Day 53 - November 5, 2012: South past Epes, AL, to an anchorage at Rattlesnake Bend

About 11 miles downstream we passed the white cliffs near Epes, AL. These cliffs of pure white "Selma" chalk were laid down in the Cretaceous period (65.5 to 145.5 million years ago) by the warm ocean waters. The chalk is stuffed with fossils which makes it very resistant to the river's erosion. Trees and vegetation have grown in above the chalk and cascade down over the edge. Combined with the fall colors, this made for a spectacular sight.

The white cliffs are up to 50 feet above the river

Vegetation grows over the sides

A bit of moss adds texture

The symmetry of sky, land and water

We anchored in an oxbow near Demopolis, AL. The oxbow is an isolated piece of the river formed when a meander in a river is cut off by the main stream eroding through to make a shortcut. The result is a horseshoe-shaped lake which may or may not be accessible. This one is used as a staging point for barges, so we went in quite far before dropping the anchor in about 25 feet of water. Besides the anchor light, I turned on additional interior lighting for the night to be sure we were very visible to other boats and/or tows.