Tennessee River Thru Paddle - Thank You! (5/26/21)

Thank You for your support!

Thanks from Jon, Monkey face, Jeff and Lil Pug!

Any big river paddling trip like this requires lots of planning. However, once the paddling starts, a big part of the plan goes out the window. Things like wind, river current, lightning and many other unforeseen challenges all take part in laying a float plan to waste. The people that we encounter along the river make all the difference as we endeavor to adjust to continuously changing plans and conditions. In the list below I want to acknowledge the many folks who went out of our way to make this trip a success. Thank You!

Brad Collet: Tennessee River Line,  Knoxville, TN

Brad, from day one on the river, you were there for us. From helping us with logistics, to connecting us with members of the RiverLine community it would have been a very different experience without you being with us throughout our journey. Then, the final welcome in Paducah, KY was just so special. We can't thank you enough. Please feel free to reach out to us as the project continues to evolve. We are happy to help in any way we can.

Chase Clem: Director of Parks and Recreation, City of Kingston, TN

Chase, met us at the boat ramp as we landed in Kingston. He helped us get our boats stored in the secure boat dock, gave us a ride to the hotel  along with our gear. Arranging for us to me the City Manager David Bolling was a real treat. Thank you too for the ride back to the boat ramp the next morning. You went out of your way to make us feel welcome.



Ron Woody: County Executive, Roane County, TN

Ron, it was really nice having you join us for for dinner in Kingston with Brad, Pam and her husband. We really enjoyed sharing our river experiences with you. We appreciate you following along on the blog during the entire trip and for all of your encouraging blog comments. It was an extra treat seeing you again in Knoxville for the RiverLine launch ceremony.

Pam May: Executive Director,  Roane Alliance, TN

Pam, thank you so much for treating us to dinner during our brief visit in Kingston. We had so much fun laughing and sharing stories with you  and your husband.

David Bolling: City Manager Kingston, TN 

David, when Chase diverted us to your office on the way to our hotel we didn't know what to expect. We really enjoyed visiting with you in your office. Your leather chairs were the most opulent chairs we experienced the entire journey. It was great hearing your paddling stories. Also, thank you for your recommendation on camping at Goat Island. It was by far the best campsite of the trip!

Sonny Hunter: Facilities Manager Kingston, TN

Sonny, I'm so glad I bumped into you at the boat ramp. You were our original welcome to Kingston and you did your community proud. Thank you for your help in getting our boats secured in the floating marina. You are a true river magician!

Sarah Stahl: Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce, Scottsboro, AL

Sarah, on what was shaping up to be one of our darkest days on the river, you came to the rescue. Helping us secure lodging at the Jackson Park cabin for the night, transporting our boats and gear, not once, but three times you were the true embodiment of a river angel. We can't thank you enough. It was so nice having dinner with you and Daniel. Meeting your daughter and hearing her chicken raising stories was a real highlight! Also, it was so nice seeing you again and paddling with you at the RiverLine launch ceremony. Thank you.

Milla Sacks: Exec Asst to Mayor Leigh Dollar, Guntersville, AL

Milla, When things were looking dark, I reached out to you. Even though when I called we were out of your area of influence, you connected us with Sarah Stahl in Scottsboro. Thank YOU! It was also so nice to finally meet you in Guntersville. The lunch of BBQ sandwiches was awesome! Thank you too for bringing along reporter Joe Cagel. He did such a nice article on us. That would not have happened without you.

Danielle Gibson: President/CEO of  Decatur Morgan County Tourism, Decatur, AL

Danielle, it was really nice meeting you on our stay in Decatur. We enjoyed our conversation, thanks to taking the time to come and see us. Thank you too for your gracious gift of covering our hotel room. Finally, thanks for connecting us with Dan Truitt, we had a nice time with him too!

Dan Truitt: Decatur, AL

Dan, we really enjoyed getting to know you. From our dinner in Decatur, to you helping haul our gear to the boat ramp, and taking us to resupply our food you were always there to help. Then, meeting us for dinner two nights later in Killen, we really appreciate you. I hope to paddle with you in the future.

Joe Cagel: Albertville, AL

Joe, it was nice meeting you in Guntersville with Milla Sachs. Thank you for the very nice article in the local paper on our journey.

Brandi Quick: Executive Director, Ditto Landing  AL

Brandi, it was a treat to meet you when we stopped at Ditto Landing. What a nice surprise to meet someone that was totally plugged into the RiverLine. We believe you and the marina can play an important role in aiding future paddlers. It was great meeting you.

Beth Pippin: Tourism Director Harden County, Savannah, TN

Beth, thank you for venturing out in the thunderstorms to meet with us. Our dinner at the Outpost was so much fun. You helped make our zero day at Pickwick Landing an enjoyable one. I still remember your marketing tag, “Catfish to Cannonballs” Genius! Also, it was nice seeing you at the RiverLine launch ceremony.

