Dee Light - da Trip South - 2000
Note ……. This Log was written by Capt. Ron ..typed by Ann ..
and a few modifications by Marv …..
October
19, 2000 – Thursday – Mississippi Parkside Marina – Wabasha,
MN – mile 760.5 -
Marv and Ann drove from Eau Claire to Wabasha .. the two
went shopping for food and other supplies for the trip
..after dropping Ann and the groceries off at Dee Marv went
to the Eagles Nest Coffee Shop in Wabasha to say good bys
and to pick up a stock of fresh ground coffee .. Jimmy
joined the crew in the mid afternoon .. Marv gave his car to
Mike and Carol .. Mike’s son Ben will be driving Marv’s car
South to join the Crew for the second week of the trip ..
Marv said final good bys to Mike and Carol ..also to the
staff at the Mississippi Parkside Marina ….. the Crew was
joined by Dar and Marjorie at Slippery’s for dinner .. after
dinner and final good bys to the staff at Slippery’s Marv
loaded six containers of soup and four racks of ribs into
Dar’s car to bring back to Dee for the trip …. Marv returned
to Slippery’s and joined Jimmy and others at the bar .. Marv
told the staff that he would return for Thanksgiving .. and
that Dee should be in Destin or Panama City at that time …….
October
20, 2000 – Friday – Mississippi Parkside Marina – Wabasha,
MN – mile 760.5 -
da Crew
- Marv .. Jimmy .. Ann ….
…… by
05:30 am Marv and Jimmy were up and getting Dee ready to
take off .... winds at 18-20 mph SW to NW .. beautiful
weather .. record high were recorded in both Eau Claire on
October 10th and 18th .. on October the forecast
was 81 in Eau Claire and 83 in Wabasha .. Marv called lock
#4 @ 07:00 .. the Lock Master said that he knew of a Tow
Boat heading South located North of Redwing .., he did not
have anything heading North from below Lock #4 ….. breakfast
of fruit .. toast and cereal ….. the screen in front of TV
on the Aft Deck was nonfunctional … so Jimmy and Marv fixed
it very fast and thoroughly by pulling the screen off ….
Marv decided to order tinted glass doors to replace the
screen …..
07:00
Cheryl and Bud arrived ... Cheryl departed Dee and
left Bud in our hands ……… Jon .. Sarah .. Joel ( from
Slippery’s ) and Cheryl waved goodbye as we took off at
07:45 am …..
da Crew
– Marv .. Jimmy .. Bud .. Ann
Lock 4
09:00 – the first Ferris Wheels were called the vertical
merry go round .. while giving rides at Winnie County Fair a
man by the name of Ferris saw it and purchased the rights to
it and built a Ferris Wheel for the Chicago World’s Fair …..
Jimmy informed us that there was a bar on the
Minnesota bank .. Bass Camp area .. called Buckeye’s with a
big fish on the wall ….. a topic of discussion at the bar
was always .. how big is the fish ….
Lock 5
11:00 – we where in the lock and out by 11:15 … dropped 9
feet ... this is the longest MN-WI lock on Upper Mississippi
River …... the Lock is in the Village of Bass Camp area ..
we spotted a large ‘river rat’ while going through the Lock
….. the Markers in water are “Red Nuns” and “Green cans” …
we had a cup of delicious Vanilla Bean Coffee from Eagles
Nest in Wabasha ... which Marv picked up before we left
Wabasha ……
Lock 5a
11:30 -
in the Lock and out by 11:45 a.m. … drop of 6 feet ..
passed the Town of Fountain City .. Tow Boat just below the
Lock …
Winona, MN
12:00 -
… we stopped in Winona at the ‘wall’ for refueling …
we saw historical riverboats …. the Pearson … a paddle wheel
steam boat ... built in 1895 .. it was used to move sand and
gravel barges on the Upper Mississippi River down around the
Quad Cities … ( Rock Is .. Moline .. Bettendorf .. Davenport
) ... in 1959 the company sold the Pearson to the historical
society of Winona and turned it into a steamboat museum ..
it burned in 1980 ... then it was rebuilt as the Julius C.
Wilkie .. the steam engines were salvaged and used in the
rebuilt boat ... it is now a museum in Winona ... we picked
up Capt. Ron at 12 noon … Capt. Ron had been a river Tow
Boat Captain since 1956 and is the author of a book called
.. “The Upper Mississippi River” .. Ann walked Autumn to
potty ……
Fueled
in Winona at Severson Oil Co.
- 507-452-4743
AFT
- 0.0 gals … Mid - 260 gals … FWD - 282.0 gals
Total
– 542.0 gals
Port
- 0923.3 hours … Starboard - 0929.8 hours
Little
Dee
- 0.0 gals
Fuel
Transfer pump
- 00.00 hours
….. da
Crew met Reggie McLeod .. Riverwise, Inc. .. a publishing
company located in Winona .. they publish Big River Magazine
and others ... Marv provides pictures of Tow Boats to Reggie
.. prior to this meeting .. Marv and Reggie only knew each
other via the internet ... other visitors included Mary
Feathergill .. Joshua Wolff .. Trisha Ferguson .. Jimmy’s
cousin .. and Trudy ...
da Crew
– Marv .. Jimmy .. Bud .. Ann .. Capt. Ron
12:35 – Dee Light left Winona …..
Lock 6
13:15 – we floated through the Lock .. in and out by 13:25
.. went Passed Mt Trempealeau just before entering Lock 6 ..
the only mountain on the river ... then Town of Trempealeau,
WI ... everyone is still sober ... and Ann took a nap on the
Bridge ……..
Lock 7
14:00 – encountered a Tow Boat locking down …. At the Lock
area is the community of Dresbach, MN.. beautiful homes
along the river … this is the widest point on the Upper
Mississippi River .. waited 30 minutes for the South bound
Tow Boat …….
14:30 –
we entered Lock 7 and were back out by 14:45 ...
since we were the only boat we “floated “ into chamber ..
boat dropped nine feet .. on the way to lock 8 we
encountered a “swing bridge” of the La Crosse Railroad
Bridge .. it is the Canadian Pacific Railroad Bridge …
passed Pettibone Park across from the city of La Crosse ...
saw two Paddle Wheel boats .. Julia Belle Swain .. powered
by steam and the La Crosse Queen powered by diesel ... both
are excursion boats ... Julia Belle Swain was one of the 6
paddle wheel steam boats operating on the Mississippi and
according to Capt. Ron .. the most beautiful …
15:15 -
in the La Crosse area .. a Tow Boat with barges was
being helped by harbor tug .. James Brennan ... below La
Crosse at Broken Arrow Fleet ... the Hamilton tow was a
special Tow Boat .. in that the Pilot House could be raised
up and down ... there are only 100 out of 6000 tow boats
which have this type of Pilot House ... each barge carries
about 1,500 tons .. so 15 barges carry about 22,500
tons-awesome .. saw another Bald Eagle ….
