Our destination today is Pebble Isle Marina in New Johnsonville, Tennessee.
We left the dock this morning at 6:12 am. The chartplotter predicted our arrival for shortly after 2:00 pm. The weather forecast was for late afternoon thundershowers with some possible severe so we decided to try to beat the weather. However, the storms did not materialize in our area, which was very good because there were lots of interesting sights. We got this close up view of the "lite" tow boat Arthur E. Snook as she passed close along side. The term "lite" refers to the fact that she has no tow (i.e. no barges). She is a "two-stacker", which refers to the two smoke stacks representing two diesel engines. She is undoubtedly very powerful, but later we should see some three-stackers that are the largest tow boats on the rivers and can push up to 72 barges.
Our Bird of the Day is the bald eagle on a floating log in the photo at the left. Talk about uncooperative! He just would not turn around and pose in all his majesty... This is a first for me to see a bald eagle on a floating log. Usually, I see them high up in a dead tree along the river bank or flying. Of course, since I spend most of my time at the helm, I usually just glance at those two places so my sampling is definitely biased.
The photo at right shows a gravel dredge system. The dredge mounted on a barge sucks up sediment from the river bed and sorts it to size. The gravel them is loaded onto barges by conveyor belt. The dredge has its own tow boat and another tow boat handles the cargo barges so it is quite an operation.
The scenery is variable between combinations of resistant bed rock and low flood plain. This photo shows the low treed, flat flood plain and a higher bed rock hill ahead alongside the river. The river channel meanders around so that some times there is flood plain on both sides, but when the river reaches the side of its flood plain, there it is actively eroding bed rock. While we cannot see it from here, the higher hill on the right hand side of the photo is bedrock.
The locals learned long ago to no longer build down low on the flood plain. Many whole cities have moved or been removed by nature and rebuilt on higher ground. Of course, people still ignore the floods and build on the flood plain anyway. Here are some fairly new houses (big cabins?) built up on stilts to try to get above the floods. Back home in coastal Texas there are many similarly constructed building in areas subject to storm surge or flooding by streams. Just like coastal areas that have waves as well as storm surge, these houses have to withstand both the high water and the current full of debris. Good luck...
Just before our marina for tonight we passed the city of New Johnsonville, TN. Of course, the "New" in the name implies that there was an (old) Johnsonville, and indeed there was before TVA built the dam to provide hydroelectric power in the early 1940s. There was evidently much mixed emotion locally as the farmers, in particular, lost all of the fertile bottom lands (or flood plain) under the lake that was impounded. The photo (above left) shows a new highway bridge with a train bridge behind it. The highway bridge is fixed at 50+ feet while the railroad bridge is in the down position with a train crossing it.
The new town seemed quite busy with a huge TVA power station. In the photo above there is a single tall smoke stack at the far right. It is part of a huge TVA power plant that was built in the early 1970s. This is a natural gas powered plant with a coal backup. Yes, hydroelectric power alone is no longer enough for the needs, and TVA has built "regular" power plants as well. The low black hill in back on the left is a stock pile of coal for when the natural gas is diverted for heating during cold Winter periods. Notice how the generators are built up high and well back from the river.
Adjacent to the power plant is a huge du Pont plant, which also is on the riverfront. The (new) town is basically built across the highway from the road that fronts these two facilities.
Pebble Isle Marina is a great stop for us. The photo at the right shows an aerial view of the marina and its grounds. Yes, that is Old Johnsonville Road, and it ends here with a branch to the left (south) to a state park. Evidently, the old town was down in the river valley back when the road did not end here. Up the hill from the marina is two areas for RVs with very nice wooded spaces. So, Lucky had some good long walks here. The blue dot is the space where Lucky Us is moored along the side of that long pier. The small roof just to the left is the marina office and restaurant. Oh, no! Here we go again... But wait, we had the best meal of the trip so far in that little restaurant. They had a special steak, baked potato and salad bar for $14.99, and the steak was melt in your mouth tender. We also saw our friends from Lady Chateau, but unfortunately it was for the last time as they are moving faster than we are. However, the Admiral was able to get some suggestions for anchorages that they have used for years. Valuable information!
BTW While we were waiting for dinner, I bought another souvenir hat. Well, it is (Aggie) maroon and white, and it met all of my usual criteria...
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