With the Rendezvous under our belts, we were excited to begin our adventure down the Tenn-Tom Waterway. While at Grand Harbor Marina, we recommissioned the boat and met up with Inch-N-Along as they began their loop adventure. We awoke once again to heavy fog, but it rapidly lifted as we prepared to get underway.
Inch-n-Along ready to begin her loop adventure.
Inch-n-Along takes the lead to navigate
us through her home waters.
This first section of the Tenn-Tom is known as the Divide Cut.
The length of the cut is 25 miles - quite impressive.
Of course, there are tows working the river
and some beautiful scenery.
We decided to pull into Bay Springs Marina for a good night's sleep as we had several locks lined up for the following day and hoped to get an early start. The next morning we called the Whitten Lock at 7:30 am and there were already 2 tows waiting to lock through. We were told it would be at least an hour; so, we took our time and pulled out in time to make the third lock-through.
Another foggy morning.
After the tows locked through it was our turn.
We had to wait again at the second lock, Montgomery Lock, as tows were busy on the river this morning. As we were making our way to Montgomery Lock a motor vessel came rushing by between us and a tow to get into the lock first. We didn't appreciate the wake, but figured the guy wouldn't get far after pulling out of the lock as the lockmaster at Montgomery called the next lock down the line and told them the number of motor vessels locking through together. Lockmasters usually do this so that jerks don't get rewarded for waking other vessels in an attempt to get ahead. So, usually you'll find the offending vessel waiting at the next lock for everyone else to get there.
In this case, however, the next lock down the line, Rankin Lock, allowed the motor vessel to lock through solo thus making a tow wait, and then we had to wait to follow the tow. Needless to say, we weren't at all happy and were pretty disgusted that the motor vessel was rewarded for being so unsafe on the waterway. No, we didn't say anything to the Rankin lockmaster, not a good idea since we could have been made to wait even longer. After just 19 miles and 3 locks, we decided to call it a day and pulled into Midway Marina located just down from Rankin Lock. We were hopeful that we would make better time the next day.
Lots of tree stumps,
Cypress trees,
and water fowl along the route.
Midway Marina
Another great reward at the end of a long day.
We pulled out of the marina before sunrise to get a jumpstart on the day. We made it through the first lock just great, but it backed up again after that. After 5.5 hours we had only gone 20 miles... The Tenn-Tom was proving to be a little frustrating at this point. Still, we were with good folks in a beautiful place and made the most of the delays; then we all enjoyed unwinding together at day's end.
Sunrise over the Tenn-Tom.
The colors starting to light up.
Lots more tows on the waterway today.
Several other recreational vessels were held up with us today.
Knowing the delays we had the day before, the Captain of Ashleigh, a tow from the day before, told the lockmaster that we could lock through with him - we were very much appreciative.
The Ashleigh invites us to lock through with her.
We pulled out of the lock first as tows throw out
a lot of turbulence especially inside a lock.
More tows
and beautiful scenery
throughout the day.
As we waited once again to lock through, the Crimson White said that it would be okay for us to lock through with her. Once again the lockmaster called us into the lock. Tow Captains Rock!!
Waiting to lock through again.
Our day was looking up as the Crimson White
allowed us to lock through with her.
Quite an impressive tow.
As we neared Columbus, Mississippi some US Air Force pilots were training in T8s. It was thrilling watching them fly through the skies.
USAF pilot in training.
After another long day of locks, we looked forward to pulling into Columbus, Mississippi Marina. When we pulled in the owner recommended a restaurant, made a reservation for us there, and gave us the keys to his car... Nice! Several Loopers were staying in Columbus, Mississippi for an extended time. Columbus is the home of Tennessee Williams, and it was a quaint looking downtown. However, after the past few slow days, we were anxious to make some progress; so, we decided to just stay overnight.
Amos, apparently opting for a longer stay, had other ideas and jumped off the boat thinking a mass of lily pads would support his weight. He quickly discovered his mistake and swam for shore. Poor guy... he's getting quite adept at swimming these days... this time he didn't seem to mind the quick dip too much...
Pulling into Columbus Marina.
The next morning, the marina owner contacted the lock for us, and the lockmaster told him that he would be ready for us at 8:00 am. Wow, such service from this marina! The owner was out on the docks throwing off the lines of the 6 other boats wanting to lock through with us.
