Columbus Mississippi

It was a cold and early start to this 29th day of October.    Don always gets up before me and feeds the cats and make the best coffee, so the day starts off great.  We keep the TV on for a bit to hear about hurricane Sandy and where it was heading and where it was expected to make land fall.  They are calling it the "perfect storm"  and the "the storm of the century".  We are glad that we are not on the east coast and we pray for friend who are there and in the path of Sandy....


Today we have four locks to go through and about  63+ miles.  Anything can happen at the locks so we wanted to get an early start.  The first was only 7.0 miles away at Fulton Lock and Dam at mile 391.0.  We were lucky, Larry had called and the lock was open and ready for us.  It is very pretty countryside and lots to see.  The next lock was 14.7 miles at mile 376.3, the Glover Lock and Dam.  The lock master had called ahead and told them we were coming, so they were ready.  Along the way we heard Jade call in that there were more boats coming so the lock master made us all wait...  About 40 minutes later everyone was secure and the lock closed and we started down.  It was only 30' as all the locks are today so not so bad.  In 5.2 miles was the Amory Lock and Dam at mile 371.1 and again lucky and they to were open and ready for us.  We travel a little faster than a few of the boat's but we all slowed to a similar speed.  The next was the last lock of the day, the Aberdeen Lock and Dam,13.6 miles away at mile 357.5.  As we were getting close to the lock Don called and they said that there was a tow inside and it would be at least 1 hour, so we all slowed down, no rush to get there.  Once there it was another 30 minutes as the tow had to left off some men at the lock.  Well we all gone in and we were out in no time.  It was now 22.50 miles to Columbus Marina.  Lady KK was first and the marina wanted us all the wait in the channel as there was a strong wind in the marina and they wanted to get one boat at a time in and secure.  Nanseann was next and then us and then Boot Scootin and finally Jade II.  As we were coming in the marina harbor was covered with plants in the water hyacinth's.  Hard to get around some of them.  We were all happy when we got in and tied up.  All tired we all stayed on our own boats as it was late and cold outside.  Dave and Diane came over for a drink or two.  Cooked a nice dinner and shared a great bottle of wine (from a box) and watched the news and a bit of TV.  Don went over to the Lady KK for a nite cap.



Sherry, Don, Me, Dave, Diane and Larry

The next day (the 30th) Don and Dave had reserved the courtesy car for 10:00 AM and Larry had reserved it for 6:00PM.  The ladies went in without the men and did some serious shopping.  Came back, dropped off the stuff and picked up Don and Dave and headed back in to do a few other errands.  Larry and Sherry had made reservations in a restaurant called Harvey's.  They have been here many time and said it was a great place to dine and they were right.  The six of us have had some great times and we are glad to be boating with them.  Look forward to the next few days....




Tennesse Williams First Home

Well it is now Halloween and the morning is beautiful and not as cold as yesterday.  Loopy Kiwi and Jade II left around 9:00ish.  Looper's go and Looper's come...   We watched the news to see the devastation on the east coast especially places we have been.  It is just unimaginable the destruction....




The girls are going into town to look at some of the beautiful old southern houses and have lunch and the men are planning what we are going to do the next few days. Each of us had one last errand to do and then off to Hank's.  It was a nice place but the service and food were just ok.  We toured the city and then headed back to the boat.  When we got back the marina was full of Looper's again but even more.  Gemini Dream, Bucket List, Muriel June, Oceanus and four more.  Don had been working on sending all his invoices into the insurance company for the lightening strike in Little Current.  Hopefully we can get this all settled.   Tonite We are staying on board and I cooked fabulous rack of New Zealand lamb, garlic and chive potatoes and minted carrots and peas, yum yum....



On to Midway Marina

The Convoy

Cold, cold, that is the only way I can describe the temperature.  The convoy of boats started to leave Grand Harbor.  Some left before us, and some were leaving after us.  Today there was Lady KK, Boot Scootin, Nanseanne and us The Last Resort.  Jade II and 3 other boats had left after us.  We had three locks to go through today.  The first was the Jamie Whitten Lock and Dam at mile 411.9 with an 84" lift.  We called and the lock was open.  When we got in there were the other boats that left after us and the lock master was going to wait for them. 
                                                                   So much getting up early...