Lock 8
16:40 - arrived at the Lock .. but waited 45 minutes for
barges to come through .. Genoa, Wisconsin ….world’s first
nuclear generator for electricity at Genoa power plant ..
proved that nuclear power could be used to produce
electricity .. but wasn’t large enough to be efficient .. so
bigger ones had to be built .. served as the prototype for
the bigger nuclear generators ... in Lock 8 at 16:40 and out
by 16:55 .. drop of 9 feet …..
17:05 - passed Minnesota-Iowa border..
Lock 9
18:00 -
in lock and out by 18:25 … we
received a “verbal shot” or reprimand from Army Corps of
Engineers because we were creating wakes disturbing the 39
small barges which had dredge pipe on them ... Marv sweet
talked them on the radio and they called off the “river
cops” … started getting chilly .. beautiful scenery and Fall
colors and sunset …. quaint river towns ... the river Bluffs
are elegant …… we saw a minister who is canoeing from the
beginning of the Mississippi .. ( Itasca ) to the Gulf ..
something he had always wanted to do … he was cited along
the shores .. campfire and campsite .. his website is …
www.passingpaddles.com …. it is
getting dark … Jim at the helm .. Bud navigating .. Marv
over seeing .. Capt. Ron observing radar .. Autumn sleeping
and Ann praying a lot … docked safely at Marquette Isles
.. now called .. Island of Capri Casino Boat ... no power
or water on the dock .. the Dee Light was “parked” with
great expertise by Marv …. Bud and Jimmy tied up Dee ... we
all left the boat in great shape .. hungry .. and thinking
of casino winnings ... we all had dinner at the Capris Isles
.. just a short walk from Dee .... a buffet .. food was
plentiful and fairly tasty .. Bud and Jimmy stayed on and
visited the Casino ... Marv .. Capt. Ron and Ann walked
back to Dee .. each taking care of some chores on board .. a
good first day ……
Starting
Mile Marker was 635.7 … total mileage for the day was 125
miles
Tow
boats/barges encountered Number of Locks
Laurie
Extern with 15 barges 7 locks
Hamilton
Tow, 3 petroleum barges
Thompson
Tow
Robin
Ingram
October
21, 2000 – Saturday - Island of Capri Casino
Marina ( formerly the Miss Marquette Marina ) –
Marquette, IA – mile 635.7 -
05:30
- .. da Crew headed south in the dark ….
06:00 - .. encountered a Tow Boat ... weather to be a high
70’s .. clear .. sunny .. little wind …….
08:00
- Marv
called the Lock Master and then at 08:30 called again .. we
waited one hour for the Tow Boat Hamilton who was locking
thru Lock 10 … heading South ……
Lock 10
09:30 –
we
entered
the
Lock and pulled out of the Lock at 10:45 .. we were able to
float through the Chamber all alone …. on the way to lock 11
we went past Abele’s Island which has a private airstrip
where people commute to Milwaukee for work ... we passed the
town of Guttenberg … home of Guttenberg Bible …. many
islands in this area of this Upper Mississippi … the islands
are a part of the Upper Mississippi River wildlife reserve
which extends from Wabasha .. 350 miles to the Quad Cities
... the islands are open to the public for recreational
purposes ... we passed Cassiville .. which had a ferry, and
passed two Tow Boats ……. above lock 10 there are many caves
.. which were formed from mining silica .. sand which was
shipped world wide .. big enough for large semi trucks to
drive in ... during the cold war they were used as bomb
shelters ... now are used for grain and corn storage …. Iowa
on the starboard side and Wisconsin on the port side going
South or down river .. very scenic .. Fall colors still
beautiful .. scenic railroad tracks along the river …….
Lock 11
11:00 -
….
in Lock and out at 11:20 … passed Eagle Point Park .. a Tug
Boat .. and Dubuque, IA after leaving the lock ….
11:30 -
….. crossed the Wisconsin-Iowa border .. went through a
swing bridge and now Illinois on port side .. a toll bridge
between Illinois and Iowa used as a toll bridge when Iowa
was “dry” …. a Casino Boat on port side in Iowa … many
Casinos on the way ... passed the “Passing Paddle” Canoe on
starboard with 2 people in it, they were on the way to the
Gulf .. passed Tow Boat Cooperative Mariner at 11:55 ….
Lock 12
….. had
to wait for an hour for 10 bass boats that were in a Bass
Fishing Tournament ... seven kayakers on a two week trip
from Chicago, Illinois area going to Savannah, Illinois …
Ann took a nap in the Cock Pit ……
13:05
- …. in the lock and out at 13:25 all kayakers were
in first and holding on to ropes .. lowered 8.5 feet …. one
lady was a novice … her first kayaking trip … passed an old
closed button factory which was closed during World War II.
Buttons were made from clam shells out of the Mississippi
River ... when plastic came in .. the factories closed … on
the way to Lock 13 we met a Tow Boat .. Issaquena .. bluffs
are thinning out .. more sand beaches .. small trees … also
passed US Army Depot testing grounds on starboard side …..
another
Tow Boat .. Dreama Klebee. Savannah IL .. home of Wayne
King .. first the bluffs .. now very flat .. another swing
bridge .. Sabula, Iowa ..
Lock 13
14:50 ….
a lock delay … had to wait for the Decatur Lady ..
waited from 14:50 to 16:20 .. departed at 16:30 ... upon
departure passed the James W Bukey laying against the
Illinois bank with 15 empties waiting to lock up at lock 13
...
16:34
Arrived at Clinton Railroad Bridge .. a Show Boat ..
which was built as a steam paddle wheel Tow Boat .. called
the Omar …. then around 1950 the state of West Virginia took
the boat and fixed if for its centennial celebration and
renamed it the Rhododendron .. Clinton Iowa then purchased
it and transformed it into a Show Boat and now it is on the
Levy ... several light houses .. much activity ... including
the Mississippi Belle III Casino Boat .. Clinton, Iowa ....
big saw mill/lumbering town .. at one time more lumber
barons than any other in the world ….. on the port side we
had Albany, IL .. many stilt houses built right on the beach
.. Bunge Corporation .. large grain exporter to barges down
Mississippi to New Orleans and then shipped to Holland ..
neat river town ….. town of Camanche, Iowa .. thought to be
settled by a doctor from Chicago .. he had a horse name
Camanche and thus named the town after the horse ... also
saw the 3 M plant which produces cassette tapes ... they use
the rust from foundries in Gary, Indiana .. rust highly
magnetic properties .. big beach party on Princeton Beach
opposite Cordova, IL ….. Jimmy thought he saw some ladies on
the beach and you know what happened to him .. then Buddy
caught on and “Katy by the door.”
17:25 -
… met
the Tow
Boat Tigre .. multiple quaint river towns along both sides
of the Mississippi ...
Lock 14
17:45 - ….. arrived at the lock. waited until 18:45 when
we could enter the lock .. left the lock at 18:55 ...
19:05 - ….. sun had set thus used search light and radar
to find our way to Davenport ... caught up to a Tow Boat ..
passed him ... received help from Tow Boat’s lights that
guided us through the channel by showing us the buoy so we
would stay in the channel .. outside of the channel there is
solid rock ...