Stacy & Christopher Huntingford: Clifton Marina, Clifton, TN 

Stacy and Christoper, you guys were a highlight of the RiverLine. I'm so happy you were able to be part of the River City cleanup program. Finding you guys with camping, and a restaurant and a BAR all in one was awesome! Thank you for being very paddler friendly. Christopher thanks for keeping the bar open for us and some locals until 10:00 pm. We had a great time drinking Bourbon and sharing river stories!

Donna Wadford: Fisherdale Marina, Decaturville, TN

Donna, we have so much to thank you for. You helped us out with two nights on lodging when we really needed a warm dry place to stay. You gifted me a camp chair when UPS failed to get my replacement camp chair delivered on time. Your staff was always so kind and helpful. The Fisherdale marina definitely needs to be a part of the RiverLine experience.

Blair & Garret Travis: Director, Marketing, Communications & Business Development at Calvert City, KY

Blair and Garret, Thank you for helping us  get around the Kentucky Lake Lock & Dam. You guys were very friendly and helpful. We really enjoyed our visit with you. We would love to possibly day paddle with you on the Cumberland river next year!

Julie Harris: Executive Director The River Discovery, Paducah, KY

Julie, thank you for being part of the Paducah welcoming committee. Also introducing us to the Barrel & Bond, and their amazing Bourbon selection! It was nice seeing you again at the RiverLine launch ceremony. Thank you for your support of the project!

Jeff Canter: PFGW Architects, Paducah, KY 42001

Jeff, thank you for being part of the Paducah welcoming committee. Also, thank you for helping me load my kayak onto my car top carrier. It was really nice seeing you again in Knoxville at the RiverLine launch ceremony.

Rosanna Wunrow: Oakdale, MN

Auntie Rosanna, thank you for your support throughout our trip. I always knew when Jon was talking with you because he had extra energy in his voice! Thank you also for reconnecting me and Jon together. The Mississippi River and the Tennessee river paddling with him was awesome!

Daryl & Bonnie Wunrow: Muskego WI

Dad and Bonnie, you guys were literally with us every paddle stroke of the way. I really looked forward to our phone calls, and Jon did too. You were our spirit river angels.

Shawn Pye: Lakeway, TX

Shawn, you are the best! You lived our journey with us for 3 days. Shuttling us to and from our boats so we could paddle empty. Having dinner and drinks each night as so awesome! You will be a part of the Cumberland river trip next year for sure! Thanks brother.

Dave & Tracy Wunrow: Franklin WI

Dave and Tracy, thank you so much for making the trip down from Milwaukee to welcome us on our landing at Paducah, KY. Having not seen you for almost 18 months due to Covid, it was very special that I could experience this ending with family.

Leslie Skoogland: Bloomington, IN

Leslie, first, thank you for loaning me your husband for 35 days. I hope I returned him to you in almost as good a shape as he was when you gave him to me. Also, thank you for making the six hour drive from Bloomington just to see me, (well, and your husband). It sure was nice to have a friendly face great us at the boat ramp at the end of the day.

Christina Wunrow: Ashland City, TN

Christina my love. I don't have the words to thank you for your patience in indulging me in my paddling passion. I simply could not do any of this without your love and support. I hope in some small way I've made you proud.

And finally, to all those who followed along on the blog, whether for a few days or the entire trip, we say thank you. There were many cold nights in camp when I didn't feel like writing. Knowing there were people out there waiting for an update really keep me going. Thank you! 

Tennessee River Thru Paddle - Day 35 (5/15/21)

Paducah, KY River Mile ZERO!

Start: River Mile: 27

Finish: River Mile: 0

Day Total: 27

Trip Total: 652

We knew a few things would need to go right to be able to reach mile zero today. First, we needed to have a clean passage through Kentucky Lake Lock & Dam. Then we would need to have favorable wind to help us make the mileage needed to finish. And finally we would need the weather to cooperate. Rain was in the forecast and any heavy rain or lighting would stop us in our tracks.

The first challenge was solved by river angles Blair and Garrett Travis. Brad Collet put us in touch with the the Travis’ and they graciously gave us a ride around the Lock & Dam so we didn’t have to deal with that variable at all. Blair and Garrett were very nice. We enjoyed chatting with them. Jon and I always enjoy a fresh audience for your stories! They stayed with us at the downriver boat ramp while we packed up our boats. Saying our goodbyes we dipped our paddle blades into the water and off we went on our final stretch of the Tennessee river.

Interstate 24 Bridge, a long time coming

The concern of more head wind did not materialize. We had calm weather with no headwind to speak of. it even felt like a very gentle tail wind which we were very happy about. Downriver from the Dam we even enjoyed a gentle current, which after the battle of Kentucky Lake made it feel like we could paddle at freeway speed!

Paddling past a Tugboat grave yard

We paddled all day under cloudy skies, but thankfully no rain or lightning. Brad was trying coordinate a few people to meet us at mile zero, Paducah landing. My brother Dave and his wife Tracy were also driving down from Milwaukee, WI to meet us at the end, along with my wife Christina who was driving over from Nashville, TN to bring me and all my smelly gear and kayak home. Since we had people waiting, once I realized we were making almost double our mph pace from the last week, I sent out frequent text updates updating our ETA, which originally was 5:00pm and thanks to the conditions ended up bing 2:30. 

