ANOTHER FOGGY RIVER MORNING

A double crested cormorant rockets down the river through the dense fog.  How can he see?

The river is fogged in but the temperature is great!  Hopefully, the weather will hold this time.  The fog is so thick that I can't even see the ramp to back the boat onto.  I'll just have to wait it out.

Things started to clear a bit around 9 AM.  I launched the boat and was off.

I really don't mind driving the river in fog.  I'd rather do the river than a reservoir because there are a lot of boats on the lakes with high horsepower that I don't trust.  The river is a lot calmer.

This morning is very pretty but, not as pretty as the morning I posted on the blog called "Misty River".  Now, that was a gorgeous morning.  This one's not bad though.

I moved slowly down Beech Creek headed for the Holston River.  It lay just ahead.  I would go upstream at the confluence.

The fog was lifting pretty fast.  Soon, I would be able to up the speed and cover some water.  I wanted to traverse the water upstream and get it out of the way as I felt that anglers would visit the lake down by the John Sevier Steam Plant.

Trees are most beautiful in shrouded in fog.  They appear wispy and mysterious.  I love it!

For the first time in months - I could feel the warmth on my hands and face.  It felt really nice.  Up until now its always been the cold.  Everything was cold.  This morning on the water was delightful comfort.

The shorelines were coming into view and they were beautiful.  The colors are starting to overpower the browns of Winter.  I can't wait until the water grasses start to grow adding vibrant green color to the edges of the water.

The sun finally burned off the last remnants of fog and the brightness were welcomed.

An enormous log lay on the shoreline and it was obvious that the beavers have been stripping it bare.  If you look closely you can see the vertical marks left by their sharp teeth.  Amazing creatures!

Then I saw my favorite duck.  A male and a female wood duck were paddling along slowly close to the river bank.  This was a sweet situation.

I've said it before and I'll repeat it.  These little ducks are the most spectacular duck on the water.  They are gorgeous!

I did the best I could with the camera considering I'm on a rickety, rocking and rolling tin can.  These ducks have absolutely no patience or tolerance for humans with a camera.  They took flight quickly.

Wood ducks are the rocket ships of the duck world.  They are faaast!  They cut hard left and headed across the river right into and between two cormorants that were just flying downstream minding their own business.  The cormorants really slowed the wood ducks down causing them to fly between the cormorants for about a hundred yards.   The ducks appeared as fighter planes escorting two light bombers across enemy territory.  I wish I would have had more light for a faster shutter speed.  Things worked out though.

That was pretty cool.  Actually it was way cool!
My turtle friends were starting to climb up onto the logs to sun themselves.  Some were covered in algie from their long Winter sleep in the mud.  They are a welcome sight as they seal the fate of Winter into the past.

That marked the end of a really nice morning.  I've got a strong urge to visit Indian Boundary Lake in the canoe.  That's coming up soon.  The camping urge is settling in too.  Tomorrow will be spent on the stone quarry, Cherokee Lake.  Yuk.  Have to take the bad with the good.  Tee hee.  See ya.