2007-12 Cruising Pickwick Lake and Kentucky Lake, Alabama & Tennessee
Ahoy All,
It was a beautiful day as we departed Florence, AL. We continued to cruise down the Tennessee River into Pickwick Lake. We passed under the Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge as we approached the State of Mississippi. The 450-mile long parkway is part of the National Park System and closely follows the route of the historic Natchez Trace.
“The Trace” began as an Indian trail and was discovered by the French sometime before 1733. It extended from Natchez to Jackson, Mississippi, and then northeastward to Nashville, TN. Years later the trail was used by traders, missionaries, and soldiers. In about 1785, men from up north started using flat boats to deliver products down the Mississippi River to Natchez and New Orleans. Once down river they sold their boats for lumber and then used The Trace for the overland trek back home.
While we were cruising on Pickwick Lake we saw in the distance what appeared to be a large paddle wheel boat steaming up river towards us. It turned out to be the Delta Queen--hence the picture of the week.
It was a beautiful day as we departed Florence, AL. We continued to cruise down the Tennessee River into Pickwick Lake. We passed under the Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge as we approached the State of Mississippi. The 450-mile long parkway is part of the National Park System and closely follows the route of the historic Natchez Trace.
“The Trace” began as an Indian trail and was discovered by the French sometime before 1733. It extended from Natchez to Jackson, Mississippi, and then northeastward to Nashville, TN. Years later the trail was used by traders, missionaries, and soldiers. In about 1785, men from up north started using flat boats to deliver products down the Mississippi River to Natchez and New Orleans. Once down river they sold their boats for lumber and then used The Trace for the overland trek back home.
While we were cruising on Pickwick Lake we saw in the distance what appeared to be a large paddle wheel boat steaming up river towards us. It turned out to be the Delta Queen--hence the picture of the week.
We have been told that the
Delta Queen is actually a cruise ship that steams up and down the Mississippi
and Tennessee Rivers. It is one of the last steam driven paddle wheelers, and
in 1989 was placed on the National Historic Register. It would be a wonderful
way to cruise the rivers. We also heard some folks talking about a little old
lady that was on her 32nd trip on the Delta Queen. At about $4000 a trip, she
must really like traveling on the river!
After locking through at Pickwick Dam we entered Kentucky Lake. It is one of the world's largest manmade lakes, with a length of 184 miles and a shoreline of almost 2400 miles. The lake generally runs on a North to South direction so we cruised back into the State of Tennessee. Midway in the lake we stopped at a beautiful little marina in New Johnsonville, TN, called Pebble Isle. Nice folks met us at the dock. We enjoyed much needed showers, a nice walk, and a great dinner at the marina café, with some of the best catfish we've ever had. After a good night's sleep, we decided it was time to spin the boat around and start working our way back to Tellico Lake. We had a couple of side trips we wanted to make on the way back.
On Kentucky Lake there were many skiffs anchored with the red and white "diver below" flags flying. We learned that these were fresh water mussel boats with divers below. They were commercial dive boats that operate in this part of the country. In addition to the diver, some of the boats had someone topside to watch for other boats. Many times it was a gal in a skimpy bathing suit--Dave just happened to notice!!
Early Friday evening while cruising on Kentucky Lake we were discussing the continuous boat traffic on the lake. Folks were really getting an early start on the holiday weekend. All of a sudden Barb heard a odd "clunk" that came from the engine compartment. Our tachometer suddenly dropped to zero, and within seconds the engine started to heat up. Dave turned off the engine and we started drifting back down river. We were in the main cruising channel in 50-60 feet of water and didn't dare drop anchor. We started the engine periodically to guide us to a safe anchorage. After about four miles we were able to drop the hook at an anchorage behind a small island, out of the path of other boats and large tows. It was getting dark by the time we settled in. So, we decided instead of trying to diagnose the problem and fix it by flashlight, we'd have some dinner and do an early "get-up" to do the work in the daylight.
And, we did just that. The engine compartment was uncovered and Dave was up to his hips in belts, bolts, and tools by 6 a.m. As we had suspected, it was a belt that broke. The bad news was that it was an inside belt, which meant an outside belt would have to be removed to put the new one in place. The good news was that we had extra belts onboard. Two hours, two bandaids, and two dropped tools later, we were good as new and on our way back up river. Another fine job completed as scheduled by our lead mechanic and his assistant!!
Luckily, we had a short day to get to our chosen marina for the night, so we did some "kick back" time looking forward to a restful night safe in a covered slip and protected harbor during this very busy holiday weekend.
Until next time,
Dave and Barb
The Traveling Browns
After locking through at Pickwick Dam we entered Kentucky Lake. It is one of the world's largest manmade lakes, with a length of 184 miles and a shoreline of almost 2400 miles. The lake generally runs on a North to South direction so we cruised back into the State of Tennessee. Midway in the lake we stopped at a beautiful little marina in New Johnsonville, TN, called Pebble Isle. Nice folks met us at the dock. We enjoyed much needed showers, a nice walk, and a great dinner at the marina café, with some of the best catfish we've ever had. After a good night's sleep, we decided it was time to spin the boat around and start working our way back to Tellico Lake. We had a couple of side trips we wanted to make on the way back.
On Kentucky Lake there were many skiffs anchored with the red and white "diver below" flags flying. We learned that these were fresh water mussel boats with divers below. They were commercial dive boats that operate in this part of the country. In addition to the diver, some of the boats had someone topside to watch for other boats. Many times it was a gal in a skimpy bathing suit--Dave just happened to notice!!
Early Friday evening while cruising on Kentucky Lake we were discussing the continuous boat traffic on the lake. Folks were really getting an early start on the holiday weekend. All of a sudden Barb heard a odd "clunk" that came from the engine compartment. Our tachometer suddenly dropped to zero, and within seconds the engine started to heat up. Dave turned off the engine and we started drifting back down river. We were in the main cruising channel in 50-60 feet of water and didn't dare drop anchor. We started the engine periodically to guide us to a safe anchorage. After about four miles we were able to drop the hook at an anchorage behind a small island, out of the path of other boats and large tows. It was getting dark by the time we settled in. So, we decided instead of trying to diagnose the problem and fix it by flashlight, we'd have some dinner and do an early "get-up" to do the work in the daylight.
And, we did just that. The engine compartment was uncovered and Dave was up to his hips in belts, bolts, and tools by 6 a.m. As we had suspected, it was a belt that broke. The bad news was that it was an inside belt, which meant an outside belt would have to be removed to put the new one in place. The good news was that we had extra belts onboard. Two hours, two bandaids, and two dropped tools later, we were good as new and on our way back up river. Another fine job completed as scheduled by our lead mechanic and his assistant!!
Luckily, we had a short day to get to our chosen marina for the night, so we did some "kick back" time looking forward to a restful night safe in a covered slip and protected harbor during this very busy holiday weekend.
Until next time,
Dave and Barb
The Traveling Browns