We woke to a cabin chilled to 56 degrees by the cool night. Gallant Tom got up and cranked the generator so we could have heat to get up. But today was a beautiful day on the Tennessee River; sunny and warmer than yesterday.
We cruised south from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm
closely following the marked channel. In general the channel was between 20 and 30 feet deep,
but just beyond the markers you could see birds standing in the water where it was very shallow. It was amazing to see fishing boats scooting around between the sand bars at high speed. They must be very familiar with the water way and where there is deeper water.
The forests were red and brown along the shore, and we passed big white tug boats pushing
empty barges. We passed a huge Dupont plant and a railroad bridge operated with huge old pulleys. There were giant gears above the pilings that were used to haul the center section of the bridge up about 30 feet to provide clearance for the tug boats. There was also a railroad bridge which
went to no where. Apparently most of it was disassembled, but two spans still reached out from the bank reminding us of days gone by.There were birds everywhere: blue herons, white pelicans, hawks, and strange little black ducks
with orange beaks that swam along together in a tight clutch. They were actually swimming close enough to touch. We even saw a huge nest perch precariously on the top of a tall marker; that reminded me
of home.We have not seen many pleasure craft along the way, but there was a 32 foot sailboat, the Hilda Rose, and a 40 foot house boat that we passed during the day. Late this
afternoon we decided to pull in behind Denson Island between Perrryville and Cuba, Tennessee to spend the night. It must be a good anchorage, because all three of us choose it for safe haven tonight.
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