November 13, 2008: Barron's Landing - Landrum Creek

We delayed our departure this morning from 7:30 to 8:30 am due to the fog. Our first job for this morning is to traverse the Demopolis Lock just about 3 miles south of the marina. We had to wait a bit for the tug, the Island Trader, with a barge that had Navy priority to go through before us. Congregating at the lock to wait were 5 boats; and once again the lock master asked for the names and registration numbers of each boat. They must be more concerned about security as you near Mobile. I had to smile at the boat names called out on the radio; as there was conversation with the lock master he addresses the captain by the boat name each time. Accompanying us through the lock this morning were: Elegant Lady, Grumpy Old Men, Sure Thing, and Tricia Ann. Just as everyone got in place, the sailboat Solace joined us with perfect timing to make the lock without waiting. The captain had an unusual accent and asked the lock master to repeat himself “because he was European and did not understand”. The lock action dropped us 33 feet into the lower pool, and there were beautiful waterfalls along side the river as we exited the lock. The lockmaster told us to be safe and watch out for the 7 tugboats north bound below us on the river.

The first one we passed was the Navy barge that had preceded us through the Demopolis lock and was heading South carrying a unique load. We heard the boats in front of us questioning him about it before we saw it ourselves. He was pushing a group of grey shuttle transports, sections that could be used to build an emergency bridge or transport heavy equipment. He was taking them somewhere in Florida.

The TomBigbee river is as crooked as could be. At one time, we were about 100 yards away from the river through the woods from a point that was three miles ahead of us by water. A lot of this land is just flood plain with a curvy river bed running through it. We saw the old remains of the Rooster Bridge, it was made famous by a video clip from April, 1979 that made the rounds on the internet recently showing the tugboat Cahaba being pushed under the bridge by flood waters and then coming up on the other side. We’re glad we are not in a torrent like that today. http://www.snopes.com/photos/accident/towboat.asp


We passed a loading dock for wood pulp with a mountain of wood fragments at the end of a long conveyor belt from the river shore. This was near a large paper plant with smokestacks billowing.


So this afternoon we anchored out just where the river widens at a spot where tiny Landrum creek merges with the river. This is called Barron’s Landing, where Lock #2 on the TomBigbee used to be. The sandy banks are forested with the ground rising gradually away from the water. You can see where the flood erosion has brought the demise of a number of large trees that have toppled into the water. After a very grey day, the sun is beginning to come out and sitting in the sun, we can hear the wind in the trees, song birds and crickets, see the splash of fish jumping, touch visiting red black-spotted lady bugs and watch the tugboats go by.