19:30 Marv called the Marina .. but did not get an answer
….. either the Marina is out of business or was closed for
the season ……. Marv then called the restaurant in Davenport
for directions to the Marina to tie up for the night .. we
ended up on a 700 foot wall that runs parallel to da River
.. the owner Mr. Sweet of the Marina and Restaurant was
there to help us dock Dee ... and take payment for the
evening dockage .. we cleaned up …. very short walk to
dinner which was delicious ... Mr. Sweet had told us about
the five star Chef over the phone ... we had appetizers of
Thai Chicken Wings and Portabella Mushrooms with Goat Cheese
.. had a great time .. Buddy and Jimmy made sure the town
was “locked up tight” …… Marv .. Capt. Ron and Ann went back
to make sure the boat was in good shape ……
Mileage
for the day was 152 miles and 7 locks
Tow
Boats Encountered Number Locks
The
Tigre tow had 6 empty sand and gravel barges 7 locks
Hagersted Tow
Hamilton
Tow
Sunday -
October 22, 2000 – Quad City Marina – Davenport, IA – mile
483.5 –
06:30 – …. da Crew up …. temperature was 55 and winds at
about 15 mph ... another great weather day ….
07:00 -
.. underway from Davenport/Rock Island …...
Lock 15
07:15 - …. locked down .. floated through .. lowered down
15 foot and departed Lock 15 at 07:30 …. before we left Marv
had to remove antennas to clear the bridge …. this was a
combination bridge …. with cars on top deck and trains on
lower deck ... the Bridge originally built 1800’s and
Steamboat Fulton rammed it and thus the bridge had to be
rebuilt …. three hundred oxen had to jump into the water and
everyone had to round up these critters it took some days to
get them all …
07:40 - …. we went through the Crescent Railroad Swing
Bridge … may not be operational anymore as we went through
without requesting …
07:50 - ….passed the Penny Eckstein Tow with 6 barges ...
at 08:00 we passed the Rock Island Dipper Dredge …. the crew
had Sunday off …. they were spudded down for the day ..
08:15 - ….met the Tow Boat Rusty Flowers …. then passed
the Tow Boat Rookey which had 9 coal barges …..
08:25 - ….. passed the Marc with 4 loaded barges …..
Lock 16
09:00 - …. arrived at the lock and floated through at
09:15 .. passed Muscatine, Iowa …. this city was renamed so
other towns would not have the same name … no other town in
the world with this name …..
Lock 17
10:10
- …. arrived at lock … Tow Boat Lexington locking up with
a double .. first cut on upper wall and second cut being
into the Lock by the Tow ...
11:00 - …. the Lexington departed and then the American
Queen enters the Lock …. this is an Excursion Boat on a
cruise from St Louis to St Paul ... this is a stern paddle
wheel steam boat… cost of 65 million to build .. christened
in June of 1995 … and has accommodations for 400 passengers
and a crew of 150 … it has double stacks which from the
water line up to the top of the stack is 109 feet … carries
international and national customers at a hefty price …. our
Capt. Ron chatted on the radio with Capt. Adrian who was the
Captain of the American Queen … they were old friends from
the Tow Boat days …..
11:30 - …. we entered the Lock and were back out at 11:40
with a drop of 6.5 feet …. we encountered three Tow Boats
waiting to enter the Locks heading North .. the Peter
Fanchey had no barges … that is called a “light boat” so he
could lock up with one of the other tows …. came past a town
called New Boston …. named because the early settlers
emigrating from Boston named their town .. “New Boston” ..
also passed the town of Keithsberg, Iowa .. this town was
surveyed out by Abraham Lincoln … also passed Oquawka, IL ….
and Indian term meaning yellow sand .. weather changing to
slight drizzle and fog on and off … passed Tow Boat Zeus ….
Lock 18
11:55
- …
approached the Lock and had to tie off instead of being
able to float through and out at 12:05 ….
12:15 - …. waited for the Amtrak to cross the Railroad
Bridge before it could open and let us through … at 12:35
the Bridge opened and we ‘sailed’ through ….
12:45 - …… we passed the Kathy Ellen Tow Boat by the mouth
of the Skunk River …
13:00 -
…
arrived
just above the Fort Madison Railroad Bridge (A lady bridge
tender) and she said she would wait and swing the Bridge ….
so the Kernan Tow Boat and we could pass through ….. the
only Railroad Bridge on Mississippi River which has double
tracks … meaning two trains can meet and pass on the Bridge
…. also has a deck for automobiles .. the light rain ceased
at this time … passed city of Fort Madison, Iowa .. the city
of 2 “pens”, Schaefer Pens and the Federal Prison .. ha ….
14:20
- …. arrived at Keokuk, Iowa at the Yacht Club to
refuel .. this is where Ann upset the “Viking” football fans
… Jimmy said part of his Union Contract was a 3 hour period
of time which starts at Noon on Sunday and then he was to be
off during that quite ‘sacred’ period of time he will be
watching the Viking game and does not want to be called upon
.. asked .. interfered with in any respect !!! … Jimmy found
a good spot on the Back Deck and took control of the TV-Sat
Controller .. all had a grand time until the vacuum cleaner
started ... only 40 seconds to half time .. the Vikings were
down by 4 and Vikings were within the five yard line … and
Jimmy became a tad upset with the vacuuming activities … Ann
started up the vacuum between the TV and Jimmy .. this was
the last vacuum activity for Ann for the Trip …. all spent
some time in the Yacht Club …. Capt. Ron sold two of his
great books on the Upper Mississippi .. pushed a few fluids
.. the weather remained overcast and drizzly … Ann took
Autumn out for her walk .. had dinner at the Hawk Eye
Restaurant .. delicious ... Bud had an extra extra thick
Steak .. wonderful piece of meat .. but poorly prepared ..
meaning it was warm in the middle with blood coagulated
instead of cold with the blood flowing freely .. Marv had
his favorite .. Baby Back Ribs .. Capt. Ron had Tenderloin
Tips … Ann a lovely Steak … Jimmy stayed behind and feasted
on Pizza .. and charmed the local ladies … took a cab and
the driver informed us about the “geo“ rocks found in
Keokuk, Iowa .. on the return trip back to the boat .. as
usual .. Ann the was again the first one to hit the deck ..
then Capt. Ron and heaven only knows what happened to the
other guys …. they enjoyed Iowa ..
Mileage
was 117 and 4 Locks ..
Monday,
October 23, 2000
- Keokuk Yacht Club – Keokuk, IA - mile 366.9
09:15 - .. late morning as we are all waiting for the fuel
truck .. weather was foggy and drizzly … the river is
beautiful with the sun coming up and thru the light fog ..
the fog and the sky hazy .. and the mist rising from the
river .. what an awesome sight !! …..
0945 - … fueling truck came at 09:45 .. Marv was in
contact with Matt Larson’s Mother-in Law .. Sue Kennedy from
Keokuk, Iowa .. Sue and her Mother Marie joined us and
brought some oranges and grapes ..
