End of the Rivers

The Great Loop Trip requires every one to transit the western rivers. These various rivers are interesting the first time around because its a fresh experience. This time Dorothy and I just wanted to get south and if Dorothy had her way she would have skipped the river portion of the Loop altogether. So this Blog will highlight some of the things we observed traveling the Tombigbee Waterway from Kentucky to Mobile Bay.

Wildlife

Among the large variety of birds We observed there where many Bald eagles.

A pair of Eagles fishing the river banks

Squadron of Pelicans.

This Heron is one smart bird. He knows when the lock chamber is cycling and waits for the water to lower.

Then he flys down to the cavities in the gates. He knows there will be small fish trapped in the cavities of the doors.

Success.

An otter taking a early morning swim at our anchorage near James Whitten Lock. There were several otters swimming by the boat and every time I grabbed the camera and focused they ducked underwater.

Tornado Damage near Clifton, Tennessee.

The Tenn-Tom also provides access to over 34 million acres of commercial forests. Industries that utilize these natural resources have found the waterway to be their most cost-efficient mode of transportation. This is the largest wood pulp terminal we saw on the entire system in Alabama.

Locking with a group of boats in the James Whitten Lock which has a a drop of 84 feet. In Sept 2019 the lock was closed for 18 days because of a crude oil spill. When we locked through there was no sign of oil anywhere.

Baking bread  and muffins underway

We worked on this puzzle as we worked our way down the rivers.

Snow and ice on the decks in Mississippi

Fall colors at anchor.

These white cliffs are located on the Tombigbee River at Epes near Demopolis, AL. They are part of the Selma Chalk formations which were deposited at about the same time as England’s famous White Cliffs of Dover.

Scenes from Mobile Bay, AL

Your tax dollars at work, The latest in Navy Ship construction. The US Navy’s Expeditionary Fast Transport (T-EPF) program is procuring 14 high-speed transport vessels from Austal for the fast, intra-theater transportation of troops, military vehicles and equipment with aviation support. Top speed 35mph.

Offshore oil rig

Early morning start in the mist.

And a couple of Sunsets