Well since we decided to go back to Tennessee this year for the Big Spring Hover-In we decided to take a few extra days and stay with our freinds in Chattanooga.  They went with us to Big Spring on Saturday and on our way there we met Jerry Coffman on the highway.  After talking with him a bit we all decided to meet up at Cherokee Lake on Sunday.

Sunday ended up being a day of fun and excitment!  We met Jerry and his family at their camp and after some fun and festivities at the camp we headed down to the lake.  What a difference from when we were here in June!  The water was down probably 5 or 6 feet (maybe more) and islands were now connected to the shore and the shoreline was red dirt and gravel all the way around the lake!  It was really neat.

When Jerry got the craft ready to launch he tried backing it down the shore and everywhere he tried one of the trailer wheels would start to sink into the soft dirt.  We walked all around the penninsula trying to find a hard spot to launch from.  When we found the one and only hard spot that would support the trailer Jerry backed into the water.  Well, when he started putting the truck tires in the water the trailer tires were barely in to the hubs.  Definitely not deep enough to drive the hover off yet.  As a last attempt I suggested we try moving moving the trailer over halfway between the hard spot and the last soft spot.  We got lucky and the slope was enough to get the hover into the water.

Jerry went and took a quick spin and gave the 19P a quick checkout.  Everything was fine so Jerry, Fred and I loaded up and went for one great ride!  We went quite a ways down the lake and saw another launch area in a campground Jerry said he might try and get into for next year.  We kept going and then turned off the main lake and went exploring through what used to be some ravines back before the lake was made.  We twisted and turned around quite a few bends and it seemed like we could have kept going forever.  It was a really great place to explore and one of these days I'll get back up there with Blew and check them out some more.  Well Jerry decided to head back to the launch site and it continued to be a great ride all the way!

When we got back the girls had showed up and were waiting for us.  It was a little cool out but they said they would like a ride too.  Jerry told me to jump in and take them out!  I was surprised to say the least!  Here I am, never driven any craft but my own, and he tells me to load up with passengers and take them for a ride!  Well, I thought about it for a minute and I thought it would be okay.  I'd riddne with Jerry quite a few times now so the 19P wasn't totally unfamiliar.  After another littel push to get goign from Jerry we all jumped in and I took off.  I took it real easy when I started to get moving and I kicked up quite a bit of dust.  Once we slid on down into the water I was much better, at least I knew I had tons of room to manuever out there.  I took the girls down to the boat ramp at the campsite and showed them where Jerry thought he might do thenext hover-in.  Then we turned around, cruised along the rock bluff and I started to go around the island that was there at the hover-in.  Well the island wasn't an island anymore!  The water had dropped so low it was connected to the shore.  I decided not to try and go over the bit that now connected it because I would have been heading straight into the sun and it was starting to get low and would have been in my eyes.  Also, since I would have needed a little speed to climb over the little rise I was nervous about not knowing if there would be any rocks in our path.  I sure wouldn't want to tear a skirt or anything, not at this point anyway!  So I pulled a U-turn and went back around the long way and headed back to where we launched.

Once we got back Jerry jumped in and we got the 19P loaded back on the trailer.  We all stayed and chatted awhile aoubt our weekend.  Everyone had a great time, especially since we got to go to Big Spring and fly on Cherokee Lake again too!It was starting to get late so we said our goodbyes.  We promised to come back for another visit and I swore I'd never leave my craft behind again!