Alabama: Goose Pond to Decatur

Day 128

NM Today: 63

NM Total: 2575 (2963 statute miles)

Locks Today: 1

Locks Total: 88

With bad weather coming over the next couple of days we decided we needed to travel as far today as possible before dark.  We set our sights on a free dock in Decatur, Alabama around 73 miles away – an ambitious goal given we had to pass through Guntersville Lock on the way.  I checked the lock queue and saw no tows at the lock and hoped it would stay that way until we could get through there.

We had clear skies and bright sun (sometimes right in our eyes) for the entire day’s ride.  We passed by familiar scenery, but where we had overcast skies going east, we had bright sunlight to enhance our photo opportunities going west.

As we approached the Guntersville lock we saw several rock formations that looked like they might be cave entrances for the gray bats I mentioned in a prior blog entry. 

Bat Cave??

When we got close to the Guntersville Lock and Dam, we called the lockmaster and found that no traffic occupied the lock and we could pass through without delay.   As we approached the lock, the doors magically began to open so we entered without delay.  Twenty minutes later we were on our way out the other side.  Shortly after we exited, we passed a tow coming upriver and were glad that we had reached the lock before he did.  Not too long after that we heard India Jayne, who was several miles behind us, call the lockmaster and be told that the lock would be ready for them also when they arrived.

Continuing west we once again passed Painted Bluff.  With the sun shining brightly the colors were much more pronounced than under cloud cover.

Painted Bluff in Sunlight

Seven hours after we left the Goose Pond marina we arrived at Decatur – home of Meow Mix!

Decatur - Homeof Meow Mix

To get to our free dock for the night we passed under two bridges – one highway bridge and one railroad bridge.  Clearance for the RR bridge is only about 9 feet, so we had to call for an opening.  As luck would have it, at the precise time we arrived, a train was going over the river.  I laughed when Clark called the bridge tender.  I told him I did not expect them to open the bridge while the tracks were in use.  The bridge tender did not respond to Clark’s call until after the train had passed and the bridge was clear; at which time, he told us that he would have the bridge up as quickly as possible for us to transit.

Bridges in Decatur, AL

Over 50 feet of clearance on the highway bridge
(not so on the railroad bridge)

Having learned about the free dock in Decatur that is used for fishing tournaments from our cruise guide, we were not quite sure where to find it.  We used the Active Captain application to find the exact spot on the river where we could find the docks.  As advertised on Active Captain, the dock is extremely long and can accommodate numerous boats.  We have no electric or water, but if we walk up into the park area nearby, we have public restrooms available for use. 

When we walked up to the restrooms, we found an historical marker explaining the origins of the area which started as Ingall’s Shipyard and is now known as Ingall’s Harbor.  Over the years it morphed from an industrial site to a fun place for festivals and fishing tournaments.

History of the Free Dock in Decatur, AL

We docked just before 6:00.  After we got the lines tied we headed up to the public restrooms.  As we exited the boat, we noticed that car after car was pulling into the parking lot near the docks.  Families emerged from the numerous vehicles with their young children dressed in costumes for Halloween.  At first I thought they were lining up for a Halloween parade, but then I realized that everyone was lined up to enter a building.  The line stretched across the parking lot and just kept growing and growing. 

After our stop at the restroom we wandered over for a look.  I asked one of the women in line with her daughter for the scoop on the event, and she filled me in.  The admission price for entry to the building was a costume and a donation of canned goods for the local food pantry.  In return the children walked through the building stopping at various stations along the way trick-or-treating for candy in a safe environment.  It was hard to tell but with the “blood donor” van out front with lights flashing requesting donations, my guess is that the event was sponsored by a first aid squad / fire department.

Two hours later, at 8:00, we walked up to the park again and found it still teaming with families of children in costume.  This time, however, the children and their parents appeared to be walking mostly in the direction of their cars.  Even so, straining to see across the parking lot, I could still see hordes of people at the Trick-or-Treat site.

Tomorrow we are heading towards Florence where we stayed on the way to Chattanooga.  Clark has friends in the area that he is trying to get to see.  We may meet them at the marina in Florence or at an anchorage nearby.  Weather is supposed to have severely deteriorated by tomorrow evening, so we will have to see which venue his friends want to use as a meeting site.  We estimate five hours of drive time for tomorrow plus two locks.  Rain is expected to start by early afternoon, so we anticipate some portion of our trip will be in wet weather.  Oh joy!