Chattanooga Chew Chew

We left Joe Wheeler itching to get back on the road again. We are traveling with Dick and Deanna from Sareanna and Jim and Joy from Jim's Joy. We also met Joel and Debby from Water Music (out of St. Paul) and MV Endeavor heading in the same direction and bumping into us periodically. We are going upstream on the Tennessee River. There is a bit of current so our normal 8mph takes a bit more rpm than usual but we are not burning any oil and we need 160 gallons to travel about 200 miles, so mileage is pretty good.

The scenery is incredible. The leaves are starting to turn. These photos don't do it justice.

This is Sareanna coming around the corner. Notice the cliffs. It is getting hillier the further upriver we go towards Chattanooga as we go East towards the Appalachian Mountains.

The water is very smooth, like riding through butter. Sometimes every boater needs directions. The charts are just not enough so friendly residents installed these arrows to tell you to go upstream to get to civilization. Isn't that nice?

We met this really big ship moving south downriver, probably going to Florida for the winter. Kermit thinks it was at least 140 feet  We could see a captain and helper in the bridge and 4 crew members working on something on the back deck. Must be nice!!

We are seeing very few people and very little signs of civilization as we travel on the Tennessee River. It looks and feels in most places probably the same way it felt 100 or 200 years ago when this was being settled. Aside from the channel markers that is. But otherwise, there are no or few marinas, shops, or other boats. Occasionally we see a bridge or overhead electrical lines. Sometimes a house in the hills. We see some bass boats (we call them waterbugs because they sit low in the water and really scoot).

While Kermit is driving, I write blogs or whatever I am working on for The Interview Doctor or read or talk on the phone. Then I give Kermit a break so he can take a nap. It is hard work running the boat. It is boring because the scenery, however nice, is mostly just river and trees. Not much to see. So the driver keeps busy fooling around with the gps and talking on the radio. Sometimes we listen to the XM radio but there is only so much Jimmy Buffet one can stand (hard to believe but true) and if you listen to music at a volume you can hear you can't hear the marine radio. So the driver pretty much sits around forcing himself to pay attention. It is hard work. Here is a taste of what we see.

These fisherman are managing traps. At least we think the little red dots in the water are fish traps.

This is Water Music still at anchor in the morning. Check out those hills!!

This picture is not as clear as we wanted it to be but it reminds me of the story that happened that day. We anchored in this little cove off the Tennessee River on Thursday night, the third night of anchoring after leaving Joe Wheeler State Park in Alabama. On Friday we arrived in Chattanooga. Well, Thursday night we arrived at our anchorage at a reasonable time, about 4:30 or so. It was still light. We lowered the dinghy and began our ritual.

First we set the anchor or tie up to one of the other boats that set an anchor. Then we lower the dinghy. Then we find the line, oar, and towels to put inside the dinghy. Kermit lowers the motor onto the back of the dinghy. He digs out the gas tank from under the chair on the back deck, attaches it to the motor and starts the engine. All systems go. Dig out Kermit and Rusty's life jackets and install on Kermit and Rusty, respectively. Ok, we are ready. Rusty is REALLY ready because it probably has been almost 12 hours since he went last and he has his legs crossed.

Into the dinghy. Not so fast. Put out the ramp across the swim platform into the dinghy so Rusty can gently walk into the little boat. He sits down, we unclasp the dinghy one clip at a time. NOW we are off. Kermit and Rusty take off for parts unknown.

On this particular evening, one side of the cove was all rock at the waterline. That won't work. The other side had a great sloped area with a break in the woods. Perfect!! Not so fast. A big house sits behind the tress and the landing is posted with a big Keep Out sign. So that won't work. I guess it will be a muddy, mucky, grass ridden ride around the corner into the woods. Kermit jumps out, pulls the dinghy close to shore. Rusty jumps out, does his business, wanders around a few minutes, then back in the boat, drive back to the big boat, and reverse the process. It can be done in as little as 15 minutes!!  We have a system!!

