Pickinsville Park (MM309) to Rattlesnake Bend (MM224)

October 16,2015

Friday

Miles traveled 82.9... Our greatest distance ever!!!

Total miles traveled 575

2 locks

   Tom Bevill

    Heflin

Day 34

It was a beautiful sunrise and the water was as smooth as glass.

We got Buster to shore and put the dinghy up.. We called the Tom Bevill dam/lock to check the status of barge traffic .. The lock manager said it was clear for us to come on in.. The green light was on.. These two boats had anchored near us last night and they too wanted to catch the green light..

We tried to pull up anchor.. And had a bit of resistance.. Phil let the boat Rock the anchor a bit... Then up she came and with her came this large stump.. We freed the anchor from the stump and got the lock. It was an easy three miles from our cove.

Buster was ready to head down river

In the lock we rode down with Seamore and Joint Venture.. Both from Decater, Al. We also met up with Harmony from Maine...

Harmony 

Joint Venture

Seamore.    

We travel a bit faster than those three so ahead we went and lost them by the next  lock .. They told the lock manager they didn't plan to get past the next lock today.  One boat was having intermittent trouble with their engine.

The terrain is changing.. Yet still quite beautiful.. Very little development along the waterway.

 Buster is studying where to stay for the night.. Very few marinas along here too. 

Our 2nd and last lock for the day is filled with debris... The other three boats are far enough behind us that tha lock manager let us thru and would raise the water for them as they get closer ... From what we hear on radio chatter they plan to drop anchor at the Ox Bow bend just past this lock .. That's where we thought we would too. But it's 1:00... We decide to press on.. Next anchorage is 40 plus miles..

There is absolutely no place to anchor..

Left side of river is as it's been for days.. But the right side is bright white... Kind of strange .. Very cool!

Not sure.. But it could be sandstone..

We got to Rattlesnack Bend about a half an hour before sunset.. Got Buster to shore and dinghyed over to the other two boats also in this anchorage spot.. One boat was from Oregon and the other is from California..  All of us are headed south to Demopolis . We'll catch up once at the marina.. Time to get dinner and relax..