Migrating Loons

Civil War monument in Columbus Columbus Marina provided us with a nice place to rest and relax a bit before our final stretch of the Tenn-Tom. We took advantage of the courtesy vehicles a few times to re-supply, and to go get jerry cans of gas for the boat at the nearest gas station. The marina was having technical issues and none of their fuel pumps were operational. I'm glad we only needed nine "five gallons" to top up our fuel. We had held back our departure by two days due to really bad weather being forecasted. We are glad we did! We had tornado warnings early morning on the day we left, it would have been extremely stressful to be at anchor during the heavy rains and winds. By the time we left, the sky was still grey and the winds were light, but it was still a good day to travel. A couple who were at the marina at the same time as us where told not to go to close to shore with their paddle boards - there are (apparently) alligators there! We...

Lock along the Ten-Tom Waterway We have finally arrived at the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, also known as the Tenn-Tom. We are now going to be going with the current, so our fuel burn rate is going to improve! The Tenn-Tom is 450 miles and 12 locks and dams away from Mobile, Alabama where we will come out to the Golf of Mexico. We have been spending more nights in marinas than we were initially going to, because there are many places that there was just no safe place to anchor. The inland rivers and waterways see a lot of commercial traffic with barges and tows, even though the Tennessee and now the Ten-Tom have a lot more pleasure crafts (personal boats) we still have to be weary of them. A second advantage of staying in marinas (other than safety from the barges and current) is that most local points of interest are easily accessible by walking, biking or courtesy car. It would have been a shame to miss some of the places we've seen (places we had no idea existed) beca...

The inland rivers are getting better and better. Ginger Bay anchorage We took the canal that connects Barkley Lake to Kentucky Lake and we are now technically on the Tennessee River. What a nice river/lake system.  We are really enjoying our time here. The people we have meet lately at the marinas have been so nice and welcoming, and have, what we've been told is the southern accent and drawl! Oh my, and apparently it is going to get more pronounced as we move along... I think we'll be needing a translator, y'all! Our stops along the Tennessee River, to date have been: Ginger Bay, Ky; Paris Landing Marina; Pebble Isle Marina near New Johnsonville TN; Cuba Landing, near Waverly, TN; Clifton Marina, TN; and the Wolf Island anchorage. Exploring by dinghy - Ginger Bay Someone tell me where these came from - Ginger Bay To create Kentucky Lake, they flooded many communities, here is an old barn. Fall colors are starting At Cuba Landing Marin...