Fueled
in Keokuk, Iowa -
AFT
- 344.0 gals … Mid – 241.5 gals … FWD - 184.6
gals
Total
– 769.1 gals
Port
– 0949.6 hours … Starboard – 0955.8 hours
Mileage
– 29.41 gals per hour
Little
Dee
- 0.0 gals
Fuel
Transfer pump
- ??? hours …
… a
power failure occurred at Lock 19 so we had to wait until
10:30 ... a large Power Plant was next to the Lock ..
integral to the Lock .. and yet the Lock had no power ... in
the meantime Bud took advantage of having ground
transportation and got a “mouse” from the Radio Shack .. a
computer mouse that is ... however .. then the lock called
and said they were ready for us so we all got back on the
boat and got underway ... Capt Ron sold another of his
“Upper Mississippi” books ...
Lock 19
10:40 -
..
in lock and out at 10:50 .. tied off to a Floating
Bollard at mid-ship on starboard side and lowered 38’ … the
next Bollard was 200 feet away …. Dee went under the
railroad bridge and Marv had to lower the antennas again ..
from the water line to the top of the Radar Unit Dee needs
21 feet of clearance .. with the antennas up Dee needs 31
feet of clearance …..
11:00 – after much Marine Radio conversation with the US
Coast Guard .. we docked at the US Coast Guard Dock ... a
chief and 4 crew members plus a “drug” dog … sniffed us out
… Autumn sniffed back …. the chief insisted that Sue and
Marie put on life jackets when they disembarked Dee ... Marv
was quick to equip them and take photos …… underway again at
11:05 Southbound ...
11:15
- …
passed the mouth of the Des Moines River which also
is the boundary between Iowa and Missouri .. now .. Illinois
still on the port side while Missouri on the starboard side
….. over on a pile of rock there were 6 turkey vultures and
on a sandbar 200 ft down a large flock of white pelicans
migrating south …
11:20 - met Tow Boat New Dawn with 12 barges Northbound …
Ann dosed off on the Bridge …….
12:05 - arrived at Lock 20 and were delayed so we sat
along with Kathy Allen Tow Boat ….
Lock 20
12:20 - …locked down .. departed Lock 20 at 12:25 and as we
came out they opened the lower gates and there parked in our
way was the Kevin Michael Tow Boat .. leaving us with 70
feet between the Bull Nose of the Short Wall and the Mooring
Cell …. for you landlubbers that means we had to maneuver in
only 70 feet .. so with some real finesse Marv manuevered
past the Kevin Michael Tow ... just below the Lock the
Canton Ferry was crossing the river so we had to slow down
and let him go before we continued ...
14:05
- .. arrived in Quincy Illinois Lock 21 .. met the
Trawler Ramputt and Marv had a conversation via Marine Radio
… Ramputt is on his way to Apalachicola, Florida .. he and
his lady friend/wife/whatever …..
Lock 21
15:40
- …. locked down at 15:40 and departed at 15:50 .. we
were going to have lock people mail our letters but we
floated so they couldn’t get our mail ... at 16:00 passed
the Tow Boat Kernan .. Southbound with 15 loads ( which
22,500 tons of grain .. just a reminder .. that’s a lot of
bread ) ...
16:15 - .. passed the Samuel B Richmond Tow heading North
with 16 empty barges which will be loaded ….
16:30 - ….went under the Hannibal Railroad Bridge .. above
Lock 22 the Gordon C Jones Tow tied off on the Missouri
shore waiting to lock down ..
we
passed Hannibal and Sawyer’s Creek which was Mark Twain’s
home and saw “lovers leap” so named by Mark Twain .. at the
time Mark was writing for the newspaper and this was thought
to add to the circulation of the newspaper … the excursion
boat Mark Twain docked here .. the autumn colors were
beautiful even though’ there was little sun .. this part of
the river was very beautiful also because of the bluffs and
homes scattered along the river and on the bluffs ... we
passed a cement mine … Atlas Cement Dock …. which provided
the cement to build the Panama Canal ... the Locks in the
Panama Canal were built like the Locks on the Mississippi
River ... dry cement loaded into barges all the way to New
Orleans and taken over to the Panama Canal construction
sites ….. da entire Crew marveled at Capt. Ron’s knowledge
of the River !!!! … a real treat for all ……
Lock 22
16:55
- ..
arrived at lock 22 …
18:20
- ..
floated through the lock and out at 18:30 ..
20:15 - .. in the dark we made it to the Two Rivers Marina
.. good power and water … we went to the Restaurant right at
the Marina and had a nice dinner ... filled our water jugs
with good water right at the Dock .. and Ann washed clothes
... in the meantime the Dolphins and the Jets were in a very
exciting Monday Night Football game .. the game lasted 4
hours .. Capt. Ron and Bud the only ones who stayed up to
watch the end of it … with the boat secured at 22:00 the
rest of us went to bed ….
Mileage
82 miles and 4 Locks
Tuesday,
October 24,2000 - Two Rivers Marina – Rockport, IL – mile
283.2 -
05:30
- …
everyone up …. heavy fog and so we sat and waited
until the fog cleared enough .. we thought .. fog looks like
it is lifting .. as we could see part of the Bridge that
extends across the River ……
08:45 - .. we got underway .. visibility about 500 feet
or less ... went through the Louisiana, MO Railroad bridge (
a swing open Bridge ) and the fog started getting heavier,…
running ‘slow bell’ on radar ( slow bell is a term for a
method of alerting crew during the use of Paddle Wheel Steam
Boats )
09:15 - .. Marv called Lock 24 .. they have the Jane
Huffman Tow Boat in the Lock .. was fogged in all night ..
Jimmy is piloting on slow bell with Bud helping .. the fog
is thick down to 50 to 100 feet visibility .. slow bell all
the way ... Marv talked with the Lock and they said we can
come down and tie off on the upper long wall …..
11:00
- … the
Lock Master helped us
tie Dee
off on the long wall ...
12:15 - .. fog lifted .. the Jane Huffman Tow called and
asked if we could send someone down to throw off the
Headline as the Lock Crew was between shifts .. Capt. Ron
walked down and did that …..
12:35
- ..
locking
down in Lock 24 … in sunshine !! .. lowered to 12 feet ..
Town of Clarksville .. named after Col. Clark who was sent
to this area after the US Louisiana Purchase .. he fended
off the British and sent the Brits back to England .. so
they say .. passed the Indian Princess Tow at 13:05 and at
1310 passed Jane Huffman Tow ….
13:20 - .. met the R Clayton Tow Boat Northbound …. When
Marv called the Tow Boat on the Marine Radio .. Marv asked
if he wanted up to pass him on a ‘one’ or ‘two’ side and if
we should slow down .. he responded with a one .. and said
that we did not have to slow down .. said ‘just get it
over with’ … this became a quotation for the Trip …...
the bluffs at Mosier Landing are ablaze with color .. clear
blue skies ……
13:30
- ….. met the Tow Laurie Mece
13:55 - … met the Army Corps of Engineer’s Buoy Tender and
the name of the tender was Path Finder ……
Lock
25
14:20 -
.. Marv called on the Marine Radio ahead to find that
there was a Tow locking up .. so we had to wait ….. Marv did
an anchor drill and we waited to enter the lock …..
