Rain, rain, rain all night but it tapered a bit at 9am when we castoff. We eased our way back into the river channel which is wide at this point with no buoys. The air temp was 52 degrees with a slight river fog.
Even on this gray morning, the scenery was beautiful as we passed through the Tennessee National Migratory Wildlife Refuge. There were more limestone cliffs and coves in this protected landscape. We reduced our speed so we could listen better to the birds calling to each other on shore.
I can understand why boaters call this their homeport. With a houseboat or shallow draft powerboat, one could nose into the coves and be surrounded by nature. We had hoped to anchor at Denson’s Island at Milepost 125 but the weather unfortunately changed our plans.
We spoke with some local boaters yesterday and they tend not to go out often on days like this as “it is toooooo cold.” We did have some barge traffic today but with a wide river, there was plenty of room to pass on the Ones or Twos except at Beech Creek Island where 2 large barges were rounding a corner and there we were. We did see some people fishing on their runabouts for sauger (“cousin to the walleye”) and catfish. It is a pleasure to steer and not have to be on the constant look-out for debris.
With a cabin temp of 60 degrees, I fired up the propane oven to make muffins. Really—it’s only for the warmth. I was busy reading when an ultra load ringtone sounded. I jumped—were my muffins overdone, was it the fire alarm, engine alarm…what? Bob remained calm and started laughing. It seems that yesterday when we women went geocaching, Bob and fellow boater, Gary, decided to play with all their “boat devices.” They had wired up the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) feature on their marine radios. This feature not only allows an alert to go out in distress, but it can also be used to directly hail another boater via the MMSI number. It worked and certainly got my full attention.
We pulled into the Clifton Marina at about 2:30. It is a very narrow opening with adequate draft and you have to make an immediate turn to the transient area. We crossed paths again with “Bucket” and “Steel Weeds.” What was really amazing was meeting up with the owners of the Rhumb Line Bar from Bayfield WI, our former homeport. They are down here doing a BMW motorcycle trip to the Baja, but stopped here with their pop-up trailer to check on land they bought. It was fun to reminisce and toast to our memories.
The day ended wonderfully with a spicy meal at Meo Mio’s Cajun Spirits Restaurant. They will pick you up at the marina. This one is not to be missed.
Even on this gray morning, the scenery was beautiful as we passed through the Tennessee National Migratory Wildlife Refuge. There were more limestone cliffs and coves in this protected landscape. We reduced our speed so we could listen better to the birds calling to each other on shore.
I can understand why boaters call this their homeport. With a houseboat or shallow draft powerboat, one could nose into the coves and be surrounded by nature. We had hoped to anchor at Denson’s Island at Milepost 125 but the weather unfortunately changed our plans.
We spoke with some local boaters yesterday and they tend not to go out often on days like this as “it is toooooo cold.” We did have some barge traffic today but with a wide river, there was plenty of room to pass on the Ones or Twos except at Beech Creek Island where 2 large barges were rounding a corner and there we were. We did see some people fishing on their runabouts for sauger (“cousin to the walleye”) and catfish. It is a pleasure to steer and not have to be on the constant look-out for debris.
With a cabin temp of 60 degrees, I fired up the propane oven to make muffins. Really—it’s only for the warmth. I was busy reading when an ultra load ringtone sounded. I jumped—were my muffins overdone, was it the fire alarm, engine alarm…what? Bob remained calm and started laughing. It seems that yesterday when we women went geocaching, Bob and fellow boater, Gary, decided to play with all their “boat devices.” They had wired up the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) feature on their marine radios. This feature not only allows an alert to go out in distress, but it can also be used to directly hail another boater via the MMSI number. It worked and certainly got my full attention.
We pulled into the Clifton Marina at about 2:30. It is a very narrow opening with adequate draft and you have to make an immediate turn to the transient area. We crossed paths again with “Bucket” and “Steel Weeds.” What was really amazing was meeting up with the owners of the Rhumb Line Bar from Bayfield WI, our former homeport. They are down here doing a BMW motorcycle trip to the Baja, but stopped here with their pop-up trailer to check on land they bought. It was fun to reminisce and toast to our memories.
The day ended wonderfully with a spicy meal at Meo Mio’s Cajun Spirits Restaurant. They will pick you up at the marina. This one is not to be missed.
