This All Looks Strangely Familiar

October 29, 30, 31, 2011

October 29

The scenery is even more dramatic today. It is a bright sunny day with beautiful fall color.  The heavily wooded mountain slopes come right down to the river’s edge. We are backtracking on the route that we took to Chattanooga. It’s interesting to see some of the areas from the water that we drove by when we rented a car a couple of days ago. We have a much better perspective of the area than we did on our previous trip. We’re going downstream now so speed has increased from 7.3 mph to 9.1…..get out the water skis! 

October 30 

Coconuts belongs to Bru and Sandy. 
We met them on the shuttle bus in Chattanooga
and discovered that we both own Krogens.
We have been traveling together for two days. 

Most mornings are a little slow to start (not because we are retired),  but because of fog.  The water is warmer than the air.  So, the conditions are right for fog!  That’s the science lesson for today, kids.  A few more tidbits of information:  the Chattanooga area has the widest variety of plant life in the world – other than central China.  And, the Tennessee River has more species of fish than any other river in North America.  Yikes -- too much information!   

October 31 -- Halloween 

FOG!!!!!

We got tricked by Mother Nature again this morning. No fog in the marina or river when we entered and then POW -- a fog bank that gave us zero visibility. Three times we got socked with fog before we got the treat of a warm sunny day. Halloween gremlins come in all shapes and sizes. Our second trick was a heat exchanger that is leaking antifreeze from the engine. Brian has been trying to trace the antifreeze drips that he had noticed for the last couple of weeks. Today he found the source. Not the best of news -- a big list of parts has been compiled and they will be waiting for us at the Dog River Marina in Mobile.  

The bright light in the fog
is the sun and it's reflection the water

Everywhere we go we run into relatives....
This one appears to be listing a bit to port!
Maybe she started celebrating too early.

Dinner tonight in Florence, Alabama with Bru and Sandy from the Krogen Express, Coconuts.  We had hoped to have another night of great entertainment in the bar above the marina, but unfortunately it was closed.

Gotta smile -- We're lovin the ride!             

Pardon Me Boy, Is That The----

October 25 - 28, 2011



The Chattanooga Choo Choo

How nice of them to make a banner welcoming us!
Oh, that's smiles not Smillies...

Yes, we are in Chattanooga and it is even better than we had hoped for!   We are docked on the city's waterfront wall in the center of this renovated city. Each day we have walked until we are ready to drop. Then we take the free shuttle, or sit down for a snack and walk some more. Shopping, museums, restaurants, the aquariums are all within walking distance.  It's killing us, but we can't help ourselves -- we don't want to miss anything.

Here we are next to the water cannons and the waterfall steps that lead to the aquariums.

The very informative and friendly Ms Johnny--
One of our electric shuttle drivers



Time out on this nice cushy sofa!



The real Delta Queen is directly across
the river from us.

The LONG walking bridge to the
North Shore
Looking at the city park & Delta Queen

Museums in the Art District

Nude attempting flight
In the sculpture garden

North Shore's City Park

Brian observing the 4 downtown bridges

Every block of the North Shore has dance steps
embedded in the sidewalk.
In case you didn't recognize -- The Mambo.
I could only do the twist!

Waterfall steps above the water cannons  
that lead from our boat to the aquarium

Salt water and fresh water aquariums

The pirates have taken over the aquarium

No sign of the pirates...
but we found their parrots (Macaws)

A trip to Racoon & Lookout Mountains
gives us a different view of the Tennessee River

Goodnight Chattanooga ---
Tomorrow we start our trip towards the Tombigbee.


Gotta smile -- We're lovin the ride!

And, Yes, Chattanooga We’re Still On Our Way

October 22, 23, 24, 2011

October 22
Some days just don't co-operate with the big plan.  Oh, I forgot -- this is our new life:  no plan, no schedule!  It's hard to break those habits after so many years of regiment and deadlines.  So, what I meant to say is -- We didn't get off at the crack of dawn like we had anticipated.  The fog was very thick this morning.  It was so thick that the fishing tournament boats had to wait around an extra hour.  Then, once they were released -- in a very orderly manner (most of another hour) we left the marina with seven boats that were on their way to the Great Circle Rendezvous.  

It is very difficult to get any sense of how large these
locks are.  The water will cover all of the dark
section of the doors

Look very carefully and you will see the 3M logo
on the water tower

The water was extremely calm with no wind -- while we waited for a lock to open we turned off the engine and just sat enjoying the quiet. Our first lock of the day was Wilson. We were lifted over 100 feet. I think this will be the biggest lift that we will go through. When Wilson was built it was the largest dam in the world. Even after all of these years, it is still number three behind one on the Snake River in Washington and another one in Eastern Europe.  

We ended the day in Decatur, Alabama, after passing a 3M plant that Brian used to visit in his previous life. 

October 23 



The morning started clear and sunny.  We were surprised that there was no fog.  As we left the marina, we could see a few wisps, but nothing to concern us.  Soon it was so thick that we couldn’t see anything in front of us.  The sun was still shining and its brightness was magnified by the fog and water.  It was like staring directly at a high wattage light bulb.  Luckily we have radar, AIS (Automatic Identification System) and electronic charts.  Within twenty minutes the fog lifted and we were on to smooth sailing.



