Oct 3-4, Grand Harbor, MS

Water temperature is 77 and the air is below 50 this morning. Wisp of moisture is visible on the water as we start out from Clifton.


Logs in the water make traveling interesting.
We have to pay attention.

River shore is nearby.

Usually one bank of the river is flat and one is hilly.

We head south (upstream) and the current is strong today, running 2-3 knots against us. We move about 50 miles and go up 53 feet in the Pickwick Lock to Pickwick Lake, another wide spot in the Tennessee River created by the Pickwick Dam.

Approaching Pickwick Lock and Dam.

Pickwick Dam from above.

Pickwick Lake is very nice place with large homes on shore and clear water for boating. There are several first class marina's here.

This was a pretty day on the water and Pickwick Lake is beautiful. If we were boating regularly in this area, then this would be one of the spots to consider basing the boat. It is a really pretty place to be.

Grand Harbor Marina.

Our marina is Grand Harbor Marina, located in the State of Mississippi, just over the line from Tennessee. Across the waterway, one hundred yards away, the shore is in Alabama. Three states touch a point just in the waterway right offshore of this marina. This marina has many covered slips and the ones next to where we are docked have a large covered area behind each boat with room for a BBQ and table and chairs. Even room to park your golf cart. Most of the boaters here are from Memphis (an hour away) and what we see here would make a great weekend getaway.

BOUNDLESS is an Ocean Alexander with a white house, dark blue hull, white waterline stripe and a red bottom paint.
Classic red, white and blue,
Very pretty boat.

This is a very nice marina of several hundred slips. There are several other loopers here. Met a nice fellow, Tom Dabney from Sarasota traveling on an Ocean Alexander BOUNDLESS, who are docked next to us. He and his wife have spent two summers looping (stored the boat in Alexandria Bay) and are headed down the Tenn-Tom tomorrow.

Interior Freddy-T's.

The marina has a restaurant (offsite with a courtesy van) and it is a lively spot with good food (even a sushi bar in summer) and a band. Food and fun.

Confederate Monument.

Battle line.

Artillery.

Union Monument.

Shiloh National Military Park, a Civil War battlefield site, is nearby so we take the marina loaner car and go for a visit. This site is 4200 acres overlooking the Tennessee River and contains 156 monuments, 212 cannon and 650 historic tablets. General Grant led a northern army (about 40,000 men) south from Tennessee and was to be joined by General Buell to take control of the Tennessee River and the railroad hub at Corinth, Mississippi. He was met and attacked by General Johnston and the southern armies (about 44,000 men) before Buell could arrive. Both armies were full of new recruits and were relatively untested in battle. The southern General Johnson was killed about noon on the first day and replaced by southern General Beauregard. The southern army prevailed the first day, but overnight General Buell arrived with reinforcements. The second day, the northern armies (now 55,000 men) attacked the southern armies (now about 34,000 men) and pushed the southern armies back to where the battle began. The resulting two day battle of April 6-7, 1862, left over 23,000 dead, wounded or missing (10,000 southern and 13,000 northern). The southern armies retreated to Corinth and the northern armies did not pursue. Until later in the year. We feel overwhelmed as we visit the battlefields, see the monuments and read the historic tablets. We do see a half dozen deer and a flock of wild turkey and that seems to brighten our mood.

'Catfish Hotel' restaurant. It rained all day.
We like those porch chairs in the shape of fish.

Hagy's Catfish Hotel was recommended for a good southern fried catfish lunch and it was delicious. Their cole slaw is served with sweet thousand island dressing on the side to mix in yourself and it is a great way to eat cole slaw. Great hush puppies, too.