lakes – Julia A. Keirns – Author, Blogger, Writer

October 31, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Just south of Lynchburg, Tennessee on Highway 50 is Tims Ford State Park. The Tims Ford Lake is one of the prettiest lakes in Tennessee.

One of the first places we stopped at was the dam. The dam overlook area is a must-see. It’s a pretty place.

The Tims Ford Dam was named after an early Ford crossing the Elk River near Winchester. A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream can be crossed by wading, or inside a vehicle getting its wheels wet. A ford may occur naturally or be constructed. Fords may be impassable during high water.

The dam provides water supply and flood damage reduction downstream on the Elk River, primarily for the town of Fayetteville, Tennessee.

The lake is huge and encompasses 10,700 acres with approximately 250 miles of shoreline.

Just down the road from the dam was a house with a lot of ducks and turkeys running around inside the fenced-in yard.

Black Cayuga Ducks

The Black Cayuga Duck is a rare breed of domestic duck that is believed to have originated in Cayuga County, New York in the early 19th century. They are known for their distinctive black plumage that shines with a greenish sheen in the sunlight. Black Cayuga Ducks are also known for their hardiness and adaptability, and they can thrive in a variety of habitats.

Black Cayuga Ducks were first introduced to Tennessee in the late 19th century, and their populations have grown steadily over the years. Today, they are another one of the most popular types of ducks found in Tennessee. I have never seen any of these all-black ducks before.

Chinese Geese

Chinese geese are large, domesticated geese originally native to East Asia. They are not native to Tennessee either, but they have been introduced to the state and can now be found in many areas. I have never seen any Chinese geese before.

Chinese geese are known for their distinctive appearance, with their large size, knobbed black beaks, stripe down the back of the neck, and brown plumage. They are also known for their hardiness and adaptability and can thrive in a variety of domestic habitats like ponds, lakes, and rivers.

Chinese geese are a popular sight in Tennessee today. They are often seen swimming in ponds and rivers or foraging for food in fields and meadows.

Muscovy Ducks

Muscovy ducks are large, domesticated ducks normally native to Central and South America. They are not native to Tennessee, but they have been introduced to the state and can now be found in many areas of the state. Today they are a common sight in Tennessee. I have never seen these ducks before.

They are known for their distinctive appearance, with their red warty faces, fleshy knobs on their heads, and dark, glossy plumage. They are also known for their hardiness and adaptability, and they can thrive in a variety of habitats, including farm ponds, lakes, and rivers.

Tims Ford Lake was designated a Bill Dance Signature Lake on Dec 21, 2021. Rich likes watching Bill Dance.

The lake is beautiful and so are the fall trees. We saw a couple of fishing boats on the water, but it was a chilly day.

Tims Ford State Park is beautiful. I’m glad that Tennessee State Parks have free entrance. We enjoyed seeing such a beautiful area.

Thanks for traveling with us. I hope you enjoyed seeing Tims Ford State Park in Tennessee.

October 8, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

The largest inland lake in Ohio.

Grand Lake St. Mary’s in Ohio was once the world’s largest artificial body of water. It was dug by 1,700 German and Irish immigrants from 1837 to 1845, to supply water for the Miami-Erie Canal, a vital supply source connecting the Ohio River in Cincinnati to Lake Erie in Toledo. At that time, it was the largest artificially constructed lake in the world, and today remains the largest inland lake in the state of Ohio.

In the summer of 2010, GLSM experienced a toxic algae bloom that was brought on by two types of blue-green algae. I was pleased to see cleaner water today when we were there. The lake was gorgeous.

As you enter the city of Celina from the north on Highway 127, the first historical site is the Celina Lighthouse. This forty-foot lighthouse was built in 1986, is functional, and is used by boaters trying to find the small marina and boat docks after dark.

Just across the street from the lighthouse is a lovely little restaurant called the Boardwalk Grill which we enjoy eating at on fair-weather days. With open walls, you can eat by the water and enjoy the view. Of course, it closes for the winter.

Grand Lake St. Mary’s is 9 miles long and 3 miles wide. It covers approximately 13,500 acres, but it is shallow with average depths of only 5 to 7 feet.

Traveling east from the Celina Lighthouse we drove through Lake Shore Park. This is a beautiful park with a lot of picnic tables and playgrounds and a wonderful parking and viewing area.

Let’s keep traveling east along the northern side of the lake. To get to the Grand Lake St. Mary’s Lighthouse by land you have to drive through a private residential area but we could see it from the road.

Grand Lake St. Mary’s State Park became one of Ohio’s first state parks in 1949. The park offers 52 miles of shoreline parks and swimming areas.

We saw several groups of mallards today. We rolled down the windows and breathed in the fresh air as we drove around the lake, enjoying the beautiful sunny day.

From a distance, I can’t tell if this is a crane, an egret, or a heron. What do you think it is? Its beak kind of looks like a spoonbill.

Driving around the eastern end of the lake to the southern side, we stopped at Behm’s (Grimm Memorial) Lighthouse. This historical landmark was the vision of Stan Grimm, co-owner of Behm’s Landing and Restaurant, located on the southern shore of the lake.

This octagonal, forty-eight-foot-tall lighthouse sits on a small offshore island and was dedicated on April 19, 2003, to the memory of Stanley Mike Grimm, who was killed in an auto accident on April 25, 1997.

Two gorgeous Canada Geese seemed to be paying their respects at the memorial beside the lighthouse. You can see the Grand Lake St. Mary’s Lighthouse on the other side of the lake in the background.

Several free public sandy beaches dot the shoreline of this lake.

We were shocked to see two large white pelicans on a freshwater lake in the middle of Ohio.

The American White Pelican is one of the largest birds in North America with a wingspan of 9-foot. A few of them got lost during one of their migrations several years ago, and each year the flock coming to Grand Lake St. Mary’s in Celina, Ohio has grown.

This one I believe is probably a great egret, but I am simply guessing. It is some kind of a tall white crane. I just couldn’t zoom in close enough to tell. It could be a spoonbill too.

The southwest corner of the lake consists of a 357-acre wildlife area and waterfowl refuge.

There is a walking trail and a viewing tower.

We were able to see a Bald Eagle nest from the road. I zoomed in on the photo and cropped it. Too bad we didn’t catch a glimpse of any bald eagles.

Heading north back on Highway 127, we pulled into West Bank Park.

And what did we see but about 50 more American White Pelicans?

Two years ago, over 600 were counted on the largest lake in Ohio, which was a state record. The fall migration season is now, and Rich and I were shocked to see these birds on the lake today, which is only about 30 miles south of us.