Break out the shorts and tee shirts!

[Riley Smith]

Yes, it has turned warm in the 'Sip, although I wore a sleeve for the morning chill. By the time I had rigged up I was dripping sweat. I had reserved a slip at a local marina and so I did a turn on the river today. There was NO sailing involved and I didn't even mount the rudder and tiller because of the lack of wind. No biggie, it's fun letting the Honda do what it does and I went down the river a way to Cunningham Lake and then back up to Three Rivers Lake. Took some pictures. Enjoyed the sun and blue sky. Not a cloud anywhere. The motor operated flawlessly, even after cooling a while and then re-cranking. Just above idle gives the most efficient speed but I try and vary it some to keep the harmonics from driving me insane. Too much gas and the boat just squats.

The trip was really just a reason to get out in the sunshine and shoot some photos. Not far from the launch, an osprey crossed the bayou and lit in a tree in perfect sunshine. I love it when you KNOW you got a good picture.

You cannot view this attachment.


I ran across a derelict on one of the bayous. I have forgotten the bayou's name as it has been so long since I did any river ratting. I think this boat blew there in one of the hurricanes of the past. No doubt there are cottonmouth moccasins and critters in it now. The tide was dead low and you can see the normal water level on the boat.

You cannot view this attachment.

I had planned to be the only human to ever sail Three Rivers Lake but there wasn't a breath of air. I got hot and didn't bring any water, so I called it a day. This is REAL swamp and jungle. Once in this area I heard hogs on the bank and even stood on my boat seat trying to look over the palmettoes and see them but all I could see were the plants moving. Plenty of gators in this area too. And did I mention jungle? It TOUGH going on the land there. (And dangerous).

You cannot view this attachment.

There are houseboats and a few camps on a spit of land leading up to the lake. Here you must own (or rent) some land there in order to dock a houseboat. There are good people along the river and then there are some lawless ones too. River scum. Even knowing every Tom, Dick, and Harry is armed, theft is still a problem. And the saloon at the marina is not for the faint of heart. If you don't have a gun, they'll give you one! Actually, it's a pretty nice bar but I wasn't kidding about the gun.

[Riley Smith]

Technically I was in violation! The area borders on state land that was purchased years ago. Charlie Jones gave me a book that I have somewhere on the whole matter, but what happened was the state purchased the entire River from a cabal that owned it. A huge plot of land, swamp, and water that run from north of I-10 into the NEXT county too. So essentially this huge area is protected from development. Eventually a fight was had over it when MPL wanted to bring barges of coal into THIS lake. It got stymied and a lot of talk was generated that wound up dealing MPL a defeat to their schemes. You can see their monument from the interstate. I live adjacent to their cooling water reservoir, a whole OTHER bit of gossip.

The violation part was that I forgot to fill out the visitor card when I left the ramp, where if you get lost at least SOMEBODY knows where to look. As I pulled up to the dock, the game warden was there, collecting the sheets in the dispenser. I didn't pay him a bit of attention and he got his stuff and left. It's hunting season and there are more important things to do than harass old goats on a sailboat.

It was a fortuitous transaction, because there is a huge area that is important in the migrations, and is packed with wildlife of its own. You should visit during the spring warbler migrations! I mentioned guns in humor, but I do plan to go shoot the gun some. I've had that itch and nobody cares if you blast away in this spot. It sort of expected.

And to give you some idea of the social interactions in the marina going on here, a fellow pulled up as I unrigged. It was the slip owner and we shook hands and talked a minute. He's trying to place me, because anyone that has lived here very long usually can connect to family or friends in one way or another. He knew my brother that rented a spot for his houseboat there. So we knew of each other, and he showed me the slip and refused money when I offered. Can't beat a deal like that!

 I forgot to pay for the launch too, so I'm not much better than the River Scum. There's a lockbox donation thing there at the launch and I'll stuff some money in it when I go back. I had forgotten that I pulled the boom lift line off the catboat and had already loaded the boat when Robin arrived and we met, so I have to sort that out before relaunching. And weather is looking good for this expedition! Cooler and sunny. I like that combination!

Note: I'll have to get a supply of cards out of the game warden's little box and keep with me in the truck. And a pen!!!

[Doug SC]

As was so often listened too on the radio, "and now for the rest of the story." 

[Frank B.]

Beautiful pics and interesting story.  However you can only speak for the "other Sip", which having lived in both I know that the coast is more like another state.  In the far north we have also had shirt sleeve weather at mid sixties, but five straight days of off and on rain.  And that brilliant blue sky you show hasn't been around for a week or so. But dry by weeks end and also very cold, so maybe then.

When I moved from Oklahoma to Tupelo for work, I said at least I will have a better sun to rain ratio than the coast.  That held up for the first twenty years and then the worm turned so that annual rainfall here often exceeds that of the coast which is cruel and biazarre in my opinion.  If you have to put up with heat, humidity and rain you should at least be able to smell the shrimp boiling. Plan was to move back to the coast, but kids and grandkids all residing north of here and the need for specialized medical treatment for my wife, which for her issue, the best in the world is in Germantown, TN, has kept us here.

I've often thought of bringing my skiff down, using my mothers place as a base and running those rivers as far as a few inches of draft would take me, maybe camping along the way.  Don't know if that is even possible, but knowing what I know about marshes and river basins, winter would be best.

[Riley Smith]

I have perpetually endorsed forming the 51st state! I always consider that bad press to be the OTHER Mississippi 😂