The four day run to Chattanooga was more beautiful than we expected. Chilly foggy mornings, warm days with spectacular scenery around every bend.  The fall colors were beginning to mature with the promise of peaking about the time we depart Chatt town on 01Nov.  The Tennessee mountains run about 1200 ft high and come right down to the water with depths over 100 feet common.

  We left Joe Wheeler in a really cool fog.

We were in a caravan of looper boats with more following the next day.

  Nickajack Lock and Dam.  Dad’s last lock on the loop.  He went thru 128 locks!!!

We stopped in marinas three of the four days with one night on a free dock in Shellmound State Park.  It was nice to be able to take Mango ashore without launching the dinghy on a cold wet morning. 

 

 Leaving Shellmound

  This was were Mom grew up.  Her house is underwater now!!.  Hi Mom.

 Mom had to walk over this bridge to get to her elementary school.

Chattanooga was wonderful and more than we remembered.  The town is on the waterfront and our dock was in downtown. The best part, of course, was Cait flying in from LA for our entire ten day stay. 

   Jean and Cait on a walk the first day we were there.

  I love you, Scottie.

  Jean, Cait and Mango at Marine Max

  Tom and Cait coming down the steps to our boat.

Everyday was an adventure.  We used the town’s free electric bus to sightsee. 

  Tom and Cait on electric bus.

Lynda and Gary Stewart came for dinner one night and we had a ball talking about old times.  Bill and Ruth Donovan came up from Atlanta for lunch on day.  We had been corresponding with them for a few years and had never met.  They are former loopers and their blog was a staple in our boating life.

I was able to get together with Jean, Dad, Sandi, Debbie, Jason, Edwin, Bill, and some of my new friends from the loop, for a night of eating, drinking, and having fun. Lindsay, my goddaughter, came up to see us and brought her beautiful little daughter, Charlotte. It was Charle’s first time in a bar.  We are such good role models!!

  

   

Ashley, another goddaughter, came up for the weekend and we were able to have lunch with her.  I love those girls.  I was so happy to see them.  It made Cait and me so happy that they took time to come to Chattanooga to see us.

  

  

   

  

   

  

Another one of the highlights was a day at the freshwater and saltwater aquariums.   We visited many ethnic restaurants and coffee shops along the way.

  

    

  colors were beautiful

  

  

  went walking on the pedestrian bridge

   walking up to the Hunter Museum

The ten days flew by and it was sad to return Cait to the airport for her flight home to LA.  We highly recommend Chattanooga as a looper side trip.  The Marine Max Marina worked with AGLCA to provide us a great price for our ten day stay.  Now we will run down current all the way to Mobile, Al.  We are alone now as the other Loopers left Chattanooga a week ago.  We are excited about the Chattanooga Gorge and the peak fall colors.

  Sandi, Cait and I went to lunch at Fuji.  besties