June 16-18, 2014, Harrison Bay State Park, Harrison, TN

I spent a fair amount of time at Harrison Bay in my late teens and early twenties, so I thought it would be nice to spend some time there on our latest trip to Chattanooga. Back in the day, all my camping in the area was done primitively wherever we could find a place to pitch a tent, but since my family would want to visit, it seemed best to get a site at the campground. I reserved site D17 based on the limited information available on the internet, which included an image showing a lake view from the site. Once we arrived with Mamaw while Amber was at the Lego movie with Nana, we were immediately disappointed with the size of the sites and their proximity to one another. Also, D17 had a lake view, but the lake was not immediately accessible from the site because of a six-foot or so drop off. No better sites were available, so we made due.

We finally started setting up camp around 2:30 with about 92 °F heat, which just seemed to be 1,000 degrees. There were several trees around the site, but many of them were covered in poison ivy, so hanging the tarp was definitely a challenge. I got it rigged, but I’m glad it didn’t storm because I’m not sure how well water would have drained off of it. Once camp was setup, I was drenched in sweat and ready for a break.

We waited and waited for the rest of the family to show, but it turned out that my sister had a minor mishap with the jetski. After showing my mom and sister where we were on the map and how to navigate from the marina, they took the jetski out and did a drive by the site. I was a bit disappointed not to get a ride the first day, but I got to spend some time revisiting Harrison Bay and the Tennessee River on Tuesday.

My family left around 7:30 Monday, and it was mostly an uneventful evening, although we did see a couple deer, and Amber got to catch some fireflies.  It’s amazing how accustomed to people the wildlife is here. It’s obvious that people feed the animals. We had ducks wander right into camp and not care that we were there, and we saw our neighbor feeding a deer that was about 5 ft away from her. I was abit disappointed about this, along with the amount of garbage at the campsites and along shore. It’s obvious that people around here do not take environmental conservation as serious as those in Wisconsin, and I would say that’s pretty consistent with my experiences growing up in Tennessee. It was a hot night, and I don’t know how I would have fallen asleep without the battery operated fan I brought. Actually, I don’t know how I fell asleep with Amber so wired, but I guess we both nodded off around 11 or 12. The campsite was so small that every time someone walked by with their lights, it felt like they were in our campsite.

We had a quick breakfast Tuesday morning before heading out for a paddle around the bay. We explored some of the inlets and points. The highlight was probably a doe and fawn getting a drink from the lake. Upon returning from our paddle, Nana and Mamaw were waiting at the campsite with the camera. I got another chance to practice portaging the canoe as the landing was on the other side of the campground loop down a 20 ft hill. The Royalex Nova Craft Prospector 17 is a bit heavy, but it’s not too bad to portage. I do think I need to add some portage pads. The paddle was nice, but both Lorraine and I had numerous pains and stiffness problems that made it more uncomfortable than it should have been. Maybe it was the Southern heat, to which we are no longer accustomed.

We spent Tuesday at the park, and since there wasn’t a good place to dock the jetski in the campground, we spent a few hours at the picnic area. I got to put some miles on the jetski, taking it up river to Skull Island and exploring some parts of Harrison Bay I hadn’t seen in over a decade. Everything seems to have shrunk in the years I was gone. It’s amazing how perspective can change as we age. I remember the lake and river being a vast place, but it really isn’t, and getting lost in a motorized craft seemed near impossible, despite how I felt as a teenager. I also played around in the canoe for a little while. I heeled it for the first time, but I’m still not that comfortable doing so. For one, my heavy (ok, fat) frame made it a bi wobbly whenever I moved around a bit, and my ankles get sore when kneeling. Maybe, I’ll get  used to it. I also stood in the canoe for the first time. Finally, I decided to see how far over I needed to be to tip the canoe. The secondary stability is excellent on this boat, and with me kneeling in the center, it had to be pushed to and maybe past the gunwale to dump. Apparently, lake water makes me stink even worse than sweat!

My ex-stepdad Dennis paid us a short visit Tuesday evening, and we made plans to have dinner later in the week. I hadn’t seen him in a couple years but was pleased to see he looked pretty healthy. Amber decided to spend the night with Nana, so Lorraine and I had the campsite to ourselves, although it wasn’t exactly peaceful with all the nighttime activity in the campground. I don’t know if the pair of young men down the way were kicked out or left voluntarily after being chided, but it got considerably quieter after they left. Still, I was incredibly surprised at how much activity was taking place at and after midnight on a weeknight.

Lorraine and I had a nice paddle around Patten Island on Wednesday morning before packing up and heading out. At first, I wasn’t sure if it would be worth bringing the canoe all the way from Wisconsin, but I’m glad I did. We had a good time, and I got to spend several more hours on the water than if we didn’t bring it. I think next time that we’ll either just spend the day at the park or find somewhere besides the campground to camp. Even though we had a good time, the campgrounds are just too cramped and lack any privacy.