Monday - October 18, 2010

We rented a car today in order to visit a Chickamauga, a civil war battle site along with the couple from Goncruzn III. It was very interesting and I finally understood the battle after reading about it several times. Once you see the battle site you can visualize the entire battle. I had a drive along with several stops and a very good interpretation centre which really did a great job. We spent about 4 hours there and then went to lunch in downtown Chattanooga.

The rest of the afternoon was spent resting and reading. We then went out for pizza withe the couple from Goncruzn III and Lady Bug.

Sunday - October 17, 2010

Still in Chattanooga. Went to the Tennessee Aquarium today and found it better than Chicago's. It seemed to be better organized and more descriptive of the the various animal exhibit. It also included more than fish but also wildlife that existed around the water.

We then caught the electric bus and went out to the local market which was really more of a craft market than a food market. In addition the firefighters' had a chili contest the purpose of which was to raise money for muscular dystrophy. You paid $6 and got 5 small cups of chili, one from each of the participating stations. Each of them was quite good, but Brenda and I agreed on the same one as being best.

After our chili lunch we then caught a regular bus out to the Verizon store. I had to arrange a new password so that I could receive my bills electronically. The trip out took about an hour and we saw quite a bit of Chattanooga outskirts. By the time we caught the bus back it was 5:30 and we went back to finish the aquarium and went home cooked supper and watched the ball game.

Saturday - October 16, 2010 (2)

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A few more pictures. Make sure you read the previous post for October 16, 2010.

Saturday - October 16, 2010

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Got up this morning, filled the water tank because we were running low. We originally were going to the aquarium, but our friends form Goncruzn III asked if we would like to go to Lookout Mountain. Since this was another sight we wanted to see, we went along. Chattanooga is a town of about 150,000 people and the transportation system is very, very efficient. We looked for number 15 bus, hopped aboard and within 15 minutes were at the base of Lookout Mountain. On the local map it looked like it was miles and miles away, but my reference system is Toronto, and as this is a much smaller city the distances are also far smaller. Anyway, Lookout mountain is about 2500 feet high and is a landmark of Chattanooga and the Tennessee River as you travel into Chattanooga. There are roads going up and people live all the way up to the top of the mountain. It is also the last mountain of the Appalachian chain also called the Great Smokey mountains in Tennessee. However, there is a tramway that takes people to the top of the mountain. The tramway is a national historic site and at times it is on a about a 75 degree angle as it goes to the top - quite an experience looking down the tracks. There are some incredible views from the top overlooking Chattanooga and the Tennessee River.

Lookout Mountain was the start of the decline of the the Confederate fortunes in the the Civil War. It is the site along with Chattanooga itself of a major defeat of the the Confederate forces by the Union. There is a lot of key sites and displays on the top describing the battles that occurred.

After spending about 3 hours going over the site, we went back down and had lunch at nice little pub at the base of the tram, then caught the bus back downtown. Brenda and I then went to do a little shopping for some nice bread and a couple of other things. We then stumbled on a little used bookstore which was quite interesting based on the fact that the best word to describe it is chaos. Books were everywhere but there was not consistent filing system. You just wondered around until you found what you wanted. In addition, the owner also had thousands of knickknacks and other stuff some of which I am sure have some historical significance. She also knitted and made rugs for sale. Apparently, she dyed the wool etc herself for her creations which were really very nice and original. She explained that that she had done crafts for years, but had quit for some time until her husband got sick and died and she started again. Part of the chaos was all the materials she had for her creations. Her original crafts were stuffed toys and she proudly told us that two of her creations were in the Smithsonian.

Brenda bought a rug for the boat and a knitted hat for winter, which was very attractive. I bought a couple of old civil war books for reference. When I was purchasing the books, the owner showed me her family tree and the fact that her grandfather who was born in the 1830's fought in the Civil War. Now that is close to 150 years ago. It makes you wonder how that person could be her grandfather, but she explained that her mother was born when her father was 60 years old. which was around the 1870's and she was one of the last of her mother's ten children. She was probably in her late 70's or early 80's. She herself had 18 grandchildren. She was very proud of the fact that she was one of the few living people that had a grandfather in the Civil War. A very interesting person and a very pleasant and nice person.

