Alabama: Chattanooga, TN to Goose Pond Resort

Day 127
NM Today: 74
NM Total: 2511
Locks Today: 1
Locks Total: 88

After I published my blog last night, Clark and I headed up to the marina restroom for one last time before calling it a night.   We heard yelling coming from the street that runs by and just down the road from the marina.  As I approached the restroom facilities, I could just make out a group of people where the road runs under the bridge.  After watching and listening for a couple of minutes I realized that what we could hear was a cheer-leading squad practicing their drills.  The time for their practice?  Just before 1:00 a.m.!  We decided they must practice under the bridge because the sound echos back as it might in a stadium. I speculated that they were from the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.  I doubt high-school students would be out at midnight practicing cheers!

Obviously, while on our mini vacation in Chattanooga, we slipped back into our New Jersey habits of up until midnight and sleeping in late in the morning.  Waking up early this morning to get moving again was rough, and to make it worse, after a touch of sun yesterday afternoon, we woke yet again to rain.

We left Chattanooga today to head back to the Tenn-Tom to rejoin the Great Loop.  The trip to Chattanooga is considered a side trip.  We have been "out of the loop" since before the AGLCA Rendezvous which in and of itself was part of and an incentive for this excursion to Chattanooga.

We left the docks around 9:30 under a miserable cloud cover, but thankfully as the day progressed the fog literally lifted and let the sun shine through.

Dreary Foggy Morning

Fog Going

Going

Gone!
Fall colors appeared!

Finally Blue Sky!

We are now traveling west over the same waters we traveled earlier this month heading east, so the scenery is not new.  With a touch of sun, however, it is definitely prettier.

On the Tennessee - some folks camping off their boat

Unusual to see a Marina with Cabins on the Docks 

More Fall Colors

 I have to tell the truth in that I did not spend a lot of time actually looking at the scenery today.  I played with my phone, did some reading, defrosted the boat fridge, ...

When I was touring around yesterday, I bought a cheapo book on battles of the Civil War at the Point Park gift shop and to pass the time read some of the information out loud to Clark, so he could hear about the important battles in places we have visited like Chickamauga and Chattanooga.

While I was busy eating lunch and again not paying attention to the scenery, the Nickajack Dam came up on me suddenly.  Last I heard from Clark it was three miles away and then voila there is was!  Since I have practiced the "get the fenders and line ready" drill many times now, I was ready to secure the boat to the bollard with time to spare.  Phew!

Nickajack Dam & Lock --
open when we arrived so we pulled right in!

Highway Bridge with unique design

More Fall Colors on the Tennessee River

As soon as we docked our boat at Goose Pond Marina, I jumped off with my two bags of laundry and made a B-line to the washing machines.  I specifically requested that Clark stop here so that I could take care of the accumulating laundry.   The marina has two washers and four dryers.  When I saw that I ran back to the boat for a third load of wash - all my towels.  I had all my laundry washed, dried, and folded before dinner.  Granted dinner did not get started until 8:00 but then again Clark was not around to eat it before then anyway.

He stopped over to visit with first Pam and Kit on India Jayne whom we traveled with today, and then he walked over to visit with A Bama Dream since this is their home port.  After all the boat driving he did today, he deserved a social break.  Linda and Jess showed Clark their new camper that they plan to use to tour parts of the U.S.  They invited me to come over as well, but I was still dealing with laundry and, given the time, increasing hunger.  Instead Linda and Jess walked back with Clark to our boat, so we could at least say hello / goodbye as we go our separate ways on our adventures.

Clark pointed out that as we move along on our trip, lots of great people come into our lives only to drop out again as they arrive at the place where they started the loop so many months ago.  Many of the people we have met along the way started in the south with a heavy number starting in Florida.  It is great to keep meeting so many nice people but sad when we say farewell because they will no longer be moving along the loop with us.

We are supposed to see lots of sun tomorrow as we travel further along our path to reconnect with the Great Loop Route.  After that the prediction is for more rain.  Yech!  Betsy from Fryedaze let me know that she and Dave are currently at Ditto Landing, so Clark and I plan to stop by there tomorrow to see them.