Day#54-Tombigbee Ox Bow

 

Pretty cold and foggy this morning. We're waiting around for some sunshine to clear the path to the next lock which is around the corner from us here at Pirate's Cove Marina. We walked to the restrooms and there was frost on the ground.....Yikes!   Heading down to Demopolis which is about 100 miles south of here, but will try and anchor @ Tombigbee Ox Bow anchorage which is at 265.8 and here we are at mile marker 307.4.





Scrabble anyone?

Scot was able to get the ND/Navy game on the computer yesterday and after talking to Britta, the technology expert, we were able to transfer it to our TV. Great game for the Irish!

Day#53-Pirate's Cove Marina, AL

Chester's and Angel's at the marina.....yes, this was the marina!

What a chilly start this morning near freezing temperatures. We got through the Stennis Lock about 9:30am. It was a beautiful ride on the river to Pirate's Cove Marina and tied up around 1:30 pm. It has warmed up to the low 60's and the sun is shining. The Chester's had a great ride with "Blue Angel".
Hoping to catch ND game today.... Go Irish!

Day#52=Columbus,MS

We're still here in Columbus not enjoying the weather...cool, windy and in the low 50's. We're taking off tomorrow for Pickensville, AL. We had to spot Chester's car there because they will be traveling with the Angels to experience locking through the Stennis Lock tomorrow morning.

Sharon Angel drinking a dark beer!

Today we went out to lunch at a local restaurant called the Proffitt's Porch for some delicous seafood gumbo and red beans with rice.

Day # 51-Columbus, MS

Social hour on our boat

It sure is nice getting up early in the morning and not taking off for the river. We got  to do some laundry and take care of some maintenance issues on the boat. There's a 40% chance of rain and its pretty cloudy today.
Waiting for the Chester's to come and visit today. We had orderves at our boat, Scot's famous spinach artichoke dip, and Little Beers, thanks to Sharon! Then we went to the "Blue Angel" and had a delicious supper.  It sure was tons of fun to exchange stories, especially after the Chester's just came from the Joe Wheeler rendezous in TN by car to visit us in MS.
It's great to have such wonderful friends to share your boating experiences. We all learn a lot from each other.

Day#46-Tenn-Tom River

Another chilly night and of course fog in the morniing. We have three boats anchored in Zippy Branch Bay waiting for it to clear up and go. Angels made it here around 5:00 last night. It was good to see them again.
The trip down the Tenn-Tom will be about 25 miles long with no stopping in between. Barges are allowed to travel down this Yellow Creek too and hopefully we don't see any.

 

                      "Blue Angel" anchored at Five Fingers where it was beautiful, sunny and peaceful.

Day#50-Columbus,MS

What a trip today.....after the Aberdeen Lock & Dam....one boat got caught with some line that was tied to a tree. That stopped them in their tracks which made us a little bit more diligent watching the river debris. Then a BOAT US boat  was towing a boat "Moonstruck" back north. This boat was the one that was sunk by a tow/barge a few weeks ago. Heard that this boat was "top heavy with a mototcycle" but that's the rumors.
We finally arrive @ Columbus Marina around noon. We hurried to eat lunch and then took the courtesy van to Walmart to get more supplies. We are docked under a canopy which Scot has enjoyed the shade. After showers at the marina, I find a nice warm spot in the sun to dry my hair and get some sunshine.
An added extra surprise was when a helicopter landed in the field next to the marina. We have to get the scoop on that adventure. We are near an air force training base which makes the friendly skies disturbing.


Leaving the Blue Bluffs area of Aberdeen

It was a beautiful day on the river.....again. We count our blessings everyday!

Day#49-Aberdeen, MS

Another foggy morning which means we didn't take off until 9:00am. Managed to get through three locks today without too much difficulty. We are tied up to a free dock at Blue Bluff not far away from our next lock which will be the Aberdeen Lock & Dam. We are planning to go to Columbus, MS tomorrow which will be about 20 miles away.

 Blue Bluff

Turned out to be a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and up in the 70's :)

Day#48=Midway Marina,MS

We didn't get to take off until the fog lifted about 11:00 am. We called the lockmaster and got through the deepest lock yet...84ft...Jamie Whitten Lock. The sun finally came out and turned out to be a gorgeous day. The second lock, we had to wait for about 50 minutes, because a tow was ahead of us. We just floated around, ate lunch and enjoyed the scenery. There was no waiting at the 3rd lock today....yes!

