Demopolis

(Wed July 1)
Again, we sat so still and quiet last night we probably didn't even need to have two anchors out, but it's always nice to have them - just in case.

It’s been hard to judge just how far we’ll travel in one day and the layout of the river has so much to do with that. It’s not just a straight shot; the river has been very snaky, twisting and turning; still as beautiful as ever. We thought we’d do 70 miles and it would take us 10 hours (statute miles) but it was 63 miles and only 9 hours. We like traveling nautical miles much better.

With each turn we never know what to expect, sometimes it’s just another bend or perhaps it’s an unexpected tug and barge. Not always a pleasant surprise, but Tom deals with them very well. Today we had such an event and in some pretty skinny water too. We actually pulled over to the side (avoiding a potential underwater tree) and waited for the tow to pass, there would not have been enough room for us to pass each other. This particular tug was pushing 8 barges full of coal; 3 on each side and two in the middle. The tug itself was in the middle with barges down each side. We’ve seen a couple of times where the tug is pushing from the side or in the middle. I don’t think this practice would work down in the ICW, but here in the river systems it’s a common occurrence.

We passed by the old Rooster bridge, which is now covered in kudzu. If you do not know the story of the Rooster bridge take a look at this website, it’s amazing to me how this large tug managed to go under and come back up the other side. As we passed by today it was hard to picture the water being up so high back then.

http://www.littleriverbooks.com/cahaba.htm)

Our passage at the Demopolis Lock was another cool one. After passing miles of 'white cliffs' the first thing we noticed was the enormous amount of water being off let from the dam and the numerous smaller water fall areas. This is NOT a recreational area but it certainly was a beautiful site. Each lock we will encounter on the Tenn-Tom waterway will be the same size (110 x 660) but I believe the amount we lift will be different each time, this time it was only 20 feet as we rose to river level on the other side. We were told to tie off on the second bollard in on the starboard side and were the only ones in the lock. Usually we see a lock master or assistant out on the ‘wall’ watching us, but this time we saw no-one only dealt with a voice on the radio.

We arrived at our destination marina here in Demopolis Alabama for the next few days only to find ‘Bout Time” just two slips away. Ron came out and grabbed our lines as we docked, then Charm came out to say welcome & howdy. We joined them for drinks aboard there delightful boat along with their friends and traveling companions on this trip, Sharon & Norris.

For dinner Tom & I went to the local bar & grill “New Orleans” right here at the marina for some yummy good food. Tomorrow we’ll use the courtesy car hit up WalMart and restock for the next few weeks. Probably time to get some laundry done too.