We are now on the Tenn-Tom waterway, heading toward Mobile AL. You might wonder why there is no end date on this post. It will be explained in a moment.
We stayed the evening of October 23rd at Grand Harbor Marina which is at the start of the Tenn - Tom. A waterway from Pickwick Lake in Tenn/Mississippi/Alabama (the boarders of all three states meet here ) down to Mobile, AL. The Tenn-Tom travels 450 miles and drops in elevation (heading south) 341 feet through 10 locks. Although it had been proposed and studied over many years (starting in the 1700's), construction did not begin until 1972. Completed in December of 1984 and dedicated in June of 1985, the construction moved more earth than was moved during the construction of the Panama Canal and shortens the water distance from Pensacola, Fl to Chattanooga TN by 720 miles since vessels do not have to travel the length of the Mississippi River.
The first night from Grand Harbor was spent at anchor in a nice little cove we had used during our 2007 trip. Underway on the 25th, we noted the port engine was emitting a good deal of smoke. After entered the first lock, we shut both engines off. When we got ready to depart, the port engine would not start. The next 18 miles and two locks were done on a single engine. Teresa did a great job maneuvering in both locks and making the docking at Midway Marina in Fulton, MS, our present location.
After discussion with a diesel mechanic and looking at some other indicators, the verdict was blown gaskets on the engine cylinder head. As our friend Larry Hayde would say - A trip stopper !!
The engine cylinder heads were removed by the evening of the 25th and are presently in the shop to be cleaned and checked for flatness. We are hoping they will return tomorrow, the 27th and with any luck we will be underway again on Friday the 28th. We'll keep you informed.
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| The Tenn-Tom still has a good deal of barge traffic on it, although the tows are generally not as large as those encountered on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers |
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| The northern section of the Tenn-Tom is quite similar to the Tennessee River and the fall colors are starting to come out |
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| This is the third or fourth time we have seen eagles on the trip. In this case there were two in trees very close to one another |
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| A majestic bird |
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| A tow passing the Midway Marina. When the Tenn-Tom was constructed, the main channel was dug out, but many trees and stumps remain just outside the channel |
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| Midway Marina |
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| This is what our normal engine looks like |
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| This is the port engine with the cylinder head removed. Don't worry, I'm sure there'll be no bolts or washers left over when it's put back together. |
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