15:45
- … entered the Lock and departed at 15:55 ….. Ann fell
asleep in the Cock Pit area .. the scenery was beautiful ….
the best yet.. full color .. picturesque river towns … many
houses on stilts .. some very large houses .. several farms
on the Illinois side …. the Bluffs look like limestone and
have many natural caves ….
16:00 - … slowed down for the Golden Eagle Ferry to cross
in front of us ….
16:45 - …. cut back on power to let Golden Eagle Ferry
cross with 12 vehicles on board ...
18:05 - … landed at Alton Marina .. lovely riverfront town
a city of antiques and nice people ….. a very nice Marina
... City owned and operated ..good power .. water .. etc …..
also can hook up the PC in the office for the internet …..
20:15
- ….. got a cab which took us to eat at “Fast Freddie’s" ...
a fun atmosphere .. mostly younger people .. food quite good
.. Ann had shrimp and Pork Kabob .. Capt. Ron .. Marv .. and
Bud had Half Pound Eddy Hamburgers for 99 chemist each ..
Capt. Ron taught Ann how to play Liars Poker .. Jimmy met
“Janet” a very colorful ex nurse running her parents
business and playing the Casinos and whatever excitement was
around … Ann .. Capt. Ron and Marv went back to the boat via
cab at 22:00 … Bud stayed on until 24:00 and Jim came back
at ??????? …. alive and well after an evening with Janet ...
Mileage
was 203 and 2 locks.
Wednesday, October 25,2000 – Alton Marina – Alton, IL – mile
202.9 –
08:00 everyone up … Ann took Autumn for her walk and daily
constitution leaving Capt Ron at the ship doing his
exercises and searching for a USA today … have not seen a
newspaper for days ... then Ann .. Bud and Jimmy made a
grocery run …. the Schlecker’s Grocery Store sent an Isuzu
to pick the shoppers up ... very quaint antique town of
34,000 … would be fun to spend a day in the town … went to
the store and picked up our staples which included “Oreos”
…. kind of like we had never been in a store before .. made
a stop at the Office Supply Store for a “mouse” .. computer
that is .. for Bud .. then to the bakery for bread .. Ann
allowed the “boys” to have an apple fritter .. which
disappeared in 2 bites .. back to the boat ...
09:45
- …. departed Alton Marina ..
Melvin
Price Lock 26
- ….
the
newest Lock and Dam on the Mississippi River .. at 09:55.
Floated through and dropped us 19 feet ... departed the lock
at 10:10 …… met the Jane Huffman Tow on the way with 16
empty barges at 10:30 ….
10:35 - … we passed the dredge America .. dredging sand
from the bottom of the river .. a good photo opportunity ..
we attempted to alert Ann of this but she was napping …..
10:40 - .. we passed the mouth of the Missouri River ..
the Big Mo …..
10:45 -.. we entered the Chain of Rocks Canal to by-pass
the Sawyer Bend and the fast current of the river .. then we
met the Leslie Bee Tow with empty petroleum barges.
11:15 -.. passed Seminole Princess Barge ….
Lock 27
11:20 - .. entered the small chamber and floated down …
the upper gate of this Lock was different in that it went up
and down instead of swinging open ... Dee left the Lock at
11:30 and two instead of one whistle was blown because we
were in auxillary chamber of the lock instead of the main
chamber …..
Please
note we changed captains and got and an experienced river
barge captain .. (ha) .. Marv asked Capt. Ron to take us on
down the River ... what a treat for the Captain and Crew ….
13:30 -
Fueled at Hoppe’s Marina –
Fern and Hoppe are friends of Marv ….
AFT
- 0.0 gals … Mid – 200.0 gals … FWD – 227.0
gals
Total
– 427.0 gals
Port
– 0968.2 hours … Starboard – 0974.3 hours
Mileage
– 23.02 gals per hour
Little
Dee
- 0.0 gals
Fuel
Transfer pump
– 0.0 hours …
…… very
interesting little town of Kimswick, Iowa .. a village of
about 4 blocks .. Anhauser Busch had a vacation mansion at
this spot … the elderly Busch lady had just died this year
.. a daughter of hers has the place and raises and rides
Palomino horses .. a lovely spot … the daughter of the
“Cola” families also had a place there and has been spending
money fixing up the village so it would be more economically
stable … would be an interesting village to spend time at …
the Hoppe’s .. Fern and Hoppe are very colorful people ..
probably in late 60’s early 70’s .. crusty .. down to earth
type of people with lots of river experience ..
14:25
- ..
back on the river
14:35 - .. we passed Elizabeth Ann cement Barge ... a big
volume air compressor is on the Barge to pump air into the
dry cement and fluff it up .. then pumped through a pipe up
to the storage tanks ... passed St Louis, MO …. saw the Arch
and so many Tow Boats …. Marv took many photos ….. the Busch
Brewery draws 9 million gallons of water from the river a
day to make beer ... do you really want to drink the beer ..
Michelob .. Busch .. Miller’s .. that’s what gives those
beers their delightful flavor .. or garbage in garbage out
.. same color in same color out ...
18:15 - …. arrived at Cape Girardeau ... this was the
busiest part of the river we have been on .. many .. many
barges .. much industry all along the shores .. the biggest
Tow we met was one with 36 Barges .. each Barge is 35 ft
wide so the total width of all barges is 210 feet and each
Barge is 200 feet so the total length of the load was 1200
feet .. the amount of horsepower ranges from 2000 to 10,000
horsepower ……. now the fun starts we decide to anchor out in
the river just below Cape Girardeau in the dark ... what a
time ... started out good .. found a nice anchorage just
below a two Barges that were tied off in a deep part on the
River .. so we settled in just below them about 200 feet ..
Marv thru together dinner consisting of Barbecue Ribs ..
from Slippery’s in Wabasha .. Garlic Toast .. Salad and the
like .. we were watching the World Series and all of a
sudden .. Marv spotted a Tow Boat heading up River right
towards us .. it had four empty Barges .. the entire Crew
scrambled and got the fenders on Dee .. we pushed off the
side of the Barges as they would have hit us .. we talked to
the Crew from the Tow Boat Davy Jones Locker .. they were
out n the front Barge to tie the Barges to the others that
were anchored ahead of us .. so once we saved our selves ..
Marv started up Dee .. we pulled our anchor and Marv
maneuvered Dee past the Tow Boat .. the hunt for a safe
anchoring location was on ... there were many areas marked
.. “Do not anchor, cable crossing” .. so off again to find a
place .. and then another .. a Tow Boat Captain told us that
there was a good spot on the other side of the river .. we
tried to anchor at a place called Gray’s Point .. a landmark
.. the bottom was too rocky we could not get the anchor to
take hold .. so off again for a place to stop .. then it was
suggested we go back across the river and go above the
barges and anchor .. above where we were before .. but the
crew decided it was not protected enough so off on an
extended search .. it was so dark and there were so many
Tows around .. Jimmy came up with the idea of following a
Tow Boat down River .. we asked one pilot if we could follow
him down the river until we could find a spot to anchor ..
he said yes and it was very dark .. met many boats .. Marv
found a ‘fork’ in the River that looked like a good spot to
spend the night .. wrong !! .. got real shallow !! … so we
went back and followed the Tow Boat again .. in the dark ….
just above Goose Island Light the Tow Boat Captain suggested
we go in below a ‘Red Buoy’ so we would be below a Dike and
then we anchored in 11 feet of water …..
