Cruising southward

It was just getting light when we got up this morning.   The generator was turned off during the night, so getting it running and the heating system on to warm up the boat was first on our minds.   As coffee was being started, Mike called the Witten Lockmaster to give him a heads up that Velsignet would be passing through.  The Lockmaster informed us that a barge was coming upriver; if we hurried, he’d let us through before the barge (a barge can mean up to a 4-hour wait).  HYPER-MODE!  Quickly, we went through the checklist, started the engine, and pulled the anchors; somewhere in between processes we managed to get dressed!

We’re back on the Tenn-Tom Waterway, this time cruising south.  Contrast to the lush greenery that surrounded us traveling north, the waterway is now lined with leafless trees.  The scenery is drab except for the blue skies, the white seagulls, and reflections in the water.  Winter has set in.

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway is 234 miles long from the Tennessee River to Demopolis.  It took 12 years to build and was completed in 1984.  There are 10 locks along the waterway (Today, we will go through 6!).  The Tenn-Tom is the largest building project in the history of the US Army Corps of Engineers (over 5 times longer than the Panama Canal and required the moving of over 1/3 more dirt). 

We began our day in the Witten Lock (mm 412) by 7:15 am and we expect to anchor at mm 366 by mid-afternoon.  Dinner will be grilled salmon with a hearty spinach salad and chocolate brownies for dessert.  Expecting an absence of good cell service, we’ll listen to Christmas tunes sung by Harry Connick, Jr., play a couple of games of King’s Cribbage, and end our day in the books we’re reading.  All is good!

We have so appreciated the sunshine we've gotten the past 2-3 days and the color it brings along with it!

We anchored in a a little cove off the Tenn-Tom last night and took the dinghy to shore to visit a nearby Visitor's Center.

This is a Bay Spring Visitor's Center just before the Witten Lock and Dam.  We enjoyed visiting with the receptionist and DNR Game Warden.  In the part of the country, hunting season for deer extends from October to January.

The Visitors' Center had a nice display explaining the history of the area.

One of the exhibits at the Visitors' Center was a model of the Tenn-Tom Waterway with facts provided through a phone-like listening device.

Surrounding the Visitors' Center was a deck that overlooked the waterway.  The sunset was beautiful!

Here's Mike getting the dinghy ready for his passenger.  This little thing is barely big enough for the two of us, but it does the job!

This is a typical picture of the northern section of the Tenn-Tom.  It's straight and narrow here.  More south, we will travel between marked buoys located from one lake to another.

We're secured in the Fulton Lock awaiting the water to be let out to lower us to the water level below the dam. It's a pleasant day for cruising.