Sunday 9/30
Once again, we return to our adventure aboard Puffin, heading down the Little Tennessee to its intersection with the Tennessee River, just up from Fort Loudoun Lock and Dam. After taking on fuel, water, ice and having showers at Fort Loudoun Marina(mile 602.6), we take Puffin to Fort Loudoun Lock(mile 602.3) desending 72' to Watts Bar Lake. During our scenic trek down the lake, we take a side trip up the Clinch River(mile567.6) to check out the town dock at Kingston, but opt to continue and finally anchor at a cove near mile marker 558.2. Surprisingly, we are able to get cell phone coverage and talk to a few friends that evening.


Homes Along Tellico Lake

It's A Long Way Down!

Saturday 9/29
Ron and Eva suggest that we attend the Townsend Bluegrass Festival, so off we go on another road trip for a unique exposure to bluegrass music where we listened to many informal jam sessions throughout the grounds as well as feasting on such yummys as barbequed ribs, pulled pork,corn on the cob and home made ice cream.

Making Home Made Ice Cream With Power
Man! That's Loud

Friday 9/28
We take a diversion up Tellico River to visit the Sequoyah Birthplace Memorial and Museum which features exhibits of the Cherokee habitation in the Little Tennessee River Valley and a tribute to Sequoyah who was instrumental in making the Cherokee Nation literate by creating a written language for the Cherokees. Later that afternoon we make way for Ron and Eva's dock along the Little Tennessee and have them aboard Puffin for show and tell. After cocktails and appetizers aboard Puffin, we once again enjoy dinner at their home.

Thursday 9/27
We resume our water exploration today, departing from Tellico Harbor Marina and arrive at Fort Loudoun State Park, the site of Fort Loudoun and the visitor center. The docent acting as a British soldier does an excellent job portraying the fort physician and it turns out he is Eva's relative. We head up the Little Tennessee for the evening and anchor in a small cove where we enjoy privacy and a beautiful sunset.

Little Tennessee Anchorage

Wednesday 9/26
Having our truck available to us, we decide on a road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains where we are awed by the beauty of the seemingly endless hued layers of the Appalachian Mountains. After our tour of the visitor center and a scenic trip to the North Carolina/Tennessee ridge where we enjoyed a panoramic view and a very short hike on the Appalachian Trail, Royce and I decide to drive to Knoxville. We, of course, find our way to the downtown Knoxville waterfront at Volunteer Landing where boat cruising the Tennessee River could dock and visit the town.

Scenes Along The Great Smoky Mountains

Knoxville Waterfront

Tuesday 9/25
Puffin is launched and tied up alongside the marina's Tiki Bar restaurant dock which has closed for the season but makes for a convenient location to leave her while Royce and I drive to the home of Ron and Eva Stob, the authors of the book “Honey, Let's Get a Boat...” that inspired this cruising adventure of America's Great Loop. Ron and Eva are also the founders of the AGLCA ( America's Great Loop Cruiser's Association) and now reside along Tellico Lake. The afternoon is filled with an adventure of towing a retrieved dock float with Ron and Eva's Lil' Looper back to their dock, followed by a memorable swim in the rain. The evening was equally entertaining with wine, dinner and musical performances with Eva playing her hammered dulcimer accompanied by Ron's guitar.

Monday 9/24
It's dejavu time as we once again prep Puffin for the portage to our next destination. We have decided to launch Puffin on the Little Tennessee River which in 1979 after much controversy became dammed and created Tellico Lake which empties into the Tennessee River at mile 602 above Fort Loudoun Dam, the last of the nine dams on the Tennessee. The Tennessee River is formed at Knoxville, Tennessee(mile 652) and flows southwest 650 miles draining into the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky with 9 locks and dams created along the way by the TVA for navigation, flood control and power generation. Starting at mile 22.4 is Kentucky Lock and Dam followed by Pickwick(mile 206.7), Wilson(mile 259.4), Wheeler(mile274.8), Guntersville(349.0), Nickajack(mile424.7), Chickamauga(mile471), Watts Bar (mile529.9), and Fort Loudoun(mile602.3) creating lakes of the same name behind each. We arrive late afternoon at Tellico Harbor Marina(mile 20.1 on the impounded Little Tennessee) which provides us with a suitable ramp for Puffin and storage area for the truck and trailer.

