Rogersville, Alabama to Guntersville, Alabama
October 22 to November 6
Sunday, October 22 nd
Rogersville, Alabama to Guntersville, Alabama
Today was unusual. I was very sick—too sick to help out. Also…it was freezing!!!! It's only 40 degrees here—about 20 degrees below the usual LOW temperatures. The locals are flipping out. I stayed in bed until the last minute and took my pillow and blanket to the flybridge with me. I'm hoping that a steady diet of Robitussin will cure me. Jean's at the helm and must navigate also—this isn't good. She's still not 100% but…we're underway at 7:10am ready for a long day—80 miles and one lock.
I'm assuming that the scenery was gorgeous but… I saw nothing for most of the trip. I was on the flybridge but I was sleeping. I only ‘rose' to the challenge when we got to the lock which was at mile 70. Occasionally, I would wake up and see the beautiful Fall colors but I certainly was not taking pictures and neither was Jean. Luckily, we will be returning from Chattanooga on this same exact route so hopefully I will be taking pictures at that time.
The route was easy and fortunately we had no problems. There were no tows with their barges and we only saw a few other pleasure craft. We're traveling with some Looper friends from NJ, Bob and Nan on Bonas IV . They've been great about offering food for both of us and Bob calls us frequently while on the boat to check on things. Luckily, the lock was also not a problem. It was very windy inside the lock but Jean got the boat very close to the wall and I was able to easily secure it to the bollard. We got tied up quickly and went through in no time. We made our way to Alred Marina and were settled by 3pm. I went back to bed without any dinner. Jean had a sandwich. We're hoping that we both feel better tomorrow.
Monday, October 23 rd
Guntersville, Alabama to Guild, Tennessee
Today is another long day—75 miles and one lock. I'm still sick but feeling better than yesterday. Jean's doing better also. It's still freezing—we're both hoping that this cold front moves through quickly. We're both wearing many layers of clothing and longing for our days of shorts and tee shirts. It's wild to think that one week ago we were swimming in Joe Wheeler Lake!!!!!
We're off the dock at 7:10am and back on the Tennessee River. I've brought my pillow and blanket to the flybridge again, but I'm sitting up—this is progress. The scenery is gorgeous and I've managed to take a few photos. The trees aren't completely turned in their colors but they're at about 50%. We've actually learned that this coming weekend and the next, when we'll still be on the Tennessee River, are designated as the Fall Color Cruise weekends. I'll be sure to take some more pictures on the return trip.
We passed under another beautiful bridge. On this trip, we've seen so many bridges, especially along the Tennessee River. Oftentimes, these bridges are major gateways to points across the United States.
There are many bluffs along this route and many twists and turns in the river. There's a section that we pass through today which is called the ‘Grand Canyon' of Tennessee. It's truly beautiful. These pictures don't do the scenery justice.
Today's lock is also not a problem—it actually is one of our easiest ‘locking throughs'. We called the lockmaster when we were about two hours away to get a status. He told us that there would be a two hour wait—which was perfect timing for us. He told us that there were already two boats waiting and we knew that they were Looper boats. So …by the time we got to the lock, the lockmaster was just about ready to open the gate and in we went. It was perfect. Once again, Jean brought the boat right up to the bollard and I secured the line. We're really getting to be pros at this!!!!! We were at the Hales Bar Marina in no time and tied up and secure by 3:30pm.
We were actually hungry and had dinner!!! We had grilled sirloin steak with a baked potato and a Caesar salad. It was great. For dessert, we had a small bowl of low fat frozen vanilla yogurt!!!!!
Tuesday, October 24 th
Guild, Tennessee to Chattanooga, Tennessee
Today's trip to Chattanooga would be short—only 30 miles and no locks!!!! The skies were blue and the sun was shining but it was still very cold—only 40 and expected highs of only low fifties. I'm feeling better and so is Jean. I'm back in the navigator's seat which feels good. The trip to Chattanooga is expected to be easy and beautiful. We're off the dock, again with Bonas IV, at 8:50am. We stayed at the Hales Bar Marina with five other Looper boats including Fred Myers, a noted author of many boating guides whose area of expertise is the Tennessee River among others. He was a speaker at the Rendezvous, and he and some other family members are enjoying some October cruising.
Along the early part of this trip, two very large yachts passed us as they headed down the river—I was able to get a picture of the first one— High Tide —nice huh???
This part of the Tennessee River is gorgeous and the changing colors of the trees only enhance an already beautiful vista. There are mountains as the backdrop and the river twists and turns regularly as we snake our way to Chattanooga. It's a beautiful day and Jean and I are both very happy that we're feeling better.