There were lots of thing to see. We went by a large Pulp and paper mill, Scott Paper Co. And just before it on the port side in the middle of no where a beautiful home built off the channel at mile 409.8. 

Scott Paper Company

Small Country Home

The next lock was the "Sonny" Montgomery Lock at mile 406.7 with a 30' lift and they were waiting for us, great and what a breeze....  The next was the John Rankin Lock at mile 398.4 another 30' lift and they were also ready for us.  Moving along....  Midway Marina was just a short distance away at mile 394.0.  We pulled into our slip and tied up and connected our power and water.  The Captain and First Mate were having a not so great day today. 

Don left and went to talk to Dave and Diane and invited them over for drinks.  Since I was not having a great day today so really was not the best host tonite for our friends.

 

After our friends left I worked on the blog while Don watched TV in the solarium.  I was not in the talking mood tonite. 

Made a nice steak dinner, watched TV and we called it a nite.  Hope that tomorrow will be better than today???? 

Memphis Blues....

Graceland

Elvis's, his Mon and Dad and
Grandmothers Graves

Elvis's Living Room

It is now Sat. the 27th. and the weather is sunny but cold and windy.  Don had made arrangements to rent one of the curtoscity car for the day.  Dave and Diane on Boot Scootin came with us.  Lady KK has been to Memphis many times so declined coming with us.  Don drove with help of our TomTom GPS. We arrived at a visitors centre and were given great information and things to see.  We went just up the road the Graceland.  It is quite the tourist trap area. It is the 35th anniversary of Elvis's death this last April.  All exhibits had an exhibit with a souvenir shop at the beginning and at the end.  It is amazing how really very modest Elvis's home was.  The grounds were nice but again very simple.  We enjoyed the tour and spent about 1 1/2 hours there.  We took the little bus back across the street and went through the other exhibits and the never ending souvenir shops. 

Elvis's Pool Table |Room

  Pink Cadillac he bought for his Mother    









Beale Street, Memphis

After that we drove to downtown Memphis.  The man at the visitors centre recommended a spot, the Beale Historic area,to park and use as a place to walk around from. We walked down Beale which is closed off to traffic, a got ourselves a beer.  Not as nice as Nashville but still very interesting. 








We took a horse and carriage ride around the downtown area with our driver Jamie, his dog Sunny and horse named Poe.  Nice little ride.  After that we walked down to the River Art Fest on South Main Street.  We all felt for the vendors because the wind had picked up and it became so much colder.   There were quite allot of vendors.  It reminded Don and I of Juno Beach and their Art Festival, but it was much hotter down there.... 


 


 We walked over to South Main St. to the National Civil Right Museum which is the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated.  A step back in time...  I am glad we saw ii.

 

We took a trolley ride back up the street and got off at the Peabody Hotel.  Decided to have dinner and went to the Rendezvous for some of their famous BBQ ribs and some wine.  We were not disappointed.  We had a full day and we still had a 2 + hour drive back to the Marina.  Don got us all back safe and sound and it was time to call it nite.  The Captain's wanted to leave by 8:00 the next morning after fuel and pump out..





Grand Harbor Marina

Well it is now Friday the 26th.  Today there will be many more Looper's leaving Joe Wheeler.  There are about 10 + boats doing a run to Chattanooga, which is about 200+ mile each way.  Then there is our group heading back to Grand Harbor for 2 days.  Dave and Diane and Don and I are going to drive into Memphis for the day and others are just going to stay and restock their boats before heading off.  The mornings are certainly colder and the boats are all drenched with very heavy dew.  At least it is not frost or snow....  We arrived at Joe Wheeler Lock and Dam and only had a short wait.  Then there were a few more boat that had left the conference after us and called the lock so they waited for them.  It was a nice day and we were through the lock quickly.  We have our self's a convoy again.... 


