Florence, AL

(Wednesday, Oct.20 - Dist: 48.4 mi; Avg Speed: 10.3 mph; TTT: 4:30 hrs)


Not long after fueling up at Pickwick Landing we passed the cutoff to the Tombigbee Waterway which is the way south.  Pickwick Lake was another beautiful lake that was as wide as Kentucky Lake but not nearly as long.  We were able to get up on plane for a short distance but then as it narrowed we started running into more traffic, mostly fisherman, and some of the shore was built up so we went back to trawler speed and had a pleasant lunch while underway.  We also soon left the state of TN and had the state of Mississippi on the west (LDB or left descending bank) and Alabama on the east or RDB.  I am not sure at exactly what point we entered AL fully but we now have AL on both sides of the river.  My navigator and colour commentator neglected to provide me with that info. 

Joe Wheeler Park was still about 60 or 70 miles further up the Tennessee River so we headed for Florence, AL.  Florence is a mid size town with Muscle Shoals just across the river.  We got to see both as we walked the downtown area of Florence (not much to see or do although we did find a cantina with some nice cold Dos Equis dark beer on tap) and got a lift from our slip neighbour to the Walmart Supercenter in Muscle Shoals.  That is the great thing about boaters; they are super friendly and help others out.  Our good Samaritan is from Colorado and keeps his Trawler Catamaran in Florence.  He has done a lot of boating to Florida and even the Bahamas from this location but has committed to babysitting his grand kids for a few years so only gets to the boat a couple of times a year.  He says he comes to turn on the air conditioning in the spring and the heater in the fall.  I am not sure if I have mentioned yet that the marinas in this part of the country are open year around and the boats stay in the water all the time.  It seems though, that except for the fisherman, there is very little boating going on.  The marina operators complain that the winter is dead.  In fact, we bought the last bag of ice from Pickwick Landing; the next shipment will not come until next spring.

I see that the weather is changing a bit in Canada especially in Orillia.  Too bad, Len and Carol but here I am still concerned about sunburn.  I washed the boat in my swimsuit and was sweating the whole time.  It is still getting to the high 70's and the odd day in the 80's.  It is kinda nice to be able to run from the cooler weather. 

I am completing this update on Friday morning; we are waiting for a couple of tows to clear from the Wilson lock which is just a few miles up river.  I will have more to say about this lock when / if I get the info.  I think that it is a unique one but I do not have the details at my fingertips.  After the Wilson Lock we only have to travel another 15 miles and we hit the Joe Wheeler Dam.  The State Park is just on the other side so with any luck we should not be too late today.

It seems that neither Linda or I are really into picture taking; we keep forgetting or just do not see the photo ops around us.  We will try to get better.

I can't believe some of the abuse I take and since I have been know to toss out the odd crack about someone or something, I thought that I would share a couple recent comments:

Denny wrote:  PS…Did you guys do a “weigh-in” before leaving home!?...seems to me by what you are telling us about your life style that there is a serious risk you’re gonna need a bigger boat!

Carol wrote:  Stompin Tommy Gee where's the cowboy boots, jeans and hair??????   I don't remember you ever singing either!!!!

Just remember folks, with a couple of quick strokes you can be removed from my list.

Have a great day.