Scenic Lake Barkley
Amos on the bow
Sunset over Lake Barkley
The next morning we entered the
Tennessee River. Again, we anxious
to explore the area and anchor out for a few nights. We found Houseboat Bay in the Duncan Bay
section of the river. It is said that
you can hear wolves in Houseboat Bay so we thought that would be the perfect anchorage. There were no wolves for us, but plenty of coyotes and a
great night of star gazing.
It was another pristine anchorage
with a few fishing boats during the day; otherwise, our only company were egrets, herons, ducks,
turkey, deer, and jumping fish. The fall
foliage was just starting to turn hinting at the beauty of this place in a couple of weeks.
Barges parked at a mooring cell on the Tennessee River
The Tennessee River
Foilage starting to show some fall color
Wildlife in Houseboat Bay Anchorage: Heron
Deer
Turkey
We pulled out of Duncan Bay the following morning anxious to see what we would discover and hopeful of finding another serene anchorage for the night.
Sunrise
Pulling out of Houseboat Bay
Back in the beautiful Tennessee River
Still seeing some bluffs, but didn't spot any eagles
Mooring cells dot the landscape
Tow and barges - Many
tows use the Tennessee River, however, at the time, the Kentucky Lock was undergoing maintenance
so much of the traffic had been diverted to the Cumberland.
There were still several heading our direction though.
There were still several heading our direction though.
We have
so enjoyed watching waterfowl on this trip.
Their nests turn up in the darndest places – as do the flocks.
Here a nest practically covers a day mark and
below a flock takes over a shallow sand bar in the middle of the river.
below a flock takes over a shallow sand bar in the middle of the river.
We
read about Panther Bay anchorage and decided to shoot for there. We took an
early day off to just enjoy being in this special place. The entrance to the anchorage was very narrow
and guarded by a heron, but totally worth the effort to get inside the
pool.
Narrow
entrance into Panther Bay
Panther
Bay’s guard heron
Once
inside the pool, the anchorage was beautiful,
and
the view looking out across the big water was even better.
Also, on this trip, we have been so
spoiled by beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
When watching them over the water it’s as though you’ve stepped inside a
painting… and today was no exception… even Amos was captivated by this sunset.
Amos enjoyed the view from up top
Thunderstorms were expected the next day, and we decided to take cover at a marina before they rolled in. We pulled into Pebble Isle Marina expecting to stay a day or two, but ended up staying for 5 days. It turned into our home away from home. The facility was great, but the people were awesome and adopted us as their newest family members. Randy and Tammy run a great place with the help of Ron and his sidekick, Indie. There is also a handful of locals that live at the marina - everyone meeting at the restaurant on property for daily coffee and chit chat.
Pulled up the anchor and left this lone fisherman in Panther Bay
An old abandoned dock still standing at mile mark 78.5
The skinny opening to Pebble Isle.
Looked shallow but we had plenty of depth.
Pebble Isle Marina
Amos loves his screened porch
Amos's new buddy, Indie
Upon our arrival we found the on-site restaurant, the Grey Heron, boasting of their steaks. After so many nights on anchor we decided to give them a shot. Jeff ordered the t-bone, and I ordered the specialty of the house, the baseball sirloin. They have a nice grill out back of the restaurant and threw our orders on over the hot coals - excellent! I'm sure you're wondering about the baseball sirloin, it's exactly what you're thinking... a baseball sized piece of meat that somehow retains its circular shape while cooking... they must have pulled out the toothpicks before serving...
As we left heading back to the boat we were told to be sure to come back the next morning as they serve up cinnamon rolls and coffee on the weekends. Not expecting too much, we showed up first thing and much to our surprise they were fresh homemade cinnamon rolls and you just help yourself to the coffee pot. What a way to start the day!
Homemade, fresh-baked cinnamon rolls - we were told to just
help ourselves as the restaurant staff was off this morning.
Feeling guilty from our overindulgence, we decided to take Indie, the marina dog, for a walk to the Johnsonville State Park, just down the street. There was a fishing tournament over the weekend and lots of excitement as folks set up for the big event.
The parking lot and roadway were full of
vehicles and boat trailers
participating in the fishing tourney.
Indie leading the way on our hike. I think he has done this before.
We walked along the old railroad bed
and along the rocky shoreline
where it is said that Civil War relics are still found.
Jeff found a "metal rock" here.
Several rifle pits (above) and redoubts (below) are onsite.
Redoubts are similar to rifle pits, the difference being that they housed artillery.
We got back to the marina and saw that everything
was ready for today's fishing tourney festivities.
Then the boats started coming in and lining up.
Today's weigh-in begins.
Barefoot'n arrived today; so, Amos's two best buddies meet -
Heidi and Indie.
Sunset over Pebble Isle.
The next morning at daybreak the fun started over again as the boats lined up and took off in a steady procession hopeful that today would be their lucky day. And today was a lucky day for Tammy in the Pebble Isle office as she celebrated her 50th birthday. We presented her with a flower bouquet and birthday card signed by all the Loopers. Later that day Barefoot'n and Ron came over and brought Amos's best buds.
Sunrise over Pebble Isle
and they're off! The bass boats leave in an orderly fashion.
Barefoot'n putting the finishing touches on the bouquet.
The birthday girl.
Heidi and Indie waiting for Amos.
Amos in no rush to play.
The next day we took Indie for another hike to the State Park for a swim as we knew our time at Pebble Isle was drawing to a close. As much as we felt at home here, we had to get back on the loop. We spent the day hanging out with our buddies and researching our next stops on the loop.
