10/26/2010 DITTO LANDING IN HUNTSVILLE, AL AND TORNADO WARNINGS

10/26/2010 DITTO LANDING IN HUNTSVILLE, AL AND TORNADO WARNINGS


TUESDAY

TOTAL MILES TRAVELED TODAY: 0 NM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CRAIG PORTER!!!

Windy, windy and dark clouds are being pushed across the sky at an alarming rate this morning.

While listening to the howling wind this morning I am aware of some of the other sounds around us. The ducks are, of course, constantly begging and beckoning for attention. We had a flock of geese hovering around the marina’s waters and they called to each other, attempting to organize their imminent flight. We can also faintly hear the hum of the cars traveling over the nearby US 231 bridge and the “whoosh-ting, whoosh-ting” from the sailboat’s masts. Each morning we hear the distant “booms” from the Redstone Arsenal Testing site.

CARS SWEEP OVER THE BRIDGE

"TING, TING.  WHOOSH, TING"

Image via WikipediaRedstone Arsenal is a US Army post that consists of Army Aviation, Missile Command and the NASA’s Space and Flight Center. This was originally a chemical weapons manufacturing facility during WW II but geared up for the space industry in the 50s. They are now responsible for research, development, testing, repairs and maintenance on the high-tech weapons that the US soldiers use. Sometimes the blasts from the facility go on all day and sometimes they are limited to just a few. Today one of the booms actually vibrated the boat.

We experienced a new sound today. It was that of the Tornado Warning Systems. Being aware of the possibility of severe weather, we were closely monitoring our Garmin’s satellite weather station as we plodded through our chores. Around 1:45 the Garmin sounded its tornado alert and the public sirens followed almost immediately. George, Ditto’s dock master, walked over and assured us all was safe at that time but to be prepared to move to the pavilion if necessary. By 2:00 we had our second alert and by the 4th sounding of the sirens George guided us all to the pavilion. We hung out undercover in the open patio for a while but soon were told to move to the far side of the building and get into the bathrooms. The clouds were tumultuous and the rain was pounding but nothing developed except the amazing rainbow. It appeared to end almost right at our feet. Quite a sight!

TORNADIC SKIES

GARMIN'S VIEW OF THE STORMS

THE RAIN HAMMERING DOWN

SEEKING REFUGE IN THE BATHROOMS

WHERE'S THE POT OF GOLD??

Back on the Quest, we again kept a close watch on both the skies and the satellite. The sirens sounded again twice more and we all sought shelter one more time but it proved to be just a precautionary measure. More sounds than I had anticipated for this day!!  Oh yes, least I forget the sounds from the ice cream truck, cranking out its melody in the middle of the afternoon's commotion.

DAN POINTING TO THE SWIRLING CLOUDS

ICE CREAM TRUCK MAKING ROUNDS

THE SKIES ARE STILL WORKING

Between these exciting moments, we did manage to get the new bar sink faucet installed, the lights in the guest stateroom replaced, the new pads put on the guest bunks and the pilot house cushions recovered. Not bad between running to the hardware store and seeking refuge from the storms!

10/25/2010 DITTO LANDING, HUNTSVILLE, AL

MONDAY

TOTAL MILES TRAVELED: 0 NM

This entire day was dedicated to “boat work”. I changed the linens, did laundry and cleaned while Dan changed out, yet another, light fixture and picked up a rental car. After chores were done we headed out to find certain needed things.

THE AUTUMN COLORS ARE STILL SEEPING INTO THE LANDSCAPE

For those of you that have slept in our guest stateroom, you will be happy to know that we got some mattress toppers to make the nights just a little more comfortable. Dan also picked up an extra one for his project to quiet the roar from the generator room. We picked up a sheet of fiberglass duct insulation to use in this endeavor at Hinkel Metals. A visit to the local fabric store resulted in the purchase of materials to recover the bench cushions in the pilot house. At the Super Target we purchased a couple new skillets and some fresh produce. Yes, at Target! OK, so by now it is 4:00 already! Where did the day go?

