Looping NZ Style: Kenlake to the Tennessee River

As I have mentioned before....we don't always sleep in, and the early mornings have begun again.
Waz turned the alarm off at 6am, with the intention of being out on Kentucky Lake by 7am.

While he showered, I went out on the cockpit to see what the outside temps were like and to see if I could see the Eclipse finale. I was in luck...but didn't have my glasses on and couldn't find my camera to take the necessary photo. You will just have to take my word for it!:)

I did witness the most glorious Fried Egg sunrise, though, and I did have my specs on by this time and found the photo taker and did the obvious:)

See what I mean about the yolk color??
Most systems were ready to remove, and for us to be on our way, but we did need to just take our time and eat some breakfast and enjoy our normal morning procedure, even if it was 2 hrs earlier than what has become our 'normal' in the past week or so.

It was to be the most glorious beginning to a sublime day. They don't come around very often, but when they do, we look back on them with a satisfied sigh and smile and bask in the glow we are left with:)

We pulled away from the dock at the Kenlake Marina at just on 7am. We could see, there was no apparent fog anywhere near, and though it was cool, I was in t-shirt sleeves. Activity will do that, mind you!

We did find the fog in short shrift, though, as we exited the channel into the marina and out into the Lake. These fishermen were already on their way out into the fishing grounds. There is a big fishing tournament on this coming weekend and they are all out there trying to find 'their' holes, I guess.

As you can see, the boat launch is busy!

Boats shooting out all over the place, into the sunrise. How glorious is this!

As we neared the Tennessee River, we saw more and more industry on the banks of the Lake and eventually the river.

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day, in all ways. No wind to speak of (after a week of nastiness) and the water was gorgeous.

Pockets of fog remained near shore and in the little bays that punctuate the shoreline down the Lake.

Like diamonds on the water, the early sunlight.

An hour and a quarter after leaving the Marina, we are entering the Tennessee River

AS usual, I am fascinated by the patterns our wake makes in different water conditions. I love the zigzag of today's wake.

Some lovely properties on the River Front. The Tennessee River is 5 feet lower than normal. The Dam at Pickwick Lake is being lowered in order for the Corp of Engineers to do some maintenance, and lowering the pool in the River is the first step of this process.

We don't know if these are permanent or vacation homes on the river.

Fascinating, these tree 'islands' in the River. As you can see, there isn't a lot of fall color in the forest, yet. It wont be long, if the forecast cool weather comes through. We are a but dubious about that right now, as we are sitting in low 80's humidity! Hence the clouds and thunderstorm activity.

This rail bridge is defunct, but some enterprising people have built homes on and around the rail line to the left.

As this is a narrow point in the river, there was a Car Ferry, which wasn't on our charts, by the way. We didn't expect it, but we didn't have any problems with it either.

Those houses I mentioned earlier, along the rail line.

Oh how we thrill to watch the Pelicans making use of the ground effect and the warm thermals. The ground effect allows them to fly so low to the water as to touch it with the tips of their wings, and the thermals take them up and over, so they are doing this undulating flyover, as they go. Beautiful to watch.

Off the main channel the water is very shallow, but these low slung boats have no problem with the shallows, and were in some amazing places, as we passed.

Such a peaceful scene along the Tennessee River.

We were very happy to first HEAR them, then to see their nests; Osprey! Wonderful!

The black things in the water, or rather, sitting on a sand bar, are duck-like birds that flap their wings very fast...more than a duck. And thy are smaller than ducks. Cant remember what they are, but fun to watch their frantic flight.

After 5 1/2 hrs of motoring down the Kentucky Lake and into the Tennessee River, we made our way through a shallow (remember the river is 5 ft lower!) channel into our marina for the next couple of nights. We needed to fuel up here because the price is one of the best on the rivers, and pump out. It is well off the river proper, so we are very safe here, we believe. Again, there is more bad weather forecast for the next two days, Thurs. and Fri.

The channel into the Marina was narrow, but this fast boat veered off to our port side (left) and we managed to arrive without incident.

I wouldn't look at the depth sounder, going in, but later Waz told me the depth got up to 6ft! Hmmm
Still plenty of water...really!

Lots of fast boats that wait for no-one. These fisher folks are a bit of a law unto themselves. No wake has no meaning to most of them.

We parked, after fuelling up, in front of a couple we havnt seen since leaving the Half Moon Marina on the Hudson River, NY. Fantastic to catch up with them again. Also, behind them is another familiar boat. This one is owned by the Swiss couple we met at Trenton, before starting the Trent Severn Canal. They were literally parked at our stern.:) They have returned to Switzerland for the rest of the month, so we are sad to have missed them. Grant and Cindy are also here....we saw them at Green Turtle Bay. They also are not here, having rented a vehicle to go into Nashville to sight see. They will be back soon.