We've seen only a few tows and barges in these last few days—we're actually beginning to miss them. We also do not have any locks today which is a joy—no need to be out in the wind and cold. Four boats, including us and Bob, left together so we're in a straight line now—easy going.
About halfway through our journey we passed the Southern Belle , a tourist sightseeing boat which travels a short route around the Chattanooga area. It's a beautiful looking boat and there are quite a few folks on board today.
The views are perfect and the bluffs along the water are magnificent. In this part of the river the houses are infrequent and when we do see houses, they look like small estates—with rolling lawns, boat houses and incredible landscaping. Their views must be incredible because they are right on the water and they have the added benefit of the mountains—quite lovely. Jean and I are pleasantly surprised at how beautiful this area is, especially the Tennessee River. I took another ‘bow view' picture—the view is so gorgeous.
On several of the mountains and on some of the shore greenery, we saw a plant called Kudzu. This plant is native to China and Japan and was first brought to the U.S. in 1895 and used as a climbing vine for porches and trellises. Later, it was widely adopted in the South to help prevent soil erosion. Kudzu has a thick network of roots and enriches the soil through nitrogen-fixing bacteria on its roots. But the vine, growing as much as a foot per day, is very aggressive and can smother trees and cover buildings in only one growing season. We've seen a lot of Kudzu along the shore and it really is amazing. This next picture captures an entire field of the plant.
As we continue along the route, we begin to see Lookout Mountain. This mountain has historic significance for many reasons and is one of America's most famous landmarks. The mountain thrusts upward more than 2,000 feet above the river and extends for nearly 100 miles into Georgia and Alabama. On its slopes was fought the last battle of the American Revolution. And it was here in 1863 that Union and Confederate forces clashed in the ‘Battle above the Clouds', one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War during which 34,000 were killed. Confederate General William Bates called the Tennessee ‘a river of death'.
We got to Chattanooga pretty easily and were in our spot at MarineMax Marina by 1:10pm. During this short trip we left the Central Time Zone and went back into the Eastern Time Zone. This weekend we also need to set the clocks back an hour so I'll really be confused!!!!!
Chattanooga's history began in 1815 when Cherokee descendant Chief John Ross established a ferry across the Tennessee River about 370 yards from the current downtown docks. He also built a boat landing and a warehouse and began trading with the Cherokee Indians. The settlement grew and became the business center for Hamilton County founded in 1818. The city's strategic location and metal industries were the main reasons the Confederate Army tried desperately to retain control during the Civil War.
Our friend from New Hampshire, Diane, is joining us in Chattanooga and visiting with us for almost a week—we're thrilled. She's driving here tonight after visiting with her son in Virginia. She'll be here by 9pm.
So…we rested in the afternoon and went into Chattanooga for a light dinner. Downtown Chattanooga is about a five minute walk from the marina which is a fantastic location. I had a burger and Jean had a small veggie pizza. We were back on the boat by 8:30 and Diane arrived at about 9pm. We know that these next few days will be wonderful.
Wednesday, October 25 th
At port in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Today was a great day. We're all in good health and ready for a full day of sightseeing. The sky is a bit overcast and it's still cold—only 40 degrees in the morning. But…we're off and running. Our first stop, after the post office (of course), is to take an Incline Railcar ride up the side of Lookout Mountain. This mountain is famous due to the role it played in several key battles of the Civil war. This trolley-style railcar was built in 1895 and covers about one mile which is known as “America's Most Amazing Mile”. The railcar has a breathtaking 72.7% grade at the top which gives the Incline the unique distinction of being the steepest passenger railway in the world. It has been designated as both a National Historic Site and National Historic Engineering Landmark. At the halfway point of the track, the two incline cars pass alongside each other. The ‘switch' allows the two cars to travel on a single track system.
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At the top the vistas are magnificent and you can see the Tennessee River for miles. Jean and I quickly pointed out to Diane our route on Tuesday to Chattanooga. It was nice to see the river and the route from atop Lookout Mountain.
Also on the top of this mountain is Point Park, a park where several key battles took place and where many Confederate and Union soldiers lost their lives. There's a museum here with a great display of several of the battles. There's also a huge mural (13 x30) of one of these battles painted by an American artist, James Walker. Due to the height of Point Park, the famous battle of 1863 was known as the “Battle Above the Clouds”. I took a picture of one of the War cannons that was sitting right at the edge of the park overlooking the city. These cannons, the Napoleon Cannons, were named for Emperor Napoleon III of France and identify one of three Confederate artillery positions inside the Park that mark a very small segment of the siege lines that once encircled Chattanooga. These cannons could fire a 12-pound projectile 1,700 yards.
