Another beautiful cool morning as we pulled anchor and left Lick Creek to return to the Tennessee River. We slowly left through the narrow channel and encountered a barge going north in the river, so we slowed down to let the barge proceed up river before we entered the river.
Soon after we got into the river, we passed Lady Finger Bluff a 150 foot cliff that drops right into the river.
This section of the river begins to have more creeks and small lakes similar to the one we anchored in last night.
And entered a section of the river with lots of oxbows.
Five miles past Clifton, the shoreline of the Tennessee flattens out to a flood plain with farmland, cows and spent cornfields. We even saw a wayward goat who somehow got on one of the islands in the middle of the river. He was very attentive in watching us go by.
The river also becomes more winding the further we traveled. On one bend we had to slow to allow a 12 barge tow to negotiate the tight bend.
Around the next tight bend the shoreline cliffs become a clay and sand mixture which looks completely different from the limestone cliffs we had previously seen along most of the shore. This is the only area on the Tennessee where these cliffs appear.
As we near our destination for the night, we go under the US HWY 64 bridge and see Cherry Mansion high up on the bluff. Cherry Mansion is notable for two reasons. First. it was built on one of the 14 large Indian mounds along the river in 1830. Built of brick from the river clay, the mansion had 18 inch thick walls and heart pine woodwork and cabinetry. The second reason was Cherry Mansion was the headquarters for General Ulysses S. Grant. While General Grant was eating breakfast April 6, 1862, he heard the first artillery fire as Confederate forces attacked his army in nearby Shiloh. The mansion remained his headquarters during the two day battle. After the battle, the grounds served as a field hospital for both Union and Confederate soldiers.
A few yards further we pulled behind Wolfe Island to anchor for the night.
Was a long trip today so we will sleep well tonight.
Day 155 October 25. On to Rock Pile anchorage. Mile 33 Total Mile 4747
Readied the boat for locking and then weighed anchor on this clear morning. It’s actually warmer 61 degrees and going to get near 80 degrees later today!
Will head further south on the Tennessee River, first passing Savannah, TN with its many stilt houses on the river. Savannah was once a thriving steamship port for heavy freight and railroad crossties.
Just past Savannah, we traveled past Diamond Island which is another oxbow anchorage and then a large flat floodplain area of the Tennessee River. Was amazing how much sand one river can deposit!
Further down we came to the Shiloh National Military Park which parallels the river for almost one mile. We could see walkways, roads and a few historical markers through the trees. The battle was fought on April 6-7, 1862 with more than 103,000 Confederate and Union soldiers. Twenty three hundred men were killed or wounded at places later named Bloody Pond, Hell’s Hallow and Hornets Nest. We could not see much from the boat. will have to come back by car.
My husband decided this was the day he would drink his Buz Lightyear apple juice.
Four more miles down the river, we came to the Pickwick Lock and dam, which is 113 feet tall and 7,715 feet long and creates Pickwick Lake. Built between 1934-1944 the dam provides electricity to much of south central Tennessee. Our journey today took us through the lock which lifted us 55 feet.
We called the lock and were informed that water levels were too low to allow lockage, but after waiting about 15 minutes the lock master said he would be able to get permission to let us lock through because we only draw 4 foot 2inches. He readied the lock and we entered, the only boat us a 100 foot lock and floated up 55 feet to the level of Pickwick Lake.
As we left the lock master told us he had taken pictures of us in the lock and posted them on the Pickwick Lock Facebook page. We are now famous!?!
We now travel through the Pickwick Lake section of the Tennessee River where the shore line is filled with forested hills right up to the lake with many bays for anchoring.
There are lots of homes all along the ridges and shoreline. One home atop a taller ridge had a rail system installed to get to their dock on the lake! Never seen that before!
Passing State Line Island in the river we enter Alabama, our 18th state. Soon afterward we came to the entrance of the Tom Bigbee Waterway which we will take when we return to head south to Mobile. But for now we will continue up the Tennessee to Chattanooga.
Continuing on through Pickwick Lake we cruised past the State Wildlife Refuge and JP Coleman State Park so the lake shoreline is totally undeveloped.
Traveling a few miles further, we come to our destination anchorage, the aptly named Rock Pile because you must pass through three piles of rock to enter the anchorage.
We dropped the hook and got settled in, me to make lunch and Bill to again contact the inverter company as our fix the other day did not stayed fixed. This time we found the culprit a loose crimp on a cable in the system, easily fixable.
Will relax and enjoy this remote anchorage with spectacular views of the ridges which get larger as they move away from the lake. Unfortunately pictures do not do it justice.
This evening we listened to birds and wildlife as we watched the sunset over the ridges. We even had coyotes calling.
Here are some drone shots of the anchorage.
