The Wilson Lock (at the Wilson Dam) was built in 1924 by the United States Corps of Engineers and named after President Woodrow Wilson. It is just east of Florence AL, is down for much needed repair. So, we had to miss the boat ride from Chattanooga TN to Florence AL (supposedly the prettiest part of the river), American Cruise Lines arranged for us to take their Cruise Coach buses and stopped at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville AL. We missed any excursions we may have had in Decatur AL.

We had visited the Space and Rocket Center over a decade ago. In a sense, it was in its infancy back then. It was not fenced in at the time. The space shuttle and the rockets outside were pretty much the same. Still, they are big, impressive machines.

We remembered the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird parked outside. It was a reconnaissance aircraft. At Mach 3+ it is still the fastest manned flying machine ever created. Altitude and speed were its protection.

After arriving at McFarland Park Beach in Florence we embarked on the American Symphony. There was a live band playing jazz to welcome us. The bow of the ship opened and tilted upward. It acted as our doorway. Many of the staff lined up to give us a friendly greeting as we boarded.

We were finally floating on the Tennessee River! After getting into our stateroom we took a walk to take pictures. Although it is called a small river ship, it seemed big enough to us.