Voyages of Annie, The Great American Whistle Hunt, November 16

Greetings from the Tennessee River in Chattanooga

Arrived in Chattanooga yesterday and once again we have internet connection. Thought yesterday that winter had finally come. It was cold and got to below freezing last night but today is a beautiful, crisp and clear Fall day. We took two days to get to Chattanooga from Guntersville. Fall colors are incredible and the trees are just now turning red and yellow. I was going to drop the anchor and take some pictures of Annie from the dinghy with the fall colors in the background as we came up through the gorges but the wind picked up yesterday and I wasn’t inclined to drop the hook on the open river. The wind was up to about 25 knots at times as a front passed and it kept changing directions as the wind roared through the gorges. Going to head up river again today towards Knoxville and maybe I can shoot some pictures of the boat.

We stopped at Hales Bar night before last. It’s not s honky tonk but the site of the first hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River. Part of the dam power plant is standing and remnants of the old lock is still there. We took on fuel at the marina at Hales Bar and the wind was so strong that we could not get off the fuel dock so they let us stay at the fuel dock that night. Next morning the winds had diminished a bit and we were off again, heading up-river into what they call the Grand Canyon of Tennessee. The river narrows down and is only maybe two hundred yards wide in the bottom of some of the canyons. The river is more river-like that some of the wider lakes above the dams on the lower Tennessee. . In Lake Guntersville, for instance, the river at Lake Guntersville is several miles wide above the dam. It’s hard to get a feeling that you’re actually on a river till you get farther north and it narrows down.

Got into Chattanooga yesterday afternoon and the wind was howling again and it was cold. There are city docks right on the waterfront which is apparently the heart of old Chattanooga.We are the only boat here. There were two other local boats here yesterday but they were gone early this AM. There is an Imax, the Tennessee State Aquarium and Fine Art Museums within a few hundred feet of the water. There are walks and stairs all along the bluffs above the river. We are tied on under an old railroad briddge that has been converted to a pedestrian/bicycle bridge. We climbed the stairs this morning and took some pictures of Annie from above. Click on images for larger photos.

There is a cruise boat called the Southern Belle that makes several daily cruises up and down the Tennessee along the Chattanooga waterfront. After we got tied up the Southern Belle came by with a load of school kids aboard. Two hours later the captain and first mate of the Southern Belle were on the dock staring at Annie..We invited them aboard and they were both impressed with Annie. They invited us down to the Southern Belle for her evening dinner cruise and gave us the grand tour of the Belle… pilothouse, engine rooms and of course got to inspect her calliope.

Today we are going to head further up river. There is another dam and set of locks at Chickamauga which is about 7 miles above Chattanooga. There is a state park there with apparently a lot of places to anchor. Going to find a place to hang out, read a few books and stay warm until Carol gets here on Tuesday. She left her car in Dog River Alabama which is 10 miles below Mobile. She is going to fly to Mobile and take a taxi to her car and then will drive up here . We will meet up somewhere here in Chattanooga maybe on Wednesday for a trip down the Tennessee while the fall colors are still in their prime.

More later.

Bebo aboard Annie in Chattanooga, Tennessee…