Wednesday November 4, 2015
It was a busy day. Heron was hauled and her propeller inspected. No visible damage, so we got a bottom wash, and plunked her back in the water. They gave us a slip for the two weeks we would be gone. Much better protection from wind and waves than if we had stayed on the transient dock.
We drove 5 miles to the Pickwick Marina, picked up Jorge and Barbara, and headed over to the Shiloh Battlefield. We loved the 45 minute video at the information center. I never realized the strategic importance of the area. Pittsburgh Landing was the farthest point south on the Tennessee River with navigatable water. A few miles away, the town of Corinth had two intersecting railroad lines. One line ran east-west, the other ran north-south. Both sides wanted control of the area. It was a very bloody two day battle.
After driving around the various points of interest at the park, we headed to the catfish hotel. I don’t think I’d ever had deep fried Southern style whole fiddler catfish before. We ate the crispy tail first. Delicious lunch.
We had a look at the Pearson pilothouse, said goodbye (for now) to Jorge and Barbara, loaded our rental car, and started driving to Maryland.