Back on the River

Well, I ordered the wrong pump - the starboard engine is designated a left hand engine according to the Operator's Manual, i.e., when looking at it from the front the crank turns counterclockwise;  so, I ordered a left-handed pump. But NOOOOOOO, it is a right-handed pump.  Thus the repair delay was extended one more day while I waited for the overnight delivery of the correct part.  I put it in Thurs and let the sealant cure until Fri before adding the antifreeze, etc.  That gave us a day to see the sites:  The Bevill History Center, which consisted of a replica plantation house and an authentic steam-driven 'snag boat', the Montgomery.  Both were fascinating and a true testament to how a single US Congressman can funnel money home.

Congressman Tom Bevill was instrumental in procuring the funding for the Tenn-Tom waterway. There's an interesting history to it all:  The folks along the Tombigbee River and those on the Tennessee wanted a short cut to the Gulf via an improved waterway - the Tombigbee was only navigable during the rainy season, Oct - March.  They petitioned congress in the early 1800's but nothing happened for some 50 years at which point the US Congress paid for surveys to determine the possible routes such a waterway might take - two routes were chosen.  But it wasn't until 1970, when Bevill pushed the appropriations through the House that work was actually started in the Nixon administration;  the waterway was completed in 1985.

The house erected in honor of Bevill as a history center was quite a piece of work and must have cost a small fortune to construct - it incorporated the styles of three nearby plantation houses and reminds one of Tara, but "Frankly my dear ....."  The snag boat was one used on the Tennessee and Tombigbee rivers to haul out tree stumps and snags, trees floating in the river, from the early 1900's to about 1950;  it is a mechanical marvel.

Now we're in Demopolis, AL, taking care of all the necessities once again.  We'll stay two nights and then move on down the river - 4 nights on the hook in various anchorages, sometimes just outside the navigation channel - and then we'll be in Mobile.  The river has been and will continue to be meandering - sometimes you have to travel 10 miles on the river to go 1 mile as the crow flies,  But who's in a hurry?  Once in Mobile, we'll have the boat hauled and bottom-painted - and check for damages caused by our 3 instances of boat-meets-floating-wood.  Meanwhile, we will rent a car and visit Lenore's mom in Montgomery for Thanksgiving and then come home to Valpo to visit friends and family.

Tree root - exemplifies progress on river

Snag Boat - Montgomery

Snag Boat Paddle Wheel

At Home on the Plantation