Meandering down the Tenn-Tom

 

If there’s one section of the waterways that we should know by now, it would be the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.  We first cruised this northbound from Mobile to the Tennessee River way back in 2009 when the rivers were in flood stage (and we found out what NOT to do).  Then we saw how bare the trees could get when we traveled south from Chattanooga to New Orleans in December 2011.  So now, we’re on our 3^rd trip down the waterway, stopping at some familiar spots and avoiding others.

The first lock on the Tenn-Tom has an 84' lift (or drop).
It seems like we're in the bowels of the earth!

Our travelling companion inside the lock

When the lower lock gates open, daylight comes in.
Sometimes we're surprised to see a tow boat and barges waiting outside the gates!

Our anchorage one night just off the river channel,
with the ubiquitous towboats passing by

Another anchorage at sunset, in a quiet cove

We departed the marina near the intersection of Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama on Nov 8 with another boat named “YOLO” (You Only Live Once).  He was a retired Army guy, so we let him travel with us so he wouldn’t get lost.  We enjoyed having them along, since we have cruised most of our 6000+ mile Loop by ourselves.  Since we had been to most of the marinas up & down the river, we decided this time to try to anchor most of the way.  Since it takes about 7-8 days to get to Mobile, we will be that long between setting foot on solid ground.  We’re on Day 5 now & for the most part it’s been a cold 55 degrees & we have seen the sun only 4 hours since we left.  We’ve been in winter jackets & gloves most of the time.

North of Demopolis AL, we pass under the I-20/I-59
bridge, which we had driven over about 1000 times
as we went from New Orleans to Chattanooga

Our biggest challenge has been going through the locks in a reasonable time.  There are 12 locks total to pass through (all of them let us down towards sea level) & we’ve had to wait for towboats & their barges at nearly all of them.  Right now this morning, we’re waiting for 1-1/2 hours at our next lock).  There were some times when the lock operator says to get to his gates within 20 minutes & we might get through before the tow arrives.  So we race (as much as a trawler can race) to the lock, arrive 5 minutes too late, and then wait for 1-2 hours.  Then we have to find another anchorage for that night because of the delay.  Ah well, the joys of boating!  Good thing we’re salt-encrusted experienced boaters possessing a wealth of knowledge!



All along the 450 mile waterway to Mobile,
the river banks are so different

Tree roots searching for that soil which has been
washed away during high water

We have about 3-4 more days of travel before we hit Mobile.  Most of our anchorages are remote without phone or wifi connections, so this blog may not be updated for a while yet.  I’m starting to look at weather in Mobile Bay & Mississippi Sound towards New Orleans, & it doesn’t look too nice.  Since we’re heading back into salt water, I’ll have to get back out my tide tables & re-learn all that.  Who says you can’t teach old dogs new tricks!?

With all these river bends, turns & twists, it's no wonder
that it takes 7-8 days to get down to Mobile!