Ten-Tom and Black Warrior-Tom Bigbee Waterways

The Divide Cut, a straight, man-made section of the Ten-Tom Waterway

The Ten-Tom Waterway, which connects the Tennessee river with the Tom-Bigbee River, was proposed back  in the late 1700's by the French but wasn't started until 1972. During  its construction, more earth was moved than was moved in the construction of the Panama Canal. It was finished in 1985 and allows boats to cruise between the Gulf of Mexico and the Midwest without encountering the dangers and swift currents of the Mississippi. It also significantly reduces the miles between the Gulf and the Midwest.  For examples, the trip between Pensacola, FL and Chattanooga, TN is 771 miles long vs 1,541 miles via the Mississippi.  Like most Americans, I think, we were totally unaware of this amazing waterway until we began reading about the Great Loop.

Not all parts of the Ten-Tom are straight

Waverly Mansion, an antebellum house built in 1852 on the banks of the Ten-Tom River

The Ten-tom is officially, only the 234 miles between the Tennessee River and Demopolis, AL. The 217 miles between Demopolis and Mobile Bay, is the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway. Most boaters, however, call the entire 450 miles, the "Ten-Tom" or the "Waterway."

Leaving Demopolis

It took us 15 days via this "waterway," i.e., 50-70 miles per day, 2 lay-over days and one very long (148 miles), fast-speed day, to complete the trip from the Tennessee River to our marina 29 miles down Mobile Bay.

White Cliffs of Eppy

Provisioing by Gulf Cart in Demopolis

Narrow Bashi Creek - anchored here one night to get out of the way of the tows

For the most part, what we saw was wilderness, some rustic fish camps, some barge-tows and increasing amounts of Spanish Moss and Banyan Trees. 

Sumpter Landing - another of-the-channel anchorage we stayed in

HUMBUG and CHAMP III at Bobby's Fish Camp

One place all loopers stop on this trip, is Bobby's Fish Camp. It's the last place to tie up for the night and get fuel for the next 145 miles. It's a very funky place.

Restaurant at Bobby's - Fried Cat Fish a specialty

Rubbermaid Shower/toilet house at Bobby's (you can't make this stuff up). We used the facilities on HUMBUG that night.

Patty & Geoff from Ashland, OR on OSPREY - we first met them while

 waiting for a lock in Montreal

The locals call this the Dolly Parton Bridge - it's 22 miles to Mobile now...yea

Now I KNOW we're almost to the Gulf

This completes the long river section  of the Great Loop which began in downtown Chicago for us, on August 28. Back to salt water, waves (no more baking pies or vacuuming while under way) and tides - also NO MORE SPIDERS (thank goodness they hate salt water). We're looking forward to playing tourist and staying in boutique hotels in Mobile and New Orleans, while HUMBUG is out of the water for routine maintenance, including as the locals call it, a "bottom job."

BUG in travel lift this morning

After over 3,000 miles and five months in the water, we were very keen to take a look at HUMBUG'S hull and propeller. Good news - no nasty surprises. Phew !

Fall Rendezvous and Chattanooga Side Trip

The AGLCA (America's Great Loop Cruiser's Association), has a four-day rendezvous spring and fall each year. The fall one, is always in Rogersville, Alabama at Joe Wheeler State Park which is on Wheeler Lake, which in turn, is part of the Tennessee River. We were one of 57 boats currently doing the loop, that gathered there along with 59 "wanna-be-loopers" (those planning to do the loop someday), and 59 Gold Loopers (those who have completed the loop), some of whom were on boats and others not. Also in attendance, were many vendors interested in our business.

 

Some of the looper boats at the rendezvous

One of the rendezvous sessions

While at Joe Wheeler, for the third time on this trip, we were the univited guests a a wedding. The first was a military wedding at West Point, the second was a gay wedding in Saugatuck, MI and this, the third, was a "country" wedding. The groom and groomsmen wore vests and jeans and the bridesmaids wore cowboy boots. We heard there was line dancing at the reception and the bride also wore cowboy boots.

Country wedding

 After the rendezvous, needing to kill some time before our insurance company will allow our boat to get within 100 miles of the Gulf of Mexico, we took a side trip up the Tennessee River  to Chattanooga. It was a 380-mile, 10-day, beautiful fall trip which took us through the Tennessee River Gorge, locally known as "The Grand Canyon of Tennessee."

TN River Gorge

Painted Bluff in TN River Gorge

Camps along the TN Gorge

Just before we arrived in Chattanooga,
we passed a floating stage on a barge.
It was the  Coca-Cola floating stage, the
centerpiece for Chattanooga"s annual River

Departing a marina on a foggy morning on the way to Chattanooga

Bend Festival.

