Left Chatt; At Shellmound Rec Area

We woke up at 7:30 am to a stiff 27-degree sunny morning in Chattanooga!  Wearing our long underwear, we got into "operations mode" for taking off.  After Mike returned our rental vehicle, he switched our power from dock to the generator, made some last minute checks and positioned the fenders appropriately.  Brenda prepared the flying bridge by turning on the radar, VHF radio, depth finder/water temp, autopilot controls, and bringing in the ipad, portable heater, and coffee.  We left our slip at Cameron docks without incident (Whew!  Much thought had been spent on how we would do this with the swift Tennessee River current).  Next was to the city dock to fill our water tanks and have a pumpout...uh...oh no....frozen!

By 11 am, Mike (and help from the sun; temps rose to 34 degrees) had the lines open (Brenda supplied her hair dryer and offered him a kettle of warm water), tasks completed and we were heading out of Chattanooga and, for the first time on this trip, cruising down river.

This is what traveling down river is like:  When we traveled upriver weeks ago, we had the engine working at 2200 rpms to travel 7 knots per hour.  Traveling downriver, the engines were set at less than 1400 rpms and we were traveling 7.5-8.3 knots per hour.  We'd like to think we used much less fuel.  However due to cold temps, we had the generator running 24/7 to keep the boat warm for our comfort.

Management:  That's what this trip is about much of the time.  Management of time, fuel, boat maintenance, food, airports (for Mike's Seattle trips), mail (we have to call ahead to a marina for their address and call our Renton UPS with the forwarding instructions), and money (mostly controlled by the amount we spend on dockage fees).  While in the midst of management, we experience a slower pace of life with time to talk to a stranger with a good-looking dog walking the same path we're on at the Shellmound Recreation Area on the Tennessee River, or wonder at a facility and tunnels dug into the mountainside and find out through Google that it is a TVA water storage site that produces (only when needed) electricity, or marvel at a beautiful brick home overlooking the river that is designed such that it reminds us of an Italian castle.

Mike talked to the master of the Nickajack Lock this evening; we should get through in no time tomorrow morning.  Mail (as well as new battery for Brenda's computer from Amazon) will be sent to Joe Wheeler State Park where we should arrive at in a few days.  A chicken vegetable soup (made from leftovers) is on the menu for dinner!



A cold 27 degrees...the docks are icy and slippery and anything that exhausts anything is evident by the puffs into the air.  One Chattanooga native told us it was supposed to snow this weekend.  Two Chattanooga people thought perhaps the Minnesotans (us) brought the cold weather as temps were pleasant when we were gone for Thanksgiving. 
Time to get out of town!

A better photo of frosty dock?  Mike has all the fenders positioned for the boat to edge along this downriver dock as we leave the Cameron Marina. The flybridge above is remarkably comfortable with the addition of just a small, portable heater.

We are docked at Tennessee's Shellmount Campground.  We were here earlier and witnessed the extensive Halloween decorations around the campground.  Below are only a FRACTION of the Christmas displays that now adorn the campground.  For the kids...ENJOY!

















Here's Mike as we return to Velsignet after a walk around the campground.  You can see the hills in the background.  Tennessee is a beautiful state!

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