The Last of the Tenn-Tom



Fog on the river



Beautiful sunny and foggy morning on the river



The White Bluffs



After the fog lifts this is what awaits us



Sunset at Rattlesnake Bend
Picture doesn't do it justice



Okay, if you look closely you can see one of the deer









We woke Saturday to a really cold and foggy morning. There was even ICE on the deck of the boat! Not frost – but ice! So we took our time and even had a great breakfast of biscuits and gravy. We were able to leave about 8:00 a.m. We had about 60 miles to do today. There aren't many places to stop along this part so we wanted to get a good start. We had about 20 miles until we reached the Heflin Lock and Dam. Our timing was a little off though – we had to decide to bust a gear to get to the lock BEFORE the barge in front of us or to pull it back a bit and wait for him to lock through. We chose to wait and it only turned out to be an hour or so. It was then an easy lock through all by ourselves.

As we ventured on down we saw over 10 deer swim across the river right in front of us. It's hunting season here in Alabama and they must be getting flushed out. Anyway, it's really cool to see them swim. This part of the river isn't all that interesting – in fact, it can get rather boring. So we welcome the unexpected. We looked for signs of alligators, but didn't see any. Lots of muskrats and of course, herons.

Like I said before there aren't any good places to stop. There were a couple of places on the charts that looked like they might be good anchorages, but when we got there – they weren't good at all. We couldn't have even made it to them though the low water and thick brush. However, we finally made it to Rattlesnake Bend. This was a perfect spot. There was plenty of water and plenty of room. The water went back a few miles and of course made a bend and then flowed back to the river. At one opening there were several barges staged. We passed by them and found a great spot with about 21 feet of water. Perfect!

Just as we were getting there the sky opened up into a beautiful sunset with purples, reds, oranges- well you get the idea. I've posted a picture, but the picture doesn't do it justice. It was absolutely amazing. We toasted each other to another wonderful day – and prepared for our short travel the next.

Rattlesnake Bend is only 7 miles from Demopolis which is where we will stay a couple of days and hook up with other Loopers. Along the way today we passed the MM 225 which is the halfway point from Grand Harbor Marina to Mobile AL. Demopolis is at the end of the Tenn-Tom (Tennessee/Tombigbee) River and where the Tombigbee/Black Warrior River begins. It's referred to by most everyone as still part of the Tenn-Tom but officially it's not. There we've learned something. I guess this next part should be called the Black-Tom.

Till next time!

Admiral "C"