Day 173: Addi Belle

WSJ Article on the Loop

We only saw one working boat yesterday, it was Addi Belle.  She was pushing six barges  Clearly her Captain had pissed-off someone at HQ.  Why else would he be working on Memorial Day; and a day when the river was guaranteed to be wall-to-wall with rec boats?  Whatever the Captain's transgression, the punishment was clearly taking its toll.  At a particularly congested section of the river we heard Addi Belle make this forlorn radio call: "If anyone's listening I'm desperately trying to go upriver."  Normally tugs state their intentions and everyone gets out of the way.  Clearly Memorial Day is anything but a normal day.

A Very Broad Lake Wheeler

What a difference a day makes.  Today we, and I'm sure Addi Belle, are all alone on the river.

Lodge and Docks at Joe Wheeler

Joe Wheeler Anchorage (Looking South)

It was 33 miles to the anchorage in Joe Wheeler (a Confederate major general) State Park, Alabama.  We're now 2537 miles into the journey.  DBH

Day 172: Spiders and Herons

Demolition Progress on the B.B. Comer Bridge (Built in 1930)

Spider Webs Everywhere

Covered slips are great.  They keep both the sun and rain at bay.  You can always tell a boat that's kept undercover by its shiny gelcoat and gleaming paint.  So, what's not to like about a covered slip?  In a word, spiders.  Their detritus rains down from the ceiling and covers everything in goo.  Just when you think it can't get any worse, spider hatchlings rain down from the ceiling and move aboard your boat.

Blue Herons are a Common Sight on Lock Walls

Nine blue herons watched us transit Guntersville lock today.  It seemed curious that a shallow water hunter would be interested in a deep pool;  that is until we saw one heron perform a pelican dive.  I'd never seen a heron do that before and wonder if it's a local, learned behavior. 

Just Some of the Boats Rafted Up Off Point Mallard

Quote of the day from a twenty-something, looking at Bicki, Nellie and me, while addressing his friends, "When I'm old like that, I want a boat like that."  There's a compliment in there somewhere but I'm having trouble finding it...

On the hook just east of Decatur, Alabama in Point Mallard.  A long 81 mile day which ups our total to 2504 miles.  DBH

Day 171: Down the River Up

Old RR Bridge

Lots more 'rec boats'--local lingo for recreation boats--on the river today.  The little runabouts and pontoon boats were generally beached in sandy areas.  Their crews were enjoying cooling swims as today's temperature topped 90F.  With the Dutch doors open and a bit of a breeze it's still very comfortable aboard Nellie.  Fortunately the nights are still cooling down nicely, lows in the mid 60s are common. 

Jones Creek Anchorage (Looking North)

We needed to navigate a long stretch of well marked, but very shallow water, to get into Jones Creek.  Once over the entrance bar,  depths increased to 10'.  Tonight's winds are supposed to be from the NW.  The cove we're in should protect us nicely.

Nellie's Own Little Cove

The anchor refused to set this evening.  As we drug the anchor along bubbles surfaced directly above it.  I suspect the bubbles are from decaying organic material and it's that material that's keeping the anchor from digging in. 

Jones Creek Anchorage (Looking East)

It's a bit of a risk spending the night without a good anchor set.  I'm hoping that our protected location and predicted mild winds will allow us to sneak by.  Just in case though, the anchor drag alarm is set. 

At MM388 in Jones Creek, 44 miles today and 2423 miles for the journey. DBH

Day 170: Hales Bar

Aquarium Square, Chattanooga

The Chattanooga Aquarium came highly recommended and rightly so.  The tour starts on the fifth floor and winds down to ground level; much like the Tennessee itself which starts high in the Smokey Mountains and ends much lower in the Ohio River. 

Where the Tennessee Begins (On Top of the Aquarium ;-)

Jellyfish on Display

Lookout Mountain (Looking South)

1863 Depiction of Lookout Mountain

In the 1860's Chattanooga's population was under 3,000.  As evidenced by the picture above, much of the wood in the surrounding forests had already been consumed for heating, cooking and home building.  It's striking the difference 143 years has made on Lookout Mountain; its gone from barren to verdant. 

