The weather has been absolutely wonderful thus far on this trip. We have had rain only two times but it came during the early evening and during the middle of the night so it has not impeded our travels at all. Today it is sunny and in the mid 80s – perfect cruising weather. Our day today will take us from one end of Pickwick Lake through Wilson lock and into Wilson Lake. As we travel through Pickwick Lake and the Tennessee River we will pass the convergence of the Tennessee/Tombigbee Waterway where the states of Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama meet. I made Mark do a 360 in the water so that we would be in all three states at the same time. We continued on the Tennessee River past the convergence point and are headed to Joe Wheeler State Park just outside of Rogersville, Alabama. The trip to Wheeler State Park is 60 miles up stream from the convergence point for a total diversion of 120 miles. The reason for this side trip is the Great Looper’s Rendezvous. This rendezvous is very highly recommended for the boating camaraderie and knowledge that we will receive about the upcoming portions of the trip and we are very excited about attending.
I can not say enough about the beauty of this area. The river is so easy flowing and calm that it makes for the most peaceful day as we travel today. The leaves are starting to change but are still primarily green. This area of the country is suffering from a severe drought so the leaves may not turn the bright reds and oranges. At this point on the Tennessee River there are water skiers and lots of recreational craft. The water is much nicer to “recreate” in than the waters of the Mississippi or the Illinois.
Just as we pass the town of Florence Alabama, the birthplace of Helen Keller, we approach the Wilson Lock and Dam. I hail the lockmaster and once again karma is on our side and the lockmaster holds the lock open for us. We are very fortunate in our timing because if we had not made this lock through, we would have had a three hour wait and it would have been dark when we exited the lock. This lock is our largest (highest) lift in the United States. We rose 103 feet in a surprisingly short time. There were two other Loopers in the lock with us and true to form they were friendly with waves and shouts of “see ya at Wheeler”.
As we left the lock we entered Wilson Lake with Wheeler Lock and Dam visible in the distance. The other two boats, who travel much faster than we do, decided to head to Wheeler Lock to make the lock through before dark. Since we were in no hurry and love to anchor out, we told them to go ahead and that we would see them tomorrow at Wheeler State Park.
Wilson Lake is also developed but not quite in the grand style of Pickwick Lake. However the homes here are huge and everyone seems to have multiple watercraft. It took Mark a while but he found the most wonderful little cove for us to anchor for the evening. Mark and I had another geometry lesson as we anchored out this evening. It seemed to revolve (pun intended) around the theory of the radius of a circle. If we put our anchor in this spot and the boat spins 360 degrees, then how much anchor chain do we need to use based on the depth of the anchorage and the distance from the shore? See, I knew that I should have paid much more attention when I was in Mr Volk’s geometry class…
We were able to sit outside for while this evening as the bugs were not too bad. Again the night was wonderful and the sky full of bright stars. Tomorrow morning we have only a short distance to travel once we lock through the Wheeler Lock. Hours on the water: 7.5 hours
Nautical miles traveled: 53
Number of locks: 1
Time spent waiting at locks: 0
Tomorrow's Destination: Joe Wheeler State Park
What we're listening to: I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe
What we watched: 0
Lesson for the day: Once again geometry has proven to be the most valuable class from high school
Obligatory knitting report: Mittens for Wunder Kids
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