Day on the Cruise: 171
From: Ditto Landing Marina, Huntsville, AL
To: Goose Pond Colony Marina, Scottsboro, AL
Statute Miles: 44.6 SM
Time: 5.8 Hrs
Cumulative Miles: 4,345.2 SM
On Board: Susan, Chuck, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut
Tonight we are at the marina at Goose Pond Colony Resort near Scottsboro, AL. Scottsboro is about 45 minutes by car from Huntsville. It is the last "big" town before you get to Chattanooga.
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| Goose Pond Marina Near Scottsboro, AL |
It was foggy at Ditto Landing this morning but by 8:00 it had pretty much lifted. We were off the dock at 8:05 and into the Tennessee River. Wisps of fog remained right on the water, but by about 8:30 we entered a fog bank in which we stayed for a good hour.
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| Entering the River from Ditto |
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| Pazza Bella in the River |
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| Encountering Wispy Fog as it Lifts |
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| Heading toward Goose Pond Marina |
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| We enter the Dense Fog Bank |
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| Traveling in the Fog |
"Pazza Bella" was leading with his radar and AIS. I had both radar and AIS on as well. I stayed 100 feet behind Pazza Bella - right on his tail, and at times we could not see him - the fog was so thick. We both slowed to 5 mph or less to transit the fog. The radar worked well as we could see the buoys on the screen, so we could still navigate the River. Luckily there were no commercial vessels on the River while we were in the fog. The River got very narrow as were we in the fog.
About 9:30 we broke out of the fog. We were just West of Painted Rock which is a huge rock formation on the RDB. It was beautiful as we passed it.
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| Passing Painted Rock |
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| Painted Rock is a Beautiful Formation. I am Glad the Fog Lifted! |
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| Looking Back at Painted Rock as We Leave the Fog in the Background |
Soon we were at Guntersville Lock and Dam. We arrived in the auxiliary lock there at 10:15 and we were out of the lock and on Lake Guntersville by 10:35. It was good not to have a wait at the lock.
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| Approaching Guntersville Lock |
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| Maneuvering into the Guntersville Lock Chamber |
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| In Guntersville Lock |
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| Doors Closed Behind Us in Guntersville Lock |
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| Rising to the Top in Guntersville Lock |
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| Leaving the Lock |
Lake Guntersville was like glass pretty much all the way to Goose Pond. I was amazed at all the big homes along the lake that had been built since we were last here years ago. Very impressive! Lake Guntersville is a wide Lake and we enjoyed the views of the hills along both shorelines.
We passed Guntersville, AL and continued East. There is a lot of aquatic weed growth outside the main channel. We especially noticed this as we entered the channel off the River into Goose Pond Colony and the marina.
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| Turning off the River into Goose Pond Entrance Channel |
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| Running up the Entrance Channel into Goose Pond. Note the Aquatic Weeds on both sides of the Channel. |
Goose Pond is a City of Scottsboro owned facility. It is actually a big public park with a nice marina, a restaurant, and a golf course. Unfortunately, the restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays, so we missed the famous "shrimp and grits" that they are known for.
Upon arriving at Goose Pond, we refueled and got a pump out. There were only several other transient boats here, so we had a good slip. Maggie met another dog named "Maggie" on our dock. Ours jumped off the boat and ran down to socialize. Oh boy! Goose Pond is a bigger marina than I had remembered when we came here several times by car. It is not an especially pretty setting, but is functional and set back maybe a half mile from the River.
Susan had arranged with her former boss at the Volunteer Center in Decatur, AL, who now lives in Scottsboro, to get together, so Mary Kay and her husband Gene came by the boat to pick us up. We visited on the boat then went over to their home on Roseberry Creek. It is a gorgeous place that is immaculately decorated. We had drinks on the covered patio then walked down to the dock and looked at the fish swimming around the pier. With the big trees along the shoreline, it is a beautiful setting.
We went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Scottsboro. It was very good, and we enjoyed talking about old times. Gene retired from Lockheed and worked on the Air Force C-5 Cargo Plane Program. I enjoyed talking to him about this plane that I flew on a few times when I was in the Air Force. We had a great time with Mary Kay and Gene. Thank you for your hospitality!
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| Dinner with Mary Kay and Gene in Scottsboro |
Tomorrow we head into Tennessee and up river about 50 miles to Hales Bar.
Thanks for Reading!
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