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Day 167-8. 2nd year November 6.-7 Driving back to Chattanooga

 We enjoyed our last morning with the girls and Cori, leaving in time to take Kyle to the MARTA station so he could get to his flight back to Tampa on time.  Always bittersweet when you have to leave family.  We then turned around and headed back north to Chattanooga.  





We had time to get to a grocery store to reprovision with fresh produce and meats we need for the next 7-10 days. before we returned the rental car.  

Returning to the boat, we settled back in to the boat routine and readied for an early day to leave and head back down the Tennessee River retracing our steps to the Tombigbee Waterway where we will turn south and head toward home.

Here are some  parting drone shots of Chattanooga.







Day 168. November 7.  Retracing our way back down the Tennessee River. Miles 89 Total Miles5028

Started our day at first light to leave Chattanooga, TN head down river to our anchorage tonight.





It started out as a cool 50 degrees but not a cloud in the sky, so it warmed to 70.  A beautiful day for cruising.

Our route took us back through the Tennessee Valley Gorge and back into Northern Alabama, traveling south and west.  






We locked through Nickajack Lock and dropped 40 feet, down to Guntersville Lake which we traveled on for the rest of the day.  




The Lake begins very narrow and deep with mountains on each side and then gradually widens with fewer mountains most further off  river.  Foot hills and marshy grasses and islands now dominate the shoreline.







Our company today was lots of fishing boats, one sailboat, one cruiser and one tow and barge.  Not a lot of  traffic on the lake.   I also got to add to my Tennessee eagle count. Now I’m at 12.  This one soared overhead and circled and dipped to catch a fish and took off again.

We did not stop at our planned anchorage, but continued on another 20 miles because it was such a nice day for travel and it  will allowed us to have a shorter day later in the week so we could get anchored before the predicted rain starts..

We anchored in Short Creek between Bald Knob and Ellenberg Mountain, part of the Little Mountain State Park.




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