Upper Tennessee-Tombigbee

                                                               
Photos taken at Joe Wheeler during the rendezvous.  Mornings were usually very foggy, but cleared to high 70's by mid-morning .  T
                                                             

We spent Friday, Oct. 28, at Florence, AL so we could watch the 7th series game clearly.  Yea Cardinals!  What a series.  Left Florence Saturday and spent the night in a beautiful cove on Pickwick Lake just a few miles before the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway entrance.  Then Sunday we truly headed south.  There are 12 locks on the Tenn-Tom with the first having the highest drop--85 feet.  I have posted pictures we took of Wilson Lock which is on the Tennessee River to give an idea of that height.  Wilson has a rise/fall of 93 feet.  The remainder of the locks in the Tenn-Tom are about 30-45 feet drop.  We have been traveling along with various other loopers so often the lock is full of boats.  We spent two nights in Bay Springs Lake which reminded us a lot of the coves by Kenlake.  We had perfect weather (although it has been very cool at night-in the 30's)  and gorgeous sunsets.

 As we have been traveling we have come across the shanty boat (pictured above) first on the Tennessee and now on the Tenn-Tom.  Believe it or not, they began in Pittsburgh.  We went through a lock with them the other day and they told us they are going to Mobile or until their money runs out.  The raft is made from four fifty gallon drums, wood and tarps, has a small outboard on the back, and two chickens aboard. Heard that caused quite a stir when they pulled into Grand Harbour and the chickens decided to get off on the dock!  The young woman on board is on her second man.  Said the first one drove her crazy!!!!  Guess it's good Tom and I have a little more room to spread out!
Yesterday we pulled into Aberdeen Marina (MS) and are staying here again today as the weather is nasty.  We used the courtesy car (I'll have to do a whole blog on courtesy cars!) and along with another looper couple, Greg and Kate Pfleger aboard Grianan, from NJ went to a recommended restaurant called The Friendship House.  Since directions were a bit complicated the local sheriff who happened to be at the marina store offered to escort us part way there.  Now that's what I call southern hospitality.  Linda, Nancy and Sheila, we went right past that beautiful white columned mansion on the edge of town.  Tomorrow we head to Columbus where I want to show Tom the Waverly Mansion and eat at that cajun restaurant we enjoyed last spring.
Thanks to daughter, Sarah, for reminding us we had a chip reader so we now can bring you pictures. Question for Bob.  Did you say I should limit the pictures to 800 pixels or 80?  Slight difference!