Integrity Cruise

Day 186: Baker Inn to Knoxville, Tennessee

Home

The Adventure

The Boat

About Us

Contact Us

Day 186: Friday, October 21st: We had a vast breakfast at the Baker Inn this morning. Newsom and Beverly prepared eggs, venison sausage, bacon, French toast, freshly ground and brewed coffee and juice for all of us. It was delicious!

We took everyone for a short boat ride down the river a few miles and back. Newsom drove most of the time and the Bakers gave us a commentary about the different homes and features along the way. It was fun.

Alas, we had to say goodbye to the Bakers and Chaz and Pete. We cast off with waves of good wishes and some last minute photos:

As we cruised up the Tennessee, we noticed the leaves were showing more color:

We soon passed under the I-140 highway bridge. Not particularly remarkable, but in keeping with the tradition:

This part of the river really was becoming colorful. Here is one of the more impressive specimens of tree color:

The variations of the bluffs along the riverbanks were endless; here's one that looked like honeycomb:

This real log cabin looked like something out of a storybook. The small house on the hill to the left was part of the same property. This was a charming setting!

We soon passed under the railroad bridge that marked the arrival in the Knoxville area. The skyline was impressive in the distance. Knoxville is a major hub of east Tennessee:

We passed the famous Neyland Stadium where the University of Tennessee hosts home games. With seating for 104,000 people, this is the second largest stadium in the country (second to Michigan). The gold dome to the right of the picture signifies that Knoxville hosted a Worlds Fair:

The bridges in downtown Knoxville are worth a picture. All of them are different, and some parts of one of them date back to before the Civil War:

Knoxville has vastly upgraded the Riverfront Park. On the left is the excursion train with a real steam locomotive:

Of course there has to be a real sternwheeler excursion riverboat:

We had a reservation for the night at Volunteer Landing Marina. Just as we approached, the wind built up and it started to rain hard:

It was a nice marina, with everything on floats. Ruth had to have a picture of the sign:

This marina is within walking distance of the football stadium. As such, it plays host to the biggest floating tailgate party in the world during Tennessee home games. The team support is everywhere:

We moored Integrity at the end of one of the piers:

Soon the rain stopped and we decided to get a pizza at the Riverside Tavern, just up the ramp from the marina. It was delightful, and we avoided washing dishes for yet another night. Afterward, we took a walk along the riverfront park.

Tomorrow, we would venture to the headwaters of the Tennessee River - our turnaround point.

Position tonight: N35 57.718 W083 54.542

To return to our Main Page simply

close this window.