Tuesday, October 24 - Fish Fry

Tuesday, October 24 - Fish Fry

 

The morning light shining on the Chattanooga drawbridge as we get ready to pull out. 

If this had been my first day cruising, it probably would have been my last.  Gil called Chicamauga Lock and Dam before we left and they told him there might be a short delay in locking us through.  As we got closer, the lock master said the delay would be a little longer.  So we are hanging out just below the dam, where the current is strongest.  And a brisk wind starts blowing, just to make it more fun.  Danny’s plan was to tie onto a ring on the federal mooring cell (looks like a silo) and let the current keep us downriver from it.  Good idea, but the wind did not cooperate.  I spent HOURS (well it seemed like hours) with the boat hook trying to keep us pushed away from the cell.  Woman with stick against wind = woman loses.  I was exhausted when they finally let us in the lock.

After that experience, the ride up thee lock was a breeze!  

 Chicamauga Lake had some really pretty homes.  I probably took pictures of the same ones on our way down! 

Deb’s cousins, Faye and Johnnie, wanted to cook a fish dinner for us, so we pulled into a cove at a county park and anchored, waiting for them to arrive by car.

 Danny took the dinghy to shore to pick them up.  Faye brought so much stuff for dinner that it took two dinghy trips!

Johnnie caught the walleye and crappie and he and Gil fried them up.  Faye made wonderful hush puppies and brought slaw.  It was a feast!

Monday, October 23 - Chattanooga Aquarium

Monday, October 23 - Chattanooga Aquarium

 

It’s tourist day!  Neither of us had been to the aquarium, so it was our destination.  

The Aquarium is amazing, I would love to meet the designer.  The admission price was a little steep, but I’m sure it’s expensive to maintain.  We saw the otter show, which was basically the otters looking for food, which the trainers call “enrichment.” 

The frog exhibit was pretty cool.  How does a blue frog blend in with his environment?  

These were probably the ugliest frogs I have ever seen.  I took these pictures for Jeannie - she hates even pretty frogs. 

Over one third of the frog species on the planet have disappeared.  It was alarming to read the comparison on this sign. 

This turtle was sticking his head into a hole in the rocks.  Maybe there is some “enrichment” in there. 

We spent most of our time in the “River” building, but this was in “Ocean.”  It’s a real shark cage.  I’m surprised Danny stepped into it.  You could see where it had been bent during a shark attack! 

And some random pictures.

Sunday, October 22 - Nickajack Lake

Sunday, October 22 - Nickajack Lake

We got an early start so all us Loopers could go through the Nickajack Lock at the same time.

On the way to the lock, we passed under the South Pittsburg highway bridge. It features the suspended arch type of construction.   The horizontal clearance is 730 feet, the widest of any bridge on the Tennessee. 

Nickajack Lock is the newest dam on the river, completed in 1967. 

I got so excited seeing the “See Rock City” sign.  Reminds me of road trips as a child.  This is obviously aimed at boaters - there is not a road close by.  

The old Hales Bar hydroelectric plant was begun in 1904.  My guide book says 5,000 workers worked on it for eight years.  From the the beginning water leaked through the rock strata under the dam, and it was replaced with Nickajack Dam. 

Just past Hales Bar, we saw this barge along the bank.   As we got closer, we could tell it was parked in a canal, and had CocaCola signs on it.  We later found out it is the “Coca-Cola Stage” that is used for festivals in downtown Chattanooga.  That’s over 30 miles away.  I guess parking is cheaper far away from town. 

 

The stretch of river from Hales Bar to Chattanooga is

sometimes called the “Grand Canyon of the Tennessee.”  The river makes a dozen turns during the 32 miles as it twists through the mountains.  Loopers talk about this stretch as one of the prettiest of the entire Loop.

Close to Chattanooga we passed the Aquarium sightseeing boat, I’m guessing it was supposed to be a fall color tour but there’s no color! 

This was the first tow we have seen in a long time.  And it was a long one! 

Deb and I took lots of pictures of brightly colored Adirondack chairs in Canada and New York.  Turns out the trend has made it down south.  

This is not a good picture, but I had to take it because these are the first deer we have seen on the entire trip.  

As we rounded Moccasin Bend, two jet ski’s came roaring around us.  One hit our wake just right and got soaked!  It was so much fun to watch him. 

Deb had called the marina in Chattanooga, so both of us pulled in along the wall just past the Aquarium and tied up with several Loopers.

  

Deb’s cousins, Faye and Johnnie, came up from Calhoun, TN, to meet them, and we all went to lunch.  They were so much fun, we appreciated being included in the group.

We were docked between two bridges, the lights were beautiful!