So we had left Aqua Yacht around 12:45 and turned east on the Tennessee River. We had to go about 47 miles to our destination. We ended up arriving in the dark, and that is never fun for us, trying to enter a marina at night with no idea of the layout, depths or even the entrance.
The trip was beautiful, and we were able to open up the throttle to see how the new prop feels. Everything is good, and we were making good timing, then we started to drop in speed. We were going east and the river flows west. Sometimes it feels like we’re going up hill both ways! We continued along and the sun started to set. We were closer, but it was clear we would be arriving in the dark. When we got close enough, I called them on the telephone. I was instructed to follow the buoys, and their entrance would be marked just after a channel buoy, and to favor the green side. Once inside the harbor, there is six feet of water all around. We were met at the dock by the harbor master and he assisted with lines. Once we were secure, I went into the office to pay and get the information. They have a courtesy car available 24/7 and a clipboard hanging by the door to sign out the car on a first come, first serve basis. This is nice to have available, and many marinas have this for transient boaters to use, either for runs to the store or sightseeing, although there is usually a two hour limit and you have to replace fuel, which is fair. We were able to grab the car later and go to a store for some provisions. We came back and hunkered down for the night as it was cold. We have the Mr. Heater which runs on propane and heats the cabin nicely. We also tend to stay in and cook which also helps with warming up the inside.
Day 2- The next day we were able to grab the car and do some sightseeing. We went to Muscle Shoals Recording Studio at 3614 Jackson Highway which was built around 1946 and was previously a coffin show room and took the guided tour. Over the years, artists who recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio included The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, George Michael, Wilson Pickett, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Cocker, Levon Helm, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Tamiko Jones, and Cat Stevens. Cher’s first solo album was titled 3614 Jackson Highway (1969) and this became the informal name for the studio in 1969. The studio at this location closed in 1979, and the recording facility was moved to new premises, however they have restored the studio with the original instruments and furniture and it is still used as a recording studio today- the interior is reminiscent of the 1970s, with relevant recording equipment and paraphernalia including a hidden bar for when the county was dry. There was a documentary made about the place- follow this link for a preview> Muscle Shoals on YouTube. We then went to Helen Keller Home to see the grounds and memorials there. This is where ‘the pump-well’ is located and her childhood home. At this point we were pushing our two hour time limit, so we had to return the car. When we turned in the car keys, I was talking to the dockmaster and he pulled out the documentary I linked above on DVD. We went back to the boat and watched the movie which was pretty cool to watch- I highly recommend it- you will be surprised at how many hits were recorded there due to the ‘confluence of energy and the Tennessee mud’.
Day 3- We were hoping to get the car to go to a local breakfast place- Big Bad Breakfast, however the car was taken. We decided to take Frank for a long walk and wait. We walked around a park and were returning when we saw the car being parked in the lot. We hurried up and locked up Frank and grabbed the car. First stop was the aforementioned B.B.B., which we found and had a good lunch. The next stop was a memorial: Tom’s Wall or also called Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall: In the late 1830’s, a young teenage Yuchi girl was living near the Singing (Tennessee) River. Unfortunately, this was also during the Trail of Tears, a dark time in American history when Native Americans were forcibly removed from the Eastern portion of the United States and moved west. This young girl, along with her sister, were discovered by Army personnel and forced to walk to Oklahoma. She listened for singing waters in her new surroundings and found none. Convinced she would die if she stayed, she escaped and spent five years walking back to Alabama. The journey was extremely difficult with many trials and tribulations along the way, however she returned to her singing river. In the 1980’s, Tom Hendrix, her great great grandson, visited the Yuchi people and had her journals translated. He had heard her stories many times and after the trip vowed to honor the great Native American woman. A wall of stones was going to be the memorial and over 30 years later, the monument is truly something to behold. It is the largest un-mortared rock wall in the United States and the largest memorial to a Native American woman. Each stone represents one step of her journey. Also, the shape, height, and width of the wall changes to represent the various obstacles she encountered. There are stones from over 120 countries that come in every size, shape, texture and unique geologic features you can imagine. A trip to Tom’s Wall is emotional, inspiring and you will leave touched by the dedication of one man to honor his ancestors. Along the way back we stopped and picked some cotton from a field, then had to hightail it back so as to get the car back in the allotted two hours.
The rest of the day we hung out and enjoyed the sun for a bit while waiting on our friends we have been travelling with on and off. Trinity is the boat, and Sonja and Duane are the couple we have connected with. They were planning on arrival around 4pm, and they were right on time. They tied up and we agreed to meet for cocktails at the restaurant on site a bit later. We prepared for tomorrows departure by filling our water tanks and making sure everything else is ready and secured. By 6pm we met them at the bar and shared stories and adventures. We had some appetizers and a few beers, then made our way back to our boats. Lauren made dinner and we retired for the night, bundling up to keep warm.
Tomorrow we are heading back west on the Tenessee River to get to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, the Tenn-Tom Waterway is a 234-mile system of canals, locks, and dams that connect the Tennessee and Tombigbee rivers. We will be anchoring a few days as marinas are far and few as we move further south.