Oct. 21 – 27, 2024 – Near Linden, TN to Iuka, MS
Highlights: Two unique anchorages that provided hiking trails through beautiful fall scenery; seeing the Milky Way; feeding wild goats on Goat Island; and reaching our destination for the holidays.
Monday, October 21, 2024 – Near Linden, TN (Lady’s Finger Bluff Anchorage) to near Beech Creek, TN (Double Islands Anchorage)
Today, we were underway 2 hours and 23 minutes, going 18 miles (15.7 nm), at an average speed of 7.6 MPH (6.6 knots). We began our short journey around 2:30 PM, after a morning of hiking.
Lady’s Finger Bluff is literally in the middle of nowhere. Other than some guys with coon dogs camping across the wide Tennessee River from us, we were all alone. No artificial light meant a spectacular night sky. Seeing the Milky Way is always so special!
In the morning, we were closer to shore than Tim liked, so he pulled up the anchor chain a few feet, pulling us more to the middle of the narrow cut. Even so, we didn’t have to turn on the dinghy’s motor to get to shore. We just ferried ourselves over to shore with the stern line, which was tied to a rock on shore.
We hiked the trail around Lady’s Finger Bluff. The climb to the top was worth the views!
After our hike and some lunch, Tim decided that he wasn’t comfortable with how close we were to shore. When re-anchoring didn’t satisfy him, we just headed on to a new anchorage. It was a beautiful day for a cruise.
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 – Near Beech Creek, TN (Double Islands Anchorage) to Clifton, TN (Clifton Marina)
Today, we were underway 1 hour and 30 minutes, going 10 miles (9 nm), at an average speed of 7 MPH (6 knots). We had a short journey, so we didn’t pull up anchor until around 11:30 AM.
We woke to thick fog. Around 8:45 AM, the fog began to lift and reveal the beautiful fall colors.
We pulled into Clifton Marina around 1:00 PM. We stopped here last year, but it rained for our walk into town. We were looking forward to revisiting the coffee shop, but the marina owner told us that it went out of business. She said locals don’t support local businesses. That is a sad statement. The signs in their yards want to make “America Great Again,” but they won’t start with their own community.
We haven’t been near a grocery store since Grand Rivers, KY (Green Turtle Bay) two weeks ago. I get antsy when I don’t have lots of fresh fruits and vegetables on board, and my supply was looking grim. Clifton doesn’t have a grocery store, but there was a Dollar General 2.1 miles away from the marina. This Dollar General had a little grocery section with some produce. For the second day in a row, we got our steps in!
Clifton, founded in 1840, was an important port on the Tennessee River, so it was significant in the Civil War struggle. In 1862, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest (mentioned in last week’s blog) crossed the river at Clifton with 1800 soldiers to launch his 200-mile raid on Union lines and supplies in order to delay the Union campaign against Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Clifton Presbyterian Church was used as a hospital by the Confederates and used as a livery stable and blacksmith shop by the Union. After the war, the church made a claim for damages and the congregation was compensated with $780 in 1915. The funds were used to construct the present tall steeple.
Our walk took us past the local school. The Frank Hughes School started as a primary school through college in 1906. It is now a PK-12 school with 302 students. According to U.S. News Education, the student-teacher ratio is 11:1; students scored at or above the proficient level for math at 8% and reading at 22%; and 93.7% are white students. In Tennessee as a whole, students tested at or above the proficient level at 28% for both math and reading. In comparison, in the same report, Columbus City School’s high school students tested at or above 29% in math and 10% in reading, with 21% white. I couldn’t find overall percentages for Ohio, only Ohio touting its overachieving school districts.
On Wednesday, we stayed at Clifton Marina. We had planned on a quiet day, but we were soon joined by local boaters coming to the marina restaurant for lunch and 4 Looper boats coming in throughout the day. We spent a lot of time socializing. One of the local couples saw us go by their house yesterday and were pleased when we invited them on board for a tour. Another couple said they were the ones we saw taking our picture as we passed their RV park yesterday.
We did get one project done. Tim deflated my paddle board, since it was 84 degrees today. The board rolls up better when it is hot.
Thursday, October 24, 2024 – Clifton, TN (Clifton Marina) to Counce, TN (Pickwick Landing State Park Anchorage)
Today, we were underway 6 hours and 15 minutes, gong 47 miles (41.1 nm), at an average speed of 7.6 MPH (6.6 knots). Fighting a strong current of up to 2.2 MPH and 1 lock added about and hour and a half, so our trip duration was 7 hours and 41 minutes.
I walked up the hill from the marina in the morning and was pleased to see no fog on the Tennessee River. So, we pulled out of Clifton Marina around 7:40 AM. The fall tree colors are coming out more everyday.
Our journey down the wiggly Tennessee River was uneventful. We only had to go around one tow pushing a barge. Tim did the math and figured that we would get to the lock before the it if we maintain our speed. We had 1 Looper boat in front of us and 6 Looper boats behind us at different intervals.
As we got closer to Pickwick Lock, the current got stronger. Tim increased the RPMs to close the gap between us and the lead boat. We could see Shiloh National Cemetery on the high bank above us. We visited Shiloh last year with two Looper couples. As the old dock hand at the marina told us as he gave us the keys to the courtesy car last year, “Shiloh is a place every American should visit so that we never repeat such an atrocity against fellow Americans.” With 23,000 casualties, the Battle of Shiloh on April 6-7, 1862, was the deadliest battle of the Civil War up to that point. The deadliest battle occurred at Gettysburg, PA in July 1863 with 50,000 casualties. The old dock hand’s words are so true.
