Day 20 -- Florence, Alabama

We departed Grand Harbor this morning for a gorgeous cruise up the Tennessee River/Pickwick Lake. The opposing current raises it head every time we approach a lock and dam. Today as we approached the Wilson lock MPH dropped off a couple of miles per hour, sometimes three. But we will recover this hardship on the way back down the Tennessee before reaching the Tenn/Tom waterway heading to Mobile. Again, there isn’t much for population or industry along the way. Although we did see hundreds of bass fisherman and being smarter than we look, we determined there must be a bass tournament. Little did we know it was a big ABA tournament, this being the last day of three, with weigh in at 3:00 PM. We are in Florence, Alabama (Florence Marina on the Tennessee River) where the bass tournament is coming to closure. As you can see from the pictures, it looks like a disaster waiting to happen. We stopped around 1:30 which is our earliest day yet and that made for a very relaxing afternoon. They take this tournament very seriously.

Here is a recap so far, (just to see if you’re paying attention).
500 miles on the Mississippi, 60 miles on the Ohio, 31 miles on the Cumberland and 225 on the Tennessee. We have gone through 14 locks and the states of Iowa, IL, MO, Ohio, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, and now Alabama.

We were going to prepare dinner on board, however the marina restaurant looked like a better opportunity. Met a very nice local couple that offered local knowledge, insight of a very friendly community. After sandwiches and desert, (thinking weight watchers again) we retired to the boat, watched a little TV and called it a night. Up early and head easterly on the Tennessee River. the loop.