Good morning!  It is cool this morning about 50°F with no fog.  We are planning a 54 mile day and 1 lock.  An easy day!  Right?  Demopolis Marina is our goal for tonight.

Daylight at Sumter Recreation Anchorage

Less than a mile away is the Heflin Lock.  One of the boaters in the cove called the lock master and he said…Come on!!  We all raised our anchor and went from our cozy anchorage back into the Tenn-Tom toward the lock in record time.  We even pulled the anchor and were on our way before I had time to make coffee.  Coffee will have to wait until after we get through the lock.

Approaching Heflin Lock

Looking back out of the Heflin Lock

There were 6 of us boaters in the lock.  Plenty of room for everyone to have their own floating bollard.  Great cloud coverage.

Looking forward in the Heflin Lock

Doors opening after going down 32 feet in the Heflin Lock

Remember when I mentioned the sirens when the lock doors close just before the water is released to allow our boats to float down in the lock?  I was able to get a picture of a sign of that particular warning.

Coffee and breakfast sandwich made.  A great morning to be on the rivers.

The “White Cliffs of Epes” are quite spectacular.  Chalk deposits that apparently happened during the late Cretaceous Period.  A stark change of scenery from brown soils and rocks.

White cliffs of Epes

More scrap metal!!  Where does this all come from?  Where is it going?

I waved enthusiastically at this tow driver.  I must have waved well enough that he tooted his horn!  I didn’t even have to flash him to get the toot!!  How exciting!!  Good times!

Early afternoon on the Tenn-Tom

We left the Tenn-Tombigbee waterway shortly after taking this picture and started the “Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway”.  Although many folks believe that Tenn-Tombigbee goes all the way to Mobile, Black Warrior River intersects and is the river we will be traveling.  We are at mile marker 217 which means we only have 217 miles to Mobile at ‘zero’.  Can you believe that?

We found our slip for the night at the Kingfisher Marina – Demopolis Yacht Basin.  Undercover and protected from the expected rain.  It was quite the golf cart ride from the sister marina (Kingfisher) to the courtesy car location (fuel dock) and back again.   We went to dinner with fellow Loopers “Penny Pinchin” via the marina’s courtesy car.

Demopolis Yacht Basin is the last marina until we reach Mobile.  It is also the last city.  We may have one more fuel stop at Bobby’s Fish Camp.  Good to know all this information as we venture southward.  Time to fuel up, get pumped out, and have fun in the city.