Bob Hecht's Pilgrimage to Lookout Dam on Lake Norman
My family can share their experiences about having to go with me on the “Pilgrimage to Lookout Dam”. The trip is long, and I would plan most of a day, but you see a unique part of Lake Norman, without all the houses and boat traffic and it is well worth the trip. This used to be an annual thing, and my wife compared it to my annual Mt. Mitchell visit. Like everything else though, life has gotten busy and we have not gone lately. If you want to see “the other side of the lake”, plan a trip; it’s worth the time. And the “Lookout Dam 2010” trip was more than just a trip; it was truly an adventure! We live at marker 5, so it’s a good ways for us. I made sure we had plenty of gas, and we left Sunday morning, August 15th so I could get photos and write this story. I know, we skipped church and that may explain some of this story, but that will come later. If you are going on this trip, be sure your depth finder is working; it will come in handy later. Our first stop was breakfast at The Boathouse (formerly Midway Marina) and their food was great as expected. You can also go under the bridge and hit River City or Dockside; each has good food and you can make sure you have enough gas and other supplies for the trip. Once you’ve left breakfast, head north but watch for your channel markers. The main channel bears to the left and Stumpy Creek to the right; stay to your left. The first big side trip to make is Lake Norman State Park. The entrance is not marked and easy to miss, so follow my directions. Once you pass the high tension power line tower on your right, make an immediate right and back into the bay. This area is pretty and although there are some houses on the right, the park area on your left is largely unspoiled. Take a little time to explore, then head back to the main channel and go north. This area of the lake reminds me of the North Carolina mountains with some houses perched high above the lake. If I had that many steps to my pier, that extra 20 pounds I carry around would be gone! Pass by the old Burris Lodge property on your left high on the point. Mr. Alonzo Burris had this built back when he owned Burris Furniture. I last saw the place about 25 years ago and it was impressive. I know his employees remember and appreciate the outings at Mr. Burris’ place back when the lake was young, and back when the furniture business was king in this area. Keep heading north, pass the Long Island Marina on your left and The Island of Windemere on the right, and notice the bridge spanning from the island to the mainland. Can you imagine the time and permits required to get approval to build that bridge from the mainland to the island? There are only a handful of islands not owned by Duke Power and three are at the northern end; Windemere and two very small ones which you will pass on your right. Soon, you’ll come to Buffalo Shoals Bridge and where I feel like the “North End” of Lake Norman begins. If the water is down, stay to the right and watch the depth finder. We went straight down the middle of what I thought was the channel, and even though I had been through this area many times, found myself in 5 feet of water, searching for deeper water. Stay to the right under the bridge and beyond. If you have the time, make a stop at Bills Marina, just past the bridge. Continue north and the lake shortly becomes the Catawba River again. Look to your left and see the huge marshy area covered with lily pads. Bill Gleasner has a great shot of this area in his book “Lake Norman Reflections.” Keep going north and you’ll see a short railroad bridge on your right and if you look just beyond the bridge, you will see a few small cabins on the other side. Wonder how those folks get to the lake? Now, by this time you have run out of channel markers and the only boat traffic will be the occasional fishing boat. Several years ago, we would always see cows down in the river, but not this trip. I hope you brought your camera as this end of the lake is nothing like the south end. The river is maybe 250 feet wide, averaging 10 – 15 feet deep and like another world. I imagine how this looks in late fall with the color! Your next landmark is the railroad trestle out of Catawba and I’m sure there aren’t many more like these. The last planned development in the area, Catawba Station is on your left. Stay to the left as you motor toward the trestle. The water is shallow, but we got through and so can you. Keep going under the next bridge, Hwy. 70 which links Conover to Statesville; did you imagine Lake Norman went this far north? At this point, our trip turned a little unusual. We passed one lone cabin on the right and we had to just wonder when it was built and when was the last time anyone was there? Well of course, we kept looking to see if anyone pulled back the shades to look out at the only boat going up the river that morning in the cloudy and overcast weather. Our final destination was the I-40 bridge and Lookout Dam beyond that, so we kept plugging on, driving and watching the depth finder. We came around a bend and saw the bridge and what looked like rain up ahead. Well, we had come this far…..it only looked like a little shower and we had the bimini top up on the boat so we voted and, what the heck, kept going. You are right; in just a few minutes it started raining and it wasn’t just a little rain shower. I thought the smartest thing was to continue to the I-40 bridge, wait it out, get some photos of the dam and then head back home. I knew we couldn’t go much north of the bridge because of the huge boulders just under the surface, but there were no rocks south of the bridge so we just headed that way. Now, remember when you do your Lookout Dam trip, once you get to the I-40 bridge and continue north, station someone on the bow to watch for boulders, raise the motor and go slowly. The view of the dam is impressive and worth the drive but you can only get within ¼ mile before the rocks stop you. The closest I have ever gotten to the dam is about a quarter mile away, probably due to my my lack of nerve dealing with the rocks – I’ve thought of anchoring the boat (only 5’ of water here) and hiking to the dam. Now that would MAKE the trip. Being the cautious boater I am, I had the motor partially raised as the depth was averaging 5 feet, and was only going about 10 mph in the pouring rain when I saw the depth drop to 2 feet and at the same time heard and felt the “CLUNK” as the outdrive hit the rock! Nicole was standing and it almost knocked her down and at that split second, I made the decision to turn for home! It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Remember when I said there were no rocks south of the I-40 bridge? Looking back, that may have been an untruth. After a minute or two of thinking how far we were from home and how many hours it would take to be towed home, I got into deeper water, increased the speed a little and prayed the boat would not have that telltale vibration that indicates a busted prop. Thankfully it did not, so I went a little further, then stopped to raise the outdrive and we were okay.
It continued to rain; not just a little summer shower but one of those downpours that has set in for the day. So, we are riding down the river, me with a towel over my head, trying to see where I was going, Linda also with a towel over head, and Nicole covered up as much as she could but still getting wet! The rain was coming down so much, I could barely see the shore on each side, and this was still in the narrow river-part of the lake. This downpour continued for 30 minutes or more, until after we had passed back under Buffalo Shoals Bridge. We were all soaked to the skin, but were heading home when the sun finally came out! People were boating, skiing, sailing and oblivious to the fog and monsoon we just left! We thought we were headed back home to dry clothes, with some good photos and a story to tell. The sun was out, some clouds but the lake was pretty with lots of people out and enjoying the Sunday afternoon. But, the rain was not done with us yet, and as we passed marker 7, I saw the clouds over our house, so we headed for the Governors Island Bridge and hoped we would make it. We went under the bridge, took off full-throttle before we got to the no wake buoy, but I saw the rain coming across the lake and, sure enough we got it again! Who knew a 30% chance of rain would end up like that? Lookout Dam is a great boating trip and I highly recommend it for a cloudless day. I know in mid-October, it must be magnificent with the color along the river part of Lake Norman. For those of you who do take this adventure, email and let me know how it went. I could go once a summer, long as it was not 95 degrees like most every day this summer. Next month, more about the lake and maybe stuff you have not heard yet. Bob Hecht