Well, Saturday morning was a different story. We wanted to leave at 8am so that means we get up at 6:30am to our coffee alarm. We were just stirring when we heard the sound of dogs barking. It sounded very close - like just outside our boat! What the heck? Get scrambled up, threw on some clothes and went outside. There was a pack of beagles running around hunting something and evidently the noise indicates they treed something!! Never heard such a racket in all my life!! But the big problem was a pack of dogs running around right where Kermit took Rusty to do his business the night before! That is not good. It could be dangerous for Rusty who is not as strong as he used to be. So we scrambled and threw the dog into the dinghy, ran over the shore, dog did his business and was back on the boat in less than 8 minutes. A world record!! Safe and sound.

Larry and Kris Truthan said they were probably hounds being worked for hunting contests. Pretty interesting as long as it doesn't impact Rusty.

We approached Chattanooga just after noon. It was a short day. Kermit went down below to go to the bathroom and I was driving. We passed a tow with two barges, the only ones we had seen on three days. In the distance I saw a large boat approaching very fast in the opposite direction. It was a small jet tour boat going about 50 mph or so directly at Good Karma (we were the lead boat in our flotilla). I pulled way back on the throttle (hard to do considering we were traveling about 8mph) and waited to see what he would do, prepared to pull sharply to the left. The other boat stopped suddenly a few boat lengths away and continued past me at a slow speed. Kermit came upstairs and totally freaked out!! Turns out it was the Aquarium Explorer, a tour boat associated with the Chattanooga Aquarium. Kermit complained to the Aquarium folks when we arrived. He was told that captain does that all the time. He thinks it is great fun to show his passengers that he can stop from 50mph to 0 in two boat lengths!! Have you ever heard of such a thing? How dangerous!

This is the Aquarium Explorer tied up at the dock.

We learned from the brochure that this tour takes passengers down the very river we just traversed. This part of the river is called the Tennessee River Gorge, or the Grand Canyon of Tennessee because of the beautiful rock formations and high cliffs in the area.

According to the Aquarium website, "The Tennessee River Gorge winds along 26 miles of the Tennessee River, and contains over 27,000 acres of land. Often referred to as “Tennessee’s Grand Canyon”, the Gorge is the fourth largest river canyon east of the Mississippi." It is quite beautiful, especially with the trees showing their fall colors.

We saw a Duck tour boat and knew we were in the big city. Country folk don't have a need for such silliness. But it looks like fun! We did it in Australia and had a great time. These are amphibious boats that tour the city on land then in the water.

Lots of recreational boaters like to stay at the docks in front of the Chattanooga Aquarium. Jim was told they were full up. So Kermit got on the phone and schmoozed the marina folks into letting us stay right on the front wall. Very nice!

Damage Alert: The impeller on the front head appears to be damaged. Or the toilet has a deep cough that it can't shake. One way or another, Kermit needs to get into the toilet and figure this out.

Anyway, we really, really needed a pump out. Desperately. So we arranged for a pump out and fill up at the marina like we normally would do. But no one came out and there was no one in sight. So we started the pump out and I called again to the marina office. They remotely turned on the gas pump and we filled up with 160 gallons of fuel. We still haven't seen anyone to pay our bill!! We haven't paid for the gas and we haven't paid for our dockage. I am not sure what is going on with this marina!!

We are docked right at the waterfront, at the foot of the big Aquarium. You couldn't ask for a more convenient dock, or prettier.

Turns out this landing is the very place where the Trail of Tears actually started. This was the forced removal of Cherokee Indians from the Southeast to Oklahoma around 1831. They marched from the southeast to this spot then marched overland and by water to Oklahoma. A high percentage did not make the trip. Another shameful chapter in US History.

The waterfront is covered with information, signs, and art work commemorating the Indians.

 

On Saturday night we went to Big River Restaurant down the street. Jim's brother and his family met us and we watched Florida lose to Georgia (Jim was disappointed) and Ohio State beat Penn State (Kermit was happy!)