The fog is lifting

Huntsville is the only commercial area that we passed today.  It was critical to our space program.  This is where Wernher Von Braun worked at the Marshall Space and Flight Center.  He is responsible for bringing the United States into the space age as the chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle that propelled the Apollo spacecraft to the moon.   

Unfortunately, this is all we saw of the
Marshall Space Center





Although there are narrow sections of the Tennessee River, the dams have formed beautiful wide pools that are called lakes.  Each one has its own personality.  One might be primarily a wildlife preserve and another might be more residential, but all are fabulous recreational waterways.  Lake Wheeler, that we went through earlier today, has a National Wildlife Refuge (34,500 acres).  This is the southernmost wintering ground for Canada geese.  Guntersville Lake (76 miles long) also has state parks, but it is very residential.  By car this area is only about an hour from Chattanooga; making it very accessible for primary and secondary homes.  There is a wide variety of old and new houses, but no trailers on stilts.  This is definitely an upscale community! 



We’ve also seen a change in terrain.  The lake is now surrounded by wooded hills.  The foliage is still primarily green, but areas are showing fall color.  Large bays go for a mile or more off the main channel.  What we have seen the last few days gives us an entirely new impression of Alabama.  If you haven’t decided on a retirement location, check out the greater Chattanooga community.  The waterways are clean and abundant.  It is as beautiful as any river we have seen anywhere in the United States.  Previously, we had only seen Alabama from the Tombigbee.  It hardly seems like the same state!    





We found a perfect anchorage:  off the channel, behind an island off Mink Creek --- so quiet! 

October 24

Today’s river is  pretty much the same as yesterday except – the terrain is a little more dramatic, the hills are higher, the river banks a little wilder, the houses fewer and more moderate and the river narrower.  Other than that, it’s just like yesterday!  Oh, yes, and we crossed the state line -- we're back in Tennessee.

Near the end of the day we passed through the southern end of Sequatchie Valley.  This is one of two great rift valleys in the world.  The other one is the Great Victoria Valley in Africa.  Both were created when the earth's surface split apart.  The Sequatchie Valley is more than 125 miles long, but never more than five miles wide.  It's cliffs provide ideal conditions for hang gliding and it is known as the hang gliding capital of the east.  

The last map showed us entering Barkley Lake at the top of this map (the rivers form a circle). 
We have now gone through part of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and back into Tennessee
on the Tennessee River.
Chattanooga tomorrow!!!

1350 miles in less than a month -- We're smokin!!!!

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!

 

Chattanooga -- We're Still On Our Way

October 20, 21, 2011

October 20

Today we have been in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. It was almost noon when we left Aqua Harbor. A quick trip to another substandard grocery, visiting with boaters on the dock and changing the oil and filter on the generator took longer than we anticipated – doesn’t everything?  Our modest goal for today was about 45 miles which brings us to the Wilson Lock.  The dam built between 1918 & 1925 is a National Historic Landmark.

Angela Hacker the winner of Nashville Star
with her was James Leblanc

We made it to the marina that is adjacent to the lock.  We had not planned to stay here, but daylight was running short.  Well, turns out this is quite the little find.  Florence, Alabama is the birthplace of Helen Keller, it has multiple museums and a walking tour of historical homes in the downtown area.  We are going to stay an additional day.  You just never know what you are going to find, when you take the time to slow down and explore.  More tomorrow on Florence……

October 21

Looks a little like locus swarming in the fog

We woke this morning at 6:00 to voices and the sound of outboard motors.  Brian came up to see what was going on and found us surrounded by 80 Bass fishing boats.  34 degrees did not discourage the contestants of this fishing tournament.  At 7:00 the chairman began calling out names to let the boats leave the marina in an orderly manner.  Everyone has to be back at the marina by 4:00 to weigh in.  They do the same thing tomorrow.

Another grocery trip--this time to Walmart and Target.  After grocery shopping in some of these small out of the way towns, you can't imagine how fresh and clean Walmart looks!  

We took a quick tour of the Historical Home District in Florence.  It is very extensive with a variety significant architecture.  While wondering around, we came across the home of George Washington Goethals.  He was my Great Uncle Will's business partner.  Goethals was the engineering genius behind the Panama Canal.  My Uncle was Henry Ford's efficiency expert.  Ford was considering opening a plant in this area and buying the lock and dam.  Neither project went forward, but Goethals was working on the Muscle Shoals project at this time.  It is thought that George and Will met here.  Goethals went on to do his work on the Panama Canal and later entered into partnership with Uncle Will.  Wow....  Uncle Will was later removed from Ford Motor Co.  He put together a plan to a take over the company and remove Henry!  Opps... a career changer.

Another night of great entertainment at
the marina bar
Russell Melford & Rick Mann

No, he's not a country western singer --
These are our new friends Lance and Debi Bretherick
.

