I have been out four days from Goose Pond Marina. Started off stopping at Jones Creek on Saturday. Beautiful anchorage surrounded by large hills.
That’s an eagle at Jones Creek
Jones Creek like a whole other lake.
Then it was on thru Nicklejack. The day was kinda long but I locked thru Sunday afternoon.
Floating island made up of malfoil and anything that will grow on top.
Started to dock a Shellmound Park at the free docks but the wind was up and I was tired so I hit a small embayment and went over to the free docks the next day. Stayed there Monday night and left for Williams this morning
That is all prelude to now.
I went through the Tennessee Gorge and it was the best river scenery I have see on this trip. The title of the post refers to the three major geological features of this section of the river.
The first attraction of note is the old Hales Bar powerhouse. Built in 1904 it was the biggest deal of the new century in Tennessee. The hydro electric plant was completed in 1913. This plant was the largest in the country next to The one at Niagara. The problem was it leaked. It isn’t there anymore
Just a vacant building
Then I got into the gorge and real mountains for the next 25 miles.
Below is the Racoon Mountain Power Station outlet. Eleven hundred feet up is a 520 acre lake that is filled in slack use times and used as hydro power in peak times. Pretty cool huh!
About here at the power station the fault is evident when the depth of the water can go from 30 feet to 130 feet. This is from and old earthquake fault and continues for the next few miles.
The river narrows at times to 600 to 700 feet. there are places along the river with turbulent water with names like The Pot, The Skillet, The Suck and my favorite Mongo Chute.
When I left today I thought the current would be down. I was surprised to find as I headed up the river the current increased and my speed was dropping at a constant 2000 rpms from 6.3 mph to below 5. I had checked the outflow at Chickamauga Lock and it was around 7000 cubic feet a second this morning. Little did I know they had raised that to 47,000 cubic feet per second by 11:00 am. I was down to 4.4 mph off and on still running 2000 rpms. Thank my ancestors that the current dropped off near the island and I am anchored securely for the night.
I am in sight of Signal Mountain which is part of the Cumberland Escarpment a big table plateau that extends north and east.
Tomorrow Chattanooga.
While I was writing this deal the big cat boat from the Tennessee Aquarium blew by and waked me. I called on 16 and chewed him out. I will report him. He can apologize all he wants this is a 200 foot channel off the main channel. He should not even be back here on that boat . Well that’s my only bitch for the day.
I just heard thunder. Good night for Honda generator AC cool.
Dr Brad standing by on 16.
Black Dog Sailor 