Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019 - Goose Pond Colony Marina to Riverwalk Marina, Decatur, AL mm. 305

Backing up to yesterday for a minute, we borrowed the rental car and drove into Scottsboro for lunch at the Liberty Restaurant (meat and 3 type place) and then to a grocery store for a few supplies.  The day was a good one to spend in a slip!  It drizzled most of the day and was chilly.  Finally towards the end of the day Maggie and I were able to get out and take a good walk.








This morning we woke up pretty early (too new to the Central time thing).  The place was covered in a dense fog. 



We were planning to get to Decatur...but wondered when we'd be able to see well enough to do so.  We had already arranged to get fuel when the staff came in at 8, and by then the fog was clearing enough for us to do so.  We pulled out at 8:45 with the fog nearly all gone.



The trip today was easy.  We arrived at Riverwalk Marina around 4:45 PM.  Lots of pleasure boats out today taking in the Easter Sunday sun!  Maggie, as usual, insisted on the birds' eye view....

Friday, April 19, 2019 - Chattanooga to Goose Pond Colony Marina mm. 378

We didn't plan to go 97 miles today...it just worked out that way.

We left Chattanooga at 8:15AM Eastern.  We were thinking we'd probably anchor at Burns Island below Nickajack Lock.  But shortly after leaving Chattanooga we went into Central time and it then looked like we'd be anchoring at 12:30 or so, Central time.  We like to cruise for a full day: 8-4 is ideal.  So we started looking for a stop further down river and realized we could get all the way to Goose Pond before 6PM Central.  As it turns out, we ran at 9 mph or better for all but the last hour of the trip (due to a push from the current) when we'd drop back to 8.8 or 8.9.  Bottom line, we got to Goose Pond before 5 PM Central.

Now, granted, it was a lousy day to travel.  We had rain, mostly light, all day.  Winds picked up towards the end of the trip.  And it was cold.  Nasty stuff!

Looking at the forecast for Saturday we decided last night to stay 2 nights here and leave on Sunday in hopes of seeing sun as we depart. ;-)

We watched the engine and oil levels all day, of course, and had no more problems.

Going through the area below Chattanooga, known as "The Grand Canyon of Tennessee," we watched the depth finder to see how deep it got in the "pan" area as the water flows through the gorge that follows an ancient earthquake fault.  We saw 136 feet!

And this is Baylor School in Chattanooga as seen from the water on a rain, foggy morning....

The greens are even greener when they are wet and backed by the grey sky and water....

Thursday, April 18, 2019 - Island Cove Marina to Erwin Marine Riverfront mm. 464

So, life is truly an adventure...and traveling by boat offers a whole lot of adventure, by Jove.

We had planned to go to Hales Bar Marina for tonight because we wanted to be tied up to a dock during the winds they are predicting.  We left Island Cove by 8 AM heading for a lock through in the Chicamauga Lock.  

Wayne realized, just as we were getting ready to enter the lock, that the engine was overheating.  We decided to go on down to Chattanooga...watching the temp carefully...and we were able to get to the Bluff docks downtown.  

Erwin Marine, the group that manages all the downtown docks, has started using an online service, Dockwa, to make reservations.  I tried to complete the registration on my Android and could get to the  "make this happen" button...but the button wouldn't work.  OK.  I got the iPad out and tried on it.  Still had problems completing the reservation.  No need to worry, really.  If you dock on one of their docks they will see you and send a rep down to check it out.  That's exactly what happened.  Bryan showed up and, with him there, the iPad worked fine.  We had docked near the "safe" exit from the Bluff docks  (the other exit takes you up a dark passage that is often home to the homeless.)  Turns out the door we would need to use was damaged in their flooding earlier this year (18 ft. above normal!) and wasn't usable.  We decided to go down to the dock closer to the Erwin Marine office.

So.  Tied up, we walked Maggie up to the Big River Grille and had a good burger meal before Wayne started tackling the issue of overheated engine.  He needed to take up much of the salon floor to check it out so Maggie and I packed up and headed up to a table and chairs we'd seen on our walk.

The spot Maggie and I landed in was totally deserted when we got there.  I spread out some paints, sketches...tied Maggie up to a table leg...and started relaxing into some art.  This is how the area looked:

 

A couple of minutes later a bus dropped off a group of 2nd and 3rd grade kids from Huntsville, AL!

The kids were really well behaved and many had a turn petting Maggie...or, better yet, says Maggie...letting her lick the food smell from their hands after lunch!

Maggie and I stayed to see the group off...and then I worked on a small painting of a dish Willa made, asparagus with red bud blooms sprinkled atop:

Finally Maggie and I walked back to the boat to see what was going on with Wayne.  He was just wrapping up and putting down the floor when we arrived.  He'd checked all the possibles and came up with one small pebble in the water line....also made sure there were no air bubbles.  Plans are to leave tomorrow morning and go as far as we want to before (probably) anchoring for the night.  

Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - Sale Creek to Island Cove Marina, mm 477

Today was a really easy day.  We took our time leaving Sale Creek and motored down to Island Cove Marina before noon.  We haven't done much at all this afternoon.  It's pleasantly warm with a breeze...perfect weather for sitting on the back deck or taking a short nap (or both at once!)  Maggie is thrilled to be near land again.  We've already had 2 walks and another will be forthcoming.  

Here are a couple of pictures Wayne took over the past couple of days:

Here we are going down in the Watts Bar Lock

And this shot was taken as we left our anchorage at Little Paint Rock Creek yesterday morning....   Yes, you will see lots more water/sky pics because I can't get enough!

Tuesday, April 15, 2019 - Little Paint Rock Creek to Sale Creek, mm 495

It was chilly when we woke up this morning and stayed that way for several hours.  Maggie had options!

The day warmed up nicely, though, and we had no trouble passing through Watts Bar Lock and getting to Sale Creek anchorage by 5: 74 miles.  Tomorrow we have a short day to Island Cove Marina.  Maggie and I will hit the ground moving!! ;-)

The greens are unbelievable as we go.  This shot shows something of the variation...

Spring 2019 Trip to Clarksville, TN

Monday, April 15, 2019 - Fort Loudon Marina to Anchorage at Little Paint Rock Creek, mm 576

Well, this has taken some time…but we’re finally on our way for a little cruise this spring.  We started out with the idea of going back down to the Panhandle.  Those plans were dashed when we realized that the Tenn-Tom Waterway (which runs from the Tennessee River to the Mobile Bay) is silted over in a spot and the waterway is closed to all traffic right now.  The Army Corps of Engineers anticipated starting to clear a 150 foot passage on April 1 and thought it would take at least 3 weeks.  THEN we pictured all the barges/towboats that were lined up to go through and decided to opt out of that mess.
After much talk and scanning of charts we decided to go to Clarksville, TN, instead.  We’ll go down the Tennessee River to a “cut through” near the Kentucky Dam, and that will take us to the Cumberland River.  Upstream on the Cumberland about 125 miles we’ll come to Clarksville, TN, and visit for a day or two.
We’d planned to leave, then, on April 6 or 7.  That was before Wayne realized we needed to replace all the batteries in the boat.  That done, we set the departure date for today, April 15.
But wait!  There’s more!  We got down to the boat on Sunday the 14th so we could be ready first thing Monday morning to lock through the Fort  Loudon Lock.  Wayne was running through his check list and tested the bow thrusters…which weren’t working!  After roaming around in the engine “room” (can’t really call it a room since there’s no chance of standing upright in it) for a while he uncovered the problem: we needed a new bus bar.  Don’t even ask what that’s for…I do well to remember the name of the thing.  All I know is…we won’t be leaving without it.
This morning Wayne went to West Marine and bought a new one…and installed it.  By noon we were in the lock and headed downstream.  It was a little chilly this morning, like in the 40’s with a pretty bold wind.  We made good time, though, due to going downstream, and anchored at about 4 PM.
The wind has died down and it’s very pleasant at 5:30.  We’ve had the river to ourselves today…only the occasional small, fast boat.  Tomorrow we’ll get in a full day of cruising.

Maggie and Wayne taking in the afternoon sun....

Home is within sight!

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 -

Left Little Cedar anchorage at 6:15 AM and traveled up and through Chicamauga Lock.  Anchored at MM 491, Eldridge Slough.  Nice and breezy...and we're hoping for some sun relief soon.

Thursday, May 10, 2018 -

At last we are on Eastern Time!  We left this morning at 7 AM and had a pleasant day of travel.  Storms were predicted for parts of our trip...but we only got some light rain.

CRAZY thing happened as we were going up through Watts Bar Lock.  We had just started the ascent when three F-16 fighters passed over us at 500 feet!  We were standing on our back deck with Maggie when it happened...and neither of us could tell, at first, what was going on!  I thought the lock must be caving in!  The noise was so loud and it just reverberated in that concrete chamber! 

When we got up near the top the lock master was there to talk about it.  We asked if it happened often and he said, "Not often enough for me to be used to it!"  He had seen the three planes...and the only reason we know what they were and how close they were to the ground is because Wayne called the Air National Guard about it. 

The guy he talked to said he would try to find out more about them and called back with the info we have based on radar records.  They probably DO know where they came from but are reluctant to get all mucked up with another agency...or their own.  Quite an experience.  It's the kind of thing that could bring on a heart attack!!

The rest of the trip went smoothly and we're anchored now in Little Paint Rock Creek at MM 576.  We should be home tomorrow afternoon after a stop at Ft. Loudon Marina for fuel.

Friday, May 11, 2018

Well, we did indeed make it home today.  Jay picked us up at Concord Marina that afternoon.  We were tired, but glad to be back.  Spent the weekend recovering.

This was a good trip: just long enough, generally good weather...nice.   Till next time....safe travels!