Back on the Quest we stowed the new purchases and made ready for this evening’s Margarita making competition between Dan and C.J. Paul and Karen from Out & About stepped up to the plate and graciously agreed to participate in this taste test. All and all, I think I may need a rematch to make up my mind.

We turned in hoping for a quieter night.

THE DUCKS ARE STILL BEGGING FOR FOOD AND ENTERTAINING THE BOATERS

10/24/2010 BELLEFONTE ANCHORAGE TO DITTO LANDING MARINA, AL

TENNESSEE RIVER FOLIAGE

SUNDAY

TOTAL MILES TRAVELED TODAY:  46 NM

Since we didn’t set the aft anchor the second time last night, we had a huge mess this morning. The thick mud was caked on inches thick. Dan got down on the swim step with it and had to scrape the gunk off, rinse and scrape some more.

Back on the road, or rather water, we were revisiting the sights we saw heading to Chattanooga. Going in this direction we did see things we missed though. This beauty was at the entrance to Roseberry Creek at MM 382.3.

OUTSTANDING!

We approached the Guntersville Lock, contacted the lock master and were given the bad news that a tow and barges were going to be locking up and our wait would probably be a couple of hours. Dan asked if we could tie up to the small lock wall for the duration and given the OK. So with wind now blowing, we maneuvered over there, tied up and sat down for a leisurely lunch.

WIND ROUGH WATERS AT DAM

“Cap’n on the Quest, this is the Guntersville Lock. Cap’n, I am really sorry but I think I need you to move. This tow comin’ has empty barges and I’m a thinkin’ ya’all might be in be in the wrong place if one of ‘em gets loose in this wind.” So we moved!!

GUNTERSVILLE LOCK AND DAM

They brought the nine barges out with no mishaps and dropped the water back down to fetch the tow. And still we waited. Such a good exercise in patience. However, by 3:00 we had cleared the lock and were streaking towards the marina. OK, so maybe that’s a gross exaggeration since, as all of you previous Quest travelers know, we don’t ever go real fast.

WILLIAM HANK TOW PUSHING HIS BARGE

We got to see the beautiful Painted Bluff again, this time from another direction. Still breathtaking!

PAINTED BLUFF

As we pulled up to the fuel dock at Ditto Landing Marina, Roger and C.J. from Sea Jay came to assist and greet us. We had first met them in Kimmswick, IL at Hoppi’s Marina where Fern had educated us on the “ins and outs” of the rivers and locks to Mobile. We had also seen them when we laid-over in Green Turtle Bay. Always good to see familiar faces and boats.

HUNTSVILLE SUNSET

Expecting some thunderstorms, we tied up with extra care. Good thing!! The rain came down most of the night, from light sprinkled to a deluge. The thunder and lightning came and went, snapping oh so close then rumbling off in the distance. At one time, the power went off causing our power alert alarms to shriek their warnings.

10/23/2010 CHATTANOOGA TO ANCHORAGE AT MM 292, BELLEFONTE

SATURDAY

TOTAL MILES TRAVELED TODAY: 64 NM

Dan and I were at the Hunter Museum of American Art shortly after it opened and found our way to Janet Fish's luminous Orange Lamp and Oranges (1082). How cool to see it there in this fabulous museum of our outstanding American artists. We also found a few Ansel Adams photographs, a couple of John Sargent Singer’s works and even a Grandma Moses painting.

Image via Wikipedia

HUNTER MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART

JANET FISH'S ORANGE LAMP AND ORANGES

Image via Wikipedia

PHOTOGRAPHER ANSEL ADAMS









Chattanooga, in the path of The Trail of Tears, had some outstanding memorials to this unfortunate part of our history. Right at the waterfront they paid tribute to the Cherokee Indian Nation that was forced out of their homeland east of the Mississippi in 1938-1939. Men, women and children were rousted from their homes and forced into concentration camp like settings before being pushed thousands of miles to what is now Oklahoma. The Cherokee people named this path the Trail of Tears because of the hunger, disease, exhaustion, humiliation and death that the 15,000 displaced Cherokee were forced to endure during this forced journey. More than 4,000 Cherokee Indians lost their lives on this tragic journey.