When we were back at the parking lot at the base of the mountain, Jean snapped this picture of the Incline Railway ‘house' that sits at the top of Lookout Mountain. Look closely.
From here we headed to lunch and then to Rock City. Rock City is an area of natural rock formations. It covers about 14 acres of unusual lichen-covered sandstone and 400 species of native plants. The 4,000-foot-long Enchanted Trail leads through tunnels to various heights and down narrow crevices. A stone bridge and swing bridge span huge chasms. There's also a Lover's Leap and a Seven States Flag Court which affords a scenic view of seven states. We didn't know what to expect.
We walked around many of the paths in this garden and ‘found' most of the famous landmarks. Here's a picture of Jean and Diane going through one of the narrow passages appropriately called “Fat Man's Squeeze”.
We even walked across a stone bridge and Diane stood for a picture on the bridge with the city of Chattanooga as a backdrop. Diane also took a picture of me and Jean.
The rocks in here are huge and are in very unusual formations. Diane and I sat for a picture at Mushroom Rock.
You can walk though very narrow areas and then come across a wide open part of the garden. There's a beautiful waterfall here and wonderful lookout areas. This section of Rock City is known as Lover's Leap. According to folklore, a young brave named Sautee fell deeply in love with Nacoochee, a beautiful Cherokee maiden. Nacoochee loved Sautee as well, but their tribes were engaged in a bitter feud. The two finally ran off together, but Santee was soon captured and thrown from the edge of Lover's Leap. The despairing Nacoochee quickly followed her lover, leaping to her own death far below.
As you make your way to the top of Lookout Mountain there's an exhibit with the flags from the seven states seen from this vantage point. The views are incredible.
From this vantage point you can look down and see a huge maze—a field of corn that's been manicured in a certain design. We later found out that you can ‘walk' this maze so we decide to try to get there at some point in the week. Stay tuned.
From here we headed to Ruby Falls which was really fascinating. These Falls were discovered in 1930 by Leo Lambert, a local businessman who was in the middle of drilling a 420-foot deep elevator shaft to the original Lookout Mountain Cave. When the drill hit the 260-foot level, it produced an area of open space. When this happened, Lambert crawled inside to explore and was ‘gone' for 17 hours. When he returned he told everyone that he had found a gorgeous waterfall inside the caverns. He named it for his wife—Ruby. This underground waterfall has a drop of 145 feet, and you walk about one mile into and through the caverns to see the Falls.
About 200 million years ago a series of powerful earthquakes created Lookout Mountain. As the layers of rock moved and shifted, the resulting cracks and crevices formed the Lookout Mountain Caverns. The caverns are very interesting and the walk ‘in' is fascinating. It's very dark in the caverns and very narrow. There's also not a lot of room and there's very little lighting. You walk in a single line, about 25 visitors at a time, with a guide leading the way at the front. In this next picture I tried to get a photo of the walkway.
There are limestone formations everywhere and many of them have been named for the different shapes they've taken. Here's a formation called the ‘Candle'. The formation was one of the first that we came across.
As we continued on our way through the caverns I tried to get some pictures which would give you a good representation of these spectacular formations. Here goes…
From here we headed out to dinner—especially that we now have our appetites back. We ate at the Blue Plate diner in downtown Chattanooga. I had grilled salmon with a wonderful salad of lettuce, tomato, eggs and onion—it was great. Jean had a burger with a side order of homemade macaroni and cheese!!!!! Yum, Yum!!!!! We were back on the boat by 9pm and ready for bed.
Thursday, October 26 th
At port in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Today was an easy day—overcast, cold but not raining!!!!! After a nice breakfast we decided to bundle up and go out for the day. We began with a walk over the “Pedestrian Bridge”. This bridge spans the Tennessee River and takes you over to North Chattanooga. Several years ago, this bridge was judged as ‘unsafe for automobile' traffic by Tennessee officials. After much discussion, and many years of debate, the bridge was turned into a pedestrian walkway.
On this side of the river there are shops, restaurants, businesses and a famous carousel. At the base of the bridge is a beautiful park, complete with an animal fountain.
Jean and Diane could not resist the carousal. So…off they went. I was able to take some great pictures of the fun. As you'll see—they're the only ones on the carousal. I think that everyone else was at home—staying inside from the cold.
We did some shopping—Jean and I bought fleece vests and had lunch at a small diner. There, we found out that the owner was a long-time resident of Massachusetts before moving to Chattanooga several years ago. He loved hearing our accents!!!! What a small world.