The weather was changing a bit and the winds were picking up and it started to rain.  There were three boat travelling at the same speed, Lady KK, Boot Scootin and us.  We picked up our speed to get through some of the rough water.  It was not as bad as Lake Michigan and Lake Huron but it was so much colder than both of them.  We got through Wilson Lock with no problem, and then it was on to Grand Harbor. 


When we arrived at the Marina, there were already many Looper's there from the day before and some from earlier in the day.  The Marina had said they were still expecting a few more boats to arrive.  Barry put us in another tight slip next to the main building with a catamaran in front of us.  After we were tied up and got all water and hydro connected Don talked to the other boats to see what they wanted to do the next day.  It was so cold out side we decided to stay inside for the nite.  I sat and worked on the blog and got it all caught up.  Made lasagna and garlic bread for dinner and watched  a bit of TV.  Called it a nite..

Joe Wheeler and the AGLCA Rendezvous

Well it is Sat. the 20th of October.  Where has the month gone.  Today we have to leave Grand Harbor to head for Joe Wheeler State Park and the AGLCA rendezvous.  The day is great for the trip and the two locks we will have to go through.  We travelled with Jet Stream and Blarney Castle.  The Tennessee River has been great to travel on.  It is wide, and there is so much to see.  We arrived at the Wilson Lock and Dam at mile 259.4 and had to wait for the lock to empty and come back up.  Not as bad as some other locks we have been through.  We lost Scott and KC in Jet Stream who headed ti Florence Harbor Marina.  We will catch up to them again..

Arrival at Joe Wheeler State Park Marina

Blue Heron at Wilson Lock

The Wilson Lock is a large lock with a 93' lift and with floating bollards.  We have been very lucky with all of the locks we have been through except for Lock 93....  It was also a nice day outside.  The lock had lots of special followers, Blue Herons, everywhere you look.  They just sat so perfectly still and just watched all of us.  After we got through the lock we headed down the river 25.5 miles to the next lock Joe Wheeler Lock and Dam at mile 274.9.  The river leading up to the lock was full of  beautiful estate homes. Not a poor an area as I once thought.  The lock was only 48' and we did not have to wait, in and out in no time.  We arrived  at Joe Wheeler State Park in the late afternoon.  It was very pretty going in with all the falls colors, and when we came around the bend and saw the Marina and all the boats.  Looper boats everywhere.  We were assigned to slip 10, right in front of the lodge, a great slip.  The Looper lady and her husband helping all the boats in to their assigned slips were great.  We looked around and it was like seeing all of our friends all in one spot.

After we were settled in we went for a walk and talked to so many people we had met along the way. We found Tony and Shirley on Headquarters on the far dock close to the Marina.  Lady KK was on the dock across for us.  Jade was on our dock at the end.  We had decided to meet for drinks at 5:30ish on Headquarters.  Another happy hour that lasted two....  Came back to our boat and decided have dinner on board.  Did not want to have any more meals in the Lodge than we had to.  Watched a little TV and called it a nite.

On Sun. the 21st we awoke to another beautiful day.  Mornings cool and then the day warms up quickly.  Cooked a great breakfast and then we relaxed.  Don washed the outside of the boat and I cleaned the inside. Later on that afternoon we went in and picked up our info and badges on the conference.  Two weeks before the conference Joe Wheeler and all the other Tennessee State Parks, were licenced to serve alcohol with the exception of Sundays.  Dinner each nite was at 7:00PM.  We were hoping that this year the food would be better than last year, but that would be too much to ask.  It Was actually worse.  After the dinner and introductions we came back to the boat for a few nite caps.

On Monday we had breakfast and it was a little better than last year, but not much.   At least the juice and fruit cocktail were not out of cans.  The meetings were okay, but a lot of the same things that we heard last year.  Lunch was even more disappointing than breakfast.  More meetings in the afternoon and then cocktail and hors' d oeuvre hour.  It was the best part of the day, talking to everyone.  We went into dinner and it was three for three for bad meals....  Two more days of this.  Back to the boat and watched a little TV and called it a nite.


