Day 177: Nickajack Lake to Harrison, Tennessee
Day 177: Wednesday, October 12th: Since we were back on Eastern Time, we slept an extra hour according to the clock. Rosetta had already left and we got underway about 9:00am for a 53-mile day. The runs nowadays are all upstream against a 1-2 mph current, which adds about 10-15 miles to our through-the-water distance each day. No wonder we are tired when we get to our destination.
It was another hazy, foggy morning as we headed upstream. In a few miles, we fell in behind Four Gone and passed under the I-24 bridge taking I-24 between Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee. That's the US 41 bridge in the distance:
We had heard about the "Coca-Cola Stage" and we finally got to see it. It's a barge with curved roof and stage built on the deck. It's towed to Chattanooga each year to serve as the centerpiece for the city's River Bend Festival; it is stored on this part of the lake:
Just upstream of the barge stands the remains of the old Hales Bar Powerhouse. Completed in 1913, it was at the time the world's second largest hydroelectric generating plant; only Niagara was larger. Unfortunately, the dam leaked and it was subsequently torn down. The shell of the power generating plant still stands. Adjacent to it is the Hales Bar Marina. The whole scene is sort of eerie:
The power plant serves as the limit of the channel on the right. This is a big building:
The clouds began to break up, adding more eeriness to the scene:
A few miles upstream this big cliff came into view. It was hard to see through the haze:
The cliff turned out to be a quarry operation:
Soon we were entering what is known as "The Grand Canyon of the Tennessee". This section of the river offers stunning scenery. Much of the land area is in the Prentice Cooper State Forest and Wildlife Management Area. More than 300 kinds of trees and 900 varieties of wildflowers grow in the general area. Only in central China is there such a wide range of plant life. We were still following Four Gone:
The cliffs and mountains got higher and closer:
The TVA built and maintains the Raccoon Mountain pumped storage project. 1,100 feet above this culvert is a large reservoir. At times of plentiful river water they pump water up to the reservoir and store it. In dry times when the river is down or there are times of peak demand for power, the water is allowed to flow down the mountain through giant tubes and turbines to generate electricity. This is an impressive piece of engineering. That's a deflecting seawall closest to us:
This part of the river flows through an ancient rift or fault line in the earth's crust. In spite of eons of erosion filling it in, the river is up to 135 feet deep. Our fathometer reads depth to the bottom of the boat, so this reading is at a place 134 feet deep, the deepest water anywhere on the river:
As the haze cleared, we were passing through a valley between higher and higher bluffs:
Occasionally, there was a little settlement at the base of a bluff. Rather charming:
This cottage sported a gazebo on high stilts with a spiral stair; we'd not seen one of these anywhere on our travels:
And these mega-million houses were at the very top of Signal Mountain. No gazebo was necessary:
The river runs right next to the Baylor School, which sits on a hill overlooking the valley. This is where Bill went to military high school. Baylor is no longer a military school but rather a private co-ed school. In the center of the picture is a square bell tower that rings the hour exactly like Big Ben in London:
Bill tells the story about the "smoking area". On the edge of this cliff was a small area where cadets with parental permission could go to smoke. The school, even in the 50s, was making smoking difficult:
Looking at the school from upstream one can see that it has a pretty setting:
Looking in the opposite direction one sees famous Lookout Mountain:
Interstate 24 runs along the base of the mountain. Many folks reading this have traveled this highway:
Just around Moccasin Bend Chattanooga comes to view:
There are four bridges across the river here. I-124 is closest, and they are all either new or being refurbished:
A very popular area of town is the river waterfront. They have the obligatory sternwheeler for tours:
This is the recently enhanced Tennessee Aquarium - a very popular tourist attraction in an area that was once rather slum-like:
While Chattanooga is in the midst of re-vitalizing the downtown area, there are still waterfront industries that are now defunct and falling apart:
This downtown bridge has a particularly unique flair:
Just upstream from the riverfront park is where a marina docks transient boats. The "water cannons" add a nice touch. Those boats - they are all Loopers:
As we passed under the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge we got an even nicer look at the park and aquarium buildings:
We then spotted this museum atop its personal bluff:
We had plans to explore this whole area on our return downstream so we continued on.
On the outskirts of town we passed the clubhouse of a very pretty golf club. We couldn't figure out what club it was, but the dining room has a commanding view of the river:
Another couple of miles brought us to Chickamauga Lock and Dam, the second highest dam on the river:
In the lock, we were impressed with the huge doors that were actually curved. This is the only lock we have been in with these curved doors. Most are flat and form a "V" when closed:
Ruth chronicled the Lock's name:
It was late afternoon by now, so we cruised about seven miles upstream on Lake Chickamauga to Island Cove Marina where we had reservations to stay for five nights. Island Cove is officially in the town of Harrison, although the whole area is thought of as Chattanooga.
We spotted the Looper boat 2 If By C in a slip near us. We had met them at the AGLCA Rendezvous last week; the owners are from England. Get the boat name? Hint: they have a car with license, "1 BY LAND".
We were tired, so hit the sack early.
We traversed one lock today for a trip total of 133 so far.
Position tonight: N35 08.332 W085 07.359
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