04/02 - 04/17 Nashville/Mt. Juliet TN C-Dory Gathering

If you want a word file of this... just email me and request.
Directions to the Nashville/Mt. Juliet, TN Apr05 C-Dory Gathering: The GPS coordinates are pretty much on target...give or take a few feet due to plugging them in while driving rather than taking a chance of standing in the streets ...... I save my fun for on the water...grin.

These will work coming into the Nashville area from 65N, 24N, or 40E/75S. For those coming from other directions.... basically get to Exit 226 on I-40 in Mt. Juliet, TN... (N36.10.349 W086.30.875) go thru the "city" of MJ to Hwy 70 and turn right onto Hwy 70...(missing this GPS coordinate) then look for the Benders Ferry GPS coordinates... and.. the best fuel point with maneuvering room will then be the market on the right hand side of the road about 1/3 mile PRIOR to getting to Benders Ferry.

From Atlanta, GA, take 75N to Chattanooga, TN, taking 24W to Nashville/Mt. Juliet area.

From Mobile, AL, take 65N to about 30-35 miles shy of Nashville, taking Hwy 840 toward Gallatin, TN.

From Knoxville or other places east of Knoxville, and/or merging into Knoxville from 75S, take 40W to Hwy 109 in Lebanon, TN, taking Hwy 109 towards Gallatin, TN

GPS coordinates of the "major" intersections from Atlanta would be as follows:

Atlanta GA: N33.45.800 W084.25.300 - Just punched in spot in the middle of
the "traffic circle" in Atl on this.

Intersection of I-75N & I-24W just outside of Chattanooga TN: N35.00.311 W08512.598 & go west on 24 towards Chattanooga/Nashville, TN

Intersection leaving Chattanooga towards Nashville on I-24W: N35.02.454 W085.41.437

Intersection of I-24W & Hwy 840 PRIOR TO GETTING INTO NASHVILLE: N35.53.210 W086.28.733 Take 840 towards Murfreesboro, TN

On 840 get off on Exit # 72B onto Hwy 109N going towards Gallatin, TN: N36.07.701 W086.23.925

Stay on Hwy 109 and you will cross over I-40: N36.11.173 W086.24.448... & continue to Hwy 70.

Intersection of Hwy 109 & Hwy 70, TURN LEFT onto Hwy 70: N36.13.975 W086.25.767

Note: the following road miles are just "ruff estimates...thru guess and straight line distance"...
Go to Hwy 70 & Benders Ferry Rd, about 3.5 miles, TURN RIGHT onto Benders Ferry Rd (corner market-last gas) N36.13.906 W086.29.464

Note: This corner market is very tight and crowded.. If you want to fuel up prior to launch, just stay on 70 for about a 1/3 mile on left for larger market with several pumps and drive threw...then loop back to Benders Ferry.

Benders Ferry is a crooked road, but well paved...watching for Long Branch on your left...after a bridge or two where you can see parts of the lake...just keep going and watch for very tight turns.. about 4 miles from
Hwy70.

Long Branch Ramp: N36.16.986 W086.30.143 Actual Boat Ramp location...bottom left of parking lot

After launch: Continue on Benders Ferry to about another 2 miles, to Gambell Cove-Tubbs Rd & turn left: N36.18.134 W086.29.041

Tar back road…go slow, stay left at a fork....one lane with "passing locations".. when you hit a small turn-about, go between the two black mailboxes toward the white house at the bottom of the hill on the left. “Momma Byrd’s” N36.18.680 W086.29151 Place tow vehicles/trailers to the left or right of the drive, pointing down hill, allowing others to pull in and do the same.. NOTE: DO NOT PULL STRAIGHT DOWN THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL PAST THE RIGHT SIDE OF (OR BETWEEN THE 2 WHITE HOSES)…..SEPTIC TANK AREA JUST OFF DRIVEWAY AND WILL NOT HOLD.
 
About to check out of the net for our trip to Tahiti/French Polynesian Islands... Got that make up cruise for our 25th anniversary (Dec 2003)...and Sherryl did not take our trip up to Oak Harbor to pick up FreeByrd and drive her home as an anniversary trip.... I enjoyed that trip a great deal. I'll be back on the net around 26Mar05. Have a Blessed Day!
Byrdman....departing Bama
 
Byrdman,

Hope you had a wonderful trip.

We will disconnect the computer and shut down e-mail and the web Monday AM, 28 March.

After launch, what do you recommend we do with the boat while we take the trailer to "Moma Byrd's"?

Is there a dock to tie up to or a safe place to anchor?

Can one leave a vehicle parked at the launch ramp?

If so, do you deem it safe to leave a vehicle at the launch ramp?

Thanks,
 
George and Penny --
Good questions, and we have the same for Pat on his return. We are en route to OK now and plan to arrive at Halcyon tomorrow or Saturday. We'll be there over Easter Weekend, and then head easterly to Ol' Hickory. When do you plan to arrive at the ramp? We still plan to cruise on the Cumberland/Tennessee system until near the end of April, and then over the mountains to the Carolina Sounds. Looking forward to seeing you soon.
 