"Blue Angel" in the lock

We finally got to the marina and was waiting for a courtesy car which some people already had. We waited for over 3 hours and they still didn't return. A very nice southern gentleman, from the marina, offered his car so the we took off for Walmart for supplies again.
When we got back, we put away our groceries, showered and came back in time to view the "Northern Lights". It was a gorgeous deep red sky with lines of white intermingled with all the beautiful sparkling stars. Truly this was a beautiful night to remember!

Day#47-Near Jamie Whitten Lock & Dam

Moved around the corner today for another anchorage so we'll be ready to go down the 84 foot drop tomorrow at the Jamie Whitten L&D.  Not very sunny but in the low 60's. Went by dinghy to check out the Visitor's Center but it was closed, so we decided to explore other river parts while the sun was shinning this morning. Not very good cell phone/internet service around these state parks.
Guess it will be a great day for a game of scrabble!
I'm hoping to post more pictures when we're at a marina or with better internet services.

Day #45-Zippy Creek

"Blue Angel" anchored for the night

Woke up to some fog and cold weather,actually had a frost advisory, but the sun has burnt off the fog and it should be in the low 60's today. We will be leaving marina life once again to go anchor at Zippy Branch, which is located in the J.P. Coleman State Park, about a mile south of here and will reconnect with  "Blue Angel" again.
Tomorrow we will be heading down the Tenn-Tom waterway for the next week or so. So if you don't see an entry for the next couple days you'll know that we're out of service areas.

Day#44-Grand Harbor Marina....Again

 

Cruised back north about an hour to the Grand Harbor Marina for some heat, internet and shopping for supplies. We went with another couple, using the courtesy car, to go to Walmart and Kroger in Savannah,TN.  Yes, Kroger for a change.Winds are still kicking out of the west at 20-30 knots at our starboard side and still chilly. It was nice to see the sunshine today and it warmed up to mid 50's.
Scot is fixing chili and it smells so delicious. Really feels like fall down here.

Day#43-J.P.Coleman State Park, MS

Scot overlooking the Tennessee River

Another day @ anchorage with high winds gusting up to  20 plus and cooler weather,30's at night. We dinghied to the state park marina and checked out the area. We had to do something for exercise and its nice to get off the boat where land is not moving. Had to put the generator on for some heat and to cook a nice warm meal. Of course another game of scrabble....and NJ won! Thank goodness I brought some yarn and a crochet hook to start making a nice warm scarf to wear :)   
Just wanted to update our friends who worry when we don't update the blog...usually it means we're off in a secluded anchorage.

Day#42-J.P.Coleman State Park

 

Heading off to anchor @ Whetstone Branch for a couple days, which is only about 4 miles back on the TN river.  It is suppose to rain this afternoon  and tomorrow the winds will be 20 knots out of the NW, but we should be protected in anchorage. Well, this anchorage didn't work so we headed down the TN river to J.P.Coleman State Park in MS. It turned out to be getting cooler and rained in the afternoon.

Day#41-Grand Harbor Marina

Waterfalls

We left Dry Creek this am. and checked out the waterfalls just south of Yellow Creek. We saw our friends "Ka-Dee-Anna" were anchored there, but gone on their dinghy. After we circled around in the cove admiring the waterfall, we waved to other boats that were traveling south, "Passport" and "Southern Belle" who stopped in to view the waterfall as well.

Shiloh

Overlooking the ICW

We borrowed a courtesy van and drove to Shiloh to visit the Civil War Battlefield.  It was truly amazing. On the way home, we stopped at Walmart, of course.to pick up more supplies.

Day#40-Heading to Pickwick Lock & Dam

Left around 7:00 am and had to deal with some fog and chilly weather. Thank goodness we did not "see" any other boats. After about 30 minutes, the beautiful sun came up and burned the fog slowly but surely. The river got a bit busier today with cruising boats not tows/barges. It is suppose to get to 80 degrees but a wind from the south, which is not in our favor. We shall enjoy the sunny warm weather because by the middle of the week, it will be much cooler...high in the 50's? 
Heading off to anchor at Dry Creek, once we get through the lock and dam. Hopefully we don't have to wait long to pass through.