Don & Freya at Longing for Home Concert

Tony & Shirley at the Concert

On Tues. the 23rd. the ALGCA did not offer anything for breakfast.  Meeting were exactly the same as last year.  Lunch was hamburgers and hot dogs, yum yum....  Afternoon meetings were shorter but the same as the morning meetings. They had arranged to have a bus to take members into town.  Later that nite there was a concert for the Looper's in Rogersville at Longing for Home where we stayed.  It was great and so much better than last year.  After the concert we came back to the boat and made a pizza for dinner and watched the Presidential debates.  Pretty good debate.

Don & Betty at Longing for Home Concert
on Tuesday the 23rd



Jack, Denise and Beatrice trick or treating
 at Joe Wheeler

On Wed. Don went to breakfast and the meetings.  I stayed and cleaned the boat and made cookies.  Our boat was on the Looper's Crawl that nite, so I wanted to make it look good.  Jake and Denise on Jade brought Beatrice (4) over to the boat for trick and treat.  I picked her up a little stuffed white dog for her and she loved it.  We had about 12 couples come by and tour our boat.  Most of them had not bought a boat yet and are looking at many boats to see the differences to see the pros and cons of each.   After the Crawl we went to happy hour and hors' d oeuvres and then dinner and awards and the closure to the conference.  We joined some of the Looper's for a music and sing-a-long upstairs by the fireplace.  So many talented people with the group.  Back to the boat and watched TV and called it a nite.

 

Pot Luck at Joe Wheeler on the 25th

Sunset at Joe Wheeler on the 25th

On Thurs. the 25th we heard many Looper's outside early getting ready to leave.  By 7:00AM about 10 to 12 boats left and then a few more at about 8:30ish.  The Marina is looking a bit empty.  Don and Tony went golfing and had a great time.  They got back in mid afternoon.  Jet Stream arrived a little later.  We joined some of the remaining Looper's for drinks on the main dock.  Met a lot of new people and had a great time.  Came back to the boat and cooked some filet's and watched TV.  Glad that the conference is done.  They really need to replace Janice Kromer as the person that arranges the food for the events. 






On To Grand Harbor

 

We left Clifton Marina on Wed. the 17th. early.  Again another beautiful fall day.  The Tennessee River is beautiful.  As we travelled up the river we looked like a convoy of boats.  There were many beautiful homes along the way, but we never saw any people.  They must be like our summer homes back on the lakes.  Along the way we had to go around a barge that was dredging in the middle of the channel.

 

We pasted many small marinas also along the trip today.  As we approached the Pickwick Lock and Dam Lady KK had called ahead and there would be a little wait.  There was a tow already in the chamber going up.  As we approached to go in there was a strong wind to contend with as well as the strong current.  We got in and tied up on our starboard side to the bollard with no problem.  Other boats were having great difficulty because of the wind.  We thought that once we were all in that they would close the doors and bring us up, but the lock master waited for 4 other boats that were 30 minutes away, which was actually 45 minutes away.  After we were all in it was an easy climb up to Pickwick Lake.
There were large estates on the port side coming out of the lock.  We had about 8 mile to go to get to Grand Harbor Marina. The water and waves were very rough on the lake.  The marina was busy, what with all of us coming in.  They were very friendly and accommodating.  It was a tight squeeze getting into our spot.  Don is amazing at docking the boat.  He put it in there like putting on his socks....  Once in and all the other boats tied up it was time for cocktails and hors' doeuvre's.  The best time of the day.  The sun was just setting and it was beautiful. 

We met many new Looper's and a few from before.  Grand Harbor is a magnet for Lopper's to stop.   It was windy and cool but no one minded it.  We had all decided to go the Freddy T's for dinner.  There were 14 of us.  It was an interesting restaurant.  Nice servers but terrible food and not cheap either.  We found out later the the owner of the marina (which recommended it) also owns the restaurant, funny hah....  When we got back to the boat Don checked all the lines as they were calling for severe storm, lighting and possible hail.  We stayed up for a nite cap and watch the lightning storm approach.

The next day Thurs. the 18th,  Scott and Don went to play golf at the State Park golf course and KC and I went to WalMart for supplies.  The marina supplied us with a complimentary car.  After groceries and a liquor stop we picked up the boys and headed back to the boat. They had a great time golfing and great weather.  Back at the marina more boats arrived.  They just keep on coming....  Just a few of us for cocktail hour.  Came back to the boat and made lasagna and biscuits for dinner.  Nice quite nite and better food than the nite before.



