Pickwick Landing Dam
After our church’s Couples Retreat at Pickwick Landing State Park ended, we took a little time to visit the Pickwick Landing Dam. After all, without the dam, there probably wouldn’t be a state park there, because there wouldn’t be a lake there.
The Pickwick Landing Dam was constructed on the Tennessee River in the late 1930s by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which uses the dam to generate electricity. Back in the old days, there was even a Visitor Center where you could learn more about the dam and its construction as well as get a better look at boats that might be going through the locks. I enjoyed it, but I remember my sister thinking that watching a boat go through the lock was long and boring. But that Visitor Center is now closed, and I suppose it is yet another casualty of Homeland Security.
However, even though there isn’t a center to visit, you can still visit the dam itself and walk down to the Tennessee River. Here are a few photos from our visit - click each one to see it larger.
The Pickwick Landing Dam stretches on for a good bit, and I had left my wide-angle lens in the car, so this was probably the most that I could get into one view. While it is far from the size of the largest dams in the world, it is still pretty impressive to see in person, especially considering when it was first built. If you are wondering, the Powerhouse is at the left, and the locks are at the far right.
Here is a look at the Powerhouse. As you can tell from the relative lack of water movement, they weren’t generating all that much electricity on this particular day. But the people there fishing didn’t seem to mind all that much. Every time when we are there, several people are out trying to catch some fish, although on this particular day there weren’t as many there as we usually see. I’m not a fisherman, but I would guess that the fishing is better when the water is moving more.
People weren’t the only ones looking to catch a fish - this bird was there for the same reason, although he didn’t have a line and a pole. You can’t really get a good feel for his size from this photo, but he was well over four feet tall. No small bird by any measure. I was glad that he posed so well for my photo.
I like this “retro” look for the Powerhouse, because it definitely looks like something out of an old black and white photo like this. And yet, the Powerhouse doesn’t look that out of date today. And no, just being in a black and white photo doesn’t necessarily make you old. So don’t get the wrong idea there.
This view is from near the base of the Powerhouse looking back down the river and down the path at its side. Sometimes when we are there I find myself thinking, “Look at all the transmission line towers around here!” And then I remember, “Duh, they are generating electricity right behind you!”
Laura stands on the path near the Tennessee River. And not that I don’t like people or anything, but it was actually rather nice that there weren’t more people around. It made for a nice, quiet end to our Couples Retreat, because we could spend a little more time walking and talking.
While they weren’t running much water through the dam, there was still some movement in the water. And there were a few more people fishing here by the churning water. I’m not really sure why, but I found the churning water interesting to watch, seeing the churning gradually get faster and slower, and just watching it bubble up and flow away. Yes, I might be a little strange. I have heard it all before.
That was it for this visit to Pickwick Landing Dam, but I’m sure we will be back sometime in the future!
About the photos:
Each is a single RAW exposure, processed in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Read more about the photo software and gear I use at the camera gear page.
Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: Canon EF 28-105mm
