This will be a long post, as we finally have good internet so I can catch up.

Tuesday turned out to be a great celebration at Paris Landing as Caple and Karen arrived and crossed their wake. We had a great time and a really fun dinner at the lodge with the group.

As they arrive and cross their wake!

Congrats Caple and Karen!

Just another 5PM Docktails!

Even had a little fun at dinner when we forgot our reading glasses and the only way to read the menu was to borrow a pair of cheater sunglasses! It worked.

We planned to leave Paris Landing on Wednesday, but the Looper Pony Express was in service. As we left GTB on Tuesday, and got 30 miles south, the harbor called and a piece of mail I had been waiting for arrived. We reached out to another boat that was still there and he was able to pick it up and bring it south the next day. We only planned to move 40 miles that day and should still have time after the mail arrives!

That was the plan! Then the pony express boat ran aground 7 miles from Paris Landing Marina, so I ran up with the dinghy to help him off the bottom. After an hour and a half, he was free and without damage to the running gear! I got the letter and headed back to the marina. By this time, it was almost 2PM and Amy and I decided to stay put for a third night at Paris Landing. There was no point in taking the chance on running out of daylight before the anchor would be set.

This meant we would run a little further on Thursday and try to catch up with some friends in a great deep water anchor spot. We ended up running from Paris Landing to Swallow Bluff, a 10-hour run that covered 101 miles. The river is gorgeous to run with the fall colors mixed in with the hills and bluffs.

That was a long day, but well worth the run as the anchor spot was perfect. We arrived and dropped our big hook off toward shore to keep the group set in an additional angle so we would not move at all during the night.

Caple helping with angle direction for us to drop the hook.

Once set, the group got to enjoy each other’s company and the sunset straight up the channel just off the TN river.

The sunset was spectacular from the bow!

Memphis had a long day cruising without going ashore for her business, so she slept a lot! Was a little worried she would wake up with a sore neck, but she never complains!

She did find a nice grass area just north of our anchor spot to run around, so we took her out three times that night and the next morning in the dark before we pulled anchor.

We departed Swallow Bluff early Friday morning, but you can’t beat the view. Great shot taken by one of our buddy boats.

We planned to run about 50 miles Friday with the group. We had to lock through Pickwick Lock and Dam, to enter Lake Pickwick. We arrived at the lock with a total group of 8 boats to lock through.

Got through the lock and then we opened up the engines a little to clean them out. We ran at idle all day to stay with the group. The big girl does not like to run that slowly!

Arrived at Aqua Yacht Marina at 2:45PM, after 7 hours today. Amy and Memphis were a little tired from two long days on the river, and even got a short nap before the lock.

We are on the outside wall here at Aqua Yacht in Iuka MS. We do get waked a little with passing boats, but plan to stay through Sunday night as long as it does not get too bad.

As you can tell, we are at the border of TN and MS!

This is the view from our windows here at the dock, not bad!

We plan to leave on Monday and head toward Chattanooga to tour the “Grand Canyon” of the TN River!

Hope you have a great weekend and more to come as we head out next week!