"Lead On McDuff", to the Dismal Swamp. Sun July 29th, 2012

Up in good time again this morning. Peter wanted to change the oil in the boat generator before we used it. We may decide to stay at the Welcome Center overnight.

Dismal Swamp before Turners Cut. 

Left Elizabeth City at 8:30 am to try and catch the 11:00 am South Mills Lock, 18 miles away. This lock opens only 4 times in a day, about every 2 hours.  Not sure exactly where the Dismal Swamp begins, but it truly is a unique waterway. Narrow, maintained to a 6' depth minimum,very pretty, and very interesting. I must admit I went a little crazy with the camera.

The Turner cut is straight as an arrow for miles and miles. And then houses will appear along the shore in the middle of nowhere.

Turner Cut, part of the Dismal Swamp. Feels like you are in the African Queen movie.

Cypress trees line the channel.

We saw a bald eagle swoop down to the water, catch a fish and then take it up into the trees. There are many different types of cypress trees, some look more like our cedars, and other have leaves more like a deciduous tree. Saw a turtle sunning on a log, but he jumped off just as I got the camera up.

Then we had an escort by either a bald eagle or an osprey. He passed us on the waterway with a fish in his talons. He would go ahead of us and land in a tree. Then as we approached he would fly out of the tree, and up the waterway to a new tree. He did this 3 or 4 times. It was like he was saying; "follow me, I will show you the way...."

First lock for Linda and Bob on "Waypoint"

At South Mills we locked up 8 feet. The first lock for Deja Vu and she behaved and did not embarass us. It was also the first lock for Bob and Linda on Waypoint. They handled it like professionals.

At South Mills, the lock master does double duty. He locks you through and then jumps in his truck and quickly drives ahead to open a bridge on the waterway.  There is very little distance between the two.

Hitting this stump would really spoil your day.

As you travel the Dismal Swamp, you can't help but feel like you are part of the African Queen movie. Peter entertained us with many, many, many of his Humphrey Bogart quotes. Most of them were from the movie "Casa Blanca" but no one cared; it was very entertaining. Linda on Waypoint wanted to know what we were drinking. I told her it was just Peter as his best, and that at home the kids would say that he had got a full nights sleep. She responded that I would have to keep him up tonight.

Another 2 miles and there was a Pontoon Bridge that opened on request. This Bridge is a walking bridge for access over to the State Park Center. And immediately after is a 150' dock to tie up at the North Carolina Welcome Center, right on the Dismal Swamp. We tied up, visited, had lunch, made some phone calls home to our Moms. It was almost 2:00 and the last lock opening 18 miles away was for 3:30 pm. We decided to stay right at the Welcome Center for the rest of the day and night.

Start your Generators!!


We will get up early tomorrow and try to get away at 6:00 am to travel the 18 miles for the first lock opening at Deep Creek. We will probably only go as far as Portsmouth, Virginia. This will be the first of the Chesapeake Bay. Finally, I have been waiting for this section of the trip, and here we are. We need to arrange a rental car and go back to Edisto Island to get our car and move it up.

Linda, Bob and Peter. Elizabeth City. Check out the case of oil strapped to the back of Peter's bike. Beer and appetizers at a Mexican Restaurant, "Mammasita's" and then across the road to Dairy Queen for dessert.