Day 17 - Pickwick Landing, TN to Fulton, MS

Out of the Tennessee River and into the Tenn-Tom canal we traveled and added 60 more miles to our trip total today. We got our earliest start so far at 7:30 AM and had Pickwick Lake and the Yellow Creek canal entrance to ourselves and the fishermen. I've had a lot of apprehension about the canal and the local chat I've heard saying it's so boring and lacking in scenery or services. We'll I should stop listening to other people's opinions and do like I did and find out for myself. Mary and I found the canal to be interesting and never did we feel isolated. bored, or alone.

In case you are unaware, the canal was put into service in 1985 and includes segments of natural lakes and man made levees that connect the Tennessee River to the Tombigbee River. Some parts are dug out like any ditch would be, but other parts are different in that levees are built atop the natural ground elevation and the water is essentially trapped behind walls. Then still in other areas the canal really does something unusual. Picture in your mind an attempt to build a canal on a hillside. You would take the uphill soil and push it downhill using it to form a bowl shaped trench running along the hillside so it would retain water. Think of a gutter full of water hanging on a hillside with boats going through it.  That's how some parts of the canal are constructed but you don't know it when your in it cruising along. From our perspective we were in a perfectly shaped, constant depth and width river with perfectly sloped embankments. I told Mary this is a close as it comes to boating in a giant bathtub. And the real surprise was the local folks use it for all the same things as any other nice river.

The view from Pickwick Landing State Park at sunrise.
Saying goodbye to the Pickwick Dam in the background.

The passage to the right is where we exited Pickwick Lake and entered Yellow Creek where the Tenn-Tom waterway begins.

We stopped at the Aqua Yacht Harbor Marina for breakfast and Mary was very pleased because she was able to order grits. Right outside the restaurant we saw this boat hotel and it caught her attention. As it was Saturday morning the boats were being pulled out one after another.  Now there's some things I can never understand and one of them is the things that unexpectedly capture my wife's attention. I had to drag her away from here or I believe she would have spent an hour watching them unload these boats. If I had asked her if she wanted to go someplace and watch boats being unloaded what response do you think I'd have gotten?

Our first taste of the Tenn-Tom.
As close as you can get to a water freeway.
Tenn-Tom Waterway

I'll give you a quick rundown of some of the things we saw as we cruised through the Tenn-Tom. 

A fisherman enjoying this warm morning.
The terrace behind him is all man made.

The kids in this boat were wake boarding. I was surprised to find so many people enjoying water sports. It seemed like there was some unwritten rule where they divided the canal up into zones each having there own private stretch for undisturbed fun. Of course I plowed right through their fun but was greeted with a hand wave each and every time.

There were many of these flow breaks cut into the levees. These are the pathways for high water to flow into the Tenn-Tom. Only a few we saw had any water running on them. 

Take note that the trees farthest away in the background are not standing at the same level as the top of the levee wall. There base sits slightly below the levee on it's backside.  This is an example where the canal is not so much dug into the earth but is rather sitting on the surface and being contained by the levee.

We met these two gentlemen on the Tenn-Tom when they asked us to show them our life jackets and current boat registration. We had everything they wanted and for that I got them to pose for this picture.

The canal section eventually ends in Bay Springs Lake and a nicer lake I'd challenge you to find. Most of the shoreline is undeveloped and the 87 degree water is clear. There are many powdery sand beaches with a yellowish orange color cast.

A sandy cove on Bay Springs Lake

At the southern end of Bay Sprigs is The Jamie Whitten locks which has the greatest level change we experience on our trip.  I didn't tell Mary about this one to spare her the anxiety and instead decided to just let her experience it for herself.

Looking at the exit gate of the Jamie Whitten lock and getting ready to go down.
We entered the lock and what we saw appeared to be a typical lock chamber like many we've seen before.  Mary was calm only because she didn't know what was about to happen. I got a hint when the depth gauge went from 24 feet to 95 feet as I idled through the entry gate.

15 minutes and 75 feet later this is how the exact same gates in the picture above appeared to us. 

This bulkhead plate is corroded and has a leak.
It squirted out on Mary just as we were lowering past it adding to her worries.
Notice the paddle being used to push on the lock chamber wall. That keeps the boat off the wall and keeps the scuzz off of us.

Looking back into the lock chamber as we depart.
The whole of Bay Springs Lake is sitting behind that distant gate.
This is the only lock where the master said everyone must be wearing a life jacket. 

About a mile downstream from the Whitten Lock we passed under a bridge that carries the Natchez Trace.  I had traveled part of the trace a few years ago on my Honda scooter along with my sister Jean and her husband Bob on their scooter. It's a great way to take a road trip that will soothe your nerves. No trucks, limited access, and 45 MPH all the way from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN. We had only covered about 150 miles of the nearly 400 mile length on our earlier visit and it was nice to be back here again today.

The Natchez Trace crossing the Tenn-Tom Waterway.Natchez Trace 

I went to the overlook near the trace bridge and met a fellow touring the entire length.
He's from Michigan, now lives in Memphis and is going to Nashville.

We arrived in Fulton, MS at a time earlier than our usual day's end so we decided to use our bicycles to find a motel. We made our choice based on the distance we'd have to ride rather than the quality of the accommodations. It was after all 93 degrees outside.  Turns out we should have ridden a little further because we scored the poorest place so far on our trip. The irony of this is that we later rode the bikes to dinner and discovered a Holiday Inn across the street from the restaurant. Oh well, it's not that bad and the price we paid set a new record low for our trip at $45.

Riding our bikes into Fulton, MS.
A nice trail encircles about half the town.

Tomorrow we move on downstream to Columbus, MS and we'll keep the Blue Fin at the Columbus Marina. We already know that the marina is about three miles from the nearest motel so we plan to use a cab or other motorized transportation. I promised Mary a significant improvement over today's lodging for our overnight stay.