Jon and I had a small celebration in our boats as soon as we reached the Ohio, but were still a mile upriver from the landing. We took a few photos, including with our boat mascots Monkey Face (Jon) and Lil Pug (mine). We also called our kids to let them know we had reached the Ohio and would be landing in the next 15 minutes at RM zero.

Ohio River!

 Paddling up to the landing I was blown away. There where TN RiverLine banners framing the finish line for us. Along with VIP’s from the city of Paducah. Dave and Tracy were there and to my surprise and delight, there stood Brad Collet waiting for us. Jon and I were able to land our boats on the concrete ramp without embarrassing our selves in front of the assembled crowd.

I hugged Jon, so happy to have accomplished another major journey with him. Then it was Dave and Tracy giving us hugs of joy and on the Brad and all the folks he had assembled in our honor to welcome us. 

Paddling the last 100 yards

Trying to gracefully exit our boats

Dave and Tracy Wunrow greet us at rivers edge

Hugging my wife Christina after 35 days on the river

Brad had a nice ceremony for us were he presented Jon and I with beautiful wooden plaques commemorating us being the first the thru paddle the new Tennessee RiverLine 652 water trail. I know that others before us have completed this journey, for sure Kim Travathen who completed the trip in the 90’s with his dog Jasper. Kim’s book is the only publication we’ve found by someone actually completing the thru paddle.

Plaque Ceremony with Brad

Tennessee RiverLine finish line

What an epic journey

After we had our gear all packed into our vehicles, Julie Harris, the Executive Director of the River Discovery Center in Paducah invited a few of us to the local Bourbon bar called Barrel & Bond. This place was amazing with a selection of 1,700 unique Bourbons. I was in Bourbon heaven! We followed this with dinner at Paducah Brew Works. What a fun ending to a great last day on the river.

Barrel & Bond, Bourbon lovers heaven!

After dinner, we said our goodbyes to Jon. He had a one way car rental to get him and his gear home. Since our trip ended a week later than expected, he really needed to get home as soon as possible. I can’t say enough about Jon. There are not many people in this world that I could spend 24 hours a day for 35 days with. He never met a problem he couldn’t solve. He was always there to keep me out of trouble. And he is genuinely a fun person to be around. He even tolerates my stupid jokes and chronic slow old guy syndrome which in and of itself probably adds an extra day to our trip! So, thank you Jon. I couldn’t do a trip like this without you. I wouldn’t want to do a trip like this without you. Bring on the Cumberland River in 2022!! 

Tennessee River Thru Paddle - Day 34 (5/14/21)

The long end of Kentucky lake

Start: River Mile: 48

Finish: River Mile: 27

Day Total: 21

Trip Total: 628

The long battle with Kentucky lake is OVER! We paddled into two lake camp, just upriver from the lock & dam at 4:00pm after 9 hours of fighting the waves, wind, barges, and tons of recreational boats. 6 days after we started the crossing it is DONE! 

Finally reached the dang “Basket Handle” bridge after staring at it for 20 hours!

We had so many creek/bay crossings today I lost count. It was a tumultuous end to the most challenging stretch of the entire trip. I’ll I can say is I’m glad we will be in the final stretch of river to Paducah KY tomorrow morning and by the end of the day we will be in the arms of loved ones. 

Lots of unique rock formations today

Tonight Jon an I are enjoying pizza and beer on our last night on the river, camped in two lakes campground. We met a couple that had just finished paddling for the day, just 100 yards from our campsite. After telling them our story they offered to drive me into town to pick up our pizza and beer. Jason and Shelly were supper nice and very helpful. They went out of their way help us. Just our latest river angels. When I’m asked what the best part of the trip was, it will always be the people we encountered along the way. Some for a few minutes others for days at a time. But all of you have made this trip what it was. Thank you. 

So long Kentucky Lake

Tennessee River Thru Paddle - Day 33 (5/13/21)

600 Down, 52 to go!

Start: River Mile: 68.5

Finish: River Mile: 48

Day Total: 21

Trip Total: 607

Today is the day. I can feel it. We are going to paddle 20 miles in the giant lake that is the Tennessee river forming what is known as Kentucky Lake. I woke this morning at 5:30 and didn’t hear any wind blowing. It was cold out, the low was 45 degrees. So, I got all my tent gear stowed away, and crawled out of my tent before 6:00am. Stoked up last nights fire embers and got the water boiling for coffee. Jon called out from his tent asking if I were out of my tent? Nope, I replied. Are you making coffee he asked? Nope again I said. Kind of his running joke but turned on him this time.

Even though I was up early we still only managed to be on the water by 7:15 am. Not bad, but I thought for sure we’d (meaning me) would be ready earlier than that. Still it was nice to be making progress that early. There was not a cloud in the sky this morning. We had 3 miles to paddle to get to the highway bridge

Gorgeous scenery today

were we planned to cross over to the left side of the river. We made that distance without any issues, in about an hour. We discussed the best spot to cross, which at this point was about a mile and a half wide part of the river. The water didn’t look to bad so just under the bridge we started to cross. 

