Day 18 - Fulton, MS to Columbus, MS

I was talking with Mary today about what would make the perfect day on our trip and we decided we didn't know but we're sure it hasn't happened yet. Everyday has had at least one problem even if ever so slight. We spent a lot of time biking around Fulton this morning and had our hopes set on stopping at a nice coffee shop we spotted yesterday afternoon. But as were rode toward it, on our way back to the boat, it became apparent it wasn't going to be open. We forgot it was Sunday morning in Mississippi and absolutely no one was out. I drove the bike right down the middle of the short stretch of highway leading into Fulton and it was all mine. Without our coffee we headed back to the boat to load things up and get on our way. The last thing I usually do is to start the engine so I went for the key and couldn't find it. We both knew it had been in the motel on the table but neither of us remembered specifically picking it up when we left. We searched through our luggage, and bags and couldn't find it. I knew there was a spare hidden in the boat but I really didn't want to loose the main key that also opened the locked storage compartment in the boat. So back to the motel I rode in the morning humidity to search the motel room but with no luck. In despair I returned the two miles back to the boat to tell Mary the bad news. I dug out the spare key and we got on our way. As we were cruising along we'd occasionally mention the key along with some tid-bit of info that might have helped us remember what happened to it.  Then, as I bet you can guess, I found it.  I reached into the bottom of the pocket in my long baggy shorts and there it was packed tightly down in a corner. I pulled it out and dangled in front of Mary and she cheered. It was good to find it and in looking at the bright side, I got a good 2 mile times 3 bike ride this morning.

We passed through three locks today and Mary was excited when one of the lock-masters was a woman.  When you call on the radio to ask for a lock-through you are so programmed to hear a man's voice respond it jumps out at you when a woman's voice is heard. Of course Mary played this up and pointed out how quickly we got through this particular lock in comparison to the others. I said I didn't really notice.

Our departure form the Sands Motel in Fulton, MS.
Is she smiling because she liked this place or is she happy to leave?

Today's scenery was similar to yesterdays but the waterway is becoming more natural and river like. There are still sections of man-made canal but they are becoming shorter and less frequent. And I'm still surprised how much recreational activity is happening here as my original impressions, during the planning of our trip, was that of a working river.

These sun bathers sit on the narrow strip of beach on a very warm Sunday afternoon.
In our occasional conversations even the residents say it's warm.

We've seen many modes of transportation on the waterway and most are the usual runabouts, pontoons, cruisers, sailboats, and houseboats. It's easy to spot the daytime fun seekers from the travelers by observing who is passing through the locks and the amount of stuff that is packed onto their boat. The local folks don't use the locks much because the put their boats in the water where they want to be.

Here's a boat that's going somewhere.
The give away is the two red gas cans sitting along the side rail.
We present a similar appearance with our reserve gas tank hanging off the back.

This guy is traveling in a most unusual way.  He's just floating along and when we went past him he gave us a big smile and waved. I couldn't figure out what the heck he was doing here but I slowed down so not to disturb him too much. Then almost a half mile later I could see a boat with a group of water skiing kids returning to get him. It just struck me as totally weird to see him out here all alone before I spotted the boat he was with. 

My second lucky shot of the trip. My first was on day 4.

Stump field.
When we emerge from a section of canal the water usually opens into broad and shallow lakes. We often spot folks fishing back in these areas.

The flavor of the south is beginning to appear.

I promised Mary an upgrade from last nights stay at the Sands Motel.
A Fairfield Motel in the left background and a nice restaurant in Columbus, MS.

With tasty food too. 

We arrived at Columbus Marina this afternoon around 3:00 PM, purchased gas and made arrangement for transient docking of the Blue Fin. We knew it was a distance of roughly 3 miles from the marina into Columbus to a motel so we sought out a taxi to deliver us to a Fairfield motel. The cab company was busy and said it'd be an hour and a half for a pick up so we gave up on them and started to call around to some other companies. A fellow named Mike at the marina heard of our plight and said he'd call his wife Irene and have her take us into town and drop us off. She did and tonight Mary bought her a gift card from Logan's restaurant pictured above to give her tomorrow as a gesture of appreciation. They have been living on a houseboat for 10 years but are soon to give it up and start spending more time on their motorcycle to travel the country.


Tomorrow we move on to Demopolis, AL and add another state to our list. Let's see, we've made contact with MN, WI, IA, IL, MO, KY, TN, MS, with AL, and FL to come. It's about 110 miles from Columbus to Demopolis and we're apprehensive because the boat motor has been acting up again with what appears to be fuel problems. I have Matt doing research on possible causes and tonight we talked about a list of things to check should it act up again. If there is a plus side to the problem it's that the waters here have almost no current so the safety risk of a breakdown is low. On the other hand there is very little in the way of services or even river to road access along this stretch, so while we won't die out there, it sure would be a pain to spend a whole day or more trying to be rescued if need be. I have the phone number for the coast guard auxiliary and these days most sheriff's departments have a rescue boat too. Of course there's always 911 but I've been warned that cell service is spotty. An old timer said most folks end up being rescued by the commercial tow boats when their crews launch a small boat off the big tow and pull you off to a landing. That's great if true but my cynical mind says they just want you out of the way so they can get their work done.

So wish us well and we'll not quit until we reach Florida.