We weighed anchor at 7:00 AM leaving Carter Branch, Muscle Shoal, AL downbound on the Tennessee River.  We locked through Wilson Lock, 110' descent and have decided it takes a lot less time to empty the water in a lock than it does to fill it.  It was a beautiful fall day. 

Ralph has taken over my Kindle during the day and is reading "The Harbinger," a book our friend Neil sent us as a gift -- how very thoughtful -- did you know you can send a Kindle book as a gift to someone?  That's what Neil did and it's really a great idea.  Ralph is reading voraciously during the day and I am finishing "Loving Frank" on the Kindle at night before bed.  I've been borrowing Kindle books from the Lee County, FL library this whole trip and it has worked out well.

We arrived at Aqua Yacht Harbor in Iuka, MS around 2:30 this afternoon.  This is a beautiful facility located on Yellow Creek with Mississippi on one side of the Creek and Tennessee on the other.  When we leave here, we will be on the Tenn-Tom River continuing the Loop.  Aqua Yacht Harbor has a restaurant, laundry, tennis courts, golf course nearby. and a courtesy car.  We also requested if they would accept our mail for us, which they did.  Not every marina will do that..  

We borrowed the courtesy car this afternoon and went to the local post office just "down the road a piece."  We then stopped at a little farm market in the parking lot of Fred's Pharmacy.  We bought some sweet potatoes, fried peanuts and a jar of their homemade apple butter.  As we were leaving, they gave us a bag of boiled peanuts "to try."  We've had this southern treat one time before -- when we were moving to Florida last December.  They are, indeed, delicious.

Here are a few photos from today. 

A beautiful fall day

The only tug and tow we saw all day -- tied up

This is our new chart from Iuka, MS where the Tenn-Tom begins  south to Mobile, AL where it ends

The Wilson Lock, the largest lock on the Tennessee River

The vertical drop of the Wilson Lock is 110'

The Captain and his Doggy

Entering Yellow Creek

Grand Harbor Marina

Beautiful anchorages off Yellow Creek

Homes across Yellow Creek from Aqua Yacht Harbor are in Tennessee, not Mississippi

Aqua Yacht Harbor, Iuka, Mississippi