The peaceful beauty of meandering streams and quiet waters
29 May 2013 | South Mills Lock, Dismal Swamp
PMB
We were up at 0700, had some coffee on the aft deck and enjoyed the rising sun, the lapping of the water against the boat and the rustling sea grasses that were close by. Our sailboat friends had already left.
After about 45 minutes, we decided to raise the anchor. We had some problems ...again with a shackle catching on the roller...but after about 15 minutes everything was in place.
By 0800 we were ready to roll. Mary Sue took the helm and I went below to finish off my Bonus Years column that I started last night. I finished it about 0900 and then took the helm so Mary Sue, an excellent editor and a tough critic, could read it. She always reads and comments on everything I write...and had some comments this time, too. No surprise there. So, I went back to the drawing board and finally finished it off and filed it at 1100, 30 minutes ahead of my deadline.
This has been the most amazing day of our trip so far. The approach to the Dismal Swamp is spectacular - both the natural order and the cultural.
First, the cultural. After about an hour, we stopped at a funky little downscale marina called Lamb's. It is off to the east of the ICW. First, you head into a clump of trees through a very narrow channel (may 30 feet wide) and then it opens suddenly and unexpectedly to a really nice, protected lagoon-like area with slips for 25 or so boats, many of which appear to be live-a-boards. Lamb's has no pump-out services but it does have fuel and repair services - though the diesel fuel is stored in a truck, which they have to bring over to the boat. The only fixed fuel pump they have is for gasoline.
Most importantly, Lambs also has a grocery store. Turns out, a really good grocery store, compared to other marinas. That's why we stopped...we were running out of everything: Diet Coke, milk, bread, salad stuff, fresh fruit, smoked turkey, cheese. It was a fantastic place, a taste of Americana. We got all the groceries we needed, including fresh bananas and one can of very, very cold Bud Light that I pulled out of a pail of ice. It hit the spot!
In a room beside the grocery store...about the size of a two-car garage..."the guys" had a 60-inch flat screen rigged up with some old but soft and comfortable easy chairs scattered about where everyone gathered to drink beer, shoot the bull and watch TV - sort of backwoods version of "Cheers." I asked one of the guys, "What are your TV favs: The answers came in: The Outdoor Channel and fishing shows; NASCAR and ESPN and, everyone agreed, Fox News. It was a neighborhood sort of place, a gathering place. It is the kind of place Alexis de Tocqueville might have stopped 180 years ago as he was trying to understand the pulse of this new nation called America.
The natural order is something else. For the next hour after leaving Lamb's we did not see another boat. We were alone on the rivers, streams and finally the Taylor Cut leading to our destination, the South Mills Lock and the next leg of the Dismal Swamp. The foliage was stunning and created mirror reflections on the water of ranks of lush trees and foliage on either side, with blue sky and puffy clouds down the middle. The ICW at this point is full of twists and turns. You almost feel like you are on a ride of some kind at Disneyland. The sounds of wildlife are everywhere...and easy to hear despite the decibels coming from SOB's 370 hp Yanmar diesel. Though "awesome" is today a much over-used word, the experience of the run-up to South Mills Lock was truly awesome. Seeing and hearing God's creation in the raw is truly awe-inspiring.
We arrived at the South Mills Lock at 1900. After scouting the situation, we backtracked a half mile and found a perfect anchorage, just off the ICW. It is actually an old, unused bulkhead with a couple of bollards. We will tie up here for tonight and then get up and out of here in time to hit the South Mills lock for their 0830 opening. If you miss that one, you have to wait till 1130, and we want the 0830 so we can make it to Norfolk in the early afternoon on Thursday.
Mary Sue took a long walk into the surrounding wooded area. With visions of the film "Deliverance" dancing in my head, I stayed back on SOB to hold the fort and prepare our defenses in case any marauders come through with their dueling banjos.
Actually, the film most on my mind today is a wonderful, award-winning Aussie film called, "Oyster Farmer," filmed on the Hawkesbury River, a tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary located in New South Wales, northwest of Sydney. I have experienced the peaceful beauty of the quiet waters of the Hawkesbury; I experienced the same peaceful beauty today. This run alone makes the whole trip worthwhile.
MSB: I agree with Phil: We have seen many wonderful displays of God's beauty on this trip, but the Dismal Swamp tops them all. There is an alternate course, the Virginia Cut, that is slightly shorter and less complicated. We are so glad we chose this course. If you are considering the ICW run, don't miss this.