It couldn’t have been more that 10 minutes in that we realized the waves were bigger than we thought. So we changed direction and attacked them at an angle, still trending to the far shore. As the wind and waves continued picked up, we kept having to angle deeper into the wind to keep from getting swamped. At some point after 45 minutes of battle, which had not gotten us much closer to the far shore and with a barge tow now coming up river, it was time to bail and work our way back to the shore we had started on, river right. 

The wind for a change was as advertised, 5-10 out of the North. So, buy keeping to the right side river bank the paddling was actually pretty nice. Our pace was not great, at a bit over 2 mph, but we could do it without a screaming wind in our face. As with yesterday, the waves were bigger than the actual wind would have you expect, but on a long lake like this, the waves build and stack up on one another. 

We just kept at our steady pace, hour after hour. Twice we came across people fishing, and in both cases they asked if we were fishing. Nope, just paddling through we’d say. “Where are you headed?” They‘d say? “Paducah” We’d say. “In those things? (Our boats)” would be the response. When we added that we were on day 32 and we had started in Knoxville they were shocked. We know this is an unusual trip, but helpfully with all the work Tennessee RiverLine are doing, it will become much more common. 

Love this campsite

After 9 hours of solid paddling we made it to river mile 48 and found a great pebble beach site to camp on the shore of Land Between the Lakes Park. This is probably our last wilderness site of the trip so that makes it special. The view from camp is amazing and the bonanza of drift wood will make for a perfect campfire.

Working on the blog post

Tomorrow, we will get as far as we possibly can. If all goes perfect, we will make it to Kentucky Lock & Dam at RM 22 by the end of the day. That would allow us to paddle into Paducah sometime Saturday afternoon. If we don’t make it to the the Dam, we will likely have to finish on Sunday with a 5-10 mile dash to the Ohio river. Only time and the Tennessee River know for sure.  

Tennessee River Thru Paddle - Day 32 (5/12/21)

Paddling Jacobs Ladder

Start: River Mile: 86

Finish: River Mile: 68.5

Day Total: 17.5

Trip Total: 586.5

Today was all about finding places to minimize the effect of the head wind. As we have been doing for the last 4 days, we are staying as close as possible to the shore on river right. When we were successful we had slightly less headwind, but some how the wind driven waves were still just as big. Still, slightly better is still better.

Dressed for a morning of fighting the wind

 The whole stretch of Kentucky lake we are on is 1-2 miles wide. What adds a big challenge is the little side creeks that come in every 2 miles or so. When you look at it from google maps it looks like a giant Jacobs Ladder. One single trunk with rungs coming off the sides. The creeks can be anywhere from half a mile wide to over a mile and a half, and can be a mile or two deep as well. Since we are on river right, every incoming creek was funneling the full force of the 10-15 mph wind with gusts to 20 mph right down on us. 

The first really big creek crossing came at RM 82. White Oak Creek is easily a mile and a half wide and twice that deep. The wind howling down this creek was driving 2-3 foot waves. Our idea was to paddle into the waves, at a slight angle eventually getting to the far side, then turning to follow the creek channel back out. The paddling was wicked difficult. At times we had all we could do to not be driven backwards. However, paddling into waves and wind like this is way better that taking them on broadside. After 45 minutes of fierce paddling, we sensed that we had reached a turning point and were able to quickly turn hard to our left and paddle with the wind and waves trailing us. This is where I had the advantage in a kayak. For the most part, I was able to surf the bigger waves and have them push me back toward the main channel of the river. I still have to be careful though, so that I don’t get pushed sideways and end up swamping. The waves were pretty consistent so I didn’t have any problems. 

This same scene played itself 5 more times throughout the day. All but the last one were not as bad as White Oak Creek. In between the creeks, the paddling was actually pretty nice. Today we had clear skies and temps in the high 60’s. If the wind were mild it really would have been a perfect day. 

The shoreline is a mix. We paddled past several pebble stone beaches, the sound the waves make is the run across the pebbles is really cool. Over times, the limestone ledges come right down to the waters edge. Low laying wetland makes of the rest of the natural scenery. We also paddled pas many floating docks and boat houses located in front the lake front houses and cottages the line so much of the Tennessee river. 

No idea what these trees are called, but their beautiful

Our goal today was Grays Landing boat ramp, just on the other side of the Highway 79 bridge. That would have been 21 miles for today, a very lofty goal on this stretch of the river. At 4:30 after 9 straight hours of paddling, and covering 17.5 river miles and 22 miles of actually paddling, we decided we did not have one more big creek crossing in us. So, we paddled down Standing Rock creek a half mile and found a place to land our boats and camp for the night. We are in a very wooded area, 50 feet from the water with nice tent sites and lots of wood for the campfire. 

