(And Goin’
Downhill Fast)
We entered
Pickwick Lake at our highest elevation (414 feet) since Lake Michigan. And it certainly felt Like the top of the
world. Except for the homes on
shoreline hills, there is nothing higher in view and the water looks wide open
after weeks on the rivers. (Although the
architects can’t seem to decide if they are in Tennessee, or Tahoe or
Tuscany. Sheesh.)
But looks can indeed be deceiving. The lake is shallow and close attention must
be paid to the depth sounder and the navigation aids. (And the air is scented with the aroma of a
nearby paper mill. Heavy sigh.) A south-easterly course will continue down
the course of the Tennessee River toward
Chattanooga and points further east. But
a quick turn to starboard (our choice)
heads east toward the beginning of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, our eventual route the Gulf od Mexico.
Our stop
here was at the Grand Harbor Resort and Marina.
A beautiful facility with a large marina (including 90’ lake
houseboats!) and condo development, it also proved to be a bit deceiving. The staff was limited, there was no onsite
restaurant and the shore-side amenities reserved for condo owners. Still, it had a steady flow of Loopers and
our three days there included many reunions with friends.
The
highlight of this stop was a visit to the Shiloh National Military Park
near Corinth, TN, with Water Witch
friends Jeff and Laurie
The scene of three
days of back-and-forth Civil War carnage, it now contains extensive historical
displays, military monuments, and a National Cemetery the at is the final
resting place for hundreds of veterans.
The battle here in April 1861 marked the ascendency of Ulysses S Grant
and William Tecumseh Sherman as Union military leaders and the point at which
the Union took the upper hand over
Confederate forces in what was then the West. Casualties on both sides were staggering. From
here, Sherman began his March to the Sea.
And Grant was recalled east to
assume command of all Union forces. The Museum
and Visitor Center are first rate. The
battlefield is so extensive, and so exhaustively mapped and marked by the Park
Service, one could spend several days to
cover it all (just as the soldiers did during the back-and-forth fighting). Interestingly, there is little mention of the reason
for the fighting. Apparently the Park Service walks a fine line
between commemorating a Union victory and appeasing the locals.
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| Shiloh Chapel |
Departing
Grand Harbor, we headed south into the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (aka: “The Tenn-Tom” or “The
Ditch”). This 444-mile made-made
waterway roughly follows the course of the Tombigbee River (aka: “the most
important river in America you have never heard of”) and provides a navigation
channel from the Gulf of Mexico to the Ohio River that bypasses the problematic
Mississippi. Construction began in 1972
and involved the movement of more dirt and rock than either the Suez or Panama
Canal. The last phase of the project
was completed in 1985. Without it, the
Great Loop as we know it would not exist (as the lower Mississippi is not
particularly boater friendly. ) Along the Tenn-Tom, we passed thru eight locks,
spent four nights at anchor, made four stops in marinas, and spent time in
three states (TN, MS, and AL).
At Midway
Marina in Fulton, MS, we encountered the
absolute worst “courtesy” car on the entire Loop. An extended-cab Ford F-150 with the back
doors welded shut and a bed filled with a week’s worth of marina garbage. Plus, an interior so toxic it nearly required
Haz-Mat gear. YUCK!
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| Midway Marina on the Tenn-Tom |
At Columbus,
MS we met an absolutely wonderful veterinary clinic that treated Admiral Maggie
for a urinary tract infection . The took
us in on 2-hour notice and treated her like a queen. A full health check, some lab work and an Rx
for antibiotics and she is good as new.
 |
| Veterinary ANGELS! |
At a dark, spooky anchorage at McKinley Creek where we serenaded
the wildlife with CCR’s “Born on the Bayou”.
And were in-turn serenaded by low passes from Air Force
pilots-in-training from nearby Columbus AFB.
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| Anchored up the Bayou with CCR |
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| White cliffs of Alabama |
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| Middle of nowhere on the lower Tenn-Tom |
While Mobile
on the Gulf of Mexico was our ultimate
destination on our river voyage, the first objective for us and many other
Loopers was to reach the magical city of Demopolis, AL by the end of
October. Magical because it A) offers a
good marina and B) lies just above 32 degrees north latitude, a line our
insurance carriers require we remain north of until November 1st (the
“official” end of hurricane season). The marina was chock full of Loopers and even
offered a potluck Halloween party. But
on the morning of the 1st, Look Out! There
was a near tidal wave of 16 Loopers exiting and heading downstream through the
fog to the Demopolis Lock.
Below
Demopolis, we entered some of the most isolated waters on the Great Loop. And
the further south we went, the spookier
and swampier the terrain became. We’re takin’ banjo music country. Our one marina (using the term broadly) was
at a place called Bobby’s Fish Camp (yes, really). A tired metal dock against a riverbank dotted
with trailers and hunting shacks, it was
like moored inside an episode of Duck Dynasty ( minus the wealth).
 |
| Bobby's Fish Camp |
A Looper mainstay, however, as it is the only
source of diesel fuel and shore power in the 216-mile trip from Demopolis to Mobile. With its famous restaurant permanently closed
and its store reduced to “ice, beer and Coke”, we only stopped because of its Looper
reputation. But except for easy shore access
for Admiral Maggie and the social
interaction with other Loopers, there was nothing to recommend it.
 |
| Fellow Loopers at our final anchorage |
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| Sunset at Tensaw River anchorage |
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| Good advice in gator country |
On our last
two days before Mobile, we began to spot gators (10+ footers!)sunning on the
shore. Our final anchorage at Tensaw River, we were extra
cautious in our shore visits for Admiral Maggie, carrying a boat hook, keeping
her leashed, and keeping the outboard running.
In reality, the weather was cool, and it is not breeding season, keeping the
reptiles mostly in active. But it is a
bit disconcerting being “in the food chain”, so to speak. Sheesh .
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| Tankers in Mobile Harbor |
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| Back to salt water @ Mobile! |
Passing thru
Mobile put us back in real civilization for
the first time since Lake Michigan. It
is a busy commercial harbor with oil terminals and shipyards on both
banks. And exiting the river into Mobile
Bay found us back at sea level and salt water. An escort of dolphins welcomed us to the Gulf of Mexico!
 |
| Mobile Bay welcoming committee |
And,
boy, are we glad to be done with rivers and locks Whew!
Thanks for
following our journey
Be sure to
track us on NEBO