22:00 - .. anchored in at mile 34 … Upper Mississippi
River .. just above Goose Island Light on the Illinois side
.. Tow Boats went by all night but I think most of us slept
well .. Marv woke frequently to check on things .. Jimmy
crashed in the aft solon .. Bud slept in his nook Capt. Ron
went off to his bed and Ann of course went to sleep in
luxury in her own room ... Great night .. great people ..
thank God we were safe … in the midst of all of this
activity little Autumn was such a good dog … Ann was a bit
nervous as she is in charge of Autumn and Autumn has a
tendency to wonder out on the deck when others are there ..
kind of dangerous for a little doggie with “slippery” toe
nails and not anything to hang on to .. so through most of
this Autumn and Ann hung out together .. of course we had to
forsake our land and land potty so Marv took her out on deck
….
Mileage
was 169 and 2 Locks …..
Tow
Encountered
Thursday, October 26, 2000 – on da Hook - Mississippi River
– mile 34
07:00
- … da Crew
up .. good nights sleep .. good natured and ready to hit the
“river” again .. we had our coffee .. toast and fruit .. the
anchor held us firm all night .. did not drag ..
09:05
- … departed
the anchorage ...
09:39 - started into the Scudder’s Bend.. a double ‘S’
bend/curve .. cruised on every point on the compass …. at
the end of the Bend there was a Tow Boat with 42 barges ..
they were empty though .. this Tow was aground and not sure
why .. two other Tow Boats were helping him get off ground
.. a thirty foot Cruiser was grounded on shore .. laying on
its’ side and there was evidence that people were going
there to salvage what they could ... at mile 4 on Upper
Mississippi there were thousands of ducks in migration ..
too bad we didn’t have our shotguns .. thus we missed a
delicious supper ….
10:45 - .. as we entered the Ohio River .. Marv woke Ann
from a morning nap .. so she would not miss the change from
the last of the Mississippi River and the start of the Ohio
River ….. the difference between the Mississippi was
striking .. the Ohio was clean and the Mississippi muddy ..
now we were going up river putting the ‘red buoys’ on the
right side of the boat .. Marv has a red float on the dash
as a reminder of which side the Markers are on .. from
Cairo, Illinois up to Mound City, Illinois the Ohio river
was very congested with commercial boats and large fleets ….
11:00 - … we went by Cairo a type of “ghost town” very
sparsely populated .. Dickinson the author invested in
Cairo but it did not work … a Grocery Barge was delivering
groceries to the Tow Boats and they also stopped and picked
up some crew members who were going home ... the sun is
shining at 80 degrees .. slight breeze .. and another
beautiful day cruising up the river ... Saw a monument to
“Dolly Pardon” and Marv frantically grabbed his camera and
took his pictures ... these large round Dolly like
structures were grain storage facilities .. Dolly enlarged
.. the photo describes the view quite well …
Lock 53
12:10 - ….. then we had to wait for the Tow Boat Pretty
Paige to lock up .. the Tow Boat Pretty Paige was locking up
on the river main lock chamber ahead of us so we landed on
the long wall below the Lock ... the Jenny S Tow was locking
up on the river chamber just before us at 12:50 ..
12:50 - .. we entered Lock 53 in the auxiliary chamber ..
the landside Lock ..
when we
were in the Lock we asked the Lock Master what the floating
yellow objects were in the River .. according to Marv they
were sunken Pilot Houses of a Tow Boat which had sunk and
just the Pilot House was out of the water .. however .. when
we consulted the “experts” at the Lock they told us the
yellow objects were supposed to be there as they were part
of an environmentalist study of the success of transplanting
river clams .. another Gore program .. oh well .. and some
people really believe him !!! ... departed Lock 53 at
13:05.. only about a 4 foot lift ...
13:30 - .. we caught up with the sailboat .. “White Star”
from Canada .. they were on their way to Mobile, Alabama and
then Belize, Central America for the winter .. Bud had
maneuvered Dee as far from the sailboat as we could ..
staying on the River Channel …. he called us on the Marine
Radio and asked us to slow down and to come close and then
speed up a bit and then the sailboat would follow in our
wash/wake .. a big sailboat .. about 45 feet .. as far as
we know there were 2 male crewmembers .. however .. Capt.
Ron surmises that there may have been a couple of ladies
taking a nap .. resting up from the night before and
preparing for the night ahead .. Ann is well versed on the
napping part ….. one fellow .. the Captain had a long beard
and another individual had no hair and Bud said .. “Oh look
.. the Captain has a bald headed wife” ….. ya …. Must be a
sign of many days on the water …..
Lock 52
14:22
- ….. had to tie off in the lock with 30 foot lines which
were fine at the bow but at the stern we had to do according
to Capt. Ron some .. “niggering’ .. with the lines so they
would be long enough ... left Lock 52 at 15:00…..
15:35 - …. As we approached the start of the Tennessee
River Marv made an error as to which route to take .. Jimmy
and Marv looked it over and quickly altered our course .. we
entered the Tennessee River ...
16:35
- ..
we arrived at the Kentucky Lock and that was the
beginning of a very long wait ... we were about 10-15
minutes too late as a tow with 12 Barges just “beat us” ..
at 17:00 we tried to anchor but was too rocky … the
anchor would not catch .. then we went to the Mooring Cell
and tried to attach a line but the currents would not allow
us to do that so we abandoned that idea .. so we went to a
new spot to anchor the boat .. and watched it get dark ..
very dark …….
20:35 - …. we finally entered the Lock and made our way to
a Bollard … the water stirred ferociously and we were lifted
up 50 feet .. and departed from the lock at 21:00 ….
now on our way to Kentucky Lake Marina .. in the dark ...
Marv has found the Marina in the dark in the past .. he is
in the maneuvers in the ‘dark’ most of the time .. arrived
at Kentucky Lake Marina at 21:45 … took Marv awhile to find
the Fuel Dock .. that we were told to tie off Dee for the
night … a friend of Marv’s from Prairie de Chien .. Jerry
Cook .. ( Jerry and Doreen are friends of Mike and Carol
Seiser ..that have their boat next to Marv at Wabasha ) ..
was at the Dock to help us tie up .. Jerry knew we were
heading South and heard us on the Marine Radio …. when the
crew went ashore they were greeted with a serenade from Coon
Dogs … Marv helped Ann fix dinner of sandwiches ..
sandwiches …. and sandwiches ….
Traveled
about 103 miles .
