And We're Off ...

Day 185 |  Columbus (MS) to Gainesville (AL)  |  8.7 Hours  |  60 Miles  |  3 Locks

We bid farewell to Columbus Marina at 7:00 this morning as the sun rose over the trees. The green signal light was on and we entered promptly into the John C. Stennis Lock along with five other boats and a floating garden of water hyacinths. These invasive plants can wreak havoc with a boat's water inputs and bowthruster propeller. Lacking anything better to do, I took the boathook out and "raked" them away from us. Both the leaves and root structure are incredibly dense.

The temperature struggled all morning to get out of the 30s, but we were comfortable in the enclosed pilothouse. A few tows passed us heading north. Much of the three hours it took to get to our second lock of the day was spent sightseeing. Strange things seemed to pop up in odd places along the shore -- a giant rooster, and isolated phone booth and a totem pole. Most of these we had heard of and have been on the lookout for them as part of an unofficial Looper road trip bingo game.

The two "kids" sitting on a dock were cute, but would have been cuter if it was warmer. We joked that we should call child services since it was so cold out. Somewhere along the way (no "roadside" sign) we left Mississippi and entered Alabama. The Tom Bevill Lock was ready for us and we were fortunate to pull right in. By this time our fleet had dwindled to three. The egrets sitting on the lock railings kept a close watch over us. Upon exiting, we began doing the math as to how far we could get before the sun began to set. We all agreed that we'd go another four hours and anchor just below the Howell Heflin Lock. Although few and far between, there were still a few bright red leaves along the way. We had to wait 30 minutes or so at this final lock as an upbound fuel barge was already loaded into the chamber.

The three boats pulled into the Tombigbee Ox Bow as the sun was setting. The day quickly turned to night and an almost-full moon rose behind us. I found the best spot on Crossroads to maximize the weak and fleeting cell signal. I laughed with family as texts and photos came in detailing their preparations for Thanksgiving. Thanks to e-commerce, at least my head will be there. Barry and I had dinner then watched Snoopy make toast and popcorn on A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. That's one tradition I didn't want to miss out on, so I brought back the DVD.

We will leave this anchorage tomorrow and make our way to Demopolis, roughly 45 miles downstream. An early afternoon arrival will allow us to have our own little Thanksgiving supper and hear all about everyone else's big day. Thanks for following along and for all the kind words. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!