On our return to downtown Chattanooga we took another picture from the Pedestrian bridge.
After crossing the River, we headed to the outside sculpture garden which is on the premises of the Hunter Art Museum—Chattanooga's premier art museum. This museum is housed in a very modern building adjacent to an antebellum-style building, both perched atop a beautiful bluff. The sculptures were a combination of very modern and very traditional.
Diane and I then went for a short walk in the Arts District which is a small section of galleries also situated atop a bluff area in Chattanooga. We found a great gallery with many different rooms where we saw many, many things that we liked. We bought nothing—something's wrong with us.
We were back on the boat by 5pm and took some pictures of Ocean Flyer and other boats on the dock.
We then headed out to Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee to pick up Bob and Nan from Bonas IV . We then came back into Chattanooga and had dinner at Tony's, a famous Italian restaurant in Chattanooga's Arts District. I had chicken parmesan (what a surprise) and Jean had grilled grouper. No dessert—thank goodness.
We were back at the boat by 9pm and noticed that Matt, a Looper on Attitude Adjustment , had come into the marina and was docked right behind us. We met Matt several months ago while on Lake Michigan. He's traveling with his trusty dog, Val.
Today was fun—it's just very cold—probably 20 degrees below the usual temperature!!!!
Friday, October 27 th
At port in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Well…today it's absolutely miserable. It's pouring and expected to continue pouring for the entire day. I mean pouring—cats and dogs. But…the temperature has improved and it's actually milder—high 60's. We were going to leave Chattanooga today but decided that we'd stay another day due to the bad weather.
In the morning we all did ‘nice things'. I'm working on this website, Diane is reading an excellent book that she can't put down and Jean is in the engine room. We don't want to go outside until things clear a little bit.
In the afternoon, we decided to walk to the Aquarium—a famous institution in Chattanooga. There are actually two aquariums—one is a salt water facility and the other is a fresh water facility—the largest fresh water aquarium in the world. We had a wonderful time.
The fresh water aquarium was huge with a massive tank which ran through the entire building from the fourth floor all the way to the first. The building was structured so that you could get to the tank from every floor but you had to go through a certain maze of walkways to get there. It was a very effective set-up. In this tank, we saw this green moray eel. It was very, very long and twisted its long body around the kelp.
There were also some sting rays—actually many sting rays.
Once again, Jean and I saw seahorses—and many of them—in very different forms. They're really quite beautiful and quite delicate. Look at this picture of a beautiful yellow sea horse—he's gorgeous.
In the same area was an exhibit of sea dragons—in the seahorse family but—very unique in shape. It was very difficult to see them—look closely in the pictures. One is called a weedy sea dragon and the other is a leafy sea dragon.
There was a tank where Diane decided to have some fun!!!!
There were also many alligator exhibits—large and small. Here's a picture of two alligators on top of each other as well as a small turtle—what fun!!!!
After spending quite a bit of time at the fresh water facility, we went over to the salt water building—which is the ‘ocean journey'. This facility was smaller than the other and also had a huge tank filled with ocean fish—especially sharks!!!!!
In one of the first exhibits we saw these two blue macaws—they are huge and the color blue was rich and vibrant. We weren't sure as to their presence in an aquarium but….they were beautiful.
We saw many turtles and also many different jelly fish. The jelly fish are very weird looking.
We also saw this giant spider crab—this was huge!!!!! Its claw expansion reaches more than 15 feet.
There was also a butterfly room—which was interesting but…as with the macaws…what was it doing in an aquarium?????
We saw some fish that were truly weird—very oddly shaped. I think this is a Pharaoh Cuttlefish.
And, of course, we saw some sharks—in the tank.
We walked back to the boat by 4pm—in the rain—and had a leisurely afternoon. I took a nap while Jean and Diane read and chatted.
Jean cooked a great dinner—pork chops with rice with mushrooms. We also had a great salad—greens, eggs, tomatoes and cheese. Yum-Yum!!!
Saturday, October 28 th
Chattanooga, Tennessee to Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee
What a difference a day makes!!!! This morning the skies are clear and the temperatures are mild again. It was very windy during the night—very windy. There's some wind now but...we're ready to leave. First...we need to get a rental car—we'll be using it later this weekend… but we're picking it up in Chattanooga. We'll come back and get it later today after getting to Shady Grove Harbor in Soddy-Daisy (Diane's car is already at Shady Grove—waiting for us).
