Saturday, October 30 2010 Location: Panama City, Fl

We were hoping to spend a couple of days here in Panama City, Fl, where Richard was stationed for 2 years while in the Navy, serving as an interior communication electrician, but------our concern over hurricane "Tomas" has lead us to depart early and head directly for home.  This direction will take us a minimum of 7 days, giving us a chance to secure Tadpole in drydock and make preparations at home if necessary.

Richard and Luc checking the weather and route planning



October 28, 2010 Location: Fort Walton Beach, FL



free dock at Fort Walton Landing




Bear "smiling" as he gets a pedicure




bringing down some basil for the salad dressing

 We're taking it nice and slow, relaxing along the way.  Here we were able to take advantage of a dock at Fort Walton Landing located near the city's historic area. 
We were able to avoid another storm as it chased us down the ICW.  The sky was black, plus we could here the thunder roar as a cold front approached.
Today the temperature is much, much cooler and very pleasant.

October 26, 2010 Location: Florida Panhandle

landing on the Florida beach



someone has to do it



fotos of our last anchorage before entering Mobile



on our way to happy hour with our anchorage
neighbors, Prime Time




arriving at Prime Time - home to Heidi and Kelley




target practice anyone?
located next to our boats




our neighbor caught this wild boar the morning we were leaving




but!!!!!! our departure was delayed as Prime Time had a
HUGE log wrapped around his anchor which needed to
be removed.




the neighbor took time out from cleaning his boar
to help untangle the anchor chain




Kelley finally had to jump in
-there are alligators in this creek-



Friday afternoon, October 22 Location: Mobile, AL

Welcome to Mobile, AL










Jocelyne and Luc (Blue Max IV)
worn out waiting for us in Mobile

OUR "LAST" LOCK



approaching Coffeeville Lock




Tadpole "secure"



leaving our very last lock of the Great Loop
a total of about 200 locks



a veiw of the lock both on the chartplotter
and above




first mate is holding the line



completing his rounds



always checking the status of the
 current hurricane



October 21 on the way to Mobile

Oct 21…Good morning this is another great day for boating with clear skies and little wind.
However with a little sadness it is our last day on the river systems..since we left Chicago we have been traveling on the Illinois River, Mississippi River, Ohio River, Cumberland River,
Tennessee River and then 450 miles down TennTom/TomBigBee/BlackWarrior River. This
last stage, down the BlackWarrior -  the last 213 miles  - has been without any towns..and
mostly without cell phone and internet service on the Sprint Aircard…what connections
we have been able to establish has been all “roaming”. I am not anxious to see our next
bill.

What a trip this has been…the next 550 miles to Tampa will offer a lot along the beaches
of the panhandle, it also tells us this wonderful ride is about over. We have met so many
“Loopers” who are anxious to be home..Tiki and I do not feel that way at all..we know that
we are so lucky to have been able to experience this adventure of a lifetime..we have met
so many wonderful people and enjoyed our special boat ride so much.

We oftentimes add more than one post when we have the chance to get on the net so make sure you check the entries past the first one to stay up to date with us.

A CLOSE CALL

Oct 18, 2010


The Black Warrior River winds around with numerous hairpin and 90 degree turns. Numerous tugs pushing several barges also use this river with us.

Today, I experienced a very scary incident.. while standing at the helm looking straight out…as I began turning into a very tight 180 degree turn, I saw a barge full of rock appear directly in front of us…normally I would turn toward the inside bank giving the barges the outside of the turn..but, because the turn was so narrow and so sharp, the oncoming barge was all the way up against the inside bank. Next, I see the second barge across the front coming into view…I rammed the lever to full throttle and turned the wheel full left going across in front on the now three wide row of oncoming barges..the tug pushing the group of barges full of rock was still not in sight. We cleared the oncoming barges by just a few at full throttle. Had I not been standing at full attention and been able to respond immediately, this would have been a very serious incident.

We now announce on the VHF radio in advance of tight turns (shown on chart plotter) our direction,
southbound, and the mile marker of the turn on the chart…alerting any upcoming tows of our
Position..tows that are travelling in close proximity call us back..and we plan our approach.

Sunday, October 17 Location: anchored at Demopolis, AL

We had an absolutely beautiful day for boating: clear skies, no wind, temperature in the 80’s and very little boat traffic – had the river to ourselves the entire day. We continue to love seeing the foliage along this winding river.

We anticipate being in Mobile, AL in about 6 days, and home in about a month.

