Florence On The Flip Side

Day 152  |  Rogersville to Florence  | 3.9 Hours  |  18 Miles  |  2 Locks

Barry made the call to the Wheeler Lock at 6:45 and the lockmaster instructed our fleet of six boats to make our way quickly to pass right through. The sun had not yet risen and the sky turned many colors from dawn to sunrise.

We sorted out our locking positions in advance and entered orderly, each of us tying to a floating bollard under the watchful eye of a heron perched on the railing. On this return trip from Joe Wheeler State Park to Florence, we locked down. Going down is a gentler trip than going up, with much less turbulence. When we entered the chamber there was just a bit of gate showing. The water was released from the chamber, lowering the boats and exposing the full height of the lock doors.

In the 12 miles to the next lock, our flotilla grew to 10 boats. We had a slight wait for the lock to reset and all the boats lined up behind us anticipating the green light to enter. The Wilson Lock, with its near-100-foot drop, is the largest lock we'll see on the Loop. For a change of scenery, Barry watched our line tied to the bollard at midship and I went up on the flybridge to view the process. Another heron was watching us from a position similar to the one at the Wheeler Lock. The photo of our boats filing out really captures the massiveness of this lock chamber. We were all thankful for no tow/barge traffic this morning. Our passage today took three hours less than it did last week.

As was the case on our prior trip through the Wilson Lock Canal, waterfowl was everywhere. Upon each new siting, I typically say "common heron" or "another egret," but still can't resist snapping a photo. These birds (also including pelicans and eagles) will be what I remember most from our trip through the inland rivers. At Florence Harbor, we and half our fleet turned in and the other half, including Change of Pace, continued on. We said our goodbyes over the radio, thankful for a great week together and looking forward to catching up again.

We stopped for a pumpout then moved to our slip where Crossroads will stay for the next nine days. Barry went and picked up the rental car while I began to pack. We will again depart at first light tomorrow, taking our Mini Cooper Convertible to Clemmons, NC, for an evening stopover, before continuing to Richmond on Sunday.