Downstream on the Tennessee.

We left Chattanooga late Monday morning headed 255 miles downstream to the entrance of the Tenn-Tom Waterway that takes us to Mobile, AL.  Fellow Loopers Dan and Susan on Potest Fieri showed up Sunday, so we had dinner with them before we left.  We had a great time catching up.  The trip back down the river is a repeat, so I won't bore you with details, just pics.

The national paddle board race started right next to us.  That is the old Delta Queen in the background.  

Our dock filled up with Loopers.  

And they are off!

My starboard water-pump died.  Remember the port one died in the Bahamas, and the gear was impossible to get off without a bench and puller, so I had a spare gear also.  It took me 1/2 a day to change it, but it works and I did not break anything!!

Fog bank.

The Fall colors are beginning.  

One last look at Baylor, with Signal Mountain in the background.  

This section is aptly named The Gorge.  

We anchored in this oxbow last night.  Greeks Folly is anchored behind us. 

Confronting my ghosts in Chattanooga.

We are having a grand time in Chattanooga.  Chattanooga was one of the most polluted cities in the US, and the Tennessee River also was foul due to the heavy manufacturing presence along the river.  After the establishment of the EPA the city fathers embraced cleaning up the environment and now the riverfront is a success story beyond belief.  The city maintains several docks along the waterfront for boaters, and boasts the largest freshwater aquarium in the US.  There are restaurants, art galleries, a symphony hall (we go to a performance Saturday night) and a contemporary arts museum all within walking distance from our dock.  Better yet, they offer discounts to Loopers!  The “official” Loop map has the route turning south at the Tenn-Tom waterway, so Chattanooga is considered a side trip.  The city knows that and actively courts Loopers by attending the fall rendezvous and advertising in our magazine, etc.  The Enterprise car rental people also offer Looper discounts, so we rented a car and did the tourist things like Rock City, Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain’s Point Park (which offers an in depth look at the civil war battles that took place here).  There is also a Publix here (Alexis’ favorite grocery chain) so we stocked up. 

The real story for me, however, is more complex.  I attended the 10^th and 11^th grade at Baylor Military Academy located on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga.  To say I did not fully reach my potential there would be an understatement.   In my defense, I was 15 and my world view was Houma, Louisiana (at the time a metropolis of around 10,000 now a parish (county for non-Louisianians) of 120,000).  I was terribly homesick, and pleaded with my parents to let me return home.  They relented and I finished high school in Houma.  The good news is when I went home I met Alexis, my high school sweetheart, married her and we celebrate our 40^th wedding anniversary this December.  Anyway, I took Alexis to Baylor and went to my old dorm (fittingly now the counselor’s office).  I have not been back to Chattanooga since high school, so I confronted some ghosts from my past a little before Halloween.  Baylor is now nonmilitary and co-ed.  The annual tuition is in excess of 40k, and the student body reflects a multi-national multi- ethnic population.   It has certainly changed over the years!  I doubt I could pass the entrance exam…..

We stay here to Monday, and then will head back down (with the current) the river to the Tenn-Tom, which will eventually lead us to Mobile, and then home.  But, there are more stops along the way, so stay tuned! 

We hit this fog bank on the way to Chattanooga.  Thanks goodness for our new HD radar.  

Hitting this rock was simply not an option.  

Mature Bald Eagles on the river.  

The scenery remained gorgeous the entire trek.  

Maybe granddaughter Cameron can tell me what type of horses these are.  

Signal Mountain.  My sister lived on this mountain years ago.  

Baylor from the river.  I certainly never guessed I would be passing on my own boat while I attended school here.  

We use to assemble for drill in this square.  Now there are girls in the quad.  Maybe I would like it better now....

My old room top left.  

Missionary Ridge.  

Many believe the decisive battles that broke the Confederates' back occurred here.  

The waterfront.  

Another spotty chapter of American history.  I did not know the trail started here.  