Tow
encountered for the day
Bob
Smith Tow with 36 barges of coal
Gane
Pierre Cenex Tow with 2 empty oil barges
Andrew
Conasdow Tow with 3 refrigerated anhydrous ammonia barges
Cooperative Enterprise Tow 24 barges
Shirley
Franklin Tow 2 barges
Eva C
May Tow 2 cement barges
Butch
Bar Tow 8 oil barges
Cornell
Smith Tow 5 barges
Nonie
Tow 8 barges
Al Gray
Tow 10 barges
Charles
E Patters Tow light/empty
Mathew
Edwards Tow 2 barges
Charles
Ditmor Tow 35 barges
Mary
Jane Tow with construction barges
Evan
Brent Tow with 12 oil barges
Martha
Mack Tow with 10 barges
Anne B
with 15 barges
Cumberland Hunter tow with 6 barges
Margi D
Tow with 15 barges
Number
of Locks
Three
(3)
Friday,
October 27, 2000 -
Kentucky Dam Marina
- Gilbertsville KY - mile 23.0 -
…..
Friday morning … a day in the Kentucky Dam Marina .. a day
in port .. a day for rest and a Crew change .. also many
duties to be performed on the boat .. inside and outside ..
moved the boat to take on Diessel Fuel .. when making the
short move the Bow Thruster failed .. it worked for a short
time then just died .. Marv was able to get Dee docked
without the Thruster …
Fueled
at Kentucky Dam Marina –
AFT
- 021.0 gals … Mid – 256.0 gals … FWD – 237.2
gals
Total
– 514.2 gals
Port
– 0985.0 hours … Starboard – 0991.2 hours
Mileage
– 30.52 gals per hour
Little
Dee
- 0.0 gals
Fuel
Transfer pump
– 0.0 hours …
…. while
Marv was moving the boat the “Bow Thruster” broke .. Jimmy
.. the “on board” power expert .. along with Marv and Capt.
Ron attempted to diagnose the problem .. just so happens the
Bow Thruster is located in the bow Guest Quarters .. one of
many spots where Ann sleeps .. these guys tore up the bed ..
looked like a cyclone hit the room .. oh well .. we didn’t
mind if we could fix the boat …. so once they decided it was
all fixed Ann made up her bed .. no small feat .. and then
.. lo’ and behold“ .. it still did not work .. so the bed
came apart once again .. in the meantime Bud and Marv went
shopping for some cleaning supplies .. then the Marv and
Jimmy called the Viking Company .. the company that
manufactured the Dee Light and spoke with an engineer .. he
advised them as to the nature of the problem but because of
a broken spring .. new Solenoid Cells had to be ordered.. so
Marv ordered them and asked them to be delivered to
Carrabelle, Florida so the Crew could repair the Bow
Thruster there .. in the meantime .. Bud is working
feverishly scrubbing down the outside of the boat from the
mast to the water line and from the bow to the stern .. Ann
cleaned the Galley .. the Salon .. and the quarters .. then
the boys borrowed a pick up and went grocery shopping and
came home with all the necessities including 6 packages of
double oreo cookies .. while we were in the Marina we met
Jerry and Doreen Cook .. who were Marv’s friends .. from
Waterloo, Iowa … the name of their boat was “At Ease” as he
was a retired active/reserve military person and they
thought the name would be unique until they docked at
Marinas where there were other military personnel and found
four other boats with the same name .. so goes creativity
for the military .. this was also the first day we had
contact with the outside world via a newspaper … the USA
Today .. needless to say not much new news from the time we
left Wabasha …… just before sunset the sailboat .. White
Star .. arrived at the Marina with Capt. Bob and his mate
(male) arrived .. the Dee Light deck crew helped them land
.. Capt. Bob was a Canadian … served in World War II ..
worked for the US doing secret engineering .. he was an
amazing 77 year old gentleman with the classic look of a
seafaring sailor with tanned skin .. white hair and beard
and sparkling blue eyes … Ann was really taken in with him
.. we were entertained by a melodious bagpipe concert given
by Capt. Bob and he played Christmas songs .. some military
and closed the concert with Amazing Grace .. fantastic !!
.. other boaters came to be entertained as well .. Marv had
made reservations at .. Patti's 1880 Settlement Restaurant
.. located in Grand Rivers, Kentucky for 08:15 .. they sent
a courtesy van to pick us up .. in the meantime Capt. Ben
caught up with us .. he drove down from Prairie du Chien, WI
.. and will be replacing Bud .. who leaves tomorrow .. he
had a grand time cruising down in Marv’s Lincoln LS to the
music of Lori Line ……. we had a delicious dinner of
luscious thick (2”) Kentucky flavored pork chops .. this is
what they are known for .. however.. Capt. Ron had a Stuffed
Chicken Breast .. and Capt. Ben had Prime Rib .. the dinner
was superb with one catch however .. we were in a “dry
county” .. some just had to wait to get back to Dee for
their beverages …. they made it …. Jim provided the crew
with ample entertainment as we learned how he manages to
find a “girl in every port” .. Jim’s “lady searching”
antennae were like radar as he zeroed in on the girls pretty
fast .. of course there is no time to waste when making a
one night stop .. his attempts to date the waitress were
valiant .. however .. she appeared to have other plans ..
but he did not give up .. as when we went home our driver
was a lovely young lass .. he moved with lighting ..
practically jumped over the hood of the car and into the
front seat as he spotted this lovely your lass by the name
of Meggan .. we arrived back at the boat at 9:30 .. we are
not too sure of Jim’s activities after we arrived back at
the boat but he was in pretty good shape the next a.m. ..
there
also was a bass fishing tournament during this time with
over 200 fisherman participating .. they were from Indiana
with Ranger boats …...
Saturday, October 28, 2000 -
Kentucky Dam Marina
- Gilbertsville KY - mile 23.0 –
….. in
the morning when the bass fisherman prepared to go out ..
the entire harbor lit up like a Christmas tree with the red
and green lights from the bass boats ..
08:00
- …
Bud left us .. he will drive Marv’s car back to Eau
Claire, WI .. his duties are to be taken over by Capt. Ben …
we bid Bud a fond farewell .. we will miss his great sense
of humor .. just a note .. Bud decided to shave his “beard”
in preparation for his arrival in Eau Claire .. he had a
good start of beginning to look like a river boat captain ..
Capt. Ben is a captain on the Blue Chip Casino Boat out of
Michigan City, Indiana .. Ben attended the Merchant Marine
Academy in Kingspoint , New York City .. he graduated 4
years ago .. took his Captain’s examination and has been a
Captain for four years ….. Capt. Ben was thoroughly oriented
to piloting the Dee Light as he was at the helm all day …..
08:10 - … left the Kentucky Marina .. however .. just
before leaving Capt. Bob .. from the White Star .. sent a
note over via Marv .. to tell Capt. Ron he would like an
autographed copy of the book “The Upper Mississippi” a river
history written by Capt. Ron ….. Capt. Ben was at the helm
assisted by Jim the navigator …. the weather was beautiful
.. clear .. blue skies .. 70 plus degrees slight breeze and
wonderful color along the Tennessee River ..
08:25 - … we passed the entrance of the Barclay Canal that
connects the Cumberland and the Tennessee Rivers ….
09:10
- ..
passed the cruiser Sea Quest ... he cut his power so
we didn’t have to fight his wake and we cut our power also
..