When we got to Pickwick Lock, we only had to wait minutes to enter. Jubilee III went in first and then us. We waited about 10 minutes for another Looper to enter the chamber and then the lock master closed the gates – much to the chagrin of the Loopers about 20-40 minutes away. The lock master told them to slow down and he’d have the lock turned around for them by the time they get there. He said he wasn’t waiting any longer. He is a cool lock tender. He talked with us and took our pictures as we rose about 53 feet in the chamber. He takes pictures of every boat that comes through the lock and puts them on the lock’s Facebook page. Unfortunately for boaters, he’s retiring in a few months. He said that he is trying to teach his replacements the importance of being kind and friendly.
Once outside the lock, we took a right to an anchorage in front of Pickwick Landing State Park. The state park’s marina didn’t have any slips big enough for HOMES, but the anchorage still allowed us to take the dinghy to the state park lodge for drinks with Jubilee III. We had a beautiful view of the lock and dam lit up at night.
Friday, October 25, 2024 – Counce, TN (Pickwick Landing State Park Anchorage) to Goat Island Anchorage in Yellow Creek on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.
Today, we were underway 1 hour and 34 minutes, going 13 miles (9.9 nm), at an average speed of 7 MPH (6.3 knots). It was a short journey, but a wonderful day!
Sadly this morning, I made my last pot of coffee with Winans Coffee. Fortunately, our trip home for the holidays is only about a week away. Tomorrow begins the bag of McDonald’s coffee that we bought at Dollar General back in Clifton. Oh the travesty!
After savoring or last cup of Highlander Grogg, we took the dinghy to Pickwick Landing State Park Marina to find some hiking trails.
The dinghy dock was just a short distance from 2.8 mile Island Loop Trails. It was an easy hike and the fall colors were spectacular! The trails had signs pointing out: 1) native trees, like the American hornbeam, which has the nickname of “ironwood” because of its strength and texture; 2) native venomous snakes -cottonmouth, copperhead, timber rattlesnake and pigmy rattlesnake; 3) abandoned cisterns from homes that used to be here. One sign even explained that the popular riverboat village that once stood here, dating back to the 1840s, was called Pickwick because the first postmaster named his post office “Pickwick” in honor of his favorite book – Charles Dicken’s Pickwick Papers, originally published in a series of monthly magazines from 1836-1837.
After our hike out to the end of the peninsula, over creeks, down to beaches and back through the woods, we took the dinghy back to HOMES for our next adventure of the day!
We pulled up anchor around 1:30 PM. About an hour later, we came to the tri-state waters of Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. If we continued on the Tennessee River, we could have gone into Alabama to Chattanooga, TN; however, the Wilson Lock is only letting 5 pleasure boats a day through because its big lock chamber is closed for repairs. We didn’t want to get into that mess, so we turned right to Mississippi and entered Yellow Creek, which is the beginning of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. After the holidays, we will once again be traveling the Tenn-Tom Waterway, which will take us to the Tombigbee River, which will take us to the Mobile River where our journey on the inland waterways will end.
For today, we stop our journey on the Tenn-Tom Waterway at Goat Island. I have been looking forward to this anchorage since discovering it last week. Friendly wild goats live on the island and boaters are allowed to feed them. I couldn’t find an explanation on how or why the goats are there, but it will forever be a highlight of our trip for me!
There were about 7-9 goats from big to little. I fed them 6 apples cut in quarters and a few sweet peppers. A website said they will eat both. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any bananas, which are apparently their favorite. Over our stay, we saw people from at least two other boats come by and feed them. It appears that they are well fed.
After saying goodbye to the goats, we had a nice evening at anchor. We were joined by two other Looper boats. We stopped to talk to Loop Dawg from our dinghy on our way back to HOMES. Tim also did some more practicing with the drone.
Saturday, October 26, 2024 – Goat Island Anchorage in Yellow Creek on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway to Iuka, MS (Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht Marina)
Today, we were underway 30 minutes, going 3 miles (2.8 nm), at an average speed of 6 MPH (5.6 knots). We haven’t gone that short a distance since we’re stopping at every town on the western Erie Canal. Goat Island, like each of those canal towns, was worth the short trip.
We were disappointed that the goats did not reappear on the beach this morning while we had our coffee on the back deck. Another Looper drove his dinghy the 3 miles from the marina to feed the goats. He walked around the whole island and couldn’t find them. I’m so glad we got to see them last night.
Originally, we were planning to stop at one more anchorage a short distance away, but last night Tim got a text from the Randy, the dock master at Aqua Yacht Marina, that said: “Tim is that you at Goat Island? Your slip is ready, so come on in early. We’re having our year-end party with a band and free food.” Our friends on Adrian Leigh, who we met at Clifton Marina, also texted for us to join them at the party. Who could pass up those invites!
Randy met us at our slip. Tim has been texting with him over the last month, first to secure a slip for Oct. 31st – Dec. 8th and then to move our reservation up to Oct. 27th, which then became Oct. 26th, since our slip was ready and a party was happening.
We enjoyed the party. The marina staff served hot dogs, nachos, cookies and a wide variety of drinks. Once we got a little chilly and tired of shouting over the band, we invited Al and Lynn of Adrian Leigh back to HOMES for drinks. They are leaving their boat here for a few months too, while they go home to Savannah, GA.
HOMES will be in this covered slip while we go home for the holidays. The water doesn’t freeze here, but we will still do a little weather proofing during our next 5 days before getting the rental car and heading home.
We will leave you here since our voyages on HOMES are complete for 2024. This coming week will entail cleaning and preparing HOMES for her holiday break, and maybe a little exploring of Iuka, MS. We are looking forward to getting home to celebrate Nick’s 21st birthday!! We also need to vote. After enjoying the holidays with family and friends, we will be back on HOMES for the start of our 2025 voyages back to Florida to complete our 2nd and final Loop.
Thanks for reading and sharing our adventures! See you in January 2025!