10/9/2016
After a little rest we decided to play in Kentucky Lake just a little bit. Kentucky Lake was formed when the Tennessee Valley Authority dammed the Tennessee River, flooding a 250 square mile area. This results in a “lake” with more little coves to explore than you can count.
This is a truly beautiful area. The TVA relocated graves that were going to be underwater. This bit of cemetery, once a hilltop, is now an island, accessible only by boat. Since they would remain above water, they were left here. What a beautiful spot to rest.
We spent the day exploring, and learning. We weren’t sure what this was, but we saw several. We later found it was bryozoans which filter the water for food, keeping it nice and clear. Cool, huh?
With the water at “winter pool” level, a lot of rocky shoreline was exposed. This normally submerged beaver hut was exposed and abandoned.
We also found lots of tracks in the mud, but being city slickers, we weren’t sure what made them. Probably raccoons, maybe beavers.
Of course every kind of wildlife abounds here, especially in the “Land Between the Lakes“, a 170,000 acre recreation area separating Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. We’re always on the lookout for butterflies and spotted a few Eastern Commas like this one. The coloring and wing shape help camouflage them among fall leaves. This one may not have gotten that memo.
We can only imagine what this place looks like when fall colors are unleashed on the hillsides. We had a fantastic day exploring, and could easily spend a long time here without tiring of the scenery and exploration opportunities. We spent a quiet night at anchor in a little cove before moving on once again.
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