We weighed anchor this morning at 8:45 AM -- we had a short traveling day, only 9 miles.  We arrived at the Wheeler Lock and and after a short wait for a northbound boat already in the lock, we ascended 50'.   few miles later we arrived at Joe Wheeler State Park.  Dockage fee is 75 cents a foot, including electricity and water.

I washed two large loads of clothes @ $1 per load and the large commercial dryer was free.  Ralph needed to buy Rotella oil and got a ride from a staff member into Rogersville to Advance Auto  who also stopped at Foodland so Ralph could pick up milk and bread.  Joe Wheeler State Park is a beautiful facility with a large restaurant on-site, meeting rooms, condos, cabins, campsites, walking trails, a golf course, a marina with marine store, and a pool.

The AGLCA (America's Great Loop Cruisers Association) will hold a rendezvous here at the end of October.  We enjoyed catfish dinners this evening at Daniella's Restaurant.  We never order appetizers, but did so tonight...they had fried green tomatoes, button mushrooms and dill pickle spears.  I had a taste for those fried green tomatoes and we'd never tried fried dill pickle spears.  Everything was delicious and we really had too much food soI brought half my catfish home for the Captain's lunch tomorrow.  Joe Wheeler is a friendly  facility, conveniently located whether you are traveling north or south. 

Now in case you want to know (as we did)  just WHO is Joe Wheeler?  This is a quote from Wikipedia: 

 Joseph Wheeler (1836-1906) was an American military commander and politician.  He has the rare distinction of serving as a general during war time for two opposing forces:  first as a noted cavalry general in  the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil War (or as our friend Charles C. from Louisiana would call it, "The Northern Aggression") and later as a general in the US Army during both the Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War near the turn-of-the-century.  For much of the Civil War he served as the senior cavalry general in the Army of Tennessee and fought in most of its battles in the Western Theater.  Between the Civil War and the Spanish-American War, Wheeler served multiple terms as a US Representative from the state of Alabama.

Remember the posting by the District Engineer of the Mississippi River on 9/18/12 about the breech in the stone wall of the Chain of Rocks Lock # 27 causing it to close?  This message was sent to the Looper list this morning by a fellow Looper:

 Subject: URGENT: Lock 27 (Chain of Rocks) Closure 

By: dwgrill on September 22nd, 2012, 11:23 am

Per the Corps of Engineers website (St. Louis District) Lock 27 at Chain of Rocks is closed for emergency repairs after a barge accident last weekend. The website has no projected completion date. I suggest calling the Corps if you are still north of St. Louis.
Best,
David

David Grill
MV Shirley Ruth


Here are a few photos from today:

Neon paint on the bollards -- what a great idea!

Wheeler Lock 54' ascension

Leaving the Wheeler Lock

These cells are always near locks to protect the locks and give tugs a place to lay the barges if they have to wait.  The cell on the left looks like "boom-boom, crunch-crunch."

Striper was in the laundry room with me today -- she scarfed up something round and green that was under the book case -- maybe a green M&M or a gumball.  Then she had a nap.

My dinner tonight broiled catfish -- I brought half of it home -- lunch for the Captain tomorrow.

Ralph had 2 whole catfish and ate every bite.

Where the water goes when they dump the locks

Joe Wheeler State Park, Rogersville, AL

Say Good-Bye is 'Bama Bound..."

Pool area at Joe Wheeler State Park

Tonight's back yard