After battling the wind and waves all day, it was nice to get camp set up. The reward is setting up our camp chairs and changing into our dry camp shoes and socks. Jon worked up another culinary masterpiece of white cheddar Mac and Cheese with SPAM and hot sauce. Dinner never tasted so good!

Bourbon time!

Camp on day 32 is in the books

We still have a long way to go to get to Paducah, but we are still shooting for Saturday. 20 mile days have eluded us these past 4 days. We are playing catch up for sure. One day at a time is all we can control. We’ll see what tomorrow brings us.  

Tennessee River Thru Paddle - Day 31 (5/11/21)

Head wind, Head Wind, HEAD WIND

Start: River Mile: 100

Finish: River Mile: 86

Day Total: 14

Trip Total: 569

We knew last night that the rest of this week will have wind from the North and NNE, which is the direction we paddle until Kentucky Lock and Dam and RM 21. Our goal today was 23 miles, but we also knew that we would simply have to take what the river would give us. 

Launching at 8:00 am we had a light breeze and clear sky’s. It was really nice to have the sun warming us. As we expected the calm didn’t last long. We knew there was nothing to be done but paddle so that’s what we did. It was really nice to not be wet and cold. The work was still hard, it could have been a lot worse. 

Man made wind break

I love these clouds, Lenticular I believe

Sometimes you just have to accept what the river gives you and that’s what we did today. What the river gave us was 14 river miles in almost 8 solid hours of paddling. We actually paddled over 16 miles to get that distance, ducking in and our of protected areas to avoid the wind when we could. At 3:30 we saw a nice beach camp and knowing that we were at the edge of our limit, elected to take it. We felt bad ending the day that early, but the shore downriver didn’t look very camp friendly for quite some distance. So, rather than live to regret passing up a good camp, we took it.

Tonight’s campsite

We landed on a sandy beach that was bordered by a nice grassy area, perfect for our tents. I was able to get the inside of my boat dried out, which always makes me happy. The wind did a nice job of drying out my paddling socks and is still working on my paddling shoes. It’s the little things that bring me joy!

There is a ton of dry drift wood in the area so we are having a nice warm fire to help our daily ration of Bourbon go down even smoother. It’s Kentucky Bourbon in honor of our nemesis Kentucky Lake. It keeps throwing punches at us, and we just keep on paddling. Tomorrow’s wind looks to be coming from the same direction as today, only a bit stronger. But, that is a problem for tomorrow. We are dry, warm and well fed. That’s all you really need. 

With that, I’m signing off. Hoping for a magic mileage day tomorrow. 

Tennessee River Thru Paddle - Day 30 (5/10/21)

Kentucky Lake - The big water slog

Start: River Mile: 118

Finish: River Mile: 100

Day Total: 18

Trip Total: 555

Last night, we were chased into our tents around 5:30 pm with a final two rounds of rain and lightning. So, 12 hours in the tent was a long time after already being in them on and off most of the day. 

It was a very soggy pack-up today, everything was wet and muddy. I contemplated paddling in my wet clothes from yesterday so I would have dry clothes tonight to change into. As soon as I got out of my sleeping bag I knew that was not a good idea. The temp was 45 degrees with a cold damp wind. So, I put on all the dry clothes I have, and got my boat packed. As we made the 200 yard haul of our boats to the “ramp” I thought to myself that I’d need to take off a layer of two before getting in my boat so I wouldn’t over heat once the sun came out.

My kayak ready to haul to the river

Once I had my kayak in the water and the portage wheels packed up and strapped to my back deck, I got in my boat and settled in for a long windy day. As I paddled away I realized I hadn’t taken any layers off, too late now I kept paddling. And, boy am I glad I stayed dressed the way I was. The weather called for 4 mph out of the North, but instead we got 10-15 with gusts of 20 mph. Combine that with an air temp of 48 degrees and it was cold almost miserable conditions.

Well, that’s the way it’s been on this trip, so all we can do is Paddle, Paddle, Paddle. The river is running straight north for the next 80 miles on the stretch known as Kentucky Lake, the last big pool Kentucky Lock & Dam and the final river stretch to the Ohio. And the wind was coming from NNE right in our faces. Jon did an great job finding us a path through these small finger shaped islands to keep us out of the direct wind for almost half of our day today. The weather also said that by 10:00am the sun would come out and the temps would reach 65 degrees. More lies! We didn’t see the sun at all and the temp never got above 55. 

Jon working the angles to avoid the wind

I’m sorry to complain but it’s been a rough couple days. I just need to remind myself that this is a trip that I love doing. Jon is an awesome paddling partner and we’ve had so much help and support from countless people along the way. I always say the paddling is not the always the best part, but there is always a lot of cool paddling along the way. I just need to focus on the joy that I feel out in nature and not get down when things get difficult. Jon loves it when I have a bad day because then he gets to be Mr positive!

Jon called ahead to the New Johnsonville marina and campground and spoke to the owner. He offered to let us camp for free and even gave us the code to the laundry and showers. Just one more example of river magic. 

