Happy and I had just completed a four hour idle through our assigned area this afternoon and we both got a case of the hungry's. I noticed a lone, tall tree on a sandy looking island and thought that might be a good place to woof down the jelly and peanut butter sandwiches I had. Happy was eager to chomp on the cold egg MC muffin I bought on the way to the lake. I have a habit of seeing things as if I'm looking through a camera and I did so with this island. What I saw was Tahiti. I'll show you what I mean. See below:
If you saw that shot on a magazine cover; you'd never guess it was located in Tennessee. But, it's the stone quarry alright. I did soften the light with a camera adjustment, however. It's one of my favorite photographs of this lake. The shot below is with normal camera settings. The difference is easily seen.
I have been looking for a big piece of bleached drift wood to adorn the yard in front of the porch at home. I've searched this lake top to bottom and can't find what I seek. The trees fall but never reach the water to become drift wood. The water is too far away from the tree line. I always scan the shoreline for wood when I use the binoculars to find fishing boats on the lake. There's always something to do out here.
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| Nature can be merciless out here. It's a harsh world in the stone quarry |
This island is interesting. One side of it is sand and gravel and the other is strewn with boulders. The water slams against the boulders while it gently laps against the gravel on the other side.
The shorelines all contain that familiar contour lined beach.
This is a pretty island. I like how the two sides of it contrast with each other. The rocky side is covered with impressive boulders and the water crashes against them. If one closes the eyes he can almost envision the ocean with water striking a rocky shoreline.
I never thought I would find a mountain goat out here. See for yourself. Happy is a nervy little thing.
I believe I could throw a tent up on this island and camp for a night. I'd like to experience the sounds of the waves striking the rock shoreline all night. I may try that in a week or two.
Guess we better get back to it. We have a few more hours to put in cruising the lake before take out time. "Come on Happy; get in the boat."
So; I guess there is some beauty in the quarry. Can't blink or I'll miss it though. I kid a lot about Cherokee Lake but in reality every lake has it's nuances and quirks. Cherokee has many highlights that set it apart from the rest of the lakes. As a whole it is, shall I say, less than beautiful. When the individual parts of it are inspected; beauiful pieces can be found.
:-) I went to Calderwood on Sunday. You were right; it is gorgeous. I find beauty on Cherokee too, but on Calderwood you just have to rest your eyes somewhere and beauty fills them up, while on Cherokee you kind of have to work at it. It's worth working at it, though.
ReplyDeleteI think the issues are two fold; I think Calderwood gets less farm runoff and thus has less algae, and also I think the water level at Calderwood is more constant. The combination means you don't get that murky water and muddy shoreline. In Cherokee, when you can see the bottom you're maybe five or six feet "up." In Calderwood you may be twenty five feet "up." The difference only becomes really apparent at places like the mouth of Slickrock, because Calderwood is mostly so deep, but I like being able to cruise along and see the bottom.
I'm working on a post about Calderwood, but Kip was using the computer I use for photos. I took a lot of photos, and need some time to sort them out.
I'm glad you mentioned Calderwood to me.