Tuesday, October 6, 2015
The Tennessee River must be a flyway for butterflies migrating
south. We see one about every 10 seconds, passing across the bow of our boat or
in the distance - lots of yellow ones, some monarchs, and a few black ones.
Occasionally a tiny orange butterfly also goes by. A few dragonflies have
passed by the boat, but I don’t know if they’re migrating or just enjoying the
day.
Three days ago it was so cold we had to put the winter
comforter back on the bed. Now it is so pleasant that we’re wearing shorts
again!
Yesterday we had a zillion of the tiniest gnats swarming
around the stern of the boat as we traveled. Brian went out and sprayed them
with the hose, turning them into food for the fish. There’s been a lot of
hydrilla in the shallow areas of the river. Our friends from Florida seem to be
familiar with this weed. It grows from the river bottom up to the top and
tangles into your prop if you go over it. The marinas try to keep it dredged
out of the way, but there is a lot of it.
The beauty of this river and the surrounding landscape is in
great contrast to the nearby towns. Yesterday we borrowed the marina’s
loaner-car and drove to Scottsboro, Alabama. It’s a typical American town with
lots of pavement, a gigantic Walmart and a bunch of chain stores and
restaurants. We visited the Unclaimed Baggage store there, but I did not like
it. It was a glorified Salvation Army store, and I have put that kind of
shopping behind me.
So we’re back on the gorgeous blue river with the green trees
and the sloping hills in the background. I’m still hoping to see taller
mountains before we have to turn around. Tonight we’re finally going to be
anchoring
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