Thanks to our dockmaster’s diligence, the entire flotilla was secure in the lock and ready for passage by 7:59 am. We left the water hyacinth in our wake as we exited the lock excited to cross from Mississippi into Alabama today.
Inside the John C. Stennis Lock.
It was filled with water hyacinth.
For as long as I can remember, I have had a fascination with bridges – any bridge. On the loop, we passed underneath so many that I lost count ages ago – but there is something special about railroad bridges. In just a moment they can transport you to a different time and place with their beauty – even this simple Illinois Central Railroad Bridge. My mind wonders how many trains have passed this way, where were they going, who or what were they carrying? Every train its own adventure.
Pretty soon, I snap back to reality as the real world interrupts my daydream. After all there are plenty of sites to see as we pass numerous plants and barges being loaded with the commodity of the day.
One of many plants.
Loading a barge with scrap metal.
As the harvests come in, the grain silos are beginning to fill.
Soon there will be a long line of barges awaiting their turn to be loaded.
The harshness of the real world is tempered when you’re on the water as the beauty and tranquility of the water and wildlife are constant reminders that there is more to life than the everyday grind.
The moon over a beautiful setting.
A bald eagle and a juvie soar overhead.
A patient heron on watch.
And yet, even in this setting, you just have to find the humor as folks try to integrate the two.
Yard art - a phone booth and totem pole in the middle of nowhere.
We caught up to the pack of our lock-through buddies anchored off the Tom Bevill Visitor’s Center, home of the US Montgomery. The Montgomery was the last of the steam-powered, sternwheeled snagboats to work the inland waterways of the south. She was built in 1926 in Charleston, SC and worked in the waterways until she retired in 1982. She still works today, however, educating Joe Public on days gone by at the Visitor’s Center.
The US Montgomery.
Once through the lock you can see how narrow the channel is as a couple of our buddy boats share it with an oncoming tow. A little too close for comfort knowing the turbulence behind these babies, but sometimes you just have to power on…
As the afternoon was stretching on, we contacted our lock-through buddies to get an idea where they planned to overnight. A challenge of the trip when traveling with a pack can be somewhat limited resources. In this section of the river, there are no marinas, and anchorages large enough and deep enough for our sized vessel are rare. Most of our travel buddies were planning to go into the anchorage closest to the next lock; so, they would be ready to lock-through first thing in the morning. According to the information we had, there wasn’t room for us all. So, we pulled into Cook’s Bend Cutoff with Inch n Along.- what a treat!
Cook’s Bend is an oxbow with some residential homes deep in the back of the bend. We found plenty of depth and plenty of room – in fact, the whole flotilla could have fit here easily. We rafted off with our buddy and settled into this beautiful anchorage. We watched the beaver swim while Amos played with his new catnip mouse (thanks, Inch n Along!). That is until he discovered an open door on the boat next to us – and then he was off and running once again… Why is it that it’s just so difficult to be content with what you have – even when you’re a cat…
Beaver
Playing peacefully,
sees open door,
gets closer to survey the situation,
jumps over to claim his new territory.
We awoke to dense fog over the water. Even though we knew our buddy boats were downstream expecting an early lock-through, for safety’s sake, we delayed our departure thinking we would catch the next available lock. As the sun rose the fog started to lift, and we ventured downstream waking up the waterfowl along the way. The further downstream, the more beautiful the day became.
Heavy fog
Sunrise starts to burn off the fog.
Birds dozing on logs until we disturb the stillness.
Suddenly we rounded a curve, and it was a beautiful fall morning.
Upon our arrival everyone was glad to see us, as we offered our apologies for their delay. Of course, everyone understood as we have all“been there, done that” and, in the river system, the name of the game is “Beat the Clock” as you wait for all recreational vessels in the area to clear the pool before the lock doors close. It was quite amusing to watch though as the lock doors opened, our buddies were most anxious to get underway – see ya!
As we made our way south, civilization began making an appearance once again. We crossed underneath the I-20 Interstate Bridge and were comforted that all was well with the world as first a FedEx truck, and then two other transport trucks were crossing the bridge with the hammer down.
We quickly called our Aunt Mildred as last year when traveling over this very bridge in route to Dallas, TX, we told her we would be in this exact location. As always, she was glad to hear from us and tried to talk us into parking the boat and catching a ride back to Atlanta.
