SEA MONSTERS ON THE HARPETH RIVER
Grand Ole Opry star, Ray Pillow, and I have been buddies since we both arrived in Nashville in the early 60’s and started on this musical journey called "life in the music biz." He’s not only a great entertainer but he’s also one of the nicer guys and I treasure our friendship. However, he and I have had some times together that he may not want to remember.
Pillow and I did a lot of shows together in the 60’s and 70’s and we traveled about every highway and back road in the country to get to the honky tonks, festivals, music parks and auditoriums we were playing. We kept noticing, as we would travel up Interstate 40 out of Nashville, heading east, that we crossed this beautiful river called the Caney Fork about 40 miles out of town. We kept saying, "Hey, we ought to buy a boat and float that thing...catch a lot of fish." Well, that is exactly what we did...went to WalMart and bought this aluminum john boat for a couple of hundred dollars, a couple of paddles and we were in business.
We were ready all right, but we didn’t take the time to research this particular river. The Caney Fork is the river that comes out of Center Hill Dam, and is used to generate power. Shoot, we didn’t know that...it was just a pretty river...and it crossed the interstate highway about 6 times in 10 miles. We figured we would put in and have a relaxing float down the stream, throw a few lures, see some pretty scenery, maybe write a song....just take life easy for a day. We estimated it would probably take us about four hours to float the ten miles, then we would take the boat out, walk back up the interstate and bring the truck around to pick up the boat. Good plan, huh?
When we got to where we wanted to put in, at a rest stop on the Interstate that was right on the river...we were kinda surprised at the volume of water and the speed at which the current seemed to be traveling.....man, they must have had a heck of a rain up here, but, hey let’s go catch some fish!
We got the boat put in and struck out and when it hit the current...it picked it up and just threw us down the river...I mean we were hitting top speed that this little john boat had never been designed for....we are back paddling frantically trying to slow this thing down....there goes the first bridge....here comes the second...look out for that rock....hold on, man we’re taking water....should have brought a can, bucket or something....here comes the third bridge..we must be doing thirty miles an hour, man, we are half way through the float and it’s only been ten minutes!
About five miles down the river we finally got the boat pulled over to the bank and quickly tied up both ends to a couple of trees on the bank. Ah man, our lunch got wet...shoot. Well, might as well explore that cave up there on the bluff. We climbed up to the cave and explored for about forty-five minutes.....meanwhile, upriver, the Dam Folks have decided to shut off the water for the day. On the Caney Fork it’s kinda like pulling the plug out of a bathtub when they stop generating, leaving your rubber duck just sitting on the bottom.
When we got back to the boat we had the shock of our lives. It was tied to the trees all right....hanging above our heads about ten feet. The water must have dropped at least fifteen feet in thirty minutes....it was now a trickle of it’s former self.
Pillow and I both had to climb the trees to untie our boat and then hike up the Interstate where we got a ride with a State Trooper back to our truck. I had a hard time convincing Pillow that this was just kinda like beginner’s luck and next time would be really great, just you wait and see.
A couple of months later I called Pillow and said, "Hey son, how bout we go float the Harpeth River....it will be a great adventure.....yeah buddy, you’re gonna love it all right, uh-huh, that’s right, it’ll be one of those male bonding things, y’know?"
Well, I had to fast talk him, but he finally gave in and we headed for the river. It had kinda gotten cold on us, but we were bundled up pretty good, so shouldn’t be a problem.
Well, it started out pretty good, the water was up and running pretty good so we didn’t have to paddle very much. I sat in the back for I felt that I was the superior outdoorsman and therefore I should steer this thing. After all, I had been in the Navy, hadn’t I.....and that gave me the edge to pretty much take control...a situation that did not set well with Mr. Pillow.
Even though It was pretty cool....Pillow was still scared to death that we were going to get snake bit.....Did I tell you that Pillow had this awful thing about snakes, well, he’s kinda embarrassed about it so I told him I wouldn’t tell anyone about it so keep it to yourself, ok? Anyway we were going down river at a pretty brisk pace and Pillow was kinda crouched in the bow of the boat hanging over the front watching for rocks and logs as we hit a series of rapids. I was having to really work the oar to keep us straight in the rough water and as I took a deep dip into the water, back paddling as fast as I could.....well, my oar must have scooped up a White Sucker about 14 inches long and weighing about 3/4 of a pound....they were pretty thick in this part of the river....anyway when I brought my paddle up, the fish came with it....did a perfect little loop and landed in the bottom of that aluminum boat....it made a sound about like that of a rattlesnake fixin’ to strike...brrrrrr.wham! and before I could stop myself I hollered "SNAAAAAAKE!" and Pillow just did the prettiest swan dive off the front of that boat and into that cold water, at which time the boat hit him and drug him through the rocks of the rapids.....and well, it wasn’t a pretty sight. Our friendship became very strained but fortunately my paddle kept him back far enough that he couldn’t do much bodily damage…and the cold water cooled him down real fast.
I never could get Pillow to float the river with me again, something about the guide service not being worth a darn, but I believe he’s just got a short attention span, and of course an unreasonable fear of rattlesnakes coming into the boat to get you......shoot, I don’t think rattlesnakes can even swim....and if they could that water was so cold it would have shriveled up his rattle anyway......I know it sure did shrivel up Pillow. Say, I wonder if he would be interested in Hang Gliding off of Lookout Mountain?
Stan
stan@bluehighwaystv.com
|