Sunday we went to the Aquarium. The Aquarium and the grounds are works of art themselves.

We saw the 3-D IMAX on the Reef Cities (very good) and then the Aquarium itself - a real showplace. They have an ocean aquarium and a river aquarium in two separate buildings. This place rivals the best we have seen. We got a kick out of the big turtle in the salt water tank going crazy for broccoli (yes broccoli).

 Larry Alert:  Seahorses. Lots and lots of seahorses and sea dragons.

The Aquarium has this neat feature in which you can crawl under an exhibit and stand up in a tube right inside a tank. It is so neat!!

This is Katherine inside an exhibit!!This is Deanna Shephard inside one. See the little fish near her head? It was great fun!! This aquarium is different in another way. It is vertical. You take an escalator up to the top of the building and walk down ramps winding around tanks and gardens until you arrive at the store on the first floor. It is a great use of space and allows for excellent light control. The butterfly gallery is at the top with natural light.

 

 The cutest river otters are on a lower level so they can have natural light that gets dark in the evening. River otters evidently like to eat at night in the dark. In the day they play. They were scooting around so much most of the pictures of the river otters are just a blur.

 

The obligatory photo of a shark:

Great meals today at Blue Plate Diner. Kermit and I had such an amazing breakfast there that Dick and Deanna joined us for dinner there too. Fried chicken and grilled pork tenderloin to die for with hash browns, grilled green beans, and mac and cheese. I found a new favorite cocktail - a greyhound! Gin with grapefruit juice. Very refreshing. And it smells good too.

I am writing this on Sunday evening 10/28/12. This photo shows Good Karma tied to the side of the Chattanooga wharf. See that the dock deck comes up to the boat gunnel? There is another cement step about 18 inches below the main cement deck. See the lines tying us to the cleats on the cement deck?

After we retired for the evening, one of our friends knocked on the boat to tell us that we were angled in a funny way with the dock side lower than the river side. Turns out the dam is releasing 450,000 gallons of water an hour, causing the water levels to rise by about a foot and a half! We think they are anticipating storm surges as a result of SnoNoreasterCane Sandy. Unfortunately it is impacting us seriously. We didn't notice this since we are inside of the boat.

So Kermit has retied the lines twice and goes out every hour to measure how much the water has risen. If it goes up too high it will put the boat on a course to have two huge cleats chunked into the side of the boat. So we are on high alert. Kermit might not sleep tonight. I will report more tomorrow.

The AGLCA Rendezvous in Joe Wheeler State Park, Rogersville AL

The American Great Loop Cruisers Associations is run by a great group of mostly volunteers who put a lot of energy and enthusiasm into supporting boaters who want to travel the circle route around the Eastern waterways. This is the fall rendezvous. The spring event is held in May at Norfolk. Both events are carefully timed to provide needed respite and information to boaters at a particular point in this trip.

There were 54 boats tied up for the rendezvous. The boats in our little group were divided among three docks. SeaQuell and One September are on the right side of the T-dock. Jim's Joy is to the left towards the middle (not in the picture), Sareanna was on a dock by the swimming pool and we were across the bay almost. You can see from these photos that Wheeler Lake is very pretty.

This one, Annie, has a calliope installed. They play the calliope when boats pass them (they move slowly) or when leaving a lock.

 This is the cat from MV Karma enjoying the afternoon outside of the boat.

 

 

 

Right now most boaters are traveling south but the insurance companies won’t let us be in the Gulf of Mexico until after 11/1 so most folk are not in a hurry to enter the Tennessee-Tombigbee Canal for the journey to Mobile until mid-October. So at this rendezvous we attend information sessions where experienced boaters give us extensive details about the trip between Joe Wheeler and Norfolk VA. At Norfolk, experienced boaters will provide info about the trip between Norfolk and Joe Wheeler.

In a way it is like attending Uncle Charlie’s vacation slide show. They show charts, tips about the best marinas and anchorages, along with vacation pictures from the presenters many trips to the area. It is actually very interesting. Much better than Uncle Charlie’s vacation slides because we can use the info immediately.