We quickly called our Aunt Mildred as last year when traveling over this very bridge in route to Dallas, TX, we told her we would be in this exact location. As always, she was glad to hear from us and tried to talk us into parking the boat and catching a ride back to Atlanta.
Alas, it was not to be, as the white cliffs of Epes beckoned to us. As we rounded each curve in the river, the scenery was more and more spectacular. The final crescendo was reached as we rounded a curve and the Alabama Great Southern Railroad Bridge came into view with the white cliffs as a backdrop. So spectacular!
As we left the cliffs in our wake, the scenery became, shall I say, less spectacular… as we made our way into Demopolis. This was to be our last day on the Tenn-Tom Waterway.
I think there's a sailboat under here somewhere...
Arriving in Demopolis.
Just north of Demopolis the Black Warrior River enters the waterway creating the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway. As the sunrise cast its golden hues over the Yacht Basin, we phoned the Demopolis Lock and discovered hat 5 to 6 other boats were in route to the R/V lock through. We were told that if we wanted to make the lock in time, we had better get a move on. Once again we threw off our lines while gulping down cold coffee. It paid off though as we got to the lock on time. Our discovery of this small town will have to wait until another day as we have Mobile in our sights now and plan to get a bottom paint job done before parking SeaGlide in salt water for the holidays.
A golden sunrise.
The Demopolis Lock and Dam.
Below the dam, the white cliffs aren’t nearly as spectacular, but they seem to go on forever. Then the Spanish Moss began to add its element to the beauty of the scenery. Add to it all the Meridan and Bigbee Railroad Lift Bridge, and, as you can see, we were once again traveling inside portrait.
Low white cliffs
Spanish moss
Meridan and Bigbee Railroad Lift Bridge
We passed what remains of the old Rooster Bridge. The Rooster Bridge became somewhat famous during a flood in 1979. Due to the raging flood waters, the Captain of the tow Cahaba realized that crashing into the bridge was imminent; so, he released his load of barges sending them afloat downstream. All the crew could do was brace for impact. If you haven’t yet seen the photos of this accident on the Internet, it’s worth watching. The tow hits the bridge and rolls to port – once on the other side of the bridge, the tow rights itself, powers down the river, catches up to his load of barges, and continues on as though nothing ever happened. Holy smokes… We had this story fresh on our minds as we once again passed the Ashleigh…
As Demopolis was the last town and the last marina before Mobile, we were in search of an anchorage for the night. The pickings were few, and we decided to make our way to Bashi Creek along with Inch n Along. In route we passed some interesting sights. The first being the most awesome slip-and-slide that I’ve ever seen – the heck with the kids, this one is adult-sized!
Also interesting is this new style tow, the Megan Parker. I’m sure the Captains must love the turret-style pilothouse on these new tows. Another interesting, but sad sight, is the problem of erosion. Alabama seems to be in need of some major help with this issue. Miles and miles of timberland is planted to the river’s edge ,and, at the base of the cliffs, you can see all the wasted timber – not to even mention the land that is lost to the downstream currents.
Megan Parker - new style tow.
Erosion problems.
We pulled up to Bashi Creek, and it was even smaller than we imagined. We were told that the depths were good, but to raft up bow to stern each boat using a bow anchor to keep straight once inside – in short, there was absolutely no swing room here. We rafted off and just to be safe Jeff tried an old redneck anchoring trick to keep us heading in the right direction. The trick? Just tie up to an available tree limb… This was the second time our loppers came in handy on this trip.
Bashi Creek anchorage
Tied to a tree.
Queen Kathleen joined us by anchoring out in the mouth of the creek. The next morning, our old buddy tow, Ashleigh, passed by us just as the fog lifted. We called the Captain on the VHF to bid him good day… poor guy… I’m sure he wondered at what point he would finally be shed of us R/Vers…
Queen Kathleen at anchor as the Ashleigh passes us once again.
Our spirits were undaunted today as our destination was another milestone among Loopers – Bobby’s Fish Camp. We heard that Bobby’s isn’t much to look at, but it’s legendary on the river – not to mention that it is the last fuel stop before getting into Mobile.
