Date: October 23, 2013
Day on the Cruise: 173
From: Hales Bar Marina, Halestown, TN
To: Island Cove Marina, Harrison, TN
Statute Miles: 49.5 SM
Time: 6.2 Hrs
Cumulative Miles: 4,446.7 SM
On Board: Susan, Chuck, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut
Tonight we are at Island Cove Marina in Harrison, TN, which is on Lake Chicamauga, North of Chattanooga.
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| North of Chattanooga, TN |
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| Location North of Chattanooga on the Tennessee River |
We left at 8:05 this morning heading through the Tennessee River Gorge to Chattanooga. We were running by ourselves today, as Pazza Bella was only going to the downtown Chattanooga dock and had about a 30 mile run. We had a 50 mile run and had to go through a lock, so we cast off earlier.
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| This is the old power house that was part of the Hales Bar Dam. The dam was replaced by Nickajack Dam and the Hales Bar Dam and lock was demolished. They left the power house and it is partially flooded. It is eerie to see this big structure in the middle of the river! |
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| Heading South out of Hales Bar to turn back to the channel going North |
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| Remnants of the old Hales Bar Lock |
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| The power house sitting in the River, partially flooded |
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| Heading into the Tennessee River Gorge |
Our friends Ron and Nan Sue who we saw at Hales Bar yesterday also left when we did heading through the gorge. They were also going to the down town dock in Chattanooga in their Rosborough 24. We left going South from the marina to avoid the rock line between the marina and the main channel. We actually traveled about 3/4 of a mile South then got into the main channel and headed toward Chattanooga.
Susan and I were not impressed with Hales Bar Marina. Maybe it was the time of year, as boating season has gotten very thin up here now. No dock person met us and helped us tie up. Pazza Bella, who was in the lead yesterday, was told on the radio to ask a fellow boater on the dock to help with the lines. That's fine. There were no cleats on the dock. You had to tie up to the support posts for the covered docks. That wasn't so good. No restaurant. The docks and dog walk areas were very dark. The place is very remote. Nothing nearby within walking distance. No wi fi. No TV reception. Just a place to tie up and plug in.
It was very cold this morning. We were bundled in sweat shirts and jackets, and I put some gloves on for the first time on our Loop trip. We traveled in the "plastic bubble" on the fly bridge meaning all the Isinglass panels were zipped tight except for the back door which we left open. At least it cut the wind, but when the sun was not out, the enclosure did not warm up and we were very cold. We thought about piloting from the lower station in the salon. Next week might very well find us driving from down there where we can keep warm. The Isinglass also makes taking pictures in the "Bubble" a little difficult. Sometimes there is a glare from the Isinglass on the picture and the pictures are not as clear as I like them.
The Tennessee River gorge was very impressive. Today was very much an "Azorean" weather day, and this added lighting highlights to the gorge scenery. I spentbsome time on Teceira Island in the Azores at Lajes Field whenI was in the Air Force. We had many days when it was very cool and windy, and the clouds were very low with some intermittent sunshine. I have always remembered how it felt on those days and how the scudding low clouds let the sun come in and out over the ocean and the mountains. These are my "Azorean" kind of days, and today was one for me. Going throughthe gorge, the clouds were low and the sun came in and out, casting a special light on the River and the mountains on both sides of the River. It was windy and cold. I was transformed back 40 years ago to my time in the Azores!
The scenery in the gorge was spectacular, but mostly all green. Where are the Fall colors? Not here. Not this week. Maybe next week. The River is narrow and winding and very deep. We bucked a strong current until we got through the Chicamauga Lock, making it necessary to increase engine speed to maintain a decent pace. We went though sections of the River with names like "the Pot" and "Suck Shoals".
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| Passing Ron and Nan Sue in their Rosborough boat |
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| View in the gorge today |
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| View in the gorge today |
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| View in the gorge |
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| Big Rock at "Suck Shoals" |
We passed the Raccoon Mountain Project where TVA generates power by taking water from the River, pumping it to the top of Raccoon Mountain, and letting it back down to the River through turbines. The tunnels into the mountain here were very impressive!
Finally we rounded a bend and there was Lookout Mountain. Lookout Mountain was the site of a famous Civil War Battle that was termed the "Battle Above the Clouds". It towers over a bend in the River known as "Moccasin Bend". We have been to Chattanooga by car many times. We have driven to the top of Lookout Mountain and looked down on the Tennessee River and Moccasin Bend many times. Today, we cruised up River and through Moccasin Bend and it was very thrilling! We looked up at Point Park on the brow of Lookout Mountain, and connected the dots from our previous visits. Very cool!
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| Cruising up stream toward Lookout Mountain |
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| Entering Moccasin Bend at Lookout Mountain |
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| Leaving Lookout Mountain in our wake as we come out of Moccasin Bend |
Now we rounded the bend and saw Chattanooga for the first time. Just a bunch of industry and barges along the banks at first. We passed the site of the old U.S. Pipe and Foundry plant on the River where my father spent many a day in his engineering role with the Company.
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| First glimpse of Chattanooga |
Around the next bend and Bang! There was the beautiful downtown area and the bridges and the beautiful Aquarium complex that my office with Turner constructed. The marina where we will stay next week when we visit downtown, and several Looper boats with which we were with at Joe Wheeler is right in front of the Aquarium. We saw "Sun Gypsy" tied to the floating dock.
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| Marina at Chattanooga |
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| Going under the bridges in Chattanooga |
Across the River from the downtown area, we saw the old steamboat "Delta Queen" moored to the bank. She ran passenger service up and down the Great Rivers for years. we saw her in Decatur several times and even watched her lock through Wheeler Lock one evening. My father traveled on her 70 years ago when she was a troop transport on the Sacremento River in California. She looks very sad sitting there with no activity!
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| The old "Delta Queen" |
On we cruised, past the beautiful downtown bridges over the River. Several more miles and we got to the Arrival Point for Chickamauga Lock. We had called the lock master on the VHF radio when we were in downtown Chattanooga, and he was expecting us. We were quickly put into the Lock chamber, and in about 20 minutes we were raised up to Chickamauga Lake.
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| Cruising North after leaving downtown Chattanooga |
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| Arrival Point for the Chickamauga Lock. They have built a coffer dam here possibly for a new lock. Chickamauga is the oldest and smallest Lock on the Tennessee River and is a real bottle neck. |
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| Maneuvering to enter the Lock |
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| We were by ourselves in the Lock and tied up in the front of the chamber |
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| Leaving the Lock and heading into Lake Chickamauga |
The Lake was beautiful. We have learned by now on the Tennessee River going up stream, that when you are raised up at a Lock, you will always exit onto a very wide, beautiful big lake. Chickamauga was no different. The sun was now out in full force, and we lost the bucking current for a while, and we had a wonderful cruise about 6 miles up to our marina at Harrison, TN.
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| Entering Lake Chickamauga |
Turning off the main channel into Harrison Bay, we followed a buoyed side channel right to the marina and a nice covered slip into which we tucked "Blue Moon" for a few days while we attend a wedding.
This was our first time in a covered slip. It is like a boat garage. The slip is very large and there are big house boats on both sides of us. There are both Tennessee Vol fans and Georgia Bulldog fans as evidenced by the flags flying on the boats around us. An Auburn fan surely won't degrade the neighborhood. I hope!
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| "Blue Moon" in the "Garage" |
Dinner tonight was at the marina restaurant which is Mexican. Tomorrow we get a rental car and head out to find this wedding. Back in a few days.
Thanks for Reading!
