Friday, August 21, 2009

GRAND HARBOR-GUESTS

Aug. 19, 2009---Washed the boat and departed Florence, AL at mile 256.2.




Going down the Tennesse River there was an interesting steel structure where grain is apparently loaded on barges.





Not far from the grain storage and loading facility was a rock quarry.





At mile 245 TVA's Colbert power plant stands tall along the river.

Electricity is produced at Colbert’s five coal-fired units by the process of heating water in a boiler to produce steam. Under extremely high pressure, the steam flows into a turbine that spins a generator to make electricity. Colbert generates some 7.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply 550,000 homes.






At mile 236.6 is the Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge. Completed in 1965 this bridge is one mile long. The 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway commemorates an ancient trail used by animals and people that connected southern portions of the Mississippi River, through Alabama, to central Tennessee.

On either side of the center section of the bridge are protection cells. These cells would help keep barges, such as the tow passing underneath the bridge, from striking the vertical supports in case of some out of control situation that might be caused by high winds.



The clouds over Lake Pickwick cleared enough for a nice view.
Arrived at Grand Harbor Marina just off the Tennessee River at the head of the Tombigbee Waterway. Mile 215.2 on the Tennesse matches mile 450.7 on the Tombigbee.
We pulled up to the fuel dock just long enough to load visitors. Jim and Laura joined us for a ride. We made about about a 9 mile run down to the Pickwick Landing Lock & Dam.



Went back up river to a cove commonly referred to as the "Falls". There were a number of boats in the cove with swimmers enjoying the water. We held outside the entrance for Jim & Laura to enjoy a brief view of the natural falls in the back of the cove.



It is notable that less than a mile from the marina, before turning in the Tombigbee, we crossed an imaginary spot in the water where three states meet. The boat may well have been in Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi all at the same time. The marina is located in Mississippi. Back to Grand Harbor Marina we tied up in the same transient slip where we have been in the past.

Went to Freddy T's restaurant about 5 miles from the marina. After eating Maryann was happy to have her picture taken with some of the characters.




Back to the boat we had a good visit with our friends Jim and Laura before we all turned in for the night.

Todays travels was a total of 64 miles. It was 41 miles from Florence to Grand Harbor with a 23 mile side trip on the lake.

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