Bobby passed on several years ago, but his daughter and other extended family members keep the fish camp open and running. Renowned for their catfish dinners, folks come from miles around, both by land and by river, just to dine here. You can stay overnight in one of their cabins or on their floating dock on a first-come, first-serve basis. We were the first to arrive today; so, we were fortunate enough to get a power hookup.
Throughout the day while in route, I was reminded of my Grandmom as I searched out Belted Kingfishers and saw lots of wild Elephant Ear plants. Growing up she had a picture of a Kingfisher that I admired, and she always had Elephant Ears in her backyard. There were plenty of other waterfowl about today – Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons, Tri-Color Herons – each fishing on their own terms.
Heron
Kingfisher
Snowy Egret
Wild Elephant Ears
Big turtle on a log.
Nothing fancy, just a nice spot for a cabin
Throughout the day, a few more boats came in, and, as the dock space ran out, the last boat in rafted off with us. All the “transients” planned to have dinner together that evening while everyone did their own thing that afternoon. Amos and I had fun exploring the grounds and found an Alabama Red-Bellied Turtle nesting area. It was roped off to keep folks out, and our view from the sidelines didn’t reveal any activity. And that, folks, was the highlight of our afternoon, if that tells you anything… just a slow, south-Alabama kind of day…
SeaGlide – first on the floating docks.
Bobby’s restaurant up on the hill.
Campers and cabins.
Turtle nesting area
As dinnertime approached, we made our way up the hill to the restaurant early as we were told that Bobby’s had a treasure trove of memorabilia, and we wanted a chance to look around. We were not disappointed – years and years of photo albums were ours to peruse along with newspaper articles of local events and people – not to mention all the memorabilia displayed on the walls, on shelves, and in display cabinets. We had an open invitation into the events and times of this family – you could see mostly good times, especially those shared at the fish camp – but there were sad times shared too. Nothing was off-limits, and we appreciated being a part of their fish camp family.
Alligator gar.
Dinner crew, SeaGlide along with Inch-n-Along,
Queen Kathleen, Lillian Jean, and Call Me Mike.
Bobby’s niece (our waitress)
No telling how many tall tales were told here over the years...
Bobby is remembered and talked about here
every day as folks pass his photo and share stories.
Once again, fog hung over the water as we threw off our lines. Today was another memorable day for SeaGlide… The last lock of our entire loop trip awaited us just 2 miles downriver. We spent time the night before updating our lock tally – we did a total of 152 locks!
At this point, I can hardly remember why locks caused us so much anxiety in the early days. We’ve definitely experienced most every type of lock there is at this point. If I can offer any advice, it would be to approach slowly, take your time securing the vessel, don’t become complacent, and stand at the ready with a sharp knife. Even though our time in locks was mostly uneventful, we were witness to many frustrating moments for others.
At this point, I can hardly remember why locks caused us so much anxiety in the early days. We’ve definitely experienced most every type of lock there is at this point. If I can offer any advice, it would be to approach slowly, take your time securing the vessel, don’t become complacent, and stand at the ready with a sharp knife. Even though our time in locks was mostly uneventful, we were witness to many frustrating moments for others.
Leaving Bobby's Fish Camp at daybreak.
Arriving at the last lock on our loop adventure.
Whoop, whoop! Our last lock is complete!
Finally the fog began to lift, and, with our last lock behind us, we looked forward to an easy uneventful day on the water. Our plan was to anchor and raft-off tonight with Inch-n-Along and Queen Kathleen as on the morrow, we planned to go separate ways from our buddies once we hit Mobile. So, this was our last day on the Tombigbee.
The night before Call Me Mike shared alligator photos with us; so, we all had our eyes trained on the river’s edge in the hopes of seeing a big gator. As the day wore on and no one had a sighting, we all began to believe that Call Me Mike was just pulling our proverbial legs. I was glad that at Bobby’s I went ahead and purchased the Swamp People gator head and claw back-scratchers for all the rednecks, uhhh, I mean guys, in my life… closest I’m gonna get to the real thing…
Even though the gators eluded us, we enjoyed many sights along the way.
An old tow staging area.
More white cliffs.
Jackson Railroad Lift Bridge.
Another ugly, but necessary plant.
A coal barge staging area.
Lots of sand.
