GLORY DAYS ON THE GREAT LOOP: CLIFTON TO GRAND HARBOR MARINA

DAY 123, WED.. OCT. 11, 2011
AM SPOTTY FOG LOW 50’s PM PARTLY SUNNY HIGH 70’s
DEPART CLIFTON, TN 07:00 ARR. GRAND HARBOR MARINA 3:10
D. 58sm / 2377

Today is the day we finally get to a place we plan to stay for a few days rest. I don’t know if I said this before, but getting up avery morning at 6am and cruising for 4 to 6 hours is hard work, or maybe we are just getting old??? In any case, we are looking forward to a prolonged stay somewhere. The trip along the TN R. is still very scenic. The shore changes from high limestone cliffs to low dense forests and from areas of beautiful homes to areas of no homes. We met one tow and passed another before we arrived at the Pickwick Lock & Dam at 12:30. When we overtook the first tow and we tried to catch up to and overtake the second tow in front of us, but he was 5 miles from the lock cruising at 5 mph, and we were ten miles from the lock cruising at 8 mph. No point in rushing, and since we couldn’t pass him we would have to wait for him to lock thru first. Fortunately he could fit into the lock without having to separate the barges or we would have been there for hours. We finally exited the lock at 2:10 and were within an hour of Grand Harbor Marina. More about that in the next blog.