You forget how hard it is to pay attention in meetings all day. It was excrutiating. Our butts hurt. Kermit needed to stand up for a portion of every meeting because he was uncomfortable. It is an odd comment for us to make considering we sit for entire days while traveling in the boat. Nevertheless.

 Some of the presenters were very good. I was taking notes about how to give presentations that are entertaining and informative at the same time. Funny slides help! This slide tells you everything you need to know about Florida but were afraid to ask!
 

Marinas and boating suppliers and brokers have exhibits and contests and sell stuff that everyone needs. One marina was giving away free orange colored buckets. Kermit kept giving it back! We have too much stuff, he said. Oh, well… We didn’t win anything of value. I guess we were just not in the right place at the right time.

Every possible moment from Sunday evening to Wednesday evening was completely booked. Run here, run there, and be at this spot or that. We met lots of loopers. There were 54 boats docked at the marina. Another 150 people attended by car, most planning to take the trip in the future.

We took a side trip to Rogersville, AL. I bought some pulled pork for the freezer and we walked around the town. Not much there. This is the main street.

These are some residents hanging out on the main street.

The food was terrible. Hard to believe that the fried buffet we attended with Jim and Karen Sigmon on Saturday night was the highlight but it kept getting worse. At one lunch I just went back to the boat and had a salad. Who was I fooling? I was hungry and the food was crap. My sister Martha says it is just southern cooking. I can believe that I guess. The funniest meal had to be the boiled ham served with two casseroles – squash casserole and sweet potato casserole with more sugar, nuts, and coconut than sweet potatoes. Ugh.

The staff was nice though. Everyone was so pleasant and helpful. We received a bunch of boxes – more books from Sherry (thank you!!), dog food and flea protection for Rusty, and our mail from Danny (thank you!!)

A funny thing happened with the mail. My ballot came but Kermit’s did not. He was quite upset, as I would have been had the situation been reversed. He has the Stark County Elections Board on speed dial to track down the ballot. They claim to have found it yesterday and are putting it in the mail. We should have it in time for the election.

In attendance was a family from Brazil. They left from Brazil traveling up through the Caribbean about 5 years ago, just the husband and wife. They were married about 15 years and never had children. Shortly after leaving, she became pregnant!! He claims it was from the rocking boat. Who knows!! Now they have little Beatrix who is 4 years old and just learned about the American custom of Halloween. She has been wearing her costume for weeks now. So the AGLCA asked everyone who wanted to show Beatrix a little Halloween spirit with some trick or treating. I didn’t have any candy so I made cookies in the shape of mice!! Aren’t they adorable? And tasty too. Once you get over the “yuck” factor. 

We opened our boat for the Looper Crawl on Wednesday, which meant we spent another 3 hours cleaning the boat so people wouldn’t think we are little piggies. About 10 couples came over to look so we spent about an hour meeting people, mostly folks who are looking at boats to buy for their looping adventure. This is Michael on One September showing his wonderful Viking 50 Princess Series. It sure is a beautiful boat!

Tuesday evening was a “Rogersville Crawl”. The local Chamber of Commerce invited the whole group for shopping adventure in the town plus an evening of music, cigars, and s’mores around the fire. We didn’t go shopping. Not much there. But we did go to the evening event with a great band, the Kerry Garner Band, calling themselves the KGB. They played all sorts of music from 50s to southern rock to country to a little gospel.

Kermit smoked a cigar and I made s’mores. I had one myself but discovered that several in our little group never had one so I showed about 3 people how to make s’mores. They were happy. I was happy. A good time was had by all!! This is Jim Pankey burning his first marshmallow.

Kermit being hospitable at the cigar section.

I guess these parties bring all sorts of folks. This fellow in the white shirt, Paul Parkire (sp) is a local fellow who spontaneously jumps up to clog dance. He walks tentatively like an old man but when he starts clogging he turns into a new person! Kermit swears he saw a YouTube video on this fellow but I couldn't find it. He also passed out photocopies of pencil drawings he made. I am not sure why but he did. It seemed like the nice thing to do just to take it!!