Racoon Mountain Pump Station

The Gorge

Wine Tasting on Rachel

32 Miles today.  Sending fast as there's poor internet.  DBH

Day 169: Lookout Mountain

Stairs Between River and Town

Chattanooga is doing a great job of attracting people into its public spaces.  For example, a simple stairway, see picture above, is morphed into a cascading waterfall where adults are invited to soak their feet and children to wade and play.

Market Street Looking South, Chattanooga

Lookout Mountain Over Chattanooga

Hunter Museum of American Art from Walnut St. Walking Bridge

Nellie D. Enjoying a Few Days Off

Still at the Olgiatti Dock, downtown Chattanooga.  No miles today and holding at 2345.  DBH

Day 168: Chattanooga

Fixing the Whistle

Nellie's whistles weren't loud enough.   It turns out that the pressure regulator on the compressor was the problem. It was greatly reducing the amount of air that could pass through the system.  I bypassed the regulator today.  Problem is solved.

Walking Bridge on the Left Descending Bank

Chattanooga is a very pretty city.  It's amazing how many museums and parks there are. 

Top of the Bluff

Restaurants at the top of the Bluff remind us of Italy, especially those with the vine covered trellises.

Walking the Riverside Trail

There's at least a seven-mile walkway along the river, we walked five miles today.  It was good to get out but we could really feel the summer heat coming on.

Flowering Shrub

For a while today we were all alone at the dock.  Tonight five boats came in.  Dwindling quickly are the days when we get places all to ourselves.  The increased traffic and the increased temperatures mean summer is right around the corner.

Kudzu: The Shore Side Zebra Mussel

I thought it was ironic after learning, yesterday, about zebra mussels,  that today we would see Kudzu completely taking over a hillside.  Both zebra mussels and Kudzu grow so quickly they overwhelm and smother anything in their paths.

At the Olgiatti Dock in downtown Chattanooga.  No miles today and holding at 2345 for the journey. DBH

Day 167: Zebras

Chickamauga Lock

Sign Warns of Sticking Pins--First We've Seen in 17 Locks...

Mollusks on the Chickamauga Lock Wall

While locking down in Chickamauga today the wall  appeared to be peeing on us.  On closer examination it wasn't the wall but little mollusks that were the source of the spray.  I've never seen a zebra mussel, but I've certainly heard of them.

Zebra mussels are native to the freshwater rivers of southern Russia--like the Volga.  They showed up in the Great Lakes in 1988; probably by hitching a ride on or in a freighter.   Since then they've been spreading quickly throughout Canada and the US.  Zebras may have worked their way down Lake Michigan and into the inland rivers.  Or, they may have stowed away on a boat being trailered down from the Great Lakes.  Either way,  Zebra mussels are now found on the entire length of the Tennessee.  Zebras are categorized as an invasive species because they have few predators, grow quickly and densely, and are responsible for killing off indigenous clams and mollusks.  In fact, zebras grow so densely together they can completely clog huge pipes.  Power companies spend some $20M/year clearing zebras out of their cooling systems. 

Zebra Mussel (Wikipedia Photo)

So, did we see zebra mussels today?  I'm afraid so as they have the same coloring, striations and 'D' shape of the zebra mussel pictured above. I'll have to keep an eye on Nellie's underwater thruhulls.

Chattanooga Yacht Club to Downtown Chattanooga

At the downtown Chattanooga dock.  Fifteen miles today and 2345 miles into the journey.  DBH

Day 166: Things that Make You Go Hmm

River Route Knoxville to Chattanooga

Highway Route from Knoxville to Chattanooga

Two paths to the same place. 

The highway takes 1.82 hours and about 2.5 gallons of diesel to cover the 111 miles.

The river route takes four days and 72 gallons of diesel to cover 184 miles. 

