Tellico Lake

Heiskell, Tennessee

Weather: low 42 degrees, high 73 degrees, mostly clear skies

We got out and explored the area southwest of Maryville today, including all the way down to Tellico Lake. The actual term to use for the lake is reservoir, but the common usage is lake. Not that it's important as to whether it's called a lake or reservoir. Just know that this is a TVA reservoir created by damming the Little Tennessee River. The reservoir covers more than 15,000 acres, and stretches along 33 miles of the Little Tennessee River.

We didn't see a lot of the reservoir during our trip, but saw enough to know that it is an important recreational asset for the area. It also provides flood control and hydro-electric power. We saw several high-end subdivisions along the lake, with building actively being performed.

The reservoir's completion was held up for some time as conservation groups used the little snail darter fish to almost kill the project. The only reason the project wasn't killed was because Congress specifically excluded the reservoir from the provisions of the Endangered Species Act.

I got a little ahead of myself talking about the reservoir. Our tour started a few miles from Terrell and Kathy's house as we took a back road, looking for mountain views. And we found the views. We were able to see The Smoky Mountains, along with the Appalachians. Beautiful! I got some pictures but the light wasn't right, and they didn't turn out very well. Maybe the light will be better the next time we're down there.

Last week, I whined a little (okay, more than a little), about how the fall colors were disappointing. We were probably a week or so early, because the colors are starting to get better. Not outstanding yet, but a definite improvement. In another ten days or so, the colors should be at their peak.

As we were doing our little sightseeing tour, we realized that we were near Terrell's house, so we stopped by for a little while. Kathy wasn't home, since she was out with a friend from Florida who is visiting them. We visited with Terrell for about an hour. By the time the visit was over, it was time to head home, a long 35 to 40 miles away.

At lunchtime, we stopped at a Back Yard Burger store in Maryville. At one time, Back Yard Burger was probably our favorite hamburger chain. Maybe our tastes have changed, or they may have changed how they fixed their burgers, but they didn't seem quite as good as the last time we had them. They weren't bad, just not what we remember.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Cheyenne, Wyoming: A Community Of Choice

Not all who wander are lost.