Kim Jo IV: August 24 through 28, 2012; back on the river

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

August 24 through 28, 2012; back on the river

August 27 and 28, 2012; Monday, Grand Harbor Marina to Bay Hill Marina, Athens, AL:

Got going about 07:00 again this morning. We had 2 Locks today; Wilson Lock with a 93' lift and Joe Wheeler Lock with a 48' lift. We got to Bay Hill Marina and gassed up and into our slip by 17:30. A long, hot day. It was good to get here and visit with our friends Roy and Elvie. Elvie cooked and we had a nice evening. Stayed for a 2nd day. We got together with the other boats to plan our trip down the Tenn-Tom in October.

August 25 and 26, 2012; Saturday and Sunday, Grand Harbor Marina, Iuka, MS:

We got going about 07:00 as we had 63 miles to get to our marina. It was another hot and muggy day and again the breeze saved us. We had our first Lock this afternoon. The Pickwick Lock and Dam with a 55' lift. We waited 40 minutes for a tow and barge to complete the lock and then went through with out a problem. By the time we got gas and into our slip it started to rain. Their transient slips are right next to the channel with "No Wake" signs all over but no one obeys them. We had a rocky night. We stayed a second day and looked at boats.

N34 59.547
W88 12.932

August 24, 2012: Friday, Pebble Isle to Beech Creek anchorage, Mile 153.5, Tennessee River:

We said our Good-byes and left Pebble Isle this morning about 09:30. We are about 6 weeks behind schedule because of the fire. It was sad to leave but we are excited about finally finishing our Tennessee River cruise as far as Chattanooga. It was especially hard to say good-bye to River, as he has become a very special dog to me.

It was a really hot day getting as high as 100 degrees on the bridge. We did have a nice breeze, so that helped. We tried anchoring at Jeter Towhead at Mile 153.0 (just before Clifton, TN) but after 30 minutes of trying we gave up and went to Beech Creek Island anchorage about ½ mile up river. It also took a while here to get a good hold but after 20 minutes we had success. The river bottom must be very hard as we could feel the anchor dragging across the bottom. Wow, that was the hardest part of the day. We went 59 miles today.

N35 25.331
W88 00.151