Clifton and the Tennessee River

 

 

                                                        

          We were at Clifton marina last night.  As we started down the river we realized that the river level had dropped 3 feet in the middle of the night.  They let water out of the dam and the river behind it drops.  What this meant for us was that we had to be extra vigilant as the water level had already been low.  We needed to navigate EXACTLY on the black line on the radar and really be watching for shallow water and debris in it.    .

We heard of a few marinas where the entrance became so shallow that the boaters were having lots of trouble just getting out of the entrance.  If you get stuck due to low water you are there for a long time!

We actually saw 2 bald eagles on the sandbar as we left the harbor entrance.

 

                                              Canadian geese                    

 

 

Clifton sounded great on paper (large historical downtown, shops restaurants, etc.)  but turned out to be disappointing.   We were expecting  more to be there.   Bill and I rode our bikes into town to check it out. One block long, only a couple of places even open. There was really nothing worth going back for, so we (our flotilla) ate dinner on the dock with the locals (who were quite entertaining).                                  

Along the way we have seen monarch butterflies migrating.  We have also seen fireflies for the first time.  The trees are just beginning to change color.  Looks like it will be a few weeks yet until the color is really there.

                Home along the river -look how high it is for the rising water!