Gemini Loop: We're in Knoxville!

Here are photos from the last leg of our cruise into Knoxville. After we left the marina yesterday, the cruise alternated between beautiful hilly farmland or wilderness and big, expensive houses and neighborhoods. Really - some of these places were castles!

We were right on the edge of a cold front - you could see the cloud/blue sky edge. The river took lots of turns, turning 20 miles overland into about 40 miles by water. That was OK - the scenery was the best yet. The leaves are truly gorgeous - maybe a week or so from full color. There were several flocks of geese (flying) and waterbirds (floating). We think they were ducks, but we couldn't find them in our bird guide book. Some fishermen were out braving the cool temperatures, but not as many as we have been seeing.

As we got closer to Knoxville, there were more houses and condos. Coming into town you see a lovely arched bridge in a state of disrepair. The bridge is being re-done and should open again some time in 2013. Very good news, because the bridge is a beautiful architectural feature in the Knoxville skyline. The other thing you immediately notice is the University of Tennessee football stadium. These folks love their football! There are marinas along the river near the stadium and when there are home games, the river is full of orange-decorated boats all rafted together. It's quite a sight! (I only know that because The Weather Channel recently had a feature on ultimate fans.) The boats are called the Tennessee Navy and fly flats with the UT logo, made into an anchor.

We met the neighbors and then walked around some last night. We will do some more sightseeing today and report in tomorrow. I want to also wish my dad and his lovely wife a very happy birthday! Both of them are October babies. Happy Birthday Sa and Pappy!