As we planned to leave, we awoke to a heavy fog cover so went back to our favorite restaurant for a final breakfast. Then at last we were back underway.
Our last hike and swim with Indie.
The sticks here are interesting. Put here so that
young, small fish have a place to hide from the larger fish.
SeaGlide and other loopers in the fog.
The Grey Heron restaurant and
our last breakfast with Barefoot'n and
our humble cinnamon roll baker, Ron.
Quite an interesting guy - some of his many talents are
making custom spurs and saddles and engraving guns.
If you're interested in seeing some beautiful metal artwork, Google
"Ron Bliss Spur Maker."
Pulling out of Pebble Isle Marina and getting back on the loop.
CSX Railroad lift bridge
and close-up view of the lift mechanism.
Spent the day motoring down the Tennessee River enjoying the scenic beauty of the islands and bluffs. We found our anchorage at Double Island and settled down to a quiet evening on the hook. Quiet except for the gun shots in the distance... not too surprising - we are in Tennessee after all...
An old tow on land
Some old buddy boats passed us - In My Element and Freya giving us a wave.
On the hook at Double Island anchorage.
In route were more bluffs, tows, etc., however, now we started seeing more residential homes.
There are homes from the "old south,"
the "new south,"
and everything in between
including some really inventive "homes."
Once again we found a picture perfect anchorage. This time at Wolf Island.
The next day we pulled out of the anchorage with only one lock between us and our next stop, Grand Harbor Marina at the mouth of the Tenn-Tom Waterway. We planned to stay a couple of days before making our way to Joe Wheeler and the Rendezvous. Several of our old buddies were there, In My Element, Freya, Pazza Bella, and Northern Star. Freddy T's restaurant came and picked us all up in their courtesy van, and we had a great time out on the town together.
Pulling out of Wolf Island at daybreak.
Coming up to Pickwick Dam and Lock.
Our old buddy In My Element already inside the lock.
Looking up from the floating bollard - a rise of 55'.
Out of the lock and hammer down to Grand Harbor Marina.
Entering Grand Harbor where they really do "Welcome Loopers."
Docktails on the deck
A night out at Freddy T's
Couples sitting across from their spouse.
From front to back: Pazza Bella, In My Element,
Freya, SeaGlide, and Northern Star
That evening fellow North Pacific owners of Inch n Along arrived on site ready to start their loop adventure. We met Inch n Along at the Rendezvous in 2012, and their home port is Grand Harbor. They got in touch with us several weeks earlier and were ready to start the loop. We looked forward to getting back together with them and catching up. They have the same model boat as SeaGlide, and, with so few North Pacific's being on the east coast, it was such fun to get together and compare notes.
They took us to breakfast at R&Bs known locally for their Chocolate Gravy and Biscuits. Sounds odd, I know, but its really pretty good! Then ran us around town so we could recommission the boat and, after all that, they treated us to a steak dinner onboard that night. Incredibly nice folks!
The next morning we were excited to get underway to Joe Wheeler State Park. We were so looking forward to the Rendezvous and the opportunity to catch up with some of our buddy boats that we had lost touch with over the length of the trip. Our departure was delayed due to heavy fog, but, like most things in life, the Rendezvous was worth the wait. More next time...
SeaGlide's sister ship, Inch-n-Along, in her home port.
Ready to start her loop adventure.
Leaving Grand Harbor in route to the AGLCA's
Rendezvous. Went through Pickwick Lake.
Coming up to Wilson Dam - the oldest on the Tennessee River.
Old railway bridge
Approach canal to the Wilson Lock.
Construction began in 1918 and was finished in 1925.
At the time it was the world's largest lock.
Now, it is 6th in the US behind 5 higher locks in the Pacific NW.
It is still quite an impressive sight, and our boat
felt tiny in its shadow.
Here's the door...
Looking up from my vantage point at the floating bollard.
Quite an impressive rise of 93 feet - that's moving a lot of water!
The doors close behind us
and the water starts to rise. You can see the
turbulence that's created inside the lock.
Finally you can see over the top of the lock.
Once you've risen to the level of Wilson Lake,
the lockmaster drops the gate
and you're back underway.
Looking back at the old dam construction.
Once in Wilson Lake we planned to anchor out at Carter Creek. We looked forward to one last night of peace and quiet on the hook before all the activity at the Rendezvous. After Taxes, a boat that left Grand Harbor at the same time, asked to join us and raft-off together. Our only experience at rafting off was through the Canadian lock system, and we had not yet rafted in an anchoring situation. As it was a usual and often experience for the other boat, we thought we'd give it a try. It was a great learning experience for us.
We started preparing dinner and cranked up our generators. Then our carbon monoxide alarm went off. Of course, Jeff was cool as a cucumber, while I was frantic until I found Amos lazing on the screened porch. Lesson: Always be alert in rafting situations, and you DO need a carbon monoxide detector whether your boat is diesel or gas.
Once out of Wilson Lock this big tow was in route to lock through.
Once again, our timing was perfect.
The next morning we were excited to get underway to Joe Wheeler State Park. We were so looking forward to the Rendezvous and the opportunity to catch up with some of our buddy boats that we had lost touch with over the length of the trip. Our departure was delayed due to heavy fog, but, like most things in life, the Rendezvous was worth the wait. More next time...
After Taxes in heavy fog.
The sun trying its best to peak through...
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