Waterfall

Monday night was a nice quiet anchorage in Fulton, Mississippi once it got dark and the local skiers went home.  We departed there Tuesday morning at seven o'clock along with "Byrd Ketcher" and "Vela Narcosis" so that we would not mess each other up in the locks leaving at different times.  An hour later we were in Rankin Lock for a 30 foot lift.  We had a short delay at Montgomery Lock for another 30 foot lift, then had to wait about 20 minutes in Whitten Lock for "Mystique" to catch us for an 84 foot lift.  Once we were out of there we bumped up our RPMs a little bit, wanting to get to our favorite anchorage, and getting almost nine miles per hour at times.  We even overtook a tow for the first time since having the new engines.  I think that was our fastest speed since then too.  We also left "Byrd Ketcher" and "Vela Narcosis" behind a little bit.  We always say not to tell anyone about our favorite anchorage, but we invited them to join us since they invited us to anchor with them the night before.
Once they arrived Ray dinghied to them rafted together and took a long line to shore to secure them from swinging in the small anchorage.  Shortly thereafter Kurt and Sharon from "Byrd Ketcher" swam to shore with their little dog Bart on a throw cushion.  Bart and Sharon were shivering from the cold water and Wanda from "Vela Narcosis" said it was too cold to swim over after only getting one ladder rung into the water.  So Linda dinghied over to pick her up.  Her husband Dennis stayed aboard to have a couple of drinks, maybe to get the courage, before swimming over.  When he did, he dove in with a plastic baggie in his hand that none of us could figure out the contents of.  He arrived with wine in a tonic water bottle and a plastic cup, so proud that it didn't even get wet.
We had fun telling stories, some on shore, then we moved onto their boats once the air cooled and the bugs started coming out, making a few trips with all of us by dinghy.  No one was brave enough to swim back.
This morning Ray got their line off shore for them and said good-byes for us as they are heading downstream on the Tennessee River, and we're heading up.  Yes, we made it to the Tennessee River at 4:20 yesterday afternoon.