Bayou Country

We've traveled over 200 miles in the past three travel days and are just 9.8 miles from entering Mobile Bay where the River Section of our loop ends and Shingebiss enters the blue salt water. This last section of the waterway is called the River Section because it is left in its natural state. Every mile has incredible switchback turns and very few straight sections. At one point, we traveled 22 river miles to go just 4 miles as the crow flies. There are no towns, not even any fishermen, some industry and many small tows. I don't know how the tows make those turns. There are no marinas in this section, the only place to tie up is halfway down, called Bobby's Fish Camp where you pay $1/foot to tie to a 100 foot dock, often rafted out to other boats and no electric, so we decided to skip that one. We used the guidebooks and the recommendations of those we've met along the way to find a safe, peaceful anchorage every night and are now in our third night of anchoring, a new record. The first picture is us leaving our anchorage this morning. Today the river became wider, it's now called the Mobile River, and there are bayous all over the place, more like a delta. Tonight we are anchored in Big Bayou Canot. We saw this canal while exploring in the dinghy this afternoon. It's a straight cut with a pipeline running along it and is loaded with birds chirping away, we just turned off the motor and drifted and listened.

Lucy continues to explore and adapt to her new life. As soon as the engine is turned off each day, she gets up outa bed and makes her rounds on the decks, into the dinghy and then jumps up onto the flybridge from the front of the boat. So far she has not been able to figure out how to get off the flybridge, so we go up and get her. Today, however, she took a flying leap from the back of the flybridge into the dinghy. Quite proud of her accomplishments.

There is a famous story along this stretch about a tow boat and high water and a bridge. If you want to hear about it, google Rooster, Cahaba, Tombigbee or go to www.umc-1.com/images/Towboat.pps for a powerpoint show of the incident.