Joe Wheeler State Park Marina, Alabama



Approaching Wilson lock

 Travelled to Joe Wheeler State Park Marina today. This is where the Rendezvous will be held from Sunday to Wednesday, so we are a couple of days early. Several other loopers are here as well, very nice tonight to catch up with Jill and Richard from Finally and Pete and JoAnne from TonyM, as well as many others that we have met along the way. Just after we left Florence Harbor Marina this morning, we went through Wilson Lock, once the world’s highest single lift lock. It is now the 6th highest in the US, and the highest that we will see on our trip; the lift is 93 ft. We crossed Wilson Lake, a distance on only 15 miles, and came to Wheeler Dam and Lock. Wheeler dam is 6,342 feet long . The lift in the lock is 48 ft.


The ride up in the Wilson Lock was quick but nice and smooth. However, the ride in the Wheeler Lock was less pleasant. There were 7 boats in the lock, and we were in the middle on the port side. The water seems to enter the lock right under where we were tied, so we had a hard time to keep the bow of the boat off the wall. Wayne was pushing with everything he had, and we still scraped up the side of the lock wall. One fender was squeezed so hard that the strap holding it in place broke, and the fender holders up on the bow pulpit were pushed in. About half way up, the water pressure slowed, so it was then easier to hold the boat off the wall. We were happy to be finished with that lock. The boat ahead of us also seemed to be having a problem, but boats on the other side had a smooth ride.

Joe Wheeler is situated in a state park, a beautiful setting. We plan to walk some of the trails tomorrow. The restaurant had a prime rib buffet tonight, and many of the boaters met there for dinner.