Rock City.  

The Tennessee River and Chattanooga.  

High school rowing teams practice each day along the waterfront.  When I was here the river was not safe for recreation.  A true environmental success story.  

Fellow Loopers.  

Still on the way to Chattanooga.

The trip up the Tennessee River has been a long one.  It is just over 400 miles from Green Turtle Bay to Chattanooga.  The Tennessee is one of the rare rivers that flow north, so our trip south has been against the current.  Depending on our proximity to a lock, the current can range from 1-2 knots.  Our normal speed on the river is eight knots, so we are down to six knots when the current is strong.  On a positive note, the river and its surroundings are beautiful.  There are small marinas and protected anchorages everywhere, and not near the debris as in the Mississippi.    We traveled the length of Tennessee State from Paducah to Pickwick Lake where we entered Alabama, and for a short time Mississippi.  Due to the serpentine course of the river, we will not be back into the State of Tennessee until shortly before Chattanooga.  We have now been in all 17 states scheduled for our Loop (we missed Wisconsin because Lake Michigan would not let us across!). 

The Tennessee River is and was a major supply route.  Before the Tennessee Valley Authority, the river was shallow, and at low water impassable at the Muscle Shoals area.  After the TVA and FDR’s New Deal, the river is now a system of lakes separated by locks and dams, and is navigable to Knoxville. From Green Turtle to Chattanooga there are five locks to traverse, with some raising us 60 feet.   The locks are not as busy as the Mississippi and Ohio River locks, but if you hit one at the same time as a tow with lots of barges, it is a four hour wait.   The tow cannot fit with all its barges, so has to “trip” through the lock by breaking its barges into two groups.  Most of the time the lockmaster will let us tie to a lock wall to wait, but on a few occasions, there is no place to tie, and I have to “jockey” the boat for four hours, a truly exasperating experience. 

Our plan is to get to Chattanooga as fast as we can (at least three more days), and then slowly work our way back.  We passed through Decatur and Guntersville, AL but kept on going, and will hit them on the way back (going with the current!).  Also, the TVA and the states have created very nice state parks along the way, with marinas to explore.

We have been travelling 10-12 hours a day to only go 50 miles due to lock delays, so reaching Chattanooga will be cause for celebration.  The last four nights we have been at anchor in some beautiful anchorages.  The stars and wildlife have been magnificent.  While approaching an anchorage late one evening my AIS indicated a boat I had marked as a “buddy” was already at anchor.  It turned out to be Monica and Warren aboard Untied.  Remember, they are the Kiwis we met in Norfolk and with whom we stared down the US Navy!  Meeting, and then re-meeting fellow Loopers has been one of the more enjoyable aspects of the trip. 

Also, the river is the site of major civil war battles.  There are many parks and cemeteries along the river commemorating the battles.  Grant and Sherman had many engagements here with their Confederate counterparts, with much loss of life.  A truly tragic time in American history.  When we stop, we plan to rent a car and explore some of them, so stay tuned. 

The sun rises as we get underway.  

Wheeler Lake.

One of my chores is to wash down the boat each morning (it is usually covered with bugs).  In fresh water I can use the raw water pump, with no concerns about using up our potable water (ecstasy to us neat freaks).  These green gooey things covered the boat one morning, as well as other boats by us.  Is it the attack of the Blob?  

Dragon boat races at Florence, AL.  

More locks.  

A long way up!

The water boils as the Lockmaster sends us on the way up.  

This lock put us through at sunset, as we had to wait on a tow.  

By the time we locked through, it was pitch black.  Our radar and spot light came in handy for the nighttime anchoring.  

We have seen many weddings on the Loop, but this was our first Baptism!  

Our nemesis the J. Vessco.  It is the tow we had to wait for at the last lock.  Well we passed it the next day, only to have the next lock tell us we had to wait till it locked through, as tows have priority.  

Moondance at anchor.