Saturday, October 16, 2010 Location: mm 266 anchorage just passed Heflin Lock

our anchorage near Pickensville Rec Area

Last night we anchored opposite the Pickensville Recreation Area and just before the Bevill Lock, which is at mm 306, and were ready to go as soon as the fog lifted this morning. Unfortunately and extremely scary, we were met with very heavy fog as we passed under the bridge before the lock. We could barely see the working barges that were dredging on both sides of the channel as we proceeded. Richard put the throttle to idle, I went to the bow as a lookout, he blew the horn every few seconds and, after several minutes, which seemed like eternity, we broke out of the fog, could see the lock ahead of us, and successfully continued to the lock without incident.

To complicate matters, occasionally the GPS does not accurately reflect our position on the chart and this was one of those times. Our chart plotter actually showed us as being on land due to the narrow waterway we were in.



Happy Birthday to you, brother Ron

more beautiful fall colors

We began our southbound trip at 0730 Tuesday morning after anchoring at yet another beautiful, wooded site.


We are now travelling the Tenn-Tom Waterway. It is 234 miles long, manmade and connects the Tennessee River with the Tombigbee; making it possible to travel between the Midwest and the Gulf Coast. The suggestion to build a connection between the two rivers was in 1792 by French explorer Marquis De Montcalm. For years after, the talks continued and in 1946, the project was authorized. Finally, in 1971, the Army Corp of Engineers was given the go ahead to begin the project. It was competed in June of 1985. Total cost was 2 billion dollars.

The end of the Tenn-Tom Waterway is in Demopolis, MS, where we will continue on the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway and travel the balance of our 540 mile trek to Mobile, AL.

meeting new boater's at Blue Bluff Landing
yearly blue's festival is held here

Friday, October 15, 2010 Location: Columbus, MS

We’ll leave the Columbus Marina later this morning and immediately pass through the 8th lock on the Tenn-Tom Waterway. That will leave us with only “4” more for this entire journey. Now, of course, we are pro’s and, Tony, you would be sooo proud of us (your boating children).

The weather is still great. Had a little scare there with “Paula”, but she looks as though she is no longer a threat. Hopefully, the remainder of the season is quiet and will not interfere.

We're in this great big tub all alone

Friday, October 8 Location: leaving Chattanooga, TN

We are beginning our 250 mile return to Pickwick Lake. There, we will head south on the Tenn-Tom river and begin our trip down to Mobile, AL where Blue Max IV and Duchess are waiting for us. We will all make the crossing of the Gulf of Mexico together.

 

 From our departure point at Aqua Marina in Pickwick Lake to Chattanooga, we traveled 250 miles and locked “up” at 4 locks – Wilson Lock, Wheeler Lock, Guntersville Lock, and Nickajack Lock - before arriving in Chattanooga, traveling against the current. On our return, we will lock “down” through the same 4 locks, all the while making better time due to the current. We’ve also crossed the time zone twice, going from CT to ET and back again into Central time as well as crossing back and forth between Tennessee and Alabama. Once we begin the Tenn-Tom, we will travel through Mississippi, then cross back into Alabama.


tug boat "Jack Walker"
just to make the bend and
before we passed him




zero visibility ahead moving toward us
 we tied up at the closest dock



We left early this morning, right after Mary Jo and John (Recovery Room) moved their boat to a different slip where they will be leaving it for a week as they return home to Jacksonville. We hope we will be able to meet up with them again on this trip. For sure, we will get together with them again as they pass through the Tampa Bay area.



the source of the smoke
can you see the helicopter?



An hour after our departure, we passed a tow with barges and then turned a bend in the river only to be met with dense smoke immediately up ahead. It was so thick visibility went to zero. We immediately tied up to an old dock on the bank and alerted the tow captain of “Jack Walker” to make him of the situation. He was able to stop as he caught up and waited for us to advise him when it had cleared and okay to continue. Later, after several turns in the river we were able to see the fire up high in the woods – helicopters circling to observe it.

The remainder of day one of our return went without further incidents, which is good. It was a longer than normal day for us, travelling close to 90 miles, but we had gained an hour on the clock , had the current pushing us, and felt we could put in a little extra time allowing us to make the next three days approximately 50 miles each. We should be able to begin our southbound trip on Wednesday.

Oct 8 Location: Chattanooga

Upon arriving in Chattanooga, I was finally able to check my email messages – and just in time. Phyllis and Charlie Ray Adams, Richard’s high school classmate, want to come visit with us while we were in Chattanooga. They’ve been following us on the blog and our stopping here made it perfect for them to meet up with us. Chattanooga was their home for 30 years, and the Univ of Tenn was Phyllis’ previous employer and is one of their greatest fans. We gave them the Tadpole tour, then, they treated us to dinner at Boathouse. Thank you, Phyllis and Charlie Ray, for your visit and for our dinner. Your visit was the “icing on the cake” to our trip to Chattanooga; and, as you already know, your picture is posted here.



