Demopolis AL to Mobile AL

Oct. 25 – Oct. 29

We finished our journey on the TennTom waterway and joined the Black Warrior River which will take us to the top of Mobile Bay AL. During this section we went through our last lock, (YeeHa!!) & anchored out for 4 nights as we continued south. We are still traveling with 2 other boats (Perfect Balance & Blue Angel).

 

 Turkey Buzzards waiting for us at the last lock.

 

 

This is our GPS showing how curvy the river is in this section. 

 

The first night we stopped and anchored right on the river tucked in real close to shore by a big bend. After anchoring we called the first tow that came by and told him that we were staying here for the night and asked him to pass that info on to any other tows he passed. There was only one other tow that came by so it was a peaceful evening. The other 3 nights we pulled off the river into narrow lakes with the current just strong enough in each one to keep the boats from swinging. There are no towns (thus no lights) near these anchorages so the stars look as if you could reach out and touch them.

Anchoring on the river.

 

To get to this anchorage we had to go 2/3 of a mile thru a very narrow channel.

 

 

A couple of mornings we had fog, but only one day was it so thick that it delayed our start by 2 hours.

 

 

The water is starting to turn brackish (which means salt water mixing in with fresh water) so we are in gator country now.

 

Oct. 29 we said goodbye to the river system and hello to Mobile Bay AL. (Also said goodbye to fresh water and hello to salt water). We travelled 12 miles down the bay and pulled into Turner Marine were we will stay for a couple of days.

Mobile AL.

 

 Shrimp boat on Mobile Bay.

 

Bay Springs MS. to Demopolis AL

Oct. 19 – Oct. 24

We left our quiet scenic anchorage to a beautiful sunny day and traveled 9 ½ hours, 57 miles through 5 locks with a combined total drop in elevation of 224 feet. Whew! Our intentions were to tie up to a free dock that night in Aberdeen but there was a BBQ/Bluegrass festival going on and the dock was full so we pulled into a marina across the river instead. Once we were tied up there was a gentleman there that offered us a ride (by pontoon boat) and took us to the festival. What a great time. There were several venders selling BBQed everything and several bands playing music.

 

 One of the locks we had to tie up with a tow and barges as we locked through.

 

 The channel to a marina in Aberdeen MS.

 

 BBQ/Bluegrass Festival.

 

From there we stopped in Columbus MS where we met up with some friends from Spring Lake (Steve & Sheli – MV Pura Vita) & our Canadian friends (Jim & Mimi - MV Perfect Balance).

"Riverwalk" A 4 mile pathway near downtown Columbus along the waterway.

 

We left Columbus and headed south to anchor for one night by the Tom Bevill lock. There is a visitor center there where you can tour the US Snagboat Montgomery. This snagboat was built in 1926, is 108 feet long, and was the last steam-powered sternwheeler to ply the inland waterways of the south. For nearly six decades, the Montgomery labored to keep seven of the South’s rivers navigable. The visitor center offers a small dock were we could put our dinghy, but once there we found out the visitor center was closed that day. But all was not lost. The lock was right next door and the lock master let us in and gave us a tour of the inside of the control building. Now, that was not only interesting but fun. Sherri even got to push the buttons on the control panel to close the lock gates.

US Montgomery.

 

 Tom Bevill Lock.

 

Our next night was another anchorage and then on to Columbus AL. There we met up with some more friends from MI, (Jim & Sharon – MV Blue Angel) who we will be traveling with south to FL & Bahamas. While at Columbus we got to tour one of the tugs that we have been passing while on the rivers.

 

 Spanish moss.

 

 White cliffs of Epes. (white chalk)

 

 This deer swam across the river right in front of us.

 

 The tug boat Earl Devall.

 

 One of the engines.

 

 The galley.

 

 The bridge.

Beech Creek TN. to Bay Springs Lake MS.

Oct. 9 – Oct. 18

We left our anchorage with Annies Song, and passed a little town of Clifton with a population of around 2600. Back in 1843 when the vote was taken for the location of Tennessee’s capital, Clifton lost by only one vote. That sure would have changed the scenery along this section of the river. Farther up river we went past Shiloh National Military Park. This is the site of the Civil War’s first major battle where the lives of 23,000 men were lost in just 2 days.

Never know what kind of animals you are going to see!

 

 Here is an interesting mode of transportation to get your boat in the water.

 

We went through Pickwick lock which took us up 55 feet and put us in Pickwick Lake (still part of the TN River). This will be our last lock going up. (It’s weird traveling south but going up stream). We pulled into a gorgeous bay called Dry Creek to anchor for one night. Now this bay was definitely not dry. It was several hundred yards wide, ½ mile long and 20+ feet deep all the way in.

 

The morning we left Dry Creek we traveled 7 miles to Aqua Marina MS. leaving behind the TN River and joining the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (it’s usually called the Tenn-Tom). We ended up staying at Aqua marina for 4 days because of strong thunderstorms and one day we even had tornado warnings. While here we borrowed the courtesy van and drove to Savannah TN. for groceries, the Post Office, and a hardware store, and Corinth MS. to tour the Civil War Interpretive Center where we learned about the battles that happen in that area.

Aqua Marina.

 

 

 These items were found at this site and put into the cement walkway.

 

On Tues. the 14^th we finally got a chance to move on. We travelled south through the Divide Cut which is a manmade canal 24 miles long & 280 ft. wide that connects the Tombigbee River to the Tennessee River. Once thru the Divide Cut, we arrived in Bay Springs Lake and then anchored in Piney Grove Bay. This anchorage is one of several dozen that can be found in this lake.

 

 Bald eagle.

 

While anchored here for 3 days we took the dinghy out exploring and found several boat launches to get off the boat and go for walks. One ramp led us to a State Park and the other had a Visitors Center which was near the next lock we will be going through. It was a great time for some minor boat repairs and R&R.

 

 Randy & Lou looking at our anchorage from the State park.