We then cam home, watched some football and the Philly baseball game in which Halladay was pitching. Al in all a good day.

Friday - October 15, 2010

Lat 035 00 48, long 085 36 29; Fuel 176; eng 458.36

It got very cold last night despite the fact that the day was warm. During the night you could hear dogs howling way off in the distance throughout the night. Apparently, I was told someone raises hunting dogs very close to where we anchored. In the morning we left the anchorage outside of Nickajack lock and traveled to Chattanooga. As soon as we left the anchorage we started going down a canyon. The hills on both sides of the river started rising up to a 1000 feet and covered with trees that were jsut changing colour. This continued all the way to Chxattanooga. Magnificent - something you would never see from the road. Lots of cottages and houses along the river but only a little industry. They do call this area the Tennessee River Grand Canyon. The river winds back and forth quite a bit and while the distance from our last nights anchorage was probably about 15 or 20 miles as the crow flies, it was a lot longer on the river about 55 miles.



We arrived in Chattanooga around 2:30 CDT or 3:30 EDT - we have crossed back into EDT having been on CDT since Chicago. Actually I liked CDT since all the programs we watched were an hour earlier than in Toronto. Anyways, yesterday, Brenda had the foresight to phone Marine Max in Chattanooga and make a reservation. This marina is right along the river wall just steps from downtown Chattanooga. A great spot and we are going to stay here for 4 nights. If we had not made a reservation we would have had to go through another lock and dock above the lock across the river.

Once we arrived we went up to the Tourist Information Bureau and picked up some brochures. For Laura, Alex and Lesley, there was a couple of big Civil War battles around Chattanooga and I am going to visit them. I'll bet you wish you were here!

Brenda and I went for a walk to dinner aroudn 7 and had a good dinner at a local pub.

Tomorrow we go the the Tennessee Aquarium.

Thursday - October 14, 2010

Lat 034 34 80; Lon 086 04 76; Fuel 190 gallons; Eng 451.21

We left Goose Pond at around 8:30 with no fixed arrival point although there were anchoring spots along the route and after the next lock. The terrain changed a bit, became flatter and more industrial. Passed several power plants and a nuclear plant that was started in 1974 but never completed. We came back into Tennessee and in fact tied up at the junction of the Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee border in a cove right after the Nickajack Lock. Tomorrow we are supposed to go through an area that is like a canyon. The trees are turning and it should be quite beautiful. We have booked a spot right in downtown Chattanooga and so it should be quite nice.

Wednesday - October 13, 2010

lat 34 34 44, long 86 33 77; fuel 197 gal; eng 445.12

At 8:00 I attended a board meeting for the Canadian Film Centre so we were a little late getting ready to leave. The other three boats were pulling out just around the time that I finished my call, so we rushed to get out of the marina. There was a lock about 15 miles up river and if we missed going through with those three boats it could mean another hour or two before we got through. So I stepped op to 8.5 knts and eventually caught up with them. We went through Guntersville Lock adn Dam with no problem. We are finally getting the hang of these big locks. Tie off at the middle of the boat as tight as possible to the wall and cinch the line to the middle cleat, otherwise you will be drifting all over the place. These locks are completely different from anything you run across on the Trent-Severn - bigger, deeper and more water action inside the lock. You also tie to bollards which float with the water so that is why you tie up as close to the wall as possible otherwise you bow and or stern will start drifting out. Make sure that you have good fenders because they do take a beating. We will probably pick a some more fenders in Chattanooga for the trip back downstream.

After the lock the scenery got really beautiful with hills dropping down into the river and the leaves beginning to change colour. We also saw some replica tall ships of the Pinta an Santa Maria. For those of you who are not up on history they are the ships that Christopher Columbus came to the new world.

We traveled as far as Goose Pond Marina which is a resort with a golf course and restaurant. Unfortunately we will only stay one night since I want to get to Chattanooga, hopefully tomorrow but we will see.

Brenda has gone off to identify trees and shrubbery. If you notice, I am posting this a lot earlier than usual. Problem is, after a few drinks and dinner, I just want to go to bed, so I am doing it earlier than usual.

We traveled as group today - the four boats I mentioned yesterday. This is a nice marina and well worth the stay - cost $ 25 which is pretty good.