Fish In My Shorts

We are currently anchored in Sugar Bay on Kentucky Lake.  Since leaving Chickamauga Lake we have transited 6 locks all going down!  This was a slightly different experience than going up.  Going down is MUCH easier!!  There are no currents at the top of the lake where you wait for the lock to open, and there is no turbulence when you are inside the lock.  We were very apprehensive prior to our first down lock, because we imagined the experience would be equivalent to being trapped in a big toilet bowl during a huge flush.  We pictured holding on for dear life as giant whirlpools tossed the boat to and fro...clearly, someone has an active imagination, (NOTE from Keith, Deb has the “active imagination”). In reality, the process was almost undetectable...the surface of the water remained perfectly calm.  To our surprise, the boat didn’t buck or bounce...in fact it felt as though we weren’t moving at all...very different from our ‘up’ experiences. 

This is the satellite image of where we will be living, and exploring, for the next two months.  Kentucky Lake is the body of water on the left, and Barkley Lake is on the right.  They are connected at the top by a canal.  This picture also clearly shows the two dams that were built to flood these river valleys, and form each lake.  The most interesting part of this image is the bright green area between the two lakes.  Land Between the Lakes (that’s really what it is called) is a 170,000 acre National Recreation Area.  It is essentially a HUGE park, which means no houses along the shoreline.  We have never seen so many beautiful anchorages in one location! I will share additional information about this park, in future posts, as we hike and explore.

We saw evidence that living along the Tennessee River can be dangerous.  The brown house is undercut so badly that it is certainly condemned, as well. This sight prompted a little research, and we discovered that this area experienced a devastating flood in February 2019 when the Tennessee River crested 29 feet above normal.  

This house looks ready for the next flood.

We have never seen anything like this before.  From a distance it looked like a crazy metal spider in the middle of the river.  We believe this is a self contained dredge that scoops sediment off the bottom and sorts it onto different barges as the sediment comes up.  The contraption was surrounded by barges with different size substrate on each barge.  We have passed many dredge operations in our travels, but usually the dredge is connected to a pipe that is pumping sediment to a ‘dumping’ location. This contraption seemed to be mining sediment for the purpose of sales.

As we travel this river system we can’t help but think about how all of these dams have changed the landscape over the past 100 years, and this sight was the eeriest of all.  When the TVA flooded each portion of the Tennessee River, whole towns were removed.  People were relocated, and buildings, bridges, and roads were destroyed and cleared away.  No one seems to know why this building was left, but it certainly was a sight to see, and of course, I had to know how it originally looked.

“It is known as the Old Danville Grain Elevator as well as the Danville Wharf and Danville Transfer Station.  Located in Danville, Tennessee, It was built on the banks of the Tennessee River about 300 yards from the L&N Railroad in 1914.  The purpose of the building was to transfer barges of grain and other goods from the river to railcars above.

It contained six levels with the bottom three being open for boats carrying cargo to unload their goods from the river. The lower levels accommodated the water level fluctuation of the river. Two twenty-horsepower elevators carried cargo from the lower levels to trains docked at the fourth level. Primary commodities were peanuts, grain, limestone, iron, and cotton.

It was in operation until the early 1940s when TVA began clearing out the area for the creation of Kentucky Lake.  The lake would be created by building a large dam downstream at Grand Rivers, Kentucky.  The waters would permanently rise 55 feet which would flood most of the building and the surrounding area.”  (All text quoted from fourriversexplorer.com)

There were very interesting sights along the way, but now we are enjoying peace and tranquility in the amazing anchorages on Kentucky Lake.  There have been very few boats here, but the coyotes have joined us at dinner time the past two night...howling😁. Makes me super happy we are sleeping on the boat and not in a tent👍

There have also been large schools of fry (baby fish) seeking refuge under our boat.  I’m not sure this strategy worked in their favor, as it seemed easier for larger fish to devour them from below.  However, the super smart ones must have realized that our ladder provided some protection from below and above.  Of course, when it was time for my afternoon swim I said to myself...”they will certainly go away when I jump in the water...right?”  Wrong, in fact not only did they remain under the swim platform, but they refused to part enough to give me access to the ladder.  

After a short attempt of splashing and shooing, I decided to just barrel through the mass...surely they will get out of the way.  Or not! Immediately upon exiting the water I realized there was a strange sensation in my bathing suit top.  Looking straight down revealed two little fish, where they shouldn’t have been!  While quickly working to extricate the fish from my top I sensed some unusual movement in the back area of my shorts...UGH...now I was running and hopping to get my pants off without crushing the tiny fish.  Keith was still in the water and was trying to figure out what could be the cause of the delirious yelling/laughing/squealing sound coming from the cockpit.  Once my clothes were off, I was left to try to save 10 tiny fry flopping around on the deck.  Thank goodness for secluded anchorages!!

Please don’t let this story deter you from taking a nice swim in a natural body of water.  I have been swimming in bays, rivers, ponds, and oceans for 50+ years and I have never...EVEN...before, come out with fish in my shorts!  This was a one time fluke, and I’m sure you are safe from the humiliation😉

The schools of fry have been a minor inconvenience, but this has become our nemesis.  I know I should be thankful for this opportunity to witness nature in this ‘up close and personal’ way, but enough is enough!  It just so happens that we have witnessed the swarm hatching of Willow-flies in three different locations in the past month.  

This insect takes up to a year to develop underwater, then when conditions are right, millions hatch and create swarms, in a frenzy to mate.  This stage of their lifespan is less than 24 hours.  Next year at this time, the eggs deposited in the water (because many egg masses ended up super glued to our decks) will hatch and repeat the cycle.

The mess they left on the decks of our boat is disgusting!  They are attracted to light, so our anchor light caused most of our problems..  Every morning, for several straight days, we had to pressure wash the whole boat...yuck!

BUT...when we sweep all of the bodies overboard we are thoroughly entertained by the feeding frenzy that ensues.

We have found time this week to get back to work on boat projects.  I tackled a sewing project...most of you know how I feel about sewing...let’s just say that my low skill level causes me stress!  However, I love my ‘lazy girl’ chairs that I use frequently in the Whaler, and Keith and I love to sit in them on the swim platform while dangling our feet in the water.  The frames and cushions were still good, but the sun destroyed the material...so, let’s see if they can be saved.

It only took me 4 days to re-cover them...yay me...way to save $60.00, but more importantly...way to save the landfill!  I know, if you do the math you think that was a total waist of my time, but remember...I have a lot of time! Actually, it took me 3 days to cover the first chair and only one day to cover the second one...so there was improvement. Additionally, throwing things away and getting new thing is very difficult when you have no trash pickup, no car, no stores (within walking distance), and no address for shipping.  It also helps that I have a bin full of ugly fabric - Sustainable living at its best!

Keith also chose a project that he thought would be fairly quick and easy, but has turned into 5 days of hot sweaty work (except for today, it’s a chilly 71°), and he is only about 1/4 done.  He was going to clean up the surface in a large storage area, inside the brow on our flybridge, and repaint it.  However, once he started scraping old paint chips, he discovered an area of rot from water leaking into the coring material.  This led to cutting, grinding, epoxying, fiberglassing, and cussing!

All in all...it’s been a great week with numerous rainbows...

And pretty cool sunsets!