EL and Bill,

We plan to arrive Friday afternoon, 1 April.

Our plans are the same as yours expressed above. However, we are new at cruising on Wanderer - having spent only four nights in a row aboard. We are looking forward to an extended cruise and to learning the ropes from experts. Hopefully, our expectations are realistic.

We need to be home before the end of May. From the Carolina sounds, we will haul the boat home.
 
Nashville Update: Well, got back in the US. The tornados today missed our house by about 1 mile straight line distance and no hail damage, just road closures for a few hours to allow the rain to run off a bit. Marina is suppose to have gotten hit with golf ball or larger hail. Going up tonight to get on FreeByrd and check for damage and prep for pull out on Wednesday, heading to Nashville on Thursday. Opry tickets and BBQ dinner is locked in, bus will pick us up at dinner and drop us off at the front door of the Opry to prevent us from having to worry with parking...and let us enjoy our evening a bit more, then return us back to the Scoreboard (dinner location name) after the gig. Really looking forward to it.

Did get email today from Joel and Susan...from Oklahoma after 800 mile day on the road. All is well on their treck east.. Should hear from some of the others on either Monday or Tuesday.

Ken: Keep the physcal "terriorist" at bay man. No pain no gain...but that will not stop the immediate thoughts of removing their limbs during "treatment" times. Hang in there man. Got the banner. Will re-read my emails looking for the address to forward it to after our gathering..... Catching up a bit from being gone. Great trip it was.

I plan to launch either late Thusday evening or early Friday morning. As folks arrive at the ramp location, we can very easily work shuffle for tow vehicles to Mom's. Only about 15 minutes water time or 5 minutes road time from ramp. More later....gotta go check on FreeByrd.

Byrdman

334-549-BOAT (2628)
 
Welcome Home, Pat. Trust it was a great time in the islands. Sure glad the tornado gave a miss, and trust that FreeByrd is fine.

We are in eastern Oklahoma, and will be back to Halcyon at Applegate Marina, Sallisaw OK, tomorrow. After a little scrubbing up of the boat and checking out her systems, we will be on the road bound for Old Hickory.

Looking forward to seeing you -- and welcome home!!
 
Thankfully I have been blessed again by missing damage to FreeByrd. Boat is fine, just totally covered in yellow polin from the pine trees. The docks did not fare all that well. Busted water pipes and electrical issues on the docks due to them "shifting" at some locations....and not all locations. Busted "span plates/bolts" at some of the "intersections" of the docks. But, once things calm down, a bit of shifting about, then some plumbing and electrical re-works and things should be OK. What weather we have had in the last 12 months. Hope the wind stops prior to pull-out on Wednesday afternoon/evening. See yall later in the week and safe travels to all!
 
Hello,

Will return cable modem to BellSouth after this post. Wanderer should be hauled this afternoon. We expect to leave Marathon early Tues. 29 March. The plan is to spend one or two nights at my brother's home in Tifton GA. and to arrive at the ramp Friday afternoon.

Looking forward to meeting all of you.

Safe travels.
 
Wow!! C-Dorys are on the move, heading for TN. Two will be trundling easterly from California!! Another from Alabama, one from Oklahoma, one coming from Florida, another from Kentucky -- and, if I reckon correctly, not a single boat registered in TN. Is this a new record??
 
We'll be at the launch ramp tomorrow am, sitting in Halcyon on the trailer, ready to greet any and all arrivals. Safe travels and see ya'all there.
 
Bill & El did ramp recon and went bye and met my Mother as she was departing for an outing of her own. I have been delayed until travel this morning due to military loosing my retirement physical....and the weather... Made the call to drive in the daylight in the rain instead of in the dark with new bi-focals ( a real blast at night with the rain glair and that new little line going accross) in the rain. All are arriving late today, Friday, or in the early on Sat. But, we are closing well and safely from accross the country for this gathering...and we will have a blast! See yall there soon....

Ken: I have banner and will ship to followon address you provided me from Nashville after group picture on either Saturday or Sunday. May not get back to civilization till Tuesday, and will mail then if not out prior to going up river. Possible one or two boats are going to join us up river around Cherokee Marina on Sunday. Thanks!

Byrdman hitting the rainy road on FreeByrd...
 