"Boathouse" restaurant 




dinner with friends Phyllis and Charlie Ray- Richard's former classmate
so glad you could  visit



In Chattanooga, Recovery Room and Tadpole docked directly in front of the Tennessee Aquarium and spent 2 nights in the heart of the city.

Richard’s brother, Ken, and 2 of his grandchildren, the handsome 11 year old Brandon, and the very beautiful 8 year old Sydney, spent the day and night onboard Tadpole with us. What great kids they are, and what fun we had with them. On Thursday, we got underway for a short ride and they both spent time at Tadpole’s helm while cruising a portion of the river and driving under the bridge. Later, Tiki, Brandon and Sydney spent several hours visiting the aquarium. Their time with us ended too soon. Thank you, Ken, for driving the distance to visit with us and thanks for bringing Brandon and Sydney. We really enjoyed our time with the 3 of you; only wish it could have been a longer visit.



Sydney, Brandon and Richard's brother, Ken




these are the stairs to the aquarium
our dock is just below




Ken, Brandon, Sydney and Richard
we miss you guys



Oct 3 Location: Huntsville, AL

Our next stop was Huntsville, AL – this is where America’s entry into the space age began. We toured The Space and Rocket Center, which has the largest collection of NASA rockets; a full size model of the Shuttle atop the main fuel tank and both rockets. A hugh display. We also saw an I-Max movie of the Hubble telescope and much of what it is able to see millions of light-years away. Difficult to comprehend yet so real.



testing out space bed









Tadpole and Recovery Room with Nina on tour at Ditto Landing Marina in Huntsville, AL
we stayed here again on our return trip

Oct 2 Location: Decatur, AL

Following our anchorage at Second Creek, we docked at Riverwalk Marina in Decatur, AL. While there, we took the afternoon to tour Decatur’s historic district, consisting of Alabama’s largest collection of Victorian homes, and included the Old State Bank which opened in 1833. It is located near the Tennessee River and was scarred by muskets and mini-balls during the Civil War. During the war, it served as a hospital. It was only one of four buildings left standing after the war and has been carefully restored.



 Recovery Room and Tadpole in Decatur, AL







Friday, October 1 location: Riverwalk Marina in Decatur, Alabama



this morning - leaving Second Creek anchorage



Sept 28 Aqua Marina


(mm 215 – this is where the Tenn-Tom joins the Tennessee River to continue on to Mobile)

While docked at the marina, and since we were not far away, we took the time to visit Shiloh National Military Park located on 4000 acres, the location of the Civil War’s first major battle in the western theatre. The battle was fought April 6-7, 1862 and more than 103,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were involved. 23,000 men died on these grounds by the end of the 2 day battle. It was a very moving and enlightening day.

Sept 29



Wilson Lock - 93 foot lift



We cancelled our trip to visit Graceland, and sadly started out alone to continue on to Chattanooga. We are very sad that Blue Max IV (Luc and Jocelyne) is not travelling with us; we have been together since mid-June and we surely miss them. Hopefully, we will be able to meet up with them on our way to Mobile.

After leaving Aqua Marina, we travelled 45 miles to Wilson Lock, once the world’s highest single lift lock at 93 feet now ranking 6th in the U.S. We passed through this lock alone and felt like an ant. A whole lot of water had to enter in order to raise us up to the top. We continued on for a short while and anchored in another beautiful creek (Six Mile Creek – mm 266) surrounded by trees and hills with private homes built up high.

Sept 30




Richard out fishing for supper

 

We anchored at Second Creek (mm 275), located a half a mile from the Wheeler Lock (48 foot lift), and near a farm as the cattle were drinking from the creek not far from where we were. Richard went fishing for our dinner. We met Alvin and Gerald who showed us there catch for their church fish fry – a tub of fresh water catfish. They gave Richard the remainder of their bait when they left. So, off in the dingy to fish he went!

Later, we enjoyed a delicious bass dinner, thanks to another wonderful boating couple, Will and Laura Stoner, who were out just for the pleasure of fishing and normally release their catch. This time, however, they gave us the 3 bass they had caught and, after cleaning and cooking them on the grill, we shared them with Recovery Room who had just caught up with us.


 

Will and Laura Stoner
thank you for a delicious bass dinner

Ann (Duchess) - Jocelyne (Blue Max IV) - me (Tadpole)
shirts are a gift from Ann