Friday night the marina bar was on overload with locals and loopers.  Debi and Lance, who we met last night were there again.  Mercy, they were fun!  We hated to say good-bye.  We've met so many nice people already and it's only been a month.  No one is a stranger when you already have that common thread -- boating.   Russell and Rick were another example of the amazing local talent.  They sang a lot of their own music and threw in some of the oldies.  We could have stayed for hours, but had to get up for an early departure.

Gotta smile -- We're lovin the ride!

 

Chattanooga -- We're On Our Way

October 17, 18, 19, 2011

One of the many bays on Kentucky Lake

Land Between The Lakes

October 17

We traveled through Kentucky Lake all day….73 miles and we are now in Tennessee. Kentucky Lake is a really wide section of the Tennessee River. It was formed in 1944 when the Kentucky Lock was completed. That lock is close to Barkley Lock (completed in 1964) that we went through a couple days ago. Barkley Lock formed (you guessed it) Barkley Lake. The two lakes are parallel to each other and the peninsula of land that separates them is called The Land Between The Lakes. This is all a huge national recreation area: parks and wildlife preserves. The wildlife refuge alone is 80,000 acres. I mean this is ENORMOUS and beautiful! In forming the lakes, many people had to be relocated. Entire communities were moved. There are still a few remnants of the former towns.

Abandoned dock was an important shipping point
prior to Kentucky Dam being built 

We didn’t plan to go this far, but when we tried to pull into Little Crooked Creek to anchor for the night, the water was too shallow.  Plan B – Go to Pebble Isle Marina.  It was beyond dusk when we arrived.  The marina has a long intricate entry that was especially challenging after dark.  Luckily some nice boaters heard us coming in and were waiting on the dock to help us tie up.     

October 18,

The long path into Pebble Isle: Notice sand bar in
front of us and marina buildings WAY in the back.

Brian ranked Pebble Isle near the top of his favorite marinas. One of the employees serves fresh from the oven homemade hot cinnamon rolls for the boaters every morning at 8:30 sharp.  He's ready to stay here for a week!  But, instead we travel back the winding path to the river.  Another 14 miles on Kentucky Lake and then the water narrows to simply the Tennessee River.


Harvesting mussels

Mussel harvesting is a million dollar industry in this area. These strange looking boats have lines and prongs dangling from their flat roofs. As a mussel opens its shell slightly to get food, the prong enters, the mussel clamps down on it thinking it has a yummy morsel. Caught!!! The meat is used for fish bait. Most of the shells are exported to Japan for mother of pearl jewelry or seeding oysters for pearl production.  

*****Every once in a while I feel like I need to insert a little worthwhile information.  I’ve read other blogs that are crammed full of history and interesting tidbits.  I prefer to make my readers really search through the drivel to find the good stuff.  Think of it as a wordy ‘Where’s Waldo?’.******   

Someone is way too crazy about lighthouses.
Six story house under construction.

The river is framed with rock ledges of shale and gray limestone.  It’s not unusual to see huge plates that have dropped off and others that look like they are ready to let go.   

We came across another intricate dredging project.  This one brings sand and gravel up from the river bottom.  The water is drained off, and the gravel and sand are sorted and placed in separate barges for delivery.  

Water extracted off center front.  Sand deposited in
two barges at back and gravel in barge in front

The anchorage for tonight is behind a small island.  Cozy and quiet….   

October 19

Erosion on the rivers is a huge problem especially with annual and even semi-annual floods.  There is too much frontage for the Corps of Engineers to rip rap and it doesn’t appear that land owners are required to do it.  Over time the river carves a new route due to erosion and shoaling.  We encounter one curve after another that would be about two miles straight line, but is closer to nine miles following the river. 

Mother Nature's rip rap

Section without rip rap between protected banks.
Notice mature trees that have slid down the bank.

Our navigation screen showing one of the curves in
the river.

The only bank we've seen with
planted erosion control

The Shiloh National Military Park





This is one of the most historically significant areas on the Tennessee River. Grant was having breakfast at the Cherry Mansion on April 6, 1862 when he heard distant artillery fire. The Confederate army was attacking in nearby Shiloh. During the two day battle, 23,000 men were killed in locations now named Bloody Pond, Hell’s Hollow and the Hornet’s Nest. The Shiloh National Military Park parallels the river for about a mile.

The Cherry Mansion -- Grant's headquarter
during the battle of Shiloh

At the point where Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama touch we go through the Pickwick Lock.The lock will raise us 55 feet.  Every lockage uses 37,500,000 gallons of water to fill the chamber.It is pretty amazing! Not only is this a lock and dam – it is a power plant and automobile bridge.

Coming out of the lock the choices are: Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway (south to Mobile) or stay on the Tennessee River (east to Chattanooga). We are continuing on the Tennessee River. We will then backtrack and take the Tombigbee.

For tonight we’re in a familiar marina – Aqua Harbor in Iuka, Mississippi.

We're met on the dock by Bill who helps us with our lines for the second time on this trip.  We met him and his wife, Deb, in Green Turtle.  They invite us to join them for dinner along with the owner of a Florida Bay Coaster.  Florida Bay Coasters are a very interesting boat...only 14 have been built.  We had considered buying one about 18 years ago.  For our 25th wedding anniversary we chartered one for a week with our good friends Larry and Joan Arnold.   

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!