So, as compared to a car, Nellie took 53 times longer while consuming 29 times as much fuel.  Hmm, yea, I'm good with that :-)  "How could you be?", I hear you asking.  Because Nellie's route was 73 miles farther... ;-)

A scant 16 miles today to make it to the Chattanoga Yacht Club.  Total for the trip is now 2330 miles.  DBH

Day 165: Cormorants

Watts Bar Lake Meets the Sky

Barker Island, MM 533, Cormorant Rookery

From a distance Barker Island has a ghostly appearance.  It's trees are denuded and the ground is snow white; a stark contrast to the surrounding islands which have an earthy-red soil topped by a tall, multihued green canopy.  Comorants have taken over this one acre island and turned it into a rookery.  It's easily a thousand bird gulp that calls Barker home.  We approached it slowly and upwind because what appears to be snow, let's just say it isn't...

Today's 49 Mile Run

Eldridge Slough Anchorage Looking North

Eldridge Slough Anchorage  Looking WNW

At anchor in Eldridge Slough, Tennessee MM491, about 25 miles NE of Chattanooga.  Adding in today's 49 miles we're now 2314 miles into the journey. DBH

Day 164: Pearl Harbor

This morning Bicki said, "We're at 602 and have to get to 477 plus change by Tuesday."  I had to laugh, a month ago this would have been Greek.   Today it's our normal language.  Latitude and longitude have been replaced by the river's mile markers.  Knoxville is at 648, Lenoir, last night's anchorage is at 602 and tonight's anchorage, Pearl Harbor, is at 542.  What Bicki was saying is that we have three days to go 125 miles; an easy pace by any metric.

A Lake House with Low Maintenance and Low Taxes

Does the movement for restoring the Everglades to its natural state have a broader appeal, say to those on and around the Tennessee River?  When I pose the question the universal response is a quizzical look which morphs into a look of concern for my mental health.  Clearly this topic is not within Tennessee's Overton Window.

Emergency Pin Release

Our practice had been to never cleat Nellie off to a lock's floating bollard (aka pin).  This is because a cascade of really bad things happen when pins jam.  The first is that the dock line gets too tight to release.   The second, depending on if you're locking up or down, is that the boat gets pulled underwater or suspended above it.  Both are good things to avoid.   But, holding the line by hand, especially when a wind is blowing, is near impossible.  At the bottom of the picture above is the solution to the problem.  A while back we saw this emergency release tool employed while locking down.  The boat infront of us was literally suspended in the air when the knife was employed.  The sounds of the line parting and the boat scraping against the wall as it fell were frightening.  By having the knife close at hand we hope to avoid any drama.

Tonight's Anchorage in Pearl Harbor

Great Sun Angle in Pearl Harbor

At anchor in the very scenic Pearl Harbor, Tennessee, MM542 after a relaxing 54 mile run.  Total mileage for the journey is now 2265.  DBH

Day 163: Heading Down

A New View--Looking Down the Tennessee

The current is going with us now.  It's nice to see the knot log consistently over 8 mph.  Going upstream I dreaded the higher current in the run-up to the locks.  Now I savor it.

A Beautiful Home with a Nordhaven Out Back

"Red left port, Red left port", is the new mantra heard aboard Nellie.  We don't want to mess this up; keep the red nuns to port and the green cans to starboard.  Going aground is at best embarrassing and, at worst, costly.

Rocky Bluffs

Today's anchorage was not selected for its wind and wave protection, natural beauty, solitude, or even its good holding.  In fact it's a lousy anchorage but, with one, over arching, redeeming quality, it's close to a great rib joint. 

The Knoxville Power Squadron Anchoring Out

While dinghing to the restaurant we passed some rafted boats; the folks aboard waved us over.  A nice chat turned into an invitation aboard, then cocktails, boat tours, dinner, desert, and a piano recital.  Yup, Sundancer has a piano aboard.  We never did make it to the rib joint, however, I now know that conviviality also trumps a good anchorage.

At Anchor off Lenoir City Park, Tennessee. 

43 miles today and 2211 miles into the journey.  DBH