Sunday
Miles Traveled 42.3
Total Miles Traveled 195
I’m not sure why they call it Swallow Bluff Island, the
goats came out to say goodbye as we were leaving this morning.
We’re not sure if this is Tennessee’s version of dumpster
diving or not, looks like they place the dumpster on the edge of the river bank
and when it gets full, the bank gives way and time to set a new dumpster.
We watched this coyote looking for something to eat along
the river bank.
Today we will go through our first lock, not only for our
Great Loop route, but the first time we have taken “Moni Jean” through a
lock. The lock is called the Pickwick Lock
and is located just north of the Mississippi state line at mile marker 206.7 on
the Tennessee River. The lock is owned
by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and operated by the US Army Corps of
Engineers.
We called the lock operator by VHF radio and requested
passage. There was a tow inside the lock so we had to wait an hour for
it to clear, empty the lock and open the doors to the lock chamber for us to
enter.
When entering a lock, you attach your boat to floating
bollards, as the water level in the lock changes, the bollards float with the water
inside the lock. The water level inside
the lock chamber is controlled by valves.
We were going from the lower level of the Tennessee River to the upper
level of Pickwick Lake so the lock operator closed the valves letting water out
of the lock and opened the valves letting water into the lock from the
lake. When the water level in the lock
chamber is equal to the lake level, the operator opens the chamber doors,
sounds a horn signaling the all clear to leave the lock. The lock raised us about 25-30 feet.
The lock doors are opening..........
This is our view this afternoon anchored in Dry Creek, Pickwick Lake, TN.........
2 comments:
Rick, you are rubbing in the "heading south". Have fun!
Not too much, we're sure to have the cold stuff before we start heading to the Gulf. We are attending a rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State park in northern Alabama the middle of October before heading to Mobile.
Post a Comment