Caney Creek

Chose to leave an hour later this morning, so while we departed in the fog again, it had lifted within about 15 minutes. Had a short 500 yards or so to the Melton Hill lock, which was ready and open for us. I never get tired of the mechanics of locking, but maybe you are getting tired of the locking photos. lol. I think this is a lift/drop of around 65 feet. This lock is also a slight bit bigger than the Fort Loudoun and Watts Bar locks, the other two locks we've been through on this trip. We continued down the Clinch River, and took a detour on Poplar Creek, which runs close to the K-25 History Center, all part of the Manhattan Project. We were hoping there might be access to this center, as it is open to the public. But no dice. (Or I should say, no easy access anywhere). Still it was a scenic run up the creek. The fall colors are really starting to show. Passing Kingston, the muddy water of the Tennessee River has made it's way in a short ways on the Clinch River. Back on the Tennessee River, we are now back in the brown color until we load out. (When we started up stream, we didn't run into the dirty water until Watts Bar Nuclear Plant. It has now made it's way down past Harrison Bay, as reported by Steven and Karen on Sea Spray when they loaded out two days ago. However, it seems most the debris has also flushed downstream, as other than a few logs here and there, we haven't seen much since coming through the Fort Loudoun Lock. We are currently anchored just off the Tennessee River in Caney Creek.Read more