09:20 - .. passed under the Highway bridge 60/80 … called
the Hagner’s Ferry Bridge .. during this time Marv was
checking his e-mail and Jimmy received a message from his
new found girl friend .. Janet .. whom he met at Fast
Freddie’s in Alton .. she also told Jim to tell Capt. Ron
she wanted one of his books .. Ann took a nap on the Bridge
…….
09:35 - … passed a large grainery .. the Hudson Grain Co
.. we then passed the border between Kentucky and Tennessee
and we are now in Tennessee .. the shoreline at this area
more settled .. colors remain brilliant and very beautiful
.. at this time we passed a navigation aid where the birds
had built a large nest on the solar panel which it used to
charge the batteries to operate the light .. we don’t know
if the light works or not ..
10:15 - .. at mile 67 the Big Sandy River enters the
Kentucky Lake .. after that we passed under the Scott
Fitzhugh Bridge .. Highway 79 Bridge ..
our
slight breeze disappeared and now the water is as smooth as
glass ..
11:50 - … just below the Sea Board System Railroad Bridge
at Johnsonville we had to slow down as there was a large
number of fishermen on the river .. at this time we left the
head of the Kentucky Lakes and entered into the Tennessee
River again .. Marv fixed lunch for all …. the Kentucky
Lakes are about 78 miles in length ..
12:30 - … we go under the I 40 Highway Bridge …..
13:30 - .. at mile 105 we enter the narrowest stretch
between Paducah and Pickwick .. water is 70-80 feet deep …
then we met a 32 foot cruiser called “No Condo” for sale ..
piloted by two women .. as usual Jim was very interested in
knowing if the women went with the boat .. he was ready to
sell all and buy the boat .. women included .. but sad to
say the women were married .. unavailable and not too
friendly .. Marv talked with them and found out that they
know Mr. Joe and Linda .. so we went on ... at mile 155 we
passed a large quarry where they were loading crushed rock
on barges to rip rap (reinforce) the river bank ..
14:25
- ..
passed under Highway 60 Bridge at mile 163 .. at mile
169 in the backwater cut .. there was a sunken tow boat
laying against the shore with only the pilot house against
the water .. we went by the Saltillo ferry ...
15:20
- .. we passed Savannah, Tennessee .. a low point in the
water level under the highway 64 bridge .. we met a Tow Boat
.. the Ms Amy coming down river who called us on the radio
and said we did not have to slow down ….
16:35
- …
we passed an anchor boat which was displaying a diver
who appeared to be a “river clammer” looking for clams …..
17:00
- …
we entered Pickwick Lock and locked up with a
Catamaran sailboat .. South Wind .. from Port of Louis,
France .. manned by the owner and a hired captain .. Marv
talked with them over the Marine Radio .. they had sailed
across the Atlantic and were making the great circle .. the
captain of the boat wanted to go with us through the lock
system ahead .. but we didn’t as it would slow us down ..
they went into a near by Marina for the night .. as they cut
off the Main River Channel to the marked channel to the
Marina .. they missed the markers .. a local directed them
to the Marina Channel .. it gets really shallow if you miss
the markers ……
18:00
- ..
we entered Tom Bigbee Canal at mile 450 .. this canal
takes us into the Tenn-Tom Waterway .. which will be joined
by the Alabama River and will become the Mobile River taking
us down to Mobil, Alabama …. this is where we left the state
of Tennessee and entered the state of Mississippi ...
18:10 - .. we tied off at the gas dock at the Pickwick
Tenn-Tom Marina and stayed overnight in the Marina .. a
beautiful Marina with brilliant colors .. many .. many boats
.. the owner said they were building 1,2,3 and 4 bedroom
townhouses that will be overlooking the Marina ...
Fueled
at Pickwick’s Tenn-Tom Marina –
AFT
- 0.0 gals … Mid – 251.0 gals … FWD – 213.0
gals
Total
– 464.0 gals
Port
– 0995.0 hours … Starboard – 1001.1 hours
Mileage
– 46.63 gals per hour
Little
Dee
- 0.0 gals
Fuel
Transfer pump
– 0.0 hours …
……. the
dock was a long distance from shore ... Ann went to walk
Autumn and we could only find concrete until one of the
owners came along in a golf cart and offered to take us up
to the “grassy” areas for Autumn to take care of her
basic needs … the co-owner said that he knew Marv had been
here before and would provide anything we needed to make our
stay comfortable .. while fueling .. Jim made
arrangements for a golf cart to take us to the shore and a
van to pick us up to go to dinner .. he also found
information on different places to eat .. Marv had been here
before and knew of some places as well .. we elected to go
to a place called Freddie’s .. we managed to get all 5 of us
in the golf cart and go up on shore but did not have enough
power to get up the hill in the parking lot .. so Capt. Ben
provided additional power pushing us up the hill. Marv ..
not being a golfer .. did not make the most proficient
driver but under the tutelage of Jim .. he got us to the top
.. then we had a van waiting for us and we all got in with
plenty of room .. Marv became our chauffeur and we set out
to find a place to eat .. drink and be merry .. excuse me ..
Jimmy set out to make merry as he promptly excused himself
before dinner and proceeded to the .. “sound of music and
laughter” .. in just a few minutes he came back with “merry”
a tall willowy .. Southern brunette (bottle brunette that
is) dressed in a leopard design slimming .. body shaping
sheathing .. she wore a big red smile .. we were all set for
a “bloody Mary” but again we were foiled .. a dry county
except for beer and wine coolers .. however .. one could
bring your own bottle and put it in a “mail box” in the
restaurant .. of course we didn’t have a bottle so couldn’t
use the mailbox and thus no drink .. once again .. milk ..
coffee and diet coke-ugh .. the men’s rest room was
somewhat of an attraction .. we got the owner to show Ann
the unique aspect of the restroom .. in we went and what did
we find but a large water trough filled with “ice” .. I was
told by the owner that it was to catch the cigarette butts
and I said “ya right” and that I had a better suggestion for
its use .. we had a lovely dinner and then decided we
better check out Jimmy .. of course in the meantime ..
young Ben is having second thoughts .. should he dine or
make merry .. he decided to do both .. he had dinner with us
and then joined Jimmy .. well .. we all decided to join
Jimmy in the bar for a little while … he really had us all
intrigued as to how he managed to capture all these women ..
Capt. Ron and Jimmy did their best to procure us a bottle
of vodka and or whiskey but no luck …. after a bit Marv ..
Capt. Ron and Ann left Jim and Ben to sew their wild oats
.. when Capt Ron .. Marv and Ann returned to the marina they
found that someone had “borrowed” our golf cart .. so we
walked down to the boat .. good exercise ….. when we got to
the boat we decided to go shopping at the marina shop ..
Marv talked the night watchman .. William .. opened up the
shop .. Marv found a life jacket … bright yellow for Autumn
.. Ann found her First Mate’s .. cap with scrambled eggs and
now am an official first mate to Capt. Ron .. and Capt. Ron
proceeded to propagandize his book and quite successfully I
might add .. so we all went home with our purchases .. in
the meantime Jimmy and Ben were out enjoying the night life
…. Capt. Ben and Jimmy did return to Dee at a later time
with some others that they | 