Day#39- Clifton,TN

What a great night for sleeping. Last night there were so many stars and a full moon....can't beat that!
Once again, I beat Scot in Scrabble....can't believe how lucky I've been with our games.
Woke up around 7:00am and there was a little fog, but the sun helped clear things up and we took off for Clifton. No sooner when we got out of our nice little cove area, sure enough, there was a barge going down the river. You feel like there is a monster behind you and you want to keep ahead of it and we did all the way here.
The marina is very small and it is about 1/2 mile to town. Scot and I rode our bikes and took a tour of the historical city. We did find a Dollar General and a grocery store near by. We did manage to bring all of our goodies home on our bikes. Tonight we're cooking chicken in our new portable slow cooker.
It's funny how we keep meeting some of the same boats we met at previous marinas. Always say good bye on good terms....ha.
Hopefully heading to Pickwick Dam tomorrow. The winds will not be as windy as NOAA was quoting yesterday, 25-35 mph out of the south. It will be another long day, but we have to make miles when the weather is good.

Day#38-Double Island

Burr...it was chilly this morning. We took off around 7:00 am and the sun was starting to shine. We missed the cinnamon rolls and coffee today, but it's  probably much healthier for us to get back in the cereal routine.
Made reservations at Clifton, which is about 60 miles south, but might change our minds to get away from civilization for a quiet night anchoring out. We'll see.
It was different taking off by ourselves without our guardian "Blue Angel". We'll catch up with them later after their trip back to Grand Haven.
We ended up anchoring at Double Island. The wind was kicking up and we decided that we would pull in behind an island to get out of the winds. Not much longer we had two boats anchored behind us.


Barge....oh my!

People at the top of the cliff!

It was very peaceful. Scot enjoys listening to the tree frogs when anchored.
Tomorrow we only have about an hour cruise to Clifton, which is a very nice short trip.

Day#37-Pebble Isle (Last Day)

What a dreary and rainy day....cool too. Did a load of laundry, of course, after the delicious cinnamon rolls and coffee social at the marina restaurant.
We're planning on leaving tomorrow for a marina in Clifton, TN. That's about 60 miles down the river and should be sunny with some wind out of the northwest. The Angels left early this am with rental to go back to Grand Haven for the weekend. Lots of boats left this morning and right after lunch another fleet of boats come to tie up where the last ones took off. Everyone is headed down to the rendevouz @ Joe Wheeler State Park in AL which is the last week in October. We are not planning on attending so hopefully there will be less boat traffic to contend with.



Forrest and his Willard 36' Aft Pilot House "Trident"

Great day to play Scrabble.........

Day#34-Pebble Isle Marina

Happy Columbus Day....Enjoyed some free coffee and cinnamon rolls at the marina. Afterwards Scot and I hiked through the Johnsonville State Historic Park which isn't very far from our marina. It was cool to see some of the historic places from the Civil War.
No luck getting to watch the Chicago Bears nor the Detroit Tigers game on satellite. We should be enjoying nature more often than watching  TV.

Day #35-Pebble Isle Marina

 

Got up and showered and went to our daily routine of free coffee, cinnamon rolls and to visit with other boaters. This boat, pictured above, came in for fuel. He had a pipe organ on his top deck and played some Disney songs..."When You Wish Upon A Star" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". It was really cool to hear and I was singing along!
Scot and I went for a dinghy ride around the lake today and saw another fox, hawk and ran aground with our dinghy. It really gets shallow in many places around here, but it is clearly marked for the big boaters. We wanted to explore the area and we can get a lot closer to shore with our dinghy.
Had another social on the dock and exchanged boat cards with people from Canada and Michigan.
Played scrabble again and guess who one?  Moi!

Day # 36-Pebble Isle Marina

Social hour with new boating friends

Quite a bit of fog this morning, but now the sun is trying to burn that off. About 6 boats came in last evening and we had a social on the dock. Most of the boats took off this morning about 9:30 am. when the fog was lifting.
Hopefully going to Walmart today to buy a new crock pot, which is nice to have aboard. My old one bit the dust....So glad that they have a courtesy car here.

Day#33-Still @ Pebble Isle

Nothing like an early shower to wake you up in the morning. The showers are a nice walk up the hill, but its been chilly (low50's) and some fog rising off  the lake. Thank goodness for the morning sunshine to burn it off.

Scot at the entrance to the marina

Another trip to Walmart to get some needed supplies. Gas is very cheap around here  at $3.19 /gallon. It is customary to put some gas in the courtesy car when you return it. It is very nice to have a car available when needed.