Well...getting back to the "real world." We had a great time together with 6 C-Dorys for our inaugural Grand-Ol Nashville/Mt. Juliet Cumberland River Gathering!! Great time, a little rain...a little cold spell, a little wind...but, after waiting a day for mother nature to give us permission to launch, we got busy having a great time! Day one basically consisted of waiting out the gail force wind advisory in a camp ground and some needed rest for those traveling across America for this gathering, and a little grocery shoping. I was able to get the TomCat in and make a few checks to ensure things were in order for our BBQ dinner and Opry trip later that evening. I think both of those went well with a gift from a friend with compt transportation to and from the Scoreboard and the Opry keeping us out of all the traffic and parking mess. The night was enjoyed by all. Day two was getting everyone launched and in the water, a tour of some local houses of my family members to include a stop at Mom's for coffee-n-snacks and to show folks where the "home-base" showers & laundry were if needed. Then, a short run up river to shake down everyone's gear to make sure we were in working order. Returned back down river for a dinner @ Cherokee Marina which I think was enjoyed by all. My wife Sherryl was not able to join me on this trip, but her parents Joe and Barbara Lee were able to join us for this dinner and meet the C-Dory folks. Then, back down river to a local cove for a nice safe ancorage. Day 3 after a call to get the gentlman who runs the fuel pumps to come in on Monday morning and fuel our boats ($2.68 a gallon I think?) up river we go...way up river.. beyond where most travel...and the nature really kicks in. Deer, wild goats( most named "Billy"), loons, osprey, red tail hawks doing their seasonal "air dance" to impress their hopeful mates (this was awesome and I had never seen it in real life...stopped and watched with bino's for about 5 minutes...beat any air show I have ever witnessed by the military..), and then.. a bit further up stream...the new eagle population gave us a few fly overs and a show. Bill and El gave great comintary on the rock formations/cliffs/caves/waterfalls and other geological points of interest over the radio. I truly wished I had recorded that so I could impress my other family members... We always just thought they were cliffs on the river. My brother Mike and Brenda who some of you met at the C-Dory Factory Gathering in Jan05 were our local river tour guides due to having traveled these waters several times for several weeks over the past years. Their information was proved priceless and kept each and all of us and our vessels out of trouble. 6 boats on this river during the rains for a week on t and no "hard landings" or breakage or need for insurance. To appreciate this fact, you would have to have been there and realized that we were ahead of the "boating season" by about 2-3 weeks, and SEVERAL of the bouys were washed ashore or worse...had just "moved down river a bit" with the wash out current and totally out of place. Locked thru Cordell Hull Lock & Dam with very minor scratch or two... one back corner and one canvas top but nothing to worry about. Just a little love and attention will fix both. Then... after a call, we found new owners of Defeated Creek Marina...who were closed on Mondays.....but were around fixing some things up....and for us...they opened up the restruant and bar, feed us some of the best cheese burgers I have enjoyed in years...one at a time due to the short order cook being out of town and the new owners wife cooking them one at a time to ensure cooking perfection and she did that in a large way. This also gave a a gathering place to enjoy since the cruise had started and we laughed so much and hard my jaws hurt the next morning. A real blast... Then, they gave us free dockage with power hookups and water available, restrooms, and again, an early opening in the morning allowing us to refuel @ $2.269 a gallon...on the water...at the docks. Bets most if not all marine prices (and some gas stations) that I have seen. Billy Pearsons at Cedar Creek (the lower river one around mile 232 LBD) was $2.289 a gallon was the least exspensive on the water that I used after returning down river sooner than the rest of the group who had a bit more travel time remaining. I really thank those for showing up, really look forward to their pictures (left my camera buy the door so I would not forget it...grin), and their postings on this trip....and... I think... the planning of the second gathering around this time next year....or in the fall for the tree colors...and SEC FOOTBALL!! Aint it great to be part of this C-Dory world.
Ken: Banner is on the way to CA, tracking number 1ZX370860340659909 via UPS. Thanks for sending it and I think George on Wanderer will have pics of that and our "official" gathering photo.. I can post a few later from a disk that Bill and El gave me about mid week.
 
Three boats continuing down the Cumberland -- Wanderer, Rana Verde, and Halcyon. Great weather, and a beautiful anchorage tonight just above Nashville.
 
Hey Bill, Say hello to Chris for me and tell him he's not missing a thing here in San Diego. Small craft advisories are still making life boring. :sad
 
Chris says just anchor in the Bay -- the important thing is to be on the boat. He's swinging on the hook in Ol' Hickory, basking in sunshine, with Geese gaggling around Rana Verde.
 
Bill: Glad to hear Mike & B made the "re-supply" run on Saturday with Major (80# lab "puppy), and their 2 grandboys aboard. Had a great time...and wish I was still in "River Life" rather than the "real world." Interesting that one of the things I had to rush home for was a 56th B-Day suprise party for a real close friend of mine....and HAD to play golf giving his family time to set up the clubhouse for his surprise party. On one of the holes, standing water had formed a pond due to all the rain of late and a couple of Canadian Geese were just enjoying life in the new water. Man, Did I flash back a day or two.... What a great time and I'll follow your post on the 3 boats still milling about smartly in the Nashville area. Sorry I had to miss the Cherokee II diner...and I hope it was as nice as the 1st. Help me with the fuel use (gallons) you used between the Gallitan Marina fillup on Monday morning, and the fill up at Defeated Creek...what ever morning that was.... How much fuel did you take on? I recall you getting the best mileage of all the 22s in the group. Give Miss El a big ol hug and thanks for the CD with some pics. Look forward to receiving others and compiling for total photo set up for the Nashville gathering. Thanks for being part of my traveling America by river dream. Have a Blessed Day! Byrdman
 
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