Side Trips

Friday, October 26, 2012

An early start had the Irish Attitude heading towards Chattanooga. Bob and Ivy on Karma were traveling with us. A cold front was expected from the west and a hurricane named Sandy was beginning its trek up the east coast. The current was fighting us again as we traveled up the TN River. The shore was every changing from rocky bluffs to industry and back again. Few homes could be spotted along the way. A large yacht did pass us heading down river. The crew was headed for Knoxville. They were delivering the boat for the owner, a Tennessee Vols fan.

Cold front chasing us

Yacht Freedom

Amazing rock formations

Ditto Landing in Huntsville, AL was our first stop. Shirley and Tony off of Headquarters were in the slip next to us. They invited us aboard and we ended up ordering JETS pizza! Yum! a taste of Bay City.  The next day was windy, 35 mph! It’s a good day for laundry and maintenance.  

 

 

Classic lines (are you interested Del?)

Sunday, October 28, 2012

 
The Tennessee widens to Guntersville Lake after the lock and dam. It’s a beautiful region with homes to match. Goose Pond Marina Colony Marina in Scottsboro, AL was our destination. The winds were strong making the entrance shallower then predicted. Dock hands were there to catch our lines making the experience smoother.  We used the courtesy car and Dan guaranteed we would be driving 100 mph by the time we left the drive. He was correct, the speedometer pegged out and stayed there of its own accord!  Ivy and I went into town the next day to check out the unclaimed baggage store. Lots of items from clothes to IPads but nothing I had to have. It’s amazing what people leave behind!

Full Moon Over Goose Pond

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Mike and I were getting antsy and decided to move on towards Chattanooga. Karma decided to leave also. The further we traveled the higher the bluffs became and the more beautiful the homes.

 

 

The plan was to anchor out but both boats pressed on making up for the weather delays. We passed through the gorge that we had heard so much about. People said it was the like the Grand Canyon. ?? Honestly, I was not as impressed with the gorge as the bluffs down river. The river was over 175 ft. deep in some places but the sides were not rocky, just steep.

 

The Gorge

It turned out to be a rather scary Halloween. We pulled into Chattanooga just after dark. The full moon from last night was nowhere to be seen. I had called earlier to get docking instructions since all personnel would be gone by the time we arrived. In the dark there did not appear to be room for 2 boats so we rafted to Karma after they had tied to the dock. We were exhusted but Mike and I sat on the back of the boat relaxing. The up came the moon! It was a huge, bright, orange harvest moon! Perfect for Halloween!