up the creek .......... from P

Between northern NC and southern VA, intracoastal waterway travelers have a choice of two routes: the Virginia Cut route, which takes you through the Great Bridge area of Chesapeake, and the Dismal Swamp route which takes you through, well, the Dismal Swamp. Coming home Sunday, we chose the swamp route. I am glad we did because it was yet another unique experience. George Washington himself surveyed parts of the Great Dismal Swamp, laying the basis for the digging of the Deep Creek canal which runs through the GDS from a point just north of Elizabeth City, NC all the way to the Elizabeth River in Chesapeake, VA (queen Elizabeth was big around here). Of course, the Great Dismal Swamp has a long and storied history including providing a hiding place for Edward Teach a.k.a Blackbeard and his gang of pirates. It has a more immediate meaning to me, as my late dad spent his childhood hunting and playing in the swamp. I was thinking about all of this, and trying to imagine growing up playing along the canal bank among all the turtles, birds, and bears when I was jerked back into reality by a loud bump that sent a vibration through Senara's hull. My eye immediately went to the depth sounder - plenty of water - what did we hit? I killed the engine and ran around the gunwales trying to peer into the black coffee swamp water. A few seconds later a log bobbed up and down behind the boat. No damage to us that I can tell. We hit subsurface logs (known in the sailing community as "deadheads" - with apologies to Jerry Garcia fans) twice more before getting through. One of the deadheads sported a big fresh gash, obviously the result of a nasty encounter with a boat's prop. The natural beauty of the Dismal Swamp makes it a "must see" if you traverse the ICW, but watch out for those deadheads. Good advice most anytime.

HA handles a bow line as the water level within the lock drops 8 feet. These locks raise and lower boats to the higher water level of the canal, or the lower water level of the river behind.

In the Deep Creek Canal. The sign says "Welcome to Virginia"