Grand Harbor Marina Counce, Tennessee to Bay Springs Marina in New Site, Mississippi

Day #116: Up at 5:45 A.M. cloudy, breeze and cool (no fog-YEAH!). Today starts our trot to the Gulf of Mexico (some of our friends are on a "run" to the Gulf-we, are trotting). The engines were started at 7:00 A.M. at Grand Harbor and we were underway at 7:12 A.M. heading to the Tennessee-Tombigbee canal. At 8:00 A.M. we headed into the "divide cut" of the Tenn-Tom. We saw one deer and a few eagles while we were traveling. Today the trees are definitely starting to turn but they still have a long way to go. At 10:50 A.M. we entered Bay Springs Lake. We saw our first loon of the trip. We headed out with "Bay Tripper" but by the time that we were approaching our turn off to Bay Springs Marina we had a total of five boats ("Parrot Bay", "Bay Tripper", "Big Dog", "Sauvy-B" and "Summer Lynn"). At 12:00 P.M. we were tied up at Bay Springs Marina in New Site, Mississippi. The gentleman that helped us tie up invited us to the marina's Halloween Party. We traveled 39 miles today (total for the trip 1497 miles so far). Rob and Lee on "Sea Trolley" who we had met at Grand Harbor stopped by as they are leaving in the morning they stopped to see if they could run with us so we talked a bit catching up. Mike tried to get in touch with as many looper boats that are here in the Bay Springs Marina as he possibly could to find out who was leaving in the morning. We try to organize so that we make the least amount of phone calls to the lock as to not bother the lockmaster multiple times. I worked on reaching out to boats that I was seeing on NEBO that are anchoring near the locks letting them know that Mike would be calling the lockmaster at 7 A.M. and that Mike would be communicating on VHF 68 letting everyone know what the lockmaster has to say about us locking through. Bev and Bruce came over at 4:30 P.M. for happy hour. We went to the Bay Springs Marina Halloween party at 6:30 P.M. everyone here was just so nice to all of us loopers. There were 5 looper boats represented at the Halloween party. Bruce went as a buck, Bev went as a fox, Mike went as a shark and I went as a squid. We had a great potluck.

Our trip from Counce, TN to New Site, MS

This is a must book if you are going to be traveling down the Tennessee-Tombigbee Canal.

Mike enjoying breakfast. Thanks to Bev and Bruce for sharing Bev's homemade cookies.
 

Blue heron on a green buoy.

On the opposite site there was a blue heron on the red buoy.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                        White pelicans
                                                                                    

                                                Divide Cut Mississippi Highway 25 Bridge. 
                                                                                     

                                                    Deer on the side of the embankment.

Baffles are used to prevent creeks from rushing in. 

Adult eagle flying by the boat. 

Some color in the trees.

Norfolk Southern Railway Bridge.

Another set of baffles. 

                                                                                 

                 Mike called this a billboard. This is the marina that we were heading to on our way.

                                                                                    

                                                                 This is our first Loon.

Awesome colors.

Beautiful scenery on our way to the Bay Springs Marina.

Bay Springs Marina


Bay Springs Marina all decorated for Halloween.

All decorated for the Halloween party. On the ground were large plastic spiders just like the one my mom and sister sent Mike and I for Halloween.

Lots of decorations.

Bill, Mary, Mike, Bruce, Rob, Steve, Bev, Patty and Lee at the Bay Springs Halloween party.

Grand Harbor at Counce, Tennessee 

Day #115: Up at 6:40 A.M. for coffee, nectarine and cookies. At 9:00 A.M. Bruce, Bev, Mike and I took the courtesy car to Olde Tyme Hardware & Lumber, Fred's Pharmacy and Pickwick Supermarket for provisioning. Overcast, heavy drizzle, windy and 58 degrees. We headed back to the boats trying to find room for the items that we bought this morning. Laundry started. Emailed Dog River Marina in Mobile, AL to see if they take reservations as we would like to be there by November 8th staying through the weekend. Hoping to visit the USS Alabama. Laundry completed along with boat jobs getting ready for an early morning departure for Bay Springs Marina in New Site, Mississippi. We did a few more jobs getting ready for Saturday departure. At 3:00 P.M. we headed over to Bruce and Bev's for happy hour and game day. We played 7's, Golf and Scrabble. Bev made apple pandowdy with ice cream, it was awesome. We headed back to the boat for cribbage, college football and reading. Going to be an early evening as we will be up early.

This is what happens when you let a friend use your Taste of Home magazine, she makes treats!!!! Apple Pandowdy.

Bev sent Bruce to the store here at the marina to get ice cream. He bought Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream which went great with the Apple Pandowdy.

Grand Harbor in Counce, Tennessee 

Day #114: Up at 6:30 A.M for coffee and cinnamon roll. Boats jobs completed. At 9:20 A.M. we left Grand Harbor heading to Enterprise in Corinth so that Bruce and Bev could drop off their rental car, Mike and I had the courtesy car from the marina. After dropping off the rental car we headed to Shiloh National Military Park. The Battle of Shiloh was one of the first major battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The two-day battle, April 6 and April 7,1862, involved about 65,000 Union troops under Ulysses S. Grant and Don Carlos Buell and 44,000 Confederates under Albert Sidney Johnston and P.G.T. Beauregard. The battle resulted in nearly 24,000 killed, wounded and missing. The battlefield tour starts at the visitor center, where exhibits and a 32-minute film introduce the battle and the war. After the video we got into the van following maps that highlight troop movements of the armies before and during the two-day battle.  It was pouring rain so when Bev and I wanted to take pictures we would open the sliding doors on the van to take pictures from the van. When Bev and I couldn't get a good picture we would get out of the van to take our pictures. After touring Shiloh we headed to Hagy's Catfish Hotel Restaurant for lunch. The Catfish Hotel is one of the oldest family owned restaurants in the country. Mike and I had our first catfish which was very good. Rain, wind and cold temperatures all day. Time for blogging and reading.

