Fall Color Cruise…

Once again Lt/C Bert Baxter planned out an enjoyable weekend cruise on the Tennessee River.

Friday, October 16^th, Weigh Up with Bert & Amy Baxter; FUBAR with Russ & Pat Dunston and their grandson, Adam; Penn Lee with George & Ivy Williamson; Take Two with Pete Stevenson and Jim & Lee Carroll; Ad Man with Ray & Kathryn Fedele; and Too Many Rules with Jim & Dee Wilkins conger-gated at a rest stop on I-26 in preparation for the convoy through the mountains on I-40 in NC and TN, finally reaching their launch point south of Knoxville at the Lenoir City Park, TN.

Once everyone was in the water Weigh Up led us on a 20 mile cruise on the Little Tennessee River (aka Tellico Lake). We had planned to go further but the misty weather we had encountered on the drive was still with us and seemed to be getting worse. So we turned around after seeing a replica of the old Fort Loudon.

We returned to Lenoir where we tied up at the Fort Loudon Marina. There we were joined by Tom & Marbeth Dietrich who had recently relocated to the Knoxville area. Dinner was taken at Calhoun’s Restaurant conveniently located in the marina area.

Saturday morning a Captain’s meeting, held under overcast skies and chilly temperatures, laid out the plans for the day.

Shortly thereafter everyone was on the water and heading out for the day’s cruise.

Once again, Weigh Up led the way heading south on the Tennessee River. But first, we had to proceed through the Fort Loudon Lock.

Lunch was taken at a small cove that gave us relief from the wind and the current.

We had the benefit of a river/lake cruise where water levels were not a problem. In fact, the water levels were high enough that some fixed docks were under water.

No cruise of LHS&PS would be complete with-out some sort of problem cropping up along the way. This cruise proved to be no exception. Take Two developed an electrical problem that triggered warning alarms to alert Pete that all was not well. Apparently the alternator was not providing enough juice and the batteries were running low. George helped Pete install a back up battery that proved adequate to get us to the Euchee Marina which was the same one we spent Saturday night at last year.

Pete was fortunate to find a couple of mechanics on duty that identified his electrical problem as a faulty wire and fixed it at a very nominal cost.

To help everyone warm up from the cold we had experienced all day, Pat had brought along a big

Batch of her famous cheddar cheese and broccoli soup. It was very well received.

The marina’s restaurant wasn’t open so everyone had to rely on their own resources for dinner. Due to the cold and wind, a few grills were set up on tables on the leeward side of the ship’s store.

Sunday morning we headed back to the Lenoir City Park with clear skies. About half way back Take Two suffered a relapse of the previous day’s problem but, by Pete turning off all unnecessary electrical devices, he was able to make it to the Park. Of course, we had to make another pass through the lock.

Except for having to tolerate some light rain on Friday and chilly temperatures throughout, the weather was cooperative…no thick fog like we encountered last year.

Once again a big Thank You is order to Bert for these arrangements…even if some people wondered out loud what it would be like to cruise the Tennessee River during the summer.