After getting the rental car, we're off the dock at 10:30 on a beautiful morning. Diane's happy to be underway. We only have a 25-mile day but we also have one lock—only four miles ahead of us. We're getting some great pictures of Chattanooga from the water—especially of the two automobile bridges that frame the city.
We got some great pictures of the two aquariums—and included the boats at the docks also.
Chattanooga's Hunter Art Museum is a very modern building and sits perched on a high cliff immediately downtown. It's quite beautiful—even from the outside.
The route is pretty as we leave Chattanooga—the river is wide and winding with houses on both sides. The sun is shining and there's still a bit of a wind—just perfect. This is easy cruising.
Shortly after leaving downtown Chattanooga we came across a group of sailboats out for a wonderful day of sailing. I had to take a picture.
The scenery is marvelous—the Fall colors are in full hue—with brilliant yellows, oranges and reds. From the water, the views are spectacular. The photos don't capture the colors anywhere near their real brilliance.
Jean has called the lockmaster and he has indicated that we can ‘come right in'. He has 12 boats coming down river and they'll be coming out just about the time we get there. It looks like we're the only boat going ‘up river'. It has probably been too cold for most of the local boaters—they're heading south. We got to the lock at the perfect time—the gates open for us and the other boats are just exiting—this is the best locking we've ever had. We're also the only boat in the lock. Diane quickly learns the ropes and helps out!!!!!
The rest of the trip goes just as easily and we're surrounded by wonderful scenery—it's another perfect day. But…in the interest of ‘fair journalism', I thought I'd share this next picture with you. We came across this nuclear facility a few miles before turning into the marina. This facility is part of the TVA system and was quite a sight as we went by.
We get to the Shady Grove Harbor Marina in no time and after getting some fuel, we're in our spot by early afternoon.
We decide to go back to the Chattanooga area, to the Maze. This is a five acre field which we saw from high atop Lookout Mountain. This is a corn field which has been turned into a walking maze—complete with questions to help you decide which way to turn. We walked for hours—after getting lost several times. Fortunately, there are several lookout stairways, strategically positioned to help you find you way out. We climbed several of these in an attempt to complete the maze.
From here, we did some light food shopping, got a pizza for dinner and headed back to the boat. We picked up the rental car which we had left in downtown Chattanooga. Jean and I drove the rental back to Shady Grove and Diane drove back in her own car. We were back to the boat by 7pm and had our pizza.
Sunday, October 29 th
At port in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee
Today was expected to be beautiful and it was. The skies were blue and the temperature was in the high sixties and predicted to be in the low seventies by mid-afternoon. We decided to go for a drive—out along the Tennessee River into the Little Tennessee River area and up close to Knoxville. We went in two cars for a little while and then left one car and all rode together.
The area was beautiful and we drove and drove for hours—it was fun. We explored many side roads and small towns in Tennessee. This is a beautiful part of the United States. There are many farms in this area—especially sod farms. As such, the farms look like huge golf courses—very smooth and very silky.
We passed by many small lakes—all parts of the Tennessee and all connected to each other in some way. Many of the communities are waterfront and the houses are idyllic.
We had lunch at a small restaurant along the way and continued on our tour.
Later on in the day, we stopped at a wonderful restaurant for dinner where I had a pasta entrée with chicken and huge tomato chunks—it was great. Jean had a wonderful steak salad with Granny Smith apple slices. Once again, we had no dessert.
Since we were a few hours from the boat, we decided to stay overnight at a hotel just outside Knoxville. Diane is heading out tomorrow morning to get back to Virginia to see her son, Bill. Leaving from here makes more sense.
Monday, October 30 th
At port in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee
Today was an easy day. The morning skies were gorgeous and the temperature is climbing—it's now 65 degrees and it's expected to be in the mid-seventies in the early afternoon. Diane is leaving this morning—heading back to Virginia to spend some time with her son. After a nice breakfast of pancakes and juice, we say good bye to Diane—it's been a great visit—we've very much enjoyed our time with her.
Jean and I decided to drive to Knoxville since we're so close and we have the rental car. Knoxville is only about 30 miles away from the motel we are staying in, so….
The city is really lovely…and we quickly headed to the water to see Volunteer Landing. This is a mile-long walk along the Tennessee River complete with statues, sayings and waterfalls.
One of the first things we came across was this beautiful carved stone sculpture. It's in honor of one of Knoxville's early historic settlements—Holton. I thought it was wonderful.
It was really pretty especially as we walked under the many bridges of Knoxville. It seemed weird to be here on foot—not by boat.