The visitor center has exhibits and a 32-minute film to introduce the battle and the war.

         

The 17th Indiana Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served West Virginia before being transferred to the Western Theater.

                                

In 1918, the State of Michigan erected this memorial to her three regiments of infantry and one battery of artillery which participated in the battle.

Confederate Monument: This memorial commemorates where Confederate troops encircled and captured nearly 2,000 Union defenders of the "Hornet's Nest".

Duncan Field: Union troops defended this position for seven hours

on April 6, before finally giving ground. They retook it in the 

counterattack the next day. 

Col L.F. Ross 17th Illinois Headquarters 3rd Brigade, Army of the

Tennessee. 

Shiloh Church: Here stood Shiloh Meeting House, the log Methodist

church that gave the battle its name. 

Shiloh Methodist Church

The 6th Mississippi Infantry, for one suffered 70% casualties. 

Death of General Johnston: Struck by a stray bullet, Gen. Albert 

Sidney Johnston died in the ravine south of this monument. 

Dill Branch Ravine: Tennessee River wooden U.S. gunboats, 

Lexington and Tyler, Anchored opposite the mouth of the Dill Branch to

support General Grant's defense of Pittsburg Landing. 

Pittsburg Landing: Gen. Don Carlos Buell's Army of the Ohio arrived here on the night of April 6-7 to reinforce Grant.

Shiloh National Cemetery

Heading out of the Shiloh National Military Park.

Mike and I heading into Hagy's Catfish Hotel.

Time to try some catfish.

Cool catfish.

Interior of Hagy's is all wood.

July 2018 Hagy's Catfish Hotel celebrates 80 years.

Huge sign pointing you to catfish!!

Water turbine for generating electricity in the dam.  On display at the TVA Park at Pickwick Dam.

Grand Harbor in Counce, Tennessee 

Day #113: Up at 7:00 A.M. for coffee, grapefruit and cinnamon rolls (bought at The Outpost at Pickwick Dam General Store). "Branch Office and "Paradise" left this morning heading for the Tenn-Tom. Bruce and Bev are due back later today. We got our mail from St. Brendan's Isle today, just love getting mail while we are on the trip! Mike and I went for a walk on the grounds of the marina. We had lunch aboard the boat, Mike made his famous egg, sausage, cheese and cinnamon bread sandwiches. We had happy hour on the back deck. Very quiet afternoon as it is sunny, cool and windy. Bev and Bruce returned to the marina at 5:00 P.M. Glad to have them back!!! We had snacks and beverages with Bruce and Bev catching up on activities from the last week. We talked over our plans for the next few weeks. Tomorrow a few more phone calls to make reservations at a few marinas.

Tiny Turtle

Mike's famous egg, sausage, cheese and cinnamon bread sandwiches. .

Grand Harbor in Counce, Tennessee

Day #112: HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA (our daughter)!  Up at 6:45 A.M. for coffee, grapefruit and cookies. Temperature 57 with fog (again!). Mike and I worked on paperwork in the morning. I have been calling marinas on the Tennessee-Tombigbee canal getting reservations as the looper group is heading south. It is looking like we could be in Demopolis, AL with 5 days of travel. Demopolis, Alabama is at the 32 parallel most insurance companies do not want you south of Demopolis, AL until after November 1st due to hurricane season. We are watching Hurricane Willa that is suppose to hit Mexico tomorrow as some of the hurricane models are showing that we may get remnants rain/storms.  At 12:00 P.M. we launched the dinghy. We headed to the Tennessee-Tombigbee canal to explore some coves.  In the first one we found two waterfalls. Then we headed to the other side of the canal to another cove. We then headed to back to the boat to pick up a few items heading to Pickwick Lake. We decided that we wanted to see the Yellow Creek waterfall again so we headed there to have happy hour. On our way into the cove Mike saw a coyote on the shore. After the coyote headed off into the woods we anchored in front of the waterfall enjoying snacks and beverages. We were headed back to the boat and just after getting back on Yellow Creek we saw another coyote on the shore. We headed back to the boat and as we were pulling in Chuck from "Paradise" asked us if we would want to join Peggy, Mike, Linda and him at dinner this evening which we accepted. Mike and I put away the dinghy and got dressed for dinner. Chuck drove us to "The Outpost Restaurant in Pickwick". Along, with the restaurant there is The Outpost at Pickwick Lake General Store and The Prospector Inn. All of us stopped at the general store buying fresh baked goods. We had a great evening with friends.

Happy Birthday Amanda!

Heading out for a dinghy excursion just flat calm.

A little bit of autumn.

The "Tombigbee" tow on the Tenn-Tom.

Yesterday I showed the lines on the bank for the barges to tie to on the bank. Today we actually saw barges tied to the shore.

Mike found these two waterfalls just off the Tenn-Tom in a small cove.

Just happen to catch this little guy.

Cool rock formations near the waterfalls.

On our way into Yellow Creek near the waterfall Mike saw this coyote
on the shore.

Yellow Creek Waterfall. Love the reflection in the water. 

Saw this guy on the shore as we were headed back to the marina. 

The Outpost at Pickwick Dam Restaurant.

Dinner with friends: Chuck, Mike Peggy, Linda, Patty and Mike.

Very cool place. 

The Outpost Pickwick Dam General Store.