. What a great sense of humor he had.

The rain had stopped by the time we got to the marina, thank goodness, so tying up to the dock was relatively easy. Ditto Landing is the least expensive marina we’ve ever visited (50 cents a foot). This includes electricity. We’ve paid more for mooring balls! We’ll stay here for three days.

We ordered a pizza and watched TV. For the first time in a while, we can get several channels!

Sunday was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and it was cool in the morning. After lunch, we took a long walk around the park and the marina. There were folks in RVs and campers enjoying the perfect weather. This place is beautiful.

Since we are tied up next to the marina office and fuel dock, we get many visitors who stop to admire the boat. We enjoy answering their questions.

Monday we rented a car for the day and drove over to Florence to pick up a package that arrived after we left that marina. It's always interesting to travel by land to places you've visited only by water. When we got back to Huntsville, we shopped at Lowe's and Wal Mart. We were both tired by the end of the day.

We decided to stay one more day here. Larry has some repairs to make to prevent leaking into the fish hold, which was originally for fish but now is used for storage.

Tuesday was another beautiful day. It got down to the high 40's Monday night, according to the TV weatherman. We slept under a blanket and it's not even October yet!

Wednesday Larry continued his repair of the hatch cover. We met a fun couple, Beth and Tam, aboard Second Serve. We really enjoyed visiting with them and hope to run into them again on the river. Several small, 50-year-old boats stopped by the marina for fuel. They were day-cruising together.

Once again, we stayed longer than we planned at a marina. The marinas along the river generally are much less expensive than others where  we've stayed. Larry figured that we spend about $30 a day on fuel when we're underway. This marina costs less than that, so we're actually saving money when we stay at a marina!  That's a first!  

Friday, September 25

Goldfield Branch Anchorage, Mile 285

This morning was beautiful, so we took the dinghy out to explore little creeks off the main river. We picked up some floating river trash on our way back. It’s a shame boaters litter such a beautiful river. On the way back to Outer Reef, we rode around the marina, checking out the boats.

We were surprised to find Ron and Charm. They were a few slips down from us when we were at Island Moorings in Port Aransas. They have sold their boat Liquid Assets and now have a nice 53’ Hatteras, About Time. There are a couple of other boats from Texas here at the Wheeler Marina, but their owners were not on board.

We left the park mid-afternoon and traveled only a few miles upstream to Goldfield Branch, a nice open anchorage with wooded banks. It started raining hard just before we anchored. There was a strong wind and heavy rain, which made anchoring a challenge for Larry, but the downpour eventually stopped and we had a nice, peaceful evening.

Wednesday, September 23--Thursday, September 24

Joe Wheeler State Park Marina, Mile 277, Rogersville, AL

It rained hard all night and continued into the morning. Leaving Florence Harbor Marina was not as easy as we expected, but Larry managed to maneuver the boat successfully. We hadn’t been underway a half hour when we spotted a very large log floating right in our path. We avoided a catastrophe, but wondered how many logs are unseen under the water.

Today we passed three southbound cruising boats, one of which (Roy El) we’d seen in the Bahamas two years ago.

We locked through twice. The first was the Wilson Lock, which is a very impressive 137’ high and 4,541 long. The second was the Wheeler Lock (72‘ tall and 6,342‘ long), which is just before the turn off to the Joe Wheeler State Park Marina and Resort.

The rain stopped just before we got to the marina, but it was still gray and foggy. This is a beautiful marina. It has a lodge, cabins, a pool, and a restaurant. We easily pulled into a transient slip. We plan to stay here two nights. The rate is 75 cents a foot, which is the least expensive place we’ve been. Even Bobby’s Fish Camp, which had no power, water or other amenities, was $1 a foot.

Thursday we celebrated more than 24 hours without rain! We had lunch at the Lodge restaurant. Our sandwiches were tasty; we were the only customers. After lunch we hiked one of the park’s trails. The hilly woods were cool and humid after the recent heavy rains. The trees were quite tall. We hoped to see some wildlife, but spotted only one squirrel. We weren’t exactly stealthily passing through the woods, so we probably scared all the animals away.

Tuesday, September 15--Tuesday, September 22

Florence Harbor Marina, Mile 256.1, Tennessee River

Tuesday was a gray day, no sunshine but it didn’t rain on us 'till late afternoon. The terrain is getting very hilly. Everyone we know who has cruised the Tennessee River has agreed that this is the most beautiful river. We certainly agree so far! The river was wide most of the day. There were bluffs on the port side and lots of small islands on the starboard.

We stopped at Florence Harbor Marina (AL) which has a great reputation among river cruisers. The people are very friendly and Brian spent at least two hours discussing engine problems with Larry. For supper, we had a delicious catfish dinner at the restaurant on premises. We’re eating catfish everywhere we go on this trip and haven’t had a bad meal yet!

Florence is one of the oldest towns in Alabama. This area is known as The Shoals and was the home of W. C. Handy (“Father of the Blues”) and Helen Keller’s birthplace. The only Frank Lloyd Wright house in Alabama is here, too. Florence is home of the University of North Alabama, which has a beautiful campus. There is also a Coon Dog Cemetery here. Really.

We expect to stay here 4-5 days.

Wednesday we drove around town in the marina's courtesy car to get our bearings. This is a very pretty town. Terry went to lunch with Eva, the marina's owner, and Richard and Liz off the trawler Sappho.  We went to McGraw's, a coffee shop with delicious sandwiches made with homemade bread.

It rained Wednesday and Thursday, much heavier on Thursday. Terry bailed more than 60 gallons of water out of the dinghy! We used the marina courtesy car to run to Lowe's and the deluge came while we were out. We sat in the marina parking lot for an hour waiting for a break.

Saturday when we took the courtesy car to run errands, traffic was stopped for a parade of motorcycles. There were hundreds of all varieties with interesting-looking folks driving to the gathering at the park across from the marina. But, the rainy weather put a damper on activities and a lot of the riders left before the end of the event.

Saturday night we watched the 'Horns beat the Texas Tech Red Raiders at the marina restaurant's bar. The restaurant owner was very nice and changed the channel for us. Football is very big here, but, of course, Alabama is the favored team.

Tuesday morning (5 AM!!) Larry took the courtesy car to pick up our mail from the UPS distribution center in Muscle Shoals, which is right across the river. The car broke down! Luckily, there was a repair shop close by and he was able to get it there. We plan to leave today. We've really enjoyed our week here, except for the interminable rain.

We had planned to leave Tuesday, but there's a lot of debris in the river, which is high from all the recent rain. So, we'll stay another night, which is fine with us since this is such a great marina.

Monday, September 14

Ross Branch Anchorage, Mile 229.8, Tennessee River

Today we left the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and entered the Tennessee River. Everyone tells us it is the most beautiful of all the rivers, so we’re eager to see it.

The Tennessee is very wide where we entered it and we were surprised to see that it was slightly choppy. We haven’t seen a chop since we left salt water!

We had a short day and anchored about 1:30 PM. No internet access here. Very frustrating.

We followed a tow pushing some barges all the way, but never caught up with them, so we didn’t have to pass, thank goodness!

The day is very gray and hazy. It’s supposed to rain again.