TRAIL OF TEARS



CHATTANOOGA'S MEMORIAL

Back on the Quest we made preparations for our immediate cast off. We waved good bye to Chattanooga and retraced our path back towards the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (aka: the Tenn-Tom). We saw Lookout Mountain, the peak we ascended to in yesterday’s rail car ride, as we made our way back into the countryside.

 SO LONG CHATTANOOGA
WE WERE DOCKED IN THE EMPTY SPACE BETWEEN THE BOATSLOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FROM THE RIVER

We noticed a marked difference in the foliage in just the two days since our passage through here. Some of the trees are now showing their bare branches but there is little of Vermont’s dazzling reds.

Just about the time I was getting the hang of the EST, we passed back into the Central Time Zone. Thankfully our clock keeps track of the day, date and time or I would be in a heap of trouble.

By 2:30 we had made it back to the Nickajack Lock at 424.7 and waited just a while for passage. We were back in Alabama around 3:30 and continued on to anchor just outside of the deserted Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant. Lucky for us it never opened. We got in just in time for the evening’s beautiful sunset at this quiet, peaceful anchorage..

ANCHORAGE VIEW OFF OUR PORT

FABULOUS SUNSET

Yikes!!  Edit, Edit! Just after Dan whipped me at cards, we were on our way down to bed and I happened to mention that we looked closer to the old receiving dock for Bellefonte.  "Nope, no way",  "Well, let me look at this" then "I think we better pull in the anchors (fore and aft)".  So, in the light of the bright moon, we yanked and tugged and pulled up the adobe loaded aft anchor then cranked up the front one next.  We positioned ourselves a litter better into the building wind and started all over again.  Dan stayed up watching for a while but we ended up having a restful night, once we had everything righted.

10/22/2010 CHATTANOOGA AND THE TOW TRUCK MUSEUM

We awoke to another beautiful morning to see a couple of women crewing down the river and news that we could, if we moved to the Aquarium Dock, stay as long as we wanted. We pulled in our lines, unhooked our power and water and yanked the steps. Zoom, we were off on our 200 yard journey! Marty from the marina was there to help us with our lines and, in no time at all, we were re-situated in our now home. Looking out our starboard we have the view of the Tennessee Aquarium. Not a bad place to be. Lots more foot traffic here and Dan is in heaven, gabbing it up.

QUEST AT HER NEW HOME

THE CHATTANOOGA DOCK WALK

Once all was secured, we took off to explore some more. Within sight of the Quest we found life sized replicas of Columbus’ Pinta and Nina ships. We opted to climb aboard the Nina, supposedly the favorite of Columbus. These two ships are an educational traveling armada with many volunteers that give of their time to man them.

REPRODUCTION OF THE NINA

DAN IS READY TO SET SAIL

Our next adventure involved catching the city bus #15 that would take us to the National Tow Truck Museum. Having seen a segment on Sunday Morning about this unique little gem, we were unable to resist. Ernest Holmes invented the first tow truck and began manufacturing them here Chattanooga. The museum houses 17 beautifully preserved tows and scads of towing memorabilia, from toys to needlepoint, to quilts.

THIS BE THE PLACE

INVENTED BY ERNEST HOLMES

OVERVIEW OF THE MUSEUM

DAN IS IN TOW HEAVEN

TOY TOW

NEEDLEPOINT TOW

TOW QUILT

From here we, once again, caught the #15 bus and continued on to the base of the Incline Railway. We boarded the trolley railcar and ascended up the steep bank to a breathtaking view Lookout Mountain. This little railway holds the record for being the steepest due to its 72.7% grade near the top.

LOOKING DOWN THE TRACK

PASSING THE OTHER RAILCAR

After taking the city bus back to town, we boarded the free electric bus and took a ride over the river to North Chattanooga (we walked to this area last night) and the co-op type market for some fresh produce.

Returning back to Quest, we found that Hal and Connie on Mas Bueno (they had befriended me while I was stranded in Green Turtle Bay) had made it back to their home port and were docked right in front of us.

We walked to Sugar’s Ribs for a BBQ dinner then back to Blue Water for a margarita for dessert.