Camp at New Johnsonville Marina Campground

After we got camp set up, we walked the 2 miles to the Caseys quick stop and bought pizza for dinner and subs for lunch tomorrow. There was no where to eat our pizza at Caseys so we went next door to the New Johnsonville Police Dept and asked we could use their picnic table. They thought what we were doing was pretty cool and allowed us to enjoy our pizza and mark up our maps for tomorrow.

Back at camp I took advantage of the laundry and dried all my wet stuff from the last two days. Now, that makes me happy! We are closing down the evening with a Bourbon next to a campfire. What a great way to end the day. We have exactly 100 miles to go until the Ohio river. We will be in Paducah Friday or Saturday.  

Good Night All

Tennessee River Thru Paddle - Day 29 (5/9/21)

Even the worst day has a best part

Start: River Mile: 119

Finish: River Mile: 118

Day Total: 2

Trip Total: 537

Well, we knew that we had  thunderstorms to look forward to today. Our hope was that we would have a 4 hour window to get some miles in. Leslie drove us the 48 minutes to see he boat ramp were we had stashed our boats in the woods yesterday. The forecast was not in our favor, but we really felt like we could make it 10 miles or so. 

Well, as we entered the main river, the wind was whipping. The forecast called for 10-15 mph wind, but it was blowing a steady 20 mph and gusting to 35 mph. We paddled for 45 minutes with the wind driven waves following from our back right. In that time I took over 20 waves over my cockpit. We stayed close to shore so that if we got swamped we would be in a better position to land. 

I hit one set of waves that almost knocked me over. Just at that moment, I noticed a little cove. I paddled straight for it hoping Jon would follow. He did and we were able to access our situation. We knew that it was not safe to continue to try and paddle. So, we started looking for a place to weather the storm. 

Home is where the tent is

After the better park of an hour, we found a spot that allowed us to get out of the wind and get our tents set up. We had our tents up and gear stowed just as the rain began to pour down. We rode out two rounds of thunderstorms from 10:30 to 2:00. At that point we had a break from the rain. We had a late lunch of leftover steak. The weather apps looked like there was a couple hour break in the storms. So we decided to see if we could have a fire. 

Jon Wunrow, campfire whisperer 

My attempt failed, but Jon was able to get one going. I made a quick ravioli dinner. We had a Bourbon and enjoyed the fire. It was, the best part of the day!  

Bourbon in the rain

The forecast for the morning looks good. We plan on getting on the water as soon as possible tomorrow so we can log some decent miles.  As I write, we are hunkered down in our tents riding out yet another round of thunderstorms. We have a solid 12 hours in our tents before the morning. Hoping for a good day tomorrow.  

Riding the storm out

Tennessee River Thru Paddle - Day 28 (5/8/21)

Let them eat steak

Start: River Mile: 140

Finish: River Mile: 119

Day Total: 21

Trip Total: 536

I walked over to the marina at 6:30 am to have breakfast. I had just missed the early morning rush of fisherman that stop in at 5:30 am prior to hitting the water at 6:00. My server was Lilly, who I came to learn is a nursing student, one year away from her masters degree. I told her all about my daughter Vanessa being a nurse. It was quiet so Lilly hung out and chatted while I had my breakfast.

Putting in to the river, from the dock at our guest house, was a great way to start the morning. I was able to dry entry my kayak so my feet stayed dry and paddle off into the morning. We had a light breeze and calm water to the start the day. About an hour into to paddle, it started raining, which continued for the next several hours. So, it was a soggy paddle until after lunch, then it stopped and we were able to dry out. 

An early morning barge to start the day off

We had set our goal for a boat ramp at RM 119, about 21 miles for the day. Leslie was to meet us at the ramp at 2:30pm. The paddle was beautiful. Over all I’d say the Tennessee river is much prettier from start to finish than the Mississippi. The weather hasn’t been the best, but part of that is it’s Spring time. 

Paddling through the scenic Tennessee river valley

Rainy day today

After Leslie picked us up, we headed back to our lodging at Fisherdale Marina, where we enjoyed a charcuterie tray that Leslie had prepared and a glass of red wine. After our happy hour we headed to the marina bar where we could get on the internet. While there I bought a few bottles of Mt Dew for tomorrow. 

Our stay here at Fisherdale marina has been really great. The staff has be wonderful and our host Donna Wadford has been a rock star. I highly recommend staying here when you are paddling the river, either a thru paddle or a sectional trip. 

Dinner was at Cowboys steak house, about 5 miles away. Jon and I had been craving steak for the last 3 weeks, so this was perfect! The place was hopping, and we had to wait 30 minutes for a table. Once we were seated, it was T-Bone’s all around. The food was good, and really hit the spot. I was only able to eat half of my 16 oz steak, so guess what I’m having for lunch tomorrow?!

By the time w got back from dinner it was 9:00pm and I was too tired to do anything but get my gear packed in the car so we could get an early start in the morning. So, too tired to go over to the Bar for internet so I could blog, I instead chose to call it a night and get some sleep.  