And what day would be complete without our buddy tow, Ashleigh. Once again we pass her in route to her home port of Mobile - it was a busy day on the waterway for tows. To be expected, I guess, as we get closer and closer to Mobile. In fact, I’m already excited to visit this large port city and cross Mobile Bay. For now though, we’re content to spend this last night with friends as we have Inch-n-Along rafted to one side of us and Queen Kathleen rafted to the other. We all had dinner aboard SeaGlide and enjoyed our time together.
Ashleigh
A calm night on the hook at the Tensas River anchorage.
We knew that today would be special as we awoke to no fog. The early morning clouds cleared to reveal beautiful blue skies on this cool autumn morning. We were excited to make our way to Mobile – to me, cities on the water are exciting, as are large ports, and with Mobile Bay being on the Gulf of Mexico, one of my favorite destinations, I could hardly contain my excitement. As our buddy boats cast off their lines, we pulled in the anchor, and we were all off and running.
Sunrise.
Smoke stacks.
Enjoying the scenery.
I-65 Twin Fixed Bridges
We had just gotten underway good when the Coast Guard issued a “Notice to Mariners.” This time the notice directly affected us. The 14 Mile Bridge (CSX Railroad Swing Bridge) was closing for 4-5 hours to replace a cable. What?!?! It couldn’t be! No telling what this would do to our “schedule.” And there was no sneaking underneath this bridge as its height is only 4’ when not raised. Rather than anchor out in protected waters, we decided to head on to the bridge and anchor out in front of it. We were secretly hoping that as vessels amassed there, somehow we might get a break and get a bridge opening.
It paid off! We anchored out for a couple of hours during which time other boats showed up and anchored out along with us. Seeing the traffic, the bridge operator hailed us on the VHF saying that they would open the bridge for a few minutes at 12:15 and to be on the ready. SeaGlide pulled up anchor and, as the bridge opened, proceeded to get in line with the other boats.
14 Mile Bridge
Noticing our buddy boat Inch-n-Along staying behind, we raced over to find out what the problem was –their chain was jammed in the windlass and wouldn’t raise the anchor. As the bridge opened and boats left, the timing for the opening was narrowing, we suggested they pull the anchor up by hand, and we could work on a repair on the other side. Better than being stuck here for the next several hours…
That being done, we both raced toward the bridge. Then we passed Queen Kathleen, who had anchored close to shore. Apparently their anchor was entangled in debris, and they couldn’t raise it. We called the bridge trying to buy us some time, and they said they would hold it open as long as they could; but, within a minute or so, they called back saying they must close the bridge now. As soon as radio contact was broken, Queen Kathleen’s anchor was freed! We hailed the bridge operator to say that we were all now in route. Whew!! Not quite sure how all that happened, but we all squeaked underneath the bridge as they began lowering it.
Our mad dash to freedom.
With a 3-4 hour delay averted, we sat back and once again soaked up the scenery.
And then it suddenly dawned on us that Mobile might be close to crossing the latitude line forbidden by our insurance company before November 1 – the end of hurricane season. Yikes, we were three days too early! Rather than trying to plow through insurance documents, we phoned the company and received clarification that our vessel wouldn’t be covered in any way once we crossed the lat line.
In a mad scramble, the agent completed a rider form and got it to the underwriter and back to us for our signature all within a matter of minutes. Really?!? How can we possibly be this lucky? As we got the first glimpse of Mobile, we could rest assured that we were not only covered, but also that coverage wasn’t going to cost us a dime… go figure… As much as I despise the “insurance racket,” they had me eating crow today…
Our first glimpse of Mobile in the distance.
As we neared Mobile the area became more industrial as we passed barge and container ship staging facilities. It's incredible how small you feel when passing a behemoth container ship.
And then we saw the Ashleigh at her home port already getting her next load to move upriver. I couldn’t swear to it, but I think I heard someone saying “Free at Last, Free at Last” as we went by…
Navy ships in the harbor as we made our way to Mobile, a contemporary looking city.
As the river emptied into Mobile Bay we made way for incoming tows and container ships.
Then said goodbye to our buddies as we broke off across the bay in route to Fairhope.
After all the company we had coming through Mobile, suddenly we found ourselves alone save for a lone dolphin that led us across the bay. At last we were through all the river systems and ready to start our Golf Coast adventure.
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