 

The rendezvous ended on Wednesday evening 10/24/12 with a big banquet with passable food - roast chicken and mashed potatoes (I think they were instant).  We learned a new term: banquet rafting invented by Darryl Knob to describe the way the group put together 3 or 4 tables so all our new friends could sit together.  We were a rowdy bunch!

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Some people are hanging around a few more days. Some, people like Joe and Edie Rubin and Laura and Ross are heading straight down the Tenn-Tom to get to Mobile quickly. Both couples are meeting family in Tampa by a certain date so they have to get going.

Michael and Judy are flying to Virginia Beach for a yacht club ball on the weekend. We are all watching the weather closely because their week at home coincides with the snoeastercaine hitting the East coast starting on Friday 10/26 through at least the middle of next week. Should be an exciting time to be in the Mid-Atlantic. We hope they are safe. I hope the tent covering the yacht club ball is strong!

We are traveling with Jim’s Joy, Sareanna, and a few other boats (Water Music and Endeavor) to Chattanueaga TN. It will take us 3 days to get there and 3 days to get back. We will visit for 2 or 3 days – there is plenty to see and do. We will travel upriver on the Tennessee River to Chattanooga so will return downriver passing Joe Wheeler meeting Judy and Michael in Florence or Joe Wheeler next weekend. We plan to start the trip down the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway by about 11/3 with the goal of being in Mobile by Thanksgiving.

Wakened to the sound of hunting dogs barking...

I'm just saying... odd... the sound of coon dogs screeching in the early dawn is NOT a comforting way to wake up in Northern Alabama along the Tennessee River. A little too "Deliverance" for me!

A Visit From Friends!! YEAHH!

On Saturday shortly after arriving at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville AL we got the wonderful news that we were having company!!! YEAH!! A visit from friends is almost like Christmas!!

Jim and Karen Sigman were passing through taking the long way to the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show!! Quick like a bunny we cleaned the boat. We needed a deep cleaning after traveling for a few days. With the boat shiny and clean inside and out, we welcomed Jim and Karen for the evening!!

We laughed and talked and laughed some more! Such a lovely surprise. It was great to catch up on gossip about friends we haven’t seen for a while. The marina is still crazy and most of the boats are now out of the water.

They brought a great bottle of wine they picked up at a recent wine tasting – an Italian white wine with a neat insulating bag that we will use again. We didn’t open it that night for some reason but instead shared it with the group to celebrate the rendezvous.  

Since Jim and Karen are meeting the Ron and Julie Feldner at the boat show we asked them to keep an eye open for some little things we need, especially the LED lights for the salon.

We wanted to show off Jim and Karen to our new friends – see having friends visit is like Christmas – you want to share the magic with everyone!! So we all went to dinner. Jim and Karen chatted away with Michael and Judy and Dick and Deanna and a bunch of others over a fried seafood buffet. Little did we know this would be the best meal of the week in more ways than one! After dinner we went back to the boat and talked some more.

Jim and Karen are wandering down to south Florida taking their time. They had a room in a hotel right across the street from the Florence AL marina we left that morning. We had lots of advice about things to see. They already visited Monmouth Caves so we suggested a few places we missed in the Florence/Muscle Shoals area. They have to visit the Coon Dog Cemetery. Someone we know has to go there if we can’t. And this cool hamburger restaurant Rattlesnake where they take you from the parking lot to the cave by wagon so you can eat a great hamburger in the restaurant in the cave. Evidently this is pretty common. They visited a ballroom and speakeasy built into a cave in Kentucky so Rattlesnake would continue the cave/food theme.

Thank you for stopping, Karen and Jim!!

We would love to have other folks visit if you are in the neighborhood or can find yourself in the neighborhood. Just drop us a text, email or phone call. The front cabin is always made up just waiting for you to arrive!!