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Day 175. November 14. On to Upper Cooks Bend. Miles 50. Total Mile. 5307

 Left at first light to lock through the John C Stennis Lock and dropped another 20 feet. 



 We were joined by 9 other boats in the lock, so will be a convoy of 10 boats as we travel south today.

As we traveled we enjoyed the 20 or more flocked of geese or ducks fly in their V formation overhead using the TennTom as their flyway.


The further we traveled south the river widens and still has some cliffs but begins to flatten out.


  


Passing the small town of Nashville, MS the river weaves around between Mississippi and Alabama for three miles before it straightens out and and turns east and we leave the State of Mississippi.

Nashville was not much of a town a few homes on the water, a barge loading area and farmland.




News from next lock told us that we should slow down as he had a southbound tow and barge to lock down before us.  So we went real slow for about 3 miles to wait our turn.  Well our wait was extended because another barge showed up at the lock and needed to lock up.  All in all we waited 90 minutes.  While we waited we enjoyed the company of a bald eagle atop a tree 

and we could see the retired US Snagboat Montgomery displayed at the Visitor Center at the Lock.  This paddle wheeler was built in 1926 and worked for over 60 years to ply the waters of the southern rivers to keep them free of fallen trees and limbs.

Finally the Tom Blevin Lock gave us the green light and we entered the lock and dropped 27 feet.  On our way again, we had lunch and settled in to travel another 20 miles to our anchorage at Cooks Bend.  We are kept company by to two other Loopers, one of which,  Surf Rider, rafted to us for the evening.

Hope to get myself caught up with computer chores tonight and get to bed early.


Day 176  November 15  on to Demopolis, AL   Miles 53    Total Miles 5360

Woke at first light and unrated from Surf Rider and weighed anchor to head further south.  It had rained off and on all night, but it stopped while we pulled anchor and got underway.  Nice timing, but the cloud cover remained.



We are hoofing it for the next 12 miles to Heflin Lock, the last of the locks on the Tennessee Tombigee. We traveled past some pretty impressive clay bluffs along the way.





The Heflin Lock had their gates open and waiting for our group of travelers which now became 8 by the time we got to the lock.  We then dropped 32 feet to follow the rivers bends and turns as it winds it way south.




Was interesting to note that, if we could straightened out the river we would have saved ourselves eight miles. For us that is one hour of travel!

Also of interest is some of the clay banks are now a whitish grey.  The most spectacular bluffs are called “The White Cliffs of Epes”




The sun is finally trying to peek out.  Well, it tried before the high cloud cover took over.

At 1:00 we got to our destination, Kingfisher Bay Marina in Demopolis, AL.

Hope to get a few chores done and relax!

We went out to dinner with other Loopers, General Fun, Kathy and Fred, and Surf Rider, Brain and Pam.  Enjoyed a good meal at the Red Barn.  On the way we got to drive through the small town of Demopolis.




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