Day on the Cruise: 162
From: Florence Harbor Marina, Florence, AL
To: Joe Wheeler State park, Rogersville, AL
Statute Miles: 21.5 SM
Time: 4.25 Hrs
Cumulative Miles: 4,244.9 SM
On Board: Susan, Chuck, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut
Tonight we at the Joe Wheeler State Park Marina at Rogersville, AL.
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| We are moving East across North Alabama |
We belong to a group called the AGLCA which stands for America's Great Loop Cruising Association. This is a group of people who have an interest in the Great Loop. There are members who have completed the Loop (some have completed multiple times); members who are doing the Loop; and members who just have an interest in the Loop and may be seeking more information.
We joined the group two years ago when we decided we wanted to do the Loop. The AGLCA conducts two "Rendezvous' " a year-one in the Spring in Norfolk, and one in the Fall at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, AL. We attended the Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler last year by car. Today, we are headed to Joe Wheeler in "Blue Moon" to join perhaps 250 other members and 60 other boats for this year's get together.
But, before we can get to the Rendezvous, we have to transit the highest lock in the US West of the Rockies right here at Florence, AL. Wilson lock is 94 feet high!
Fog was predicted for this morning and for once the weather people were right. About 8:00 the fog started to burn off. There were 8 boats at Florence Harbor heading to Joe Wheeler, which is only about 20 miles upriver from here. At 8:30 we were out of the harbor and idling toward the Wilson Lock and Dam about three miles away. The lock master told us that he was locking a tow down and it would be an hour before we could get into the lock. But, he wanted all of the boats at the lock for a quick turn. We got to the lock and it was huge! 94 feet high is very intimidating!
The tow was down about 9:15, and since he was a "cut up" ( a tow that has to be locked through in two or more lockings because he is too big to get through on a single locking), he had to tie his barges back together. All 8 boats were into the lock at 9:30 and we chose our positions in the lock at floating pins. The lock master did not want any of us tied to the pins at the middle of the lock because that is where the water comes in and it is very turbulent. He told us that he would let 52 million gallons of water into the lock to raise us up to Wilson Lake in 20 minutes! Wow!
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| Our Flotilla is Approaching Wilson Lock and Dam |
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| The "Cut Up" Tow Waiting for its Tow Boat to be Locked Down and then Re-connected to the Barges |
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| The Re-assembled Tow Leaves Wilson Lock |
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| The Flotilla entering Wilson Lock |
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| "Pazza Bella" in Wilson Lock Just Behind Us |
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| "Freya" in Wilson Lock with Us |
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| Part of the "Flotilla" in the Front of Wilson Lock |
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| Huge Doors Closing at Wilson Lock |
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| Turbulent Water at the Middle of Wilson Lock as 52 Million Gallons Enter the Chamber |
The ride up was smooth. It took 22 minutes and then we were at the top of the lock and out into Wilson Lake for the 14 mile run to the second lock of the day called, appropriately, Wheeler Lock.
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| Almost to the Top at Wilson Lock |
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| Preparing to Leave Wilson Lock and Enter Wilson Lake |
Wilson Lake was wide and a lot deeper than I had expected. Even though we lived at Decatur, AL, about 45 miles East of here, I had never boated on Wilson. There was a tremendous amount of trash in the lake, and as the 8 boats traveled together, we were dodging logs and debris for the entire trip.
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| The Flotilla Heading Up Wilson Lake |
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| Blue Moon Cruising on Wilson Lake |
We arrived at Wheeler Lock and Dam at 11:30. We met two other Looper boats who were waiting for the lock, so a total of 10 boats went into the lock when the doors opened. The lock master did not want any boats in the middle of the lock, so we had to raft to allow all boats to lock through. We rafted to our friends on Sun Gypsy. It was very turbulent in the lock before we started getting the lift. Not sure why this was.
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| Approaching Wheeler Lock and Dam |
The lock up was uneventful. We got to the top and left the lock, cruising into Wheeler Lake. The turn off to Joe Wheeler is at First Creek, which is about two miles above the lock. We turned into First Creek and wound around and saw the big marina. Ten of us arrived together and got our slip assignments and pulled into our slips. We had reached our destination!
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| Almost to the Top at Wheeler Lock |
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| Boats Behind Us at Wheeler Lock |
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| Ready for Gates to Open at Wheeler Lock. Note How We Rafted. |
There were all sorts of reunions on the docks. We saw our traveling partners from the Great Rivers portion of the trip. We saw folks who we had not seen in months! It was a very happy occasion. We are docked on a long finger dock out at the end in a great location.
Tonight we ate dinner at the lodge. They had a seafood buffet with crab legs. It was very good. We have some TV reception here on the boat and we got to see some of the afternoon football games. I am looking forward to seeing some of the pro games tomorrow.
We are here until Friday. We will report on the days festivities as they occur.
Thanks for Reading!
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