Chased By Weather

Days on cruise:  191

Distance traveled: 55.7 miles

Travel time:  6 hrs, 12 mins

Total trip odometer:  4,279 statute miles

Our original plan for the day was to go 29 miles to an anchorage for the night. The weather forecast convinced us to change the plan as we were being chased by a humongous rain storm and hoped to out-run it to a marina instead. Here’s the radar image of the rain that followed us all day and didn’t catch up with us until we tied up at Ditto Landing Marina in Huntsville, Alabama.

Going back in time to this morning, it was beautiful at sunrise at Joe Wheeler State Park Marina. Hard to believe we’d be inclined to out-run rain all day, yes?

Mid-way through our trip we had to call for a railroad bridge lift as the clearance was only 10 feet, far short of our 18.5 foot air clearance. But no locks today.

Industrial facilities were interspersed with lots of undeveloped shoreline along the Tennessee River today.

Note in the photo below one of Decatur, Alabama’s claims to fame is being the maker of Meow Mix.  We bet people are happy to have the jobs such industry offers.

The wide lakes above Wilson and Wheeler locks eventually led, upstream, to a narrower river.

Limestone cliffs continued to be the predominant relief for otherwise tree-lined shores.

Mid-afternoon we pulled into Ditto Landing Marina at Huntsville, AL where we topped off our tanks with diesel fuel , which expense resulted in our getting a free night’s dockage. An hour later Craig and Barbara on Blue Heron pulled in, accompanied by their Atlanta visitor Cindy, and the five of us enjoyed a 3-hour visit on our sundeck, in the rain! But we were cozy and dry with the canvas and isinglass all closed up. The forecast for tonight calls for “100% chance of rain, and possible thunderstorms”. It’s the same forecast tomorrow, with sunshine reappearing Tuesday, so we may or may not leave in the morning.