While down by the river, we took a picture of the football stadium used by the University of Tennessee's Volunteers. This stadium is massive and following the Volunteers is a huge past time for many of Tennessee's residents. These games draw standing-room-only crowds and many of the fans come by water—up the River. Many, many boaters drop an anchor in the River right along Volunteer Landing—the crowds are known as the Volunteer Navy!!!!!! Here's a picture of the stadium from the landing.
We then drove through the campus of the University of Tennessee which is really gorgeous and very impressive.
We also went to the World's Fair Park, which was originally constructed to support the 1982 World's Fair held in Knoxville. I took a picture of one of the Fair's fountains.
We then decided to drive back to the boat—via all back roads. The drive was spectacular. The Fall colors are gorgeous and most of the time we were on small roads dotted by farm after farm. These farms are so beautiful—lush green fields—very smooth and a brilliant green. The ride home was excellent—we enjoyed it thoroughly.
We were back on the boat by 7pm and had leftovers for dinner. I had some pasta and Jean noshed on chips and salsa. Neither of us was very hungry.
Tuesday, October, 31 st
At port in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee
Today we decided to see more of the local scenery—so we kept the rental car and drove through many of the small towns which surround the marina. It's still cold—in the 40's but sunny. It's nice in the sun but...when the sun goes behind the clouds, it gets cold very quickly. We've been pulling out all of our long pants, sweaters and socks. We even went to Wal-Mart yesterday so that we could get some turtleneck tops.
This area is very charming and there are marinas everywhere. The towns are small and the houses are lovely. We've taken many of the mountain roads that we see from the river—and go by the houses that are perched on the cliffs. When driving along these roads you are really going up—and up—and up. It's a very long and steep inclines to get to the top of these mountains. Many of the houses have steep driveways leading down to their front doors—these driveways are almost straight down—it's crazy.
We got back to the boat by 6pm and realized that we had forgotten to take something out of the freezer for dinner. So…tonight we had a Lean Cuisine frozen dinner—chicken alfredo. It was easy and good. For dessert, we had some low-fat frozen yogurt!!!!!!
Wednesday, November 1 st
At port in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee
Today is absolutely miserable and not expected to get any better. It's very cold, very rainy and very windy. We've decided to stay put one more day. Today will be a chore day. We have tons of dirty clothes for which I'll need a laundromat. We also need a complete food order at the supermarket—we're out of almost everything. So…I'll start with those errands which will take many, many hours. Jean's on the boat doing bills and other paperwork. She's also got several ‘things' to do in the engine room. Neither one of us are looking forward to today. The weather remained horrible and nasty—so actually getting chores done was a good thing.
For dinner we went to a local, ‘famous' restaurant—Steve's Landing. It's a real local place right on the water. I had grilled catfish and Jean had BBQ ribs!!!! It was a wonderful meal and definitely lived up to its billing.
Thursday, November 2 nd
Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee to Chattanooga, Tennessee
Today was another easy day but, once again, very, very cold!!!!! The skies are blue and sunny but the temperatures are in the 30's and 40's in the morning!!!!! This is unseasonably cold—by at least 20 degrees!!!!! We had a few things to do around the boat in the morning and then we were off the dock at 10:15am. It's a bit windy but….we have only 30 miles to go to get back to Chattanooga and only one lock. Soddy-Daisy will be as far north as we'll travel by boat on the Tennessee River. This trip up the Tennessee River has been off the Great Loop route—about a 500 mile side trip off the ‘official' route.
We decided to go back to Chattanooga for several reasons. First—the city is quite interesting and we did not get to see everything that we had planned to see during our previous visit. We also wanted to go to the opera—Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro— which was only playing tonight and Saturday night. So…off we went.
The scenery is gorgeous, as usual, but the trees are even more orange and more yellow. It definitely looks like this is the prime foliage time—even more so than during our cruise up the river. It's too cold to go outside and take pictures but…..
This part of the river is also wide and picturesque. Many houses line the shoreline and the cliffs are breathtaking. Many of the houses sit perched right at the edge of the cliffs with huge drops to the water and very little in the way of backyards.
We got to the Chickamauga Lock in no time and were told that we would have to wait about 45 minutes—which is fine. This is the lock that we just came through last week and went through with absolutely NO wait. There was only one other boat heading down river with us. It was a 57-foot Nordhavn—a boat we met at the marina in Soddy-Daisy. That boat is just beautiful—these folks are local and know quite a bit about these waters.
