The Tennessee River

Once we got through the Barkley Lock we only had a few miles to go to Green Turtle Bay Marina. We stopped for fuel and a pump-out and then got our slip. Barely tied up before we met several of our old traveling buddies: Knot Home, Sea Venture and First Snow.

Many of these folks are either waiting for the end of hurricane season, November 1st, for insurance reasons, or are headed for the AGLCA ("looper's" association) rendezvous later in October. So they have no reason to move along while we are anxious to get back to our home in Nova Scotia to close it up before winter.

Werner and Kathie are going to leave their boat her for a week while they drive to Virginia to met their new grand-daughter, Vera Simone. Now that's a classic name. To celebrate their new grandchild, (and to say good-bye as we will continue on) we went to Pattie's Restaurant in 'downtown' Grand Rapids, home of the 2" thick pork chop! Werner and I had to order one of course; I can't believe he ate the whole thing! We had leftovers from mine for two days.

The Cumberland River parallels the Tennessee for many miles and then continues up past Nashville to Celina, TN. The beginnings of both of these rivers are really lakes made when the Tennessee Valley Authority dammed the Tennessee River and built the Barkley Dam in the 1930's. The area between is called (appropriately) the "Land Between the Lakes"; it is the largest inland peninsula in the U.S.

We left the marina late morning the next day, crossed from Barkley Lake into Kentucky Lake (and the Tennessee River) via a canal. Kentucky Lake is one of the largest man-made bodies in the world; it covers 160,000 acres and has 2,380 miles of shoreline and while the southern part looks more like a river, the lake is technically 240 miles long.

We first stopped by a now sunken quarry for lunch and a quick review of the local graffiti.

And then moved on to Sugar Bay for the night.

Up early the next morning after a beautiful sunset and quiet night (except for the coyotes).

As we go up the river we see all kinds of things. This is an abandoned building near a bridge just off the channel. Project anyone? Waterside Grill?

Then on to an anchorage in Birdsong Creek, just off the river in a small creek. We anchored and then took the dingy almost 2 miles up the creek to a marina where we got some ice for drinks - what else? On the way back we met "Marquesa" heading for the marina.

A beautiful dawn and then off we go.

As we go along the river it's obvious they expect some flooding. The houses are either high up on the banks,

or as high as they can get them on stilts!

And then we come across some developer's dream; buy some river-frontage from a farmer and build a row of stilt homes. Ticky-tacky, all in a row. And they want $25k for a small lot!

Found another anchorage behind an island on the river. As we left the next morning we saw several goats huddled along the river. I guess the locals get tired of their goats and drop them off on these islands. Too weird.

Then up to the Pickwick Lake Lock for another lift up to the lake. We had to wait for them to lock down a barge. The lock master told us to get as close as we could and then slide in behind the tow so he could lock us up.

The doors open and here comes the tow, looked like he was scraping the sides of the lock as he came out.

We are now at 417' above sea level - our last lock up. It should be down hill from here! A few miles on down the scenic Pickwick Lake and we turn right at the Yellow River, the official start of the Tenn-Tom Waterway,