Scott & KC of Jet Stream

On  decided to stay and take the car to see Shiloh National Military Park and Battlefield.  It was the site of one of the fiercest and bloodiest battles of the Civil War.  There were 23,746 casualties in a two day battle in April 6 and 7 of 1862.  It was a beautiful place and to think that so many men died.  It really makes you stand back and think about a lot of things...  The video before we toured the area was worth watching.  After we left Shiloh we drove back to the boat.  The winds had picked up back at the marina.  Four more Looper boats arrived in the late afternoon.  Barry from the marina asked Don for some help bringing in a couple of the boats.  I am sure that they were glad to be tied up.  No happy hour with the others tonite.  Too cold and windy.  I worked on the blog and Don worked on the boat.  Don talked to one of the boats, Blarney Castle. (John and Denny) leaving the next day for Joe Wheeler.  They wanted to travel with us so we decided to leave around 8:00/8:30AM.   I cooked a marvelous chicken and rice and vegetable dinner tonite, if I don't say so for myself.  We watched a bit of TV and called it a nite.


Clifton Marina

It is Tues. the 16th and it is a great day. 

Beautiful morning and time to head off.  We waited till 8:30AM to pick up some super cinnamon sticky rolls and then we  left with 5 other boats for Clifton Marina.

We could not ask for a better day.  The fall colors were amazing and another great day of cruising.  There were many more homes along the way.  Most of them on stilts or built very high up.  When you look at the shore line and see the erosion it is amazing that they build so close to the shore.  I would not for sure.  We arrived in mid afternoon.  Marina was interesting in get into. We were tied up at the main docks next to Lady KK and Jet Steam.  The boats Prime Time, Katy Leigh and Nanseann were on other docks that were quite away from ours.  Went for a walk into town.  We went go to the grocery store but it burnt down to the ground last week and the closest on was 20 miles away.  Came back to the main docks for happy hour.  The weather gets cooler so much earlier now.  Came back to the boat and watched Dancing With The Stars and then the presidential debates.  It was nice to have a simple and quite nite...

The Journey South Begins Again

Good Bye to Green Turtle Bay Marina

Well want a difference a day makes.  It is now Mon the 15th and the weather is perfect, blue skies, no wind and calm waters.  Could not ask for a better fall day.  So beautiful.  We have met some other Looper's on the Lady KK, Larry and Sherry and we are travelling together for the next few days.  We left our safe haven of Green Turtle with so many great memories.  It has been a remarkable stay here.

Abandoned Dock


Fall on the Tennessee River is amazing and so beautiful.  It is a perfect cruising day.  We are heading to Pebble Isle Marina at mile 96.0. The colors of the trees are very comparable to those of our trees back home, so we don't feel like we have missed our fall .  We are travelling at 11.5 mph and it was nice.  There were many interesting things to see along the way.  The day seemed to fly by so quickly and the next thing you know we were there.  We arrived mid afternoon and while we were waiting to fuel up the boat we noticed the Jet Stream was there.  It will be nice to see Scott and KC again.  We have not seen them since Hammond Indiana.  After we docked and tied up, we walked down the dock again to find all Looper's, and more coming in.  The day was beautiful so we sat out and took Sunshine out with us on her harness and leash.  She did not like it at the beginning but later just laid down and enjoyed being outside.  Then at one point she must have figured out if she backs up enough she could wiggle her way out of it.  Can't figure how she did it but she did!!!! 


We all agreed to meet on the deck adjacent to the restaurant for cocktail and munchies.  We meet many couples but one special couple on the boat Carried Away.   Bill and Joyce Craig were onDay1 of their Looper journey. Want a feeling they most have experienced that day.....  Most of us stayed and had dinner at the little restaurant.  Talked about the next day and when to leave and where we were going and who was all leaving.  Back to the warmth of our boat as the nite was getting quite cool.  A glass of wine a little TV and called it a nite...