Red Bay, Alabama

We had our roof re-sealed, shower skylight replaced and all new seals put on our slideouts

Caught Carl taking a break

While they worked on the motorhome we went for a drive and ended up the Jamie Whitten Lock and Dam.  The Lock and Dam are part of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, also called the Tenn-Tom.  It is the northernmost lock and dam on the Tenn-Tom, and was completed at a cost of $75 million. The lock is the fourth-highest single lift lock in the United States, and raises and lowers barges 84 feet. The dam forms Bay Springs Lake.

Looking downstream

Looking upstream towards Bay Springs Lake

We had great timing.  This lock operates on even hours. The barge headed upstream is in and the lower gates are starting to close.

After the gates close, water is pumped in raising the barge

As the upper gate opens, we talked with the barge worker.  They transport rock from Kentucky to New Orleans.

There they go. On a slow ride to Kentucky.

It was now available for the vessels headed downstream to enter the lock

The Great Loop Route is a 6,000-mile nautical adventure that takes you through some of North America's greatest cities, historic sites and heartlands. It's a circumnavigation of the U.S. and part of Canada that Loopers cruise aboard their own boats, often taking a year or more to complete the journey.  

Just the other morning while eating breakfast at Abe's we were seated next to a couple doing this very thing.  They had left from Illinois in the spring.  They planned to winter in Florida before heading back home.  We enjoyed talking to them and after seeing this we were wondering if it would be something we would like to do.