Pickensville Anchorage, AL to Sumpter Recreation Area Anchorage, AL
After coffee, breakfast for us and a trip to shore for Cally, it was time to call the lock master. He recommended getting there sooner rather than later as he knew 2 tows were headed his way. We needed either go NOW, or potentially wait a couple hours for those 2 to lock down and then us. So? Off the 3 boats, Longer Days (a young couple with 2 small kids) & fellow Loopers on Soulstice, went. 
I CANNOT image cruising, much less locking, with little ones onboard. They even had baked cinnamon rolls this morning and offered one (some?) to the lockmaster. Boy, was he happy.
No problem, the lock was ready (green light & open doors) for us. That is the nice thing about anchoring by the lock you will transit the next morning … timing is much easier.
Sights along the way …
Looks nice out, right? Well, it was a great day to travel. Sun was out, no clouds, calm water and COOL. We woke to 40 degrees out; Rip turned on the diesel heat to take the chill out of the boat.
Soulstice came into the same anchorage as us tonight. Longer Days kept going. After shore dooty & showers, it was time for docktails on Soulstice, a Canadian flagged PDQ Catamaran.
Don & Lesli are a fun couple. Rip & Don knew alot of the same sailing guys from Annapolis; Don spent many a night at Rip’s Dad’s bar, Marmadukes, in Annapolis when racing in Annapolis. Lesli is very talented. Among other things she whittles (while they travel down the river) small pieces of wood into figures. I wish I had taken a picture. And, the cheese puffs she baked were amazing! 
We are right off the river … see the red & green buoys marking the entrance where the Tug & Barge are passing!!!
Tonight’s anchorage is a small bay with a park and boat ramp. Trash cans, too!
Tomorrow is the last lock of the Tenn-Tom. Then, we will be on the Black Warrior/Tombigbee River to Mobile. 2 more locks on that river, then we will be back in tidal water. We have not been in tidal water since we left the Hudson at the Erie Canal back in early June.
