Day 23 - October 6, 2012: Tennessee River to Pickwick Lake

The morning was grey after rain all night and we started early for the Pickwick Lock and Dam. This lock raised us so we could enter Pickwick Lake which is at the intersection of Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama. I wonder how the football fans get along in this area.

The scenes on Pickwick Lake are quite an immediate transformation from the simple homes on Kentucky Lake as it has mega million dollar homes perched on high cliffs reminding us of the homes on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in California. Some even had tile roofs and stucco siding.

Pickwick Lock and Dam (49 Ft)

California style mega homes

Our destination was Grand Harbor Marina which will allow us to obtain a loner car and make a short drive up to Savannah, TN, for some Civil War history. Speaking of loner cars, marinas frequently provide these as a service to transient boaters who are in need of supplies, want to go to town or a restaurant or explore the area. As you would expect they are typically old, tired, and well worn. This one looked like an ice cream truck and was decorated with massive decals alerting everyone where we were from. How embarrassing...

Embarrassing loaner car for transient boaters

In Savannah, we visited the Tennessee River Museum and the Cherry Mansion where in 1862 Gen. Ulysses S. Grant located his headquarters during the Civil War. The home, loaned to Grant by a sympathetic supporter, sits on a hill adjacent to the river. The Battle of Shiloh took place near here and we plan to visit this battlefield on our return through this area.

The Cherry Hill Mansion (front)

The Cherry Hill Mansion (rear facing the river)