COLUMBUS, MS TO PICKENSVILLE, AL

Saturday, October 25th to Sunday, October 26th, 2014

Day 82-83
Miles Traveled on Sunday: 28
Total Miles Traveled: 1737

  Saturday we watched as several boats left the marina to head further south.  Frank and Gail aboard "Double Time" was one of the ones who left.  We said our "See Ya' Laters" and sent her on her way.  We hope to meet up with them again on the waterways.  We decided to stay behind and get some things done - groceries and a haircut for Angie.  This is the third haircut for Angie so far this trip, and the last two have been done at Smart Style in WalMart due to convenience.  Surprisingly, both times have given excellent results.  Unless this luck changes, Angie is going to continue getting her haircuts at WalMart.

  

  Sunday we were the lead boat going into Stennis Lock.  There were 5 other boats that locked through with us.  Shortly after leaving Stennis Lock we came across a field of water hyacinths taking up the entire width of the waterway.

Water hyacinths taking over the waterway

  We decided to "make salad" and pave the way for the boats behind us.

Paving the way. Salad dressing anyone?

  We came across not one, but two, additions to the "You Never Know What You Are Going to See on the River".  We are on the "River Section" of the Tenn-Tom Waterway so they still count.  We never expected to see a phone booth available along the shore.  Unfortunately, there was not a dock there, so using it would be very challenging.  We also found this totem pole to be in an unusual location - on the river bank. 

 

Phone Booth

Totem Pole

  We checked out a couple of anchorages around the Pickensville, AL area and did not find them to our satisfaction.  So, we docked with some of the others at Pirates Marina Cove.  We used the courtesy van to check out the Tom Beville Visitor Center and the Snagboat "Montgomery".  Unfortunately, these two are only open Wed-Fri, so we only got to gaze at them from the outside.

  The Tom Bevill Visitor Center is housed in a reproduction of a Greek Revival antebellum home.  Tom Bevill is the name of the local lock and many of these locks have visitors centers associated with them, but none this elaborate. 

Tom Bevill Visitors Center

  The snagboat "Montgomery" was one of the hardest working snagboats in the Southeast.  What is a snagboat?  A snagboat is a steam boat that removed snags, underwater trees, stumps, or branches that created obstructions to river navigation.  A large grapple or clamshell on the boat's boom would pull the obstacles from the river.  The "Montgomery" was built in 1926.  She (boats are usually referred to as female) first worked along the Tenn-Tom Waterway and she later was moved to Florida.  She was retired in November 1982.  At the time of her retirement, she was one of two remaining steam powered snagboats in the United States and the last sternwheel work boat operating on any southern river.  To read more about "Montgomery" go to:  http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Recreation/TennesseeTombigbeeWaterway/SnagboatMontgomery.aspx 

Snagboat "Montgomery"