Friday

September 30th, 2016

Last evening we had Italians on the grill....

So far we've been real happy with the Magma Grill

Magma hanging off the rail over the transom...

A little flair up?

Chef Mike with his 10 dollar shirt he found at Green Turtle Bay

(he bought 3)

The Kitchen Help!!!

Look how happy she is...

More Fog this morning...

Oh, oh Elwood... time for a trim!

I don't like trims!

Friday

September 30th, 2016

This Public Interactive Map won't pin point our location, but if you're following our blog you'll read where we were last.

On their home page
greatloop.org
Left side down the page, click on:
Public Interactive Map
or click the link below...
Be sure to zoom in using the + - in the
upper left corner...

Public Interactive Map

Loosing track of my days...

So, "earlier in the week"....

Was told that there was a beach just around the corner.... 

3 miles later using the dinghy we found it...

Elwood flying along in the dinghy.... he prefers to be low when going fast...

Joell and the pooch getting their feet wet...

I elected to swim in the clear blue water of the Joe Wheeler Resort Pool....

"yea baby"

Keep your hat on and it gets a good cleaning :-)

Doing a little fishing...lots of catfish here...no limit...

Decided to ride into Rogersville.... after several miles I got a flat....

Found a couple tiny holes on the rim side of the inner tube.  Our Looper friends from Wisconsin, Myron and Linda were biking with us and went on to town.  They quickly found a new tube for me "3 bucks"....all fixed now...

That was a long walk back!!!

Sunday

September 25, 2016

Looking out Joe Wheeler State Part Resort

 Balcony's from off the the rooms.

Advection Fog in the morning.  Water temp here is still 80 degrees and overnight air temperature gets  down to around 50...

At Joe Wheeler Resort they had an Artifact show which we paroozed. 

Pipes

Beautifully displayed....

Sunday

September 25, 2016

Here's Bob Cushman (Commodore) and Joell at the Wheeler Yacht Club dinner party. It was held on one of the long covered docks.  They had over 40 members show up.... Pulled pork, chicken and all the fixings.

"Sucking Carp"

I asked Commodore Bob what these lights were for.... He took us over to one that was lit and we saw a bunch of Gar Fish swimming at the waters surface.  Bob said that the Carp spend all night banging against your boat, eating any growth that's on the hull and make a god awful thumping noise. Since Gar Fish and Carp don't get along, the Carp stay away from the boats and the marina tenants get a quiet nights sleep!  Commodore Bob said it took them quite awhile to figure this out.

  

This flag is presented to a person that has fallen off the dock or tripped up while on the floating docks.

Friday

9/23/2016

Today we went through two Locks and two lakes.  The Wilson Lock & Dam and the Wheeler Lock & Dam.  The two lakes were Wilson Lake and Wheeler Lake.  The lakes (reservoirs) were created as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority when they built the dams.  They are both on the Tennessee River.

Mike, Joell and Elwood, starting tonight, are staying at Joe Wheeler State Park Marina.  We will be staying there until the America's Great Loop Cruising Association Rendezvous starting on October 17.  We will spend our time biking, hiking, fishing, swimming and cleaning the boat.  

Saturday

9/24/2016

We just heard there are crappies for the taking very near our dock.  Hope to get some good fishing in. Tonight we will be spending time with the Joe Wheeler Yacht Club members.  They have invited us to a catered dinner outing on one of the docks.  Bring your own booze.  It should be a lot of fun meeting the locals.

Wilson Lock- one hour and a half before out of that lock

Wilson Lock

Elwood waiting patiently in Wilson Lock

The Wilson lock door goes down under water after the lock is full

Foul we scared up

Wheeler Lock & Dame had a penned in area which was the lock discharge.  It looked really cool as it started to bubble up.

Looper that went into both locks with us

Looper tug that went into both locks with us

Wheeler Lock bubbled up as it was filling

Thursday

9/22/2016

We are currently at Florence Harbor marina.  Saw a wonderful historical tavern turned into a hospital during the civil war.  A lot of civil war artifacts are shown in this tavern.  Very interesting tour, with very knowledgeable guide.

Here are a few pictures of the trip from Grand Harbor to Florence Harbor marina, through Pickwick Lake.

Waterfall anchorage we will hopefully use on our way back from the Tennessee to the Tombigbee.  Tennessee river is a side trip many take, as the fall looper rendezvous is on the Tennessee.

Site on Pickwick Lake

Tow without the barges attached

Don't know what this is, but on Pickwick Lake

Much of Pickwick Lake reminds us of the Wisconsin Dells.

This past week we learned a few things regarding the south.  1) The local weather reporters refer to the area between Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi as the Mid South.  2)  When the Lock Master tells you to go wait over by the sails, he means go wait over by the Federal mooring cells.  3)  When someone asks you if you want a coke, you need to tell them what kind.  Coke refers to all soft drinks.

Sky view of Grand Harbor marina

If you look at the google map on our blog, you may click on a view like this for each  stop we take.  Just click the top left icon, within the map, which shows all our stops and then the lower left icon, to change the image.  The top right icon on the map enlarges the map to full screen

Our boat at Grand Harbor marina

Civil War

Shiloh

Confederates had 44,000 men and the Union had 40,000.  There were 23,746 casualties at Shiloh

Monuments are throughout the park, marking troop casualties from each unit.

Throughout the park are guns used by different units of the confederate and union armies.

Confederate Memorial

Monuments throughout the park mark officers who fought there.

Confederates concentrated 11 batteries of artillery to bombard the  Hornets' Nest, well placed union soldiers.  They captured General Benjamin Prentiss and nearly 2,100 Union soldiers.  They believed the tides had changed in their favor.

Shiloh Meeting house, the log Methodist church that gave the battle its name

Inside of Meeting House

Ceiling of Shiloh Meeting House

Tribute to the Minnesota union unit

Water Oaks Pond where the Confederates withdrew and knew victory at Shiloh was gone

Grant came down the Tennessee on Gunboats.  It kept his troops  fresh and  more quickly got to his destination, with all supplies.

Tennessee where gunboats landed (Pittsburg Landing. 

Cemetery for fallen civil war soldiers