We both got a good nights sleep after a long day. We awoke at about 6am. We had gotten the keys to the marinas courtesy vehicle the night before. We found an AA meeting that was only about 4 miles away. The 7am meeting was very well attended (about 30 people) and was good...lots of good sobriety and discussion on fear. My comment was that I FEARED that if I did not get to a meeting soon that Renee was going to fill my life vest with lead and throw me overboard!
After the meeting we drove to nearby Ivy Green which is the birthplace and childhood home of Helen Keller. It was a $5 tour and was well worth the money! The guide was knowledgeable and friendly and did a great job describing all of the history of the house/plantation and talking about Helen's life. A quick stop through McDonald’s drive through for breakfast sandwiches on the way back to the marina filled our bellies for the cruise. At the marina we fueled up, pumped out, and were on our way.
The cruise down this portion of the river was nice and relaxing. We started a a slow pace for the first hour or so then kicked it up a notch as we realized we wanted to try and make Bay Springs Marina by 6pm when they closed. Once again, the rain clouds moved in and were looking ominous. Fortunately, we managed again to dodge the worst of the rain and only had some light showers to contend with. Erik drive from the lower helm for a couple of hours through the light rain. Erik then napped on the couch while Renee took the helm for an hour or so. We switched up and Renee then napped while Erik drove.
About 45 miles into the days cruise we came to the end of our adventurers on the Tennessee River when we got to the mouth of the Tenn-Tom Waterway. This was a major change in scenery. The first 25 miles or so of the waterway is a fairly narrow (maybe 300’ across) canal with rock/gravel on both banks and mowed grass above those banks and nothing around exciting to see. This is surely why many Loopers refer to this section as "The Ditch". After this first stretch it opened back up into a beautiful lake (Bay Springs Lake) with many coves and great remote, undeveloped shorelines that would be perfect for anchorages. However, we had a long day and were now in the mindset of making miles for several consecutive days to come so we opted to go into a marina again tonight where we felt we could best get a good nights rest.
We had some good conversations with the locals on the docks. They are mostly from Tupelo. We walked the docks and shopped for our next boat/s 😂. Back to the boat Erik grilled up a more than healthy helping of tatos/peppers/onions/zucchini/mushrooms that we filled our bellies with. As we were finishing up dinner it became evident that Mississippi also has nice sunsets! The storms that had moved through a bit earlier left just enough clouds and moisture in the air for there to be brilliant colors! Gods good on the waters.
As I write this I’m debating if I have room in my belly for one of those Heath Klondike bars that I know are in the freezer? Yea, likely 😋
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Sign at the AA meeting |
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| Ivy Green, Birthplace of Helen Keller |
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| The pump where Helen Keller signed "water" |
 The cooks house at Ivy Green  Ivy Green - pump  Moon tree  Moon tree  |
| "Annie" docked behind us, we had seen this boat in Marietta! |
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| Sunset at Bay Springs |
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| sunset |
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