29 Oct 17

We were up before 08:00 to be ready for an 08:30 start, but when I called the Whitten Lock lock master, he advised there was a tow in the lake that would be going through before us, so it was going to be a while. It was COLD (38F) again this morning, so we sat inside the nicely heated cabin for an hour and finally got going about 09:30. It was only 17 miles to Midway Marina, but with 3 locks, we did not get tied up until 14:15. The only significant delay was at the first lock, Whitten Lock (84 ft drop), and that was only 30 minutes. We went straight in at Montgomery Lock (30’ drop) and had to wait 15 minutes at Rankin Lock (30’ drop). Not a bad day’s travel. On the way down, we passed under the Natchez Trace Parkway again, for the 3rd time. Otherwise, it was a pretty uneventful trip. The fall colors are definitely improving now, but they are nowhere near as vibrant as what you see in New England. The HTs were pumped out and the fuel tank topped up as we arrived. The Admiral got the laundry done and I cleaned the boat deck and hull. We are laying up here for a few days to pick up our good pals John and Laurie in Birmingham on Tuesday and do a bit of sight-seeing. We managed to watch the game 5 of the World Series; Astros beat the Dodgers 13-12 in the bottom of the 10th inning with a walk-off single - another of the most memorable World Series games ever. Bad news is the game was not over until nearly 01:00.

34-17.865’N, 088-25.202’W; Log = 17.2, Sum (2017) = 3060.1 N-m

30 Oct 17

We slept in a bit after last night’s World Series celebrations. About 11:00, “Islandia” finally got under way; we bid Bob and Diane a fond, but sad farewell. Hopefully, we will cross paths with them somewhere along the road. The rest of the day was devoted to getting the boat ready for guests, picking up a rental car in Tupelo and re-provisioning for the coming week. Tomorrow, we collect John and Laurie at Birmingham, AL airport for the start of a week long visit.  We were in bed early after the day’s labors and last night’s excesses.

31 Oct 17

John and Laurie arrive in the afternoon, so we were busy in the morning completing final preparations for their arrival and doing some detailed planning for the next week’s cruising itinerary. We met J & L at Birmingham Intl Airport at 14:30, and had a wonderful reunion on the drive back to the boat, arriving in time for happy hour and a light dinner before decamping to the boater’s lounge to watch Game 6 of the World Series. Unfortunately, Justin Verlander did not receive much run support and the Astros lost to the Dodgers 3-1. Game 7 will be played tomorrow.

1 Nov 17

The daily early morning exodus of south-bound Loopers woke us up at 07:00, so we got up to hit the road for our second assault on Shiloh Battlefield National Monument. At least, The Admiral and I did; J & L slept in a bit to recover from their trip out and a day of touristic activities in Chicago en-route. After breakfast, we drove the rental car the 1.5 hours to Shiloh, did the tour, had a late lunch in Corinth (at Smith’s) and came back to the boat, returning the rental car in Tupelo on the way. We were back at the boat before 18:00, in time for happy hour; lunch was so late and we were so stuffed therefrom, that we had only light snacks for dinner. Then, it was up to the lounge to watch Game 7, the thrilling climax of the 2017 World Series. Astros led from the start of the first inning to beat the Dodgers 5-1, to become the 2017 World Series Champions!!!! For the first time in franchise history!! Unbelievable!! History is made! What a Series! What a night! What a team!