But… just as we were called into the lock with Ocean Flyer in the lead, the Nordhavn called us to say that one of our fenders had come loose and was floating in the water. They tried to pick it up for us but without any luck. It was pretty choppy in the river and it was definitely cold. I was wearing a sweater and my hooded sweatshirt and gloves and a hat. I was NOT surprised that the Nordhavn had trouble picking up the fender. I felt badly about the loss—the knot tying the fender to the boat must have come loose—that's not good.
The lock-through went well and we were back on our way to downtown Chattanooga within 30 minutes. I actually went through a lock without taking any pictures!!!!
We made our way back to the downtown marina and quickly got settled in. The folks at the marina were happy to see us again and made us feel very welcome. We ate a quick lunch and then did some things around the boat. Later, we were both tired and actually took a short nap!!!!
Dinner was excellent. We had grilled sirloin steaks, baked potatoes and grilled asparagus—it was wonderful.
At 7:30pm we headed out to the Tivoli Theatre to see the opera. This theatre, which is downtown and within walking distance from the marina, was recently restored to its original luster and the performance itself was outstanding. This is a traveling group of performers, many with experience with the NYC Opera Company and European opera companies. The music, which was provided by the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, was excellent. We had a blast!!!!!
Friday, November 3 rd ,
At port in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Today was an easy day—we did fun things!!!!! We walked around town and did some more tourist things. We learned that there's a local boating regatta this weekend—with rowing shells— and we watched as the teams practiced. There are many, many boats in this regatta—1300 boats and 5,000 rowers. The events take place on Saturday and Sunday.
We had lunch at a private club downtown thanks to one of the people at the marina. This lunch spot was on the 20 th floor of one of Chattanooga's business buildings. The views were great!!!!
We walked around town a little more and then headed back to the boat at about 5pm. Our lunches were so good that we knew we wouldn't need dinner. For lunch, I had grilled salmon with green beans and mashed potatoes. Jean had squash-filled ravioli. Yum, Yum. Another great day!!!!!
Saturday, November 4 th
At port in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Today was a lot of fun in downtown Chattanooga. It's still unseasonably cold but very sunny. The morning temperature is a cool 45 degrees but it's expected to get into the sixties by early afternoon. When we returned to the boat last night we saw that two of our Looper friends, Judy and Fred on Amarse and from Texas, had docked immediately in front of us at the marina. We were thrilled to see their boat. We first met this couple in the Trent-Severn Waterway in Canada this past summer. Last night we ‘knocked' at their door but it was clear that they were out for the evening. Well….we saw them this morning and spent some time getting caught up on their whereabouts. It was great to see them again.
Jean and I then went off to do some things around town—starting with a stop at the Chattanooga Public Library. But…on our way, we stopped to watch the boat races for awhile and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Jean found the crew from Baylor University, her alma mater in Waco, Texas. She spoke with someone who we thought was a college student. We later found out that she was a faculty member—we were amazed—she looked about fourteen years old!!!!! We must be getting old.
The crews and boats are everywhere due to the size of this regatta. This is the second largest regatta in the U.S., behind Boston's ‘Head of the Charles' Regatta. This race is called the Head of the Hooch because it used to be held on the Chattahoochee River. Its venue was changed to the Tennessee River two years ago due to the growth in entrants. Most of the boats were stored in huge parking lots under Chattanooga's three downtown bridges.
As we walked around the parking lots it was fun to see the teams, boats and the related equipment. It was also fun to see the 'shoes' inside the shells.
The race route is 5 kilometers in length and is centered around Chattanooga's three downtown bridges. This area is also immediately adjacent to the marina where we're docked. We're definitely right in the middle of the activity. The teams seem very close to us—which they are—so we got some good pictures as the teams went through their warm-up routines.
The shells look so graceful in the water—they glide along smoothly. The rowers certainly make this look effortless. As we walked around town, we took pictures from many different venues. These were taken from the Hunter Art Museum—from here, it was also fun to see the pedestrian bridge filled with people watching the races.
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After watching the races and doing some errands, we found our way to the Hunter Art Museum. This is one of Chattanooga's newest structures and combines a very modern building with a very traditional, antebellum house. It's unusual but…very interesting. The collections themselves were excellent—but we were not allowed to take any pictures. You'll need to trust me that the abstract paintings, glass pieces and traditional oil paintings were wonderful. As you've seen from the photos of the museum which we took from the water, the museum is perched atop a cliff along the Tennessee River. Its venue is magnificent and there are many ‘lookout' opportunities—especially on the higher floors of the museum.
While walking around the Arts District, I took a picture of this apple—it just looked so inviting—and it sits on the front lawn of one of Chattanooga's best inns.