Tennessee River Thru Paddle - Day 27 (5/7/21)

Fisherdale Marina and river magic

Start: River Mile: 159

Finish: River Mile: 140

Day Total: 19

Trip Total: 515

After the drama of yesterday, it was nice to wake up this morning to clear sky’s and calm wind. After pack-up we paddled along the shore down river from our camp, searching for any sign of my camp chair or food bag. No luck. Jon did spot one of my paddling socks on a rocky area, but it was only one sock and would have been impossible to get to. Sorry little sock.

Jon drying is stuff out... and sitting in his chair!

I spent a good part of the morning on the phone with REI trying to coordinate getting a replacement camp chair sent ahead to the Fisherdale Marina so that it will be delivered before we leave on Sunday morning. They said it would arrive tomorrow (Saturday) but we‘ll see. 

We had only one slight snag today. We had pulled up on a small sandy beach on river left for lunch. I had the best chicken salad tortilla of the entire trip, jazzed up with pickles from Jon. I noticed a large cruiser yacht coming up river about a mile away. My goal was to be back in my boat before the wake from the yacht hit. Well, my timing was off by 5 minutes. Just as I was getting my boat ready to hop in, the big 2 foot waves started hitting us. Jon took on a bunch of water in his boat. I was able to avoid that, but had to ride out the waves before I could get in my boat. 

Jon is waaay back there. A rare sight indeed

We had another beautiful stretch of river to paddle today. We arrived at the marina at 2:30, tired and glad our paddling day was over. Jon had reached out to this marina a few days ago to secure lodging for his wife Leslie’s two night visit. Donna Wadford, whose family owns and operates the marina gave us a great deal on a two night stay, and even upgraded us to the guest house. 

Beautiful scenery today

The only down side with the house is there is no wi-fi and there is no cell service at all with AT&T. So, the only way to get online is to come over to the restaurant. Not a big deal. 

Donna took every opportunity to introduce us to people, telling them about our adventures. One couple in particular chatted with me for 10 minutes. A bit later, as Jon and I were sitting at our table, Henry walked over and said, “After this moment, you have to pay for your tab”. In other words, he had picked up our dinner tab! As we were thanking him, he just explained that he just wanted to be part of our journey. More river magic, so awesome! Thank you Henry. 

Tennessee River Thru Paddle - Day 26 (5/6/21)

Best Day Yet! And so much more!!

Start: River Mile: 186

Finish: River Mile: 158

Day Total: 28

Trip Total: 496

We woke up to a chilly and very damp morning. We did get a nice early start, paddling out at 7:30. It was one of those perfect mornings for paddling. Water as smooth as glass, a nicely moving current and wait for it...No Head Wind!! We easily paddled 4 -5 mph in these conditions. 

We reached the town of Saltillo, TN at RM 172 at 10:30am. We got out of our boats to stretch our legs and ended up walking the half mile to “Willies One Stop” where  we got some hot food and cold drinks for lunch. We had a local old timer offer us a ride back to the boat ramp, which we gladly accepted. 

With full bellies we easily made the final 14 miles to Clifton Marina at RM 159. Brad Collett let the crew at Clifton we were coming so they were very welcoming right away. Stacy showed us around to the best spots for us to set up our camp. Once we had made camp, on a nice grassy spot overlooking the river we made our way to the floating restaurant’s, bar and gift shop. The special today was Mojitos, and we were happy to partake. 

We knew that there was a one hour window were there was a 50% chance of a thunderstorm around 5:00pm. Well, at 4:30 the sky grew dark, almost black. Before we knew it, the wind was howling. Jon and I went back up to our tents to make sure everything was Ok. Well the wind was blowing at 70 mph minimum. Our boats had been blown over 30 feet and Jons was half off the bluff. I watched as the wind literally flatted my tent, but it remained anchored to the ground. My camp chair, food bag and paddling socks are gone. Jon’s tent was collapsed, and all of his sleeping gear and clothes were soaking wet. As we stood there in the gale, sizing up the situation, the sky opened up with rain, hail and lightning. We ran for cover next to a trailer and watched helplessly as the storm continued to pummel our camp. Once we knew the storm was not letting up, Jon suggested on go lay in my tent to keep it from blowing away, which is what I did. Soaked and shivering, I wrapped my sleeping bag around me as I sat in my tent the the next 30 minutes riding out the storm. Jon ran back to the restaurant and tried to stay warm.

Jon’s flatted tent

One of the folks that lives in his RV at the marina had the wind blow the roof off his RV, that’s how strong the wind was. One mile up river a floating dock completely flipped over and the pontoon boat harboring there was lost. I’ve never seen a storm like this. We probably won’t know until tomorrow exactly what we‘ve lost. 

Once the storm died down, we collected all our wet stuff and ran it through the dryer at the marina laundry. Jon was able to set his tent back up, thankfully nothing broken. We are now in the process of drying out and eating dinner. Stacy and Christoper have been very helpful and understanding. I can’t imagine what this would have been like if we were on the water or just setting up a wilderness camp. We are very thankful we got here early and had such a nice place to recover. We are safe, try and warm. 