Day#32- Pebble Isle Marina, TN

 

Another beautiful day of sunshine around here. Early in the morning, Sharon and I went to town  the laundromat to do some dreaded laundry. It was fun to see all the displays of pumpkins, gords and mums.
Enjoyed the rest of the day setting up the satellite dish to watch the ND/Air Force football game. Sure was a great day for the Irish!
Pretty quiet around here as five boats took off, then more boats come in and dock. It is so interesting to see all the different sizes, makes of boats from numerous places in the US and listen to everyone's stories. Of course, we have a couple stories of our own.......
Sat. night we stayed up to watch a little tv, because we don't always have access to tv reception when we are anchored out.  Guess we're not missing much.....nothing exciting was on. I do enjoy watching the news in the morning and to see that everyone else is getting warm weather as well. We all better enjoy it before it ends next week.

Day #31-Pebble Isle Marina

 

We got here about 12:00 pm and bought 200 gallons of diesel, even though we still have a 1/2 tank left.  It's been the cheapest around @ $3.89/gallon.  Another beautiful, sunny and wam day here. We might be staying here for a few days for some R&R, plus laundry, supplies, etc. Hope to post more pix for you to enjoy. We just never have internet services to update /upload pix.
Glad it's Friday......in fact.....anyday feels like Friday :)
It's a very nice and relaxing feeling.

Day #30-Crooked Creek,TN

Heading to Crooked Creek, TN which is about 20 miles down the TN river. We left about 9:00am and the two boats that anchored near us last night are also heading south. It's really neat to see four trawlers in a row heading south. Also you can see a picture of an abanded dock right on the river. The weather is going to be in the 80's again.....we really are enjoying this warm weather. We have also enjoyed watching minnows and other fish in the areas where we have anchored....so much for cheap entertainment. We only get a couple of tv channels, but manage to get some news and weather in the mornings before we leave.
Glad to see some more of our friends have joined our blog....welcome aboard!

Day #29- Fort Heiman,KY

Passport, Southern Belle and Blue Angel anchored

Off to another beautiful bay off  the TN River. Not much fog today and the river is nice and calm. Took about an hour to get here, anchored and enjoying more sunshine.

Day #28-Panther Bay, TN

Got here about 11:00am after some heavy fog this am., but was able to leave by 9:00am, so just a couple of hours to cruise and charge up the batteries. Scot had some minor  repair work to do with our holding tank....phew!  Anyway, hope that is fixed.

 

At night it is so beautiful with all the stars and now an half-moon shining. We are early to bed, usually around 8:30pm, which is really dark here and then up by 7:00 am taking a shower on the boat when we anchor out.
We actually saw some while pelicans on the Tennessee River this morning coming down to Panther Bay. We are truly in awe looking at all the magestic wild life so far on our trip.

Day # 27-Ginger Bay, TN

 

No internet services yesterday, but wanted to let you know that we anchored in Ginger Bay, TN, which was beautiful. Dinghied to a boat launch and met a guy from Michigan City, IN, which is our hometown. Guess it really is a small world. Weather was great....in the 80"s!

                                    Wonderful news....we made a pizza in our oven last night!

Day#26-Kentucky Lake

 

Burr....but the sun is warming us up. Going to anchor somewhere across Ky Lake. I'll try and update later but not sure if we'll have service.
Bummer...wasn't able to watch the ND/PU game last night...so much for our cable box. We did have an interesting dinner with the locals and learned a lot about RV'ing in Canada and Alaska. The pictures were beautiful and Bob had some funny stories to share. Dinner consisted of  hamburgers, potato salad, a delicious green salad and some people brought desserts. Everyone that we met were so friendly and many of them were loopers who shared some stories.

Day #25 - Still @ Kenlake, KY

Well it does feel like October, sunny but cool down here, low 60's. Tonight it's suppose to go down to 39 degrees, so we decided to spend another day here with electricity to plug in the space heater tonight.  Scot and I were able to go for a bike ride to a little town called Aurora, KY. Not much there, but it felt good to get some exercise. There are lots of hills around that made the ride pretty interesting. Not too many leaves have changed color as yet.
We are invited to a birthday party for one of the locals at the marina tonight. He will be showing pictures of his RV trip through Canada and Alaska. This will be our second Saturday night dinner hosted by the friendly marinas around here.  Looking forward to watching the PU/ND tonight on ESPN. We asked for a cable box hoping to catch the game tonight.

Wondering what shoes to wear.......