We were back on the boat by 6pm and had dinner on board. We had spaghetti with Jean's homemade sauce—this is one of our most favorite meals. We also had a Caesar salad. Dessert was low fat frozen yogurt!!!!
Sunday, November 5 th
Chattanooga, Tennessee to Scottsboro, Alabama
We had a long day today—so we were off the dock at 6:50am. We're heading to Goose Pond Marina in Scottsboro, Alabama which is 87 miles from Chattanooga. We also wanted to avoid the racers—in their shells. We knew that if we waited too long, we'd have hundreds of boaters surrounding us. That's not something we wanted.
The skies were clear and the temperature was a cool 48 degrees but…it's definitely starting to get warmer. We're now making our way back down the Tennessee River...the trip to Chattanooga was a side trip off the Loop route. In coming to Chattanooga, we knew that we would have to retrace our steps as we make our way back down the Tennessee River to the Tennessee-TomBigBee waterway and then on to Mobile.
This morning's scenery is more spectacular than ever. The Fall foliage is in its perfect stage and everything looks red, orange and yellow. Even the reflection of the trees in the water is spectacular. These pictures will never do justice to the real thing.
It's pretty early in the day and the views are just wonderful. The temperatures are cool but that also leaves a true crispness in the air which enhances the views. I think this next picture is one of my favorites.
Since it's Sunday, we're also seeing many boats in the water. There are many commercial ‘Fall foliage' riverboat cruises on the river—who can blame them?????
There's a section of the River that we go through today that's known as the ‘Grand Canyon of Tennessee'. While that statement may be an exaggeration, it clearly expresses the level of beauty in this area at this time of the year.
As we continued, the River and trees really became mesmerizing—I'm very grateful that this part of the U.S. has a change of seasons and that we're here in the Fall. Seeing the trees in their glory is very comforting—there are times when I definitely miss New England. But the Tennessee River has been just wonderful.
As we look ahead from the bow of the boat, we're both amazed at how majestic things look—like something out of a postcard. The sky today is a brilliant blue and the water seems like glass. This combination makes it easy to have such a long run.
We had only one lock today and it was the easiest locking through we've ever had—by a mile. We went right in—with no wait—and we were the only boat in the lock. That's very unusual on a weekend and when going south down the river at this time of year. We've been pretty lucky today—everything's been going so smoothly. Every time that I go out on the bow, I end up taking a picture—I think the bow views are so special. I know that you're sick of these but…at least I didn't take another lock picture!!!!!!
As we cruised along we saw more cliffs—very high and very picturesque and yet they seemed so near to us. They were surrounded by small mountains—many of which have historical significance.
We made very good time and the day passed pretty quickly. I took this next picture as the afternoon set in and the sun reflected beautifully on the water.
We made it to Goose Pond Marina by 2pm which was 3pm really but….somewhere in today's journey we moved from the Eastern Time Zone into the Central Time Zone. That's one way to ‘find' an extra hour. This marina is situated in a perfect location. It's only a mile off the main channel of the Tennessee River and it's surrounded by gorgeous trees and small mountains. The setting is beautiful.
We did boat things for awhile and then sat down to dinner. Tonight's meal was chicken with rice and a small medley of vegetables including squash, zucchini, tomatoes and onions. The meal was excellent. We had our usual dessert—low fat frozen yogurt.
Monday, November 6 th
Scottsboro, Alabama to Guntersville, Alabama
Today was an easy day. We were off the dock at 10:35 and on our way to Guntersville—only a 23-mile run. The day is clear and sunny with temperatures on the rise—in the high sixties and low seventies. I'm back wearing cropped pants and no socks!!!!! We have another perfect cruising day—the waters are calm and clear. I took these next two pictures as we left the Goose Pond Marina area.
The scenery continues to be beautiful—wide, wide water surrounded by colorful trees and small mountains. There are very few boats on the water which is a shame because it's so gorgeous here.
We're re-entering an area where we're seeing more houses and boat houses. In this section of the Tennessee there are many flat lots with big houses all with their own boathouses. These lots are very manicured and slope gently to the water. In the Chattanooga area, the lots were sitting atop cliffs—these lots are much flatter.
The views continue to be outstanding—as we turn into the inlet to the marina we see two small islands—quite pretty.
We arrived at Alred Marina in Guntersville at 1pm. The cruising was easy and the waters were calm. It's now in the low seventies and I'm feeling warm again!!!!
We took a loaner car out for awhile and drove around the neighboring towns. After this we did some grocery shopping and headed back to the boat for dinner. Dinner tonight was chicken, stuffing and a Caesar salad. We had no dessert!!!! |
