Monday, September 19, 2016

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


Saturday
9/17/2016

A rainy day.  Nice change from the hot sun.
We tried to anchor at a well marked anchorage, but upon entering the anchorage the water levels quickly went to 5 feet.  We believe sand might have got into the strainer as the temperature on one of the engines increased to 250 degrees and set off the alarm.  We backed out and ran the engine at high speed to try and clean the strainer. 
We then continued on to another anchorage, Diamond Island, which was just perfect.  The current was great and it was quiet.  Shortly after we set the anchor a fishing boat pulled in next to us and set anchor.  Mike asked them if we would be bothering them.  They said not at all so we continued to set up for the night.  The two fishermen had a nice conversation with Captain Mike, while he sat out back drinking a beer.  When they were about to leave, they drove over and handed Mike two large weights, two large hooks and two large pieces of smelly fish bait.  They told him he was guaranteed a catfish, if he left the line in all night.  See what he caught.

Sunday
9/18/2016

First thing this morning, Mike added antifreeze to the engine that over heated (sea strainer was clean).  He had to "burp" the heat exchanger to get all the air out....remember we changed the water pump on that engine which drains some of the antifreeze so it has to be added back.  We then pulled up anchor and headed up the Tennessee toward Pickwick Lake.  The engine temp looked good.  We went through the Pickwick Lock and Dam.  This dam was created in 1938 and is part of a massive Tennessee Valley Authority project to control flooding of the Tennessee River and supply electrical power to the region.  The lock through took a few hot hours of waiting to get in and another hot hour in the Lock (sun came back out) so we decided to head to a nice marina with cable.  We also wanted to watch the important Sunday night Packer game taking place at the new Minnesota stadium.  Also, Admiral Joell has been waiting to see historical Shiloh.  There are two courtesy cars at the very nice Grand Harbor Marina.  We will take one to Shiloh tomorrow. 

Scenic Tennessee (cows in the rain)

Two fishermen who gave us bait caught an Alligator Gar fish.  They must be returned to water.

Mike caught a clam shell, after leaving the bait out all night.

Joell keeping us from hitting the wall in Pickwick Lock and Dam

A picture of the bollard in the Pickwick Lock and Dam
(you tie from your boat, around the bollard and back to the boat)
(it floats up with your boat)

Mike and Elwood watching the Packer game