Party at the Heflin Lock (Inland Transit Day 8)
Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Mile 256
Gainesville, AL
Log Entry by Program Manager Tatiana Dalton
Monday, October 31, 2022
2018
Today, our transit seemed to accelerate toward its own conclusion. After weaving back and forth across state lines for a few miles, we settled into Alabama life around 1100. The vegetation has grown unrulier around the uneven riverbanks and there is more plant life floating in the water. The day began with chilly air and a light haze over the water, but when the sun came out around lunchtime, it felt hot for the first time since I stepped on board.
The herons are bright white now instead of muted blues and greys, which makes them easier to see agains the earthy colors of the river. There are water birds everywhere. Around 1500 we passed by a party of pelicans lined up on a log, dipping and sweeping their large bills as they jockeyed for space.
When the sun had dried the dew from the top of the pilot house, Brianna and a large team of crew members laid into recaulking the seams around the hole that will hold the mizzen mast once it is restepped. Rob did a hero’s work repairing one of the heads, and Dan recalibrated the weather monitors forward of the pilot house.
At 1815 we passed through the Howell Heflin Lock, the last lock in the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway before it becomes the Tombigbee River and we get one step closer to Mobile. But this lock passage was special for reasons that have nothing to do with geography.
Today is Adam’s birthday and we threw a brief but spirited party in the Heflin Lock to celebrate. We gathered on deck to sing “Happy Birthday”—and then started the song over at Captain Hill’s insistence that we sing it on-key. After our second, more unified attempt, we ate birthday cake under the bright lights of the lock. This unconventional celebration was Jake’s idea—a great way to spend some time together as a full crew when the rotating watch schedule keeps us apart much of the time. Happy birthday, Adam!
