Chattanooga to Knoxville---and beyond. June 29-July 6, 2013

Our first day out of Chickamauga Marina, we travelled a whopping 8 miles to the Island Cove Marina.  Hard hit by a tornado a few years ago, the marina has been nicely rebuilt with sturdy floating docks, and a swimming pool. 

Pool at Island Cove

We had an unexpected guest---Mike, the boat cleaning man lives just across the cove, and stopped by when out on his evening kayak ride.

Mike lives in the background

On Saturday we motored on to the Blue Water Campground.  Took a detour up the Hiwasee River to pass thru a waterfowl refuge.   We hoped to see the eagles that nest there, but had to ‘settle’ for osprey.  The babies are big enough to see over the top of the floppy nests atop river markers now.  They’ll be flying soon. 

We were the only boat (lots of RV’s) at the Campground, but they are preparing for boat traffic.  Have about 60 slips in place, and will add power and water soon.

All alone at the 'Campground"

  We took Chucky down and headed out to visit Dayton, TN, site of the famous Scopes Trial in 1925.   Instead, we motored back to the Tennessee, and went for a lovely evening ride for a couple of miles before turning back.

Next morning Chucky took us upstream to have breakfast in Dayton, only to learn that not only is the museum closed on Sunday, so is the only restaurant within walking  

Dayton, TN. Closed on Sundays

distance of the dock.  We walked around town a bit, and learned how revered Wm. Jennings Bryant was (there is no monument for Clarence Darrow, who defended evolution in the trial….).  The Centennial Sidewalk was a hoot—especially 1879, when ‘nothing happened’.  We were back at the boat before noon and headed out.

 

Blue Springs Marina came highly recommended by John (LITTLE WING, we met them in Huntsville and Hales Bar) and Sarah, so we pulled in Sunday afternoon, and were greeted by them, as well as by MIMI from Marathon, our neighbor at Banana Bay for 3 winters.  It is indeed a small boating world!

Monday was a rainy day, but we pushed on to Fort Loudoun, passed through the dam and turned into the Ft Loudoun Marina.  Bret, the line handler and I were drenched when the boat was tied up—and drenched is a  condition we got really familiar with over the next few days!  Tuesday as we rode along the scenic River, now

dotted with large suburban homes, squalls came up from nowhere.  10 minutes of heavy rain; then sunshine.  Repeat.

It was heavy rain when we got to the Volunteer Landing Marina in Knoxville.  Fred had to go topside and put our antennae down so we could slide into a covered slip—with an audience of about 4 folks.

They turned out to be great neighbors!  Wednesday, between rain showers, Ed took Fred to West Marine.   On Thursday, Dave, next door, invited us all for breakfast, and then Ed took us sight seeing in Knoxville.  oops no pix.

The waterfront is totally Vol country.  Everything, even cleats on the dock, is painted Orange.   The UT stadium is on the waterfront (the only other US college stadium on the water is UWash in Seattle) and on game weekends the Tennessee Volunteers fans party hearty! By land and by sea (River).   Lucky for us it isn’t football season yet. 

At the downtown Visitors Center, radio station WDVX was broadcasting, with a folk trio playing to a packed house. 

Across the street was the Mark General Store, with at least one of anything you could possibly want---including a Pearson’s Nut Goodie—my favorite candy bar from times gone waaaay by!  Knoxville has a central Market Square---complete with restaurants, shops, a stage (for Shakespeare, this week) and lots of activity!  An Elvis impersonator serenaded us at lunch, while a magician delighted the crowd with his sleight of hand tricks.

On Thursday evening, the 4^th of July, we treated us to dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak House---an easy walk from the boat, and the outside porch was the perfect spot to see the fireworks! 

Why photograph fireworks?  And why put the photo here? Just in case you missed 'em this year!

Rained before and after the show.

Beginning of the bike path.  Most literal one we've seen!

Friday we rode the free trolley downtown and meandered.  The trolley driver looked like Tweety’s grandma, but man, when she hit the throttle that trolley took off!  Knoxville is inexplicably named for General Knox, of Revolutionary War fame.  Knox’ Headquarters---one of them, at least---is in ‘our town’, Newburgh, NY—he never made it to Tennessee. 

This “scruffy little city” (as it was described in a national newspaper back then)  was the site of the 1982 World’s Fair and is the smallest city ever to host an international expo.  11 million people visited the Fair, the theme of which was “Energy Turns the World”. (National HQ of the TVA, created by FDR in 1933 is in Knoxville.)  The first touch screen computer displays were exhibited in the US Pavillion. The Sunsphere , a dramatic gold dome. is a reminder of the event. 

The Sunsphere, in World's Fair Park

 We saw a sign in a window that said “Keep Knoxville Scruffy!”  The Knoxville sense of humor.

Saturday we headed up the Tennesee to it’s headwaters, the junction of the Holsten and the French Broad Rivers.  Neither is navigable, so we turned around and headed south.

 

3 Rivers as seen on TV (or navigation screen...)

How it really looks...See the water swirl?

And the rest of that journey will be the next post, as I play catch-up!