Sunday 9/23
Sunday morning, we meet up with Jeff and Judy(Kay Sa Rah II)) who have generously offered to drive us back to our truck and trailer near Nashville. When we arrive at Cherokee Resort Marina, we find our rig just as we left it and after thanking the marina for letting us store it there for free, the four of us stop for lunch at Ruby Tuesdays where I for one really enjoy the humungous salad bar, a luxury hard to come by on a boat. Royce and I then leisurely head back to Paris Landing with our unencumbered trailer.

Thursday 9/20 – Saturday 9/22
After a delicious pancake breakfast, we weigh anchor and make way for Kenlake State Park Marina (mile41.9)which again has a park lodge with a courtesy car. With the temps in the mid nineties, the dip in the lodge pool is a welcome event. A visit from another looper couple, Ron & Sandy Lotz make for an entertaining time. Having done the Great Loop, they would like to sell their current boat and purchase a barge boat to cruise in the canals of Europe.(Hmm, maybe our next adventure) We discover that the marina is having an antique and classic boat show on Saturday, so we decide to spend another day there enjoying the pool. On Friday afternoon, we get a visit from Bob Duthie, author and producer of a video CD of the loop, and later Bob and his wife, Mavis drive us to have dinner where Royce and I experience our first taste of catfish, a common fish in these parts.
By Saturday morning, the marina dock is lined with beautiful powerboats with exquisitely varnished honduras mahogany and highly polished chrome trim. Among the curious lookelous voting for their favorite boat, we are delighted to discover that several other loopers some of whom we met at the Penetanguishene AGLCA Rendezvous have arrived by car for the show. After catching up about our trips and saying our goodbyes, Royce & I are invited aboard Bob & Mavis's Grand Banks trawler for a tour and info about the loop. After lunch, we depart for Paris Landing State Park Marina(mile64.4), with our route taking us out of Kentucky and back into Tennessee and marking the end of the LBL. We meet another looper couple there as well as enjoying the relatively new marina facilities with air conditioned showers and laundromat.

Shell Team Launching At Kenlake Marina

Classic Boat Show At Kenlake Marina

Puffin At Paris Landing

Wednesday 9/19
This morning, we meet several loopers at the marina as well as Don whom we docked with in Nashville. It's amazing how we cross paths and share the camaraderie and friendship between us. After enjoying more swimming and working on the blogspot, Puffin and crew head off for an anchorage on the other side of the LBL via the Barkley Canal (mile 25.4) sans lock that links the Cumberland with the Tennessee River. This canal passage begins our journey on Kentucky Lake, one of the world's largest manmade lakes. As opposed to going down river(with the flow) on the Cumberland, this relatively short trek on Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River) will be up stream. (Our plan is to cruise to the south end of the LBL along Kentucky Lake until reaching Paris Landing Marina.) After exploring several possible anchorages, one which had graffiti along the rocks, we choose to drop the hook at Ewes Bay(mile 37.2),a cove off of Higgins Bay described as an excellent anchoring enviroment.


Barkley Canal
Pisgah Bay Graffiti

Tuesday 9/18
Our arrival at Green Turtle Bay Marina (mile31.7) marks the end of our travels on Barkley Lake and the Cumberland River as Barkley Lock and Dam (mile30.6) lay shortly ahead and defines the northern end of the LBL. The marina provides a courtesy car so we drove into Grand Rivers for shopping and a short tour of the area. After a refreshing swim at the pool, we meet up with Jeff and Judy for dinner and were impressed with Patti's Restaurant's delicious 2” thick pork chops and the “Disneyland”-like atmosphere of the facility.