We got ready to leave this morning and called the Stennis lock to ask about a lock-down. The lock master said he was about to bring up a tow and would be ready for us in about 20 minutes. Perfect! We untied and got Genesis turned around and headed past "Tessera", who's owner was on the dock waving us goodbye. Tessera then followed us out to the lock wall, where she turned north toward Kentucky. You meet so many people as you travel on the river - its always fun to hear their stories, and EVERYBODY has a story!
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| "Tessera" is the sailboat in the center of the picture. Last night's storm clouds in the background never reached us. |
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| Sunrise this morning as left the marina in Columbus. |
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| We are waiting at Stennis lock as a tow and his barges (left) exit headed north. The workboat tow (the "Tenn-Tom") on the right is anchored to the side of the entrance. |
We made great time going downstream today, and actually made it through all three locks, leaving only 50 miles between us and our homeport of Demopolis. The weather was just what you want on a river trip - just enough cloud cover to keep the heat down, but still a beautiful day.
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| A first for us! This juvenile eagle is in the middle of getting his "adult" colors. His head is almost completely white, but his tail is still the mottled color of young eagles. His body will be completely black when fully mature. |
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| The same eagle, showing his underside is not the mature black yet. |
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| We saw lots of people getting a head start on Memorial Day weekend - fishing, skiing, swimming, and just enjoying the river. |
We got through our last lock, the Howell Heflin, about 5:00 and anchored in the oxbow just south of the lock. The female lock master told us that she did not expect a heavy current from the dam, and that we should have a peaceful night there.
We anchored in a gusty wind that pulled our boat in the opposite direction of the current, but after about 30 minutes it calmed down and we swung 180 degrees, where the mild current kept us stationary all night. The storms that radar showed all around us dissipated and all we got was a gentle drizzle - we didn't even have to close the portholes! We slept good, serenaded all night by the frogs and birds (and an occasional "grunt" that sounded familiarly like an alligator).
Glenda says:
We got off to an early start today. I had Daisy out walking at 5:15 this morning. I was able to make me some coffee before Tom disconnected the power from the boat. We were out of the marina and almost to the lock by 6:00am. We waited just a few minutes and then we were in and out and on our way. The breeze kept us nice and cool today. I saw lots of turtles and birds.
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| Seeing turtles always makes us miss the grandkids - they LOVE to see turtles sunbathing along the river. |
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| You never know what you're gonna see on the river! |
I caught sight of a young eagle and this time Tom got some good photos. I fixed some chicken and rice for lunch. With the breeze blowing through cooking did not heat up the pilot house. We were making good time. We ended up getting through all three locks before we stopped for the evening. We have not seen any rain on this entire trip but now I am listening to thunder rumbling and hear spinkles of rain on the boat. It may storm but the anchor is secure.
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| Storms danced all around us for the entire 5 days of this trip, but we never got more than a light drizzle. |
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