First off lets get this out of the way, a “dismal” was the common name for an area where water stands for long periods of time.
This picture is Brian listening to the condition of the Duck Weed. Duck Weed sits on the top of the water and can sometimes get very thick. This will fill up your strainer and can overheat your boat. They are not even discussing the deadheads (more on that later).
The Dismal Swamp Canal was proposed in 1728 and connects the Albemarle Sound to the Chesapeake. There is another way to go without the extra attention needed to safely navigate it but there is really nothing like it. The approach brought us back to the “river homes” and the water is dark with tannins. A blackwater river is typically a slow-moving waterway flowing through forests, swamps, or wetlands. “As vegetation decays, tannins seep into the ground water or drain into lakes and streams, making a transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling black tea”. So between the Duck Weed and the Tannins – I wasn’t planning to swim. Then we get into the first lock and looking down we see a mouse and a river spider (sometimes called a fishing spider – don’t google it, you’re welcome) with us in the lock. But we are pretty excited, the dark water and the sun make the reflections incredible.
For me the Dismal has been a must do on the loop, the oldest man made operating canal in the United States ! How cool is that, we decided in Manteo we would do the swamp no mater what the conditions.
Duck Weed
South Lock
Now the Deadheads. The Swamp has broken branches both floating and on the bottom (that can get kicked up) and damage the boat. So, I’m looking at things like this.
Then I realize what the canal is filled with is Deadheads (submerged trees that have been snapped off (at or around waterline).
Needless to say, we were both watching the water carefully and moving slower than we normally
do.
Midway through we stopped at the Welcome Center for the night. The wall can get filled with Loopers rafting to each other. We were alone all through the swamp. Not a black bear or cottonmouth snake seen. We did have this little guy follow us for a while though.
The museum and welcome center/truck stop were great. We were advised that the “yellow head flies” were out. OUCH! It was a hot night on the dock with no air conditioning and we were ready the next morning to finish the Dismal. We arrived in Virginia, then at the Deep Creek Bridge then Lock. We were a bit early (there are four scheduled openings per day (hence the overnight midway). Somehow I missed that there is a grocery store right at the lock waiting wall (next time we will get there earlier). What I also was surprised by was Killer Southern Sandspurs. We have been very lucky with bugs this year, but these little burrs are intense – they just don’t stick to clothes. the points stick to YOU. Anyway, we hailed the bridge and the lock master got in his car, drove to the bridge, opened it, then drove back to the lock and we rode back down (last photo is looking back)
One of the last amazing features of the Dismal, and for us desolate, Swamp is that it puts you immediately in the area of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and then into Downtown Norfolk. But that’s another blog.