Tennessee River Thru Paddle - Day 25 (5/5/21)

Where ever we go, the wind is in our faces

Start: River Mile: 207

Finish: River Mile: 186

Day Total: 21

Trip Total: 468

Our logistics puzzle for today was, has the storm caused a backup on barge traffic through the lock? Not wanting to chance it, Jon had arranged for Delbert from the marina to haul our boats and gear over the dam so we could put in at the down river side. It worked out perfectly and we were in the water by 8:15.

We had a peaceful first three miles, until RM 204 when the river curved to the right and took us straight North. From that point on, we had steady 10-15 mph winds in our faces. What a surprise. It was that kind just going to be that kind of day. 

The river is actually a river here. Not a big lake. That made for a visually pleasing day of paddling, even if the wind was brutal as usual. At RM 197 we left the main channel and went to the right of Diamond Island. The wind in this two mile section was not as bad. The bird life on this river is made up of Great Blue Harons, Comerants, Bald Eagles and Canadian Geese. We get to enjoy watching them in their natural habitat. 

Early morning start on the Tennessee

We found a nice little beach to have lunch at mile 194. My leftover BBQ ribs were delicious. After a nice break it was back to our battle with the wind. The afternoon always seems harder than the morning, and today was no exception. The head wind really wore me down. By mile 21 I was completely wiped out. We found a boat ramp where we could set up camp. Lots of folks fishing at this spot, but they will be gone by sun down.

It was Jon’s turn for dinner tonight, and he really out did himself. Sautéed onion, garlic, potato and cajun sausage. Oh man, so good! We each had two servings and ended up with no leftovers. 

Chef Jonathan works his magic

We had a couple old timers walk over and struck up a conversation. They seemed to know who we were and about our trip, from Facebook. We had a really nice chat with them. 

Yum

We are not able to have a fire today, too many people around. It’s really cooling off so it will be an early to bed night for sure. I‘d love to get an early start tomorrow morning to assure we can get 24 miles in and reach the Redstone marina, where they have the best burgers on the river. We hope to be able to confirm that! 

Tennessee River Thru Paddle - Day 24 (5/4/21)

Big Bad Scary Storm

Start: River Mile: 207

Finish: River Mile: 207

Day Total: Zero

Trip Total: 447

Well, here we are again. For the second time this trip we are weather bound. Luckily we are at a spot were we can get safe, warm and dry lodging. The State Park and Pickwick Landing has a really nice Lodge, right on the water. Shawn was able to drop us here after breakfast. He had to get back on the road so he could be back in Austin TX by tomorrow night. It sure was awesome having Shawn with us the last three days. He and Jon the the two friends I have spent the most time traveling with in the last 15 years and having them both together was really special. I’m blessed to have both of these guys in my life.

Backing up a second, the three of us wanted to go out for breakfast this morning. Shawn found a place called R&B cafe, just a mile or so from our hotel. Walking into the cafe was like walking back in time. The small dinning room was packed with old timers, no one was under 70 and not a female customer to the be seen. Our server was very cheerful and fun. She clearly knew the majority of the jokers in this this place and knew how to keep them all in their place. 

Back at the Lodge, we cleared all of our gear from Shawns car. We said our thank you’s and goodbyes and went into the lodge to get our room. Check in was not until 4:00 but they let us hang out in the restaurant with a nice view of the river and lock. Jon buckled down and got a lot of work done, I got caught up on e-mails and blogging. I also checked in the Brad Collett over at Tennessee RiverLine and he reminded me that we had someone right down the river in Savannah, TN that wanted to meet us. Beth Pippin is the Tourism Director for Hardin County. I reached out and she offered to meet us at 5:30 to take us to dinner.

Having our dinner plans locked down,  after lunch I went back to the room and took a nap. Ahh, the joys of a zero day. Watching the storm come in really made us glad we were not on the river. 

Weather bound at Pickwick Landing 

Dinner with Beth was really nice. We visited a local restaurant on the opposite side of the river, so we got to drive across the bridge over the Lock & Dam. The Outpost (https://www.facebook.com/pickwickoutpost/) restaurant was a really fun, eclectic place that had a little bit of everything from a restaurant, gift shop, meat counter, canned preserves, art gallery and much, much more. You could easily while away a lazy afternoon here. My wife Christina would absolutely love it!

We loved hearing Beth talk about the events her county puts on. We also talked quite a bit about the RiverLine 652 project. That project has been the common thread connecting so many of the people we’ve met to the river and by default to us. This river, the Tennessee connects so many towns, businesses and people together. Most of the time we don’t even stop to think about this. But a through paddle really brings this front and center in our minds. Hats off again the Brad Collett and all the people he has connected to the river to each other and to us. 

Thank you Beth for a great dinner!

Tomorrow we hope get any early start and take advantage of the clear and cooler paddling conditions. After a zero day I’m always comping at the bit to get back in my boat and dip my paddle in the water.