Day #79 - Pickwick Lake, TN
October 18th, 2008
Attempted to leave Clifton Marina this morning at 7:00 but the fog was too thick and we had to wait until 8:10. The temperature dropped in the night to 45 degrees and the water is still warm, causing the fog.
We are currently headed down the Tennessee River toward Pickwick Lake, TN. As a little history, Pickwick Lake offers 496 miles of shoreline, 85 miles of which is island shoreline. At normal maximum pool, the reservoir contains 924,000 acre feet of water, with a surface area of 43,100 acres. Beautiful, well known area in these parts.
The origin of the name Pickwick dates back to the War Between the States. White Sulfur Springs was the first name of the Pickwick Landing Community. The landing received its present name from the first local postmaster whose fondness for the works of Charles Dickens prompted him to name the post office Pickwick in honor of the Pickwick Paper.
The Pickwick Lock and Dam takes you up 55 feet and lets you out into Pickwick Lake. The total time locking through was one hour. The homes on Pickwick Lake are huge…many, many of them. We will anchor out tonight at Panther Creek after traveling 58 miles and traversing one lock.