Chattanooga has done a fabulous job of tying it's waterfront to its downtown and offers loopers discounted dockage right in the heart of downtown in front of the Tennessee Aquarium.

Coca-Cola Floating Stage

Chattanooga Waterfront

Chattanooga Waterfront

Docktails Chattanooga

 We had a great time exploring this nice, small city, visiting the amazing Tennessee salt water and fresh water Aquariums, the Chattanooga  Cho Cho building (now a luxury hotel) and ate at two, New York City class restaurants.

Pete in front of one of the TN Aquarium buildings

At Aquarium

Diver at Aquarium

Aquarium Tunnel

Penguin at Aquarium

Chattanooga Cho Cho Building

We're now heading back down the Tennessee River to join the Ten Tom Waterway which will lead us eventually to Mobile.
While underway today, I carved our jack o'lantern.

Departing Chattanooga's Waterfront

Happy Holloween!

Florence, Alabama and Nashville, Tennessee

Florence, Alabama turned out to be a big surprise. It's just across the Tennessee River from the famous, Muscle Shoals, where Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Willie Nelson, the Rolling Stones, Paul Simon and many more, recorded hits. It"s also the home of Northern Alabama University, has the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in the state of Alabama and is just a few miles from Tuscumbia, Alabama, where Helen Keller was born and grew up.

Because there was so much to do there, we stayed in Florence for seven nights. The town marina had a loaner van (we had to keep putting water in the radiator, but what the heck - it was wheels!), so one day we visited the local ancient indian mound and museum, the Frank Lloyd Wright House and "Ivy Green," the house where Helen Keller was born and where Annie Sullivan taught her to read and write in braille (remember  Patty Duke and Ann Bancroft and the well?).

Indian Mound

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wright House

Wright House Living Room

Helen Keller House

The Famous Well

Florence is only a 2 hour and 45 minute drive from Nashville, TN, so we, and our friends Loretta, Bob and dog, Shayna from "Carol Anne," rented a car and drove up to Nashville for a spectacular dinner at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel (which is a kind of combo Disneyland and giant conference center), followed by a show at the Grand Ole Opry. That night's show included Clint Black, Diamond Rio and Charlie Daniels.

Loretta from "Carol Anne" during our Gaylord Opryland Hotel Dinner (we hadn't had a white table cloth/candle lit dinner in a LONG time)

Inside Gigantic Gaylord Opryland Hotel

Inside Gaylord Opryland Hotel

Us in Grand Ole Opry-Appropriate Blue Jeans

4,000-Seat Grand Ole Opry Packed On a Tuesday Night

Charlie Daniels bringing down the house

While waiting for the shuttle from the restaurant to the show, I got a BIG surprise! Jack Mishler, a friend and colleague from Aetrna, whom I had not seen or talked to since 1999, walked up to me and asked if I was having a nice evening. What fun it was to catch up. He lives in Colorado now. Small world, huh?

Old Friend, Jack Mishler and Me

The next morning, after leaving the nice, dog-friendly, boutique hotel we'd found so Shayna the dog could come with us, we drove through honky tonk downtown Nashville, then onto The Natchez Trace Parkway. The Natchez race Parkway, is a 444 mile long, 80 foot wide National Park. It stretches from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, TN with no billboards, no commercial vehicles and a 50-mile per hour speed limit. It is an ancient pathway (now paved) that was first used by animals, then indians, then fur traders, then Confederate and Union soldiers and now tourists. It's a National Scenic Byway and an All-American Road (it's similar to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline/Drive).

Natchez Trace View

Unfortunately, because it's National Park, the Natchez Trace welcome center, the rest rooms and the Meriwether Lewis monument, were all closed (just like Shiloh ...just.love our government these days). The closed signs on all the restrooms had amusing graffiti written on them.

Look closely for the comment: "I'd like to pee in John Boehner's pocket"

The Tennessee section of the Natchez Trace Parkway, is 102 miles long and pretty much took us directly back to Florence and our boats.

Lunch at Ms Hazelbea's just off the Nachez Trace

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CHANGING THE SUBJECT

Herbs :
This is my 3rd herb garden. #1 was taken by Canadian Customs and #2 was taken by US Customs. #3 seems to be enjoying this endless summer.


Opportunistic Herons:
The Great Blue Herons at Wilson Lake Lock, are smart. They've learned to hunt when the lock is full of trapped fish. They put on a fun show for us while we were locking trough.

Look carefully and you'll see 5 hunting Herons on the lock wall

"Carol Anne" and Heron waiting to spot a trapped fish