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Paducah, KY to Green Turtle Bay/Grand Rivers, KY

Geru, Valsignet, and the Honey Queen pulled out of Paducah a little after 7 am.  The winds were still whipping pretty strongly, making the water rough on the outset, but it didn’t last too long. From here, we had to decide whether to take the Tennessee River to Kentucky Lake or the Cumberland River to Barkley Lake.  The two lakes are connected, so either way still gets us to the same ultimate destination: Green Turtle Bay Marina in Grand Rivers, Kentucky.  The shorter route, Kentucky Lake, usually means more barge traffic and thus, a greater chance of a long wait at the lock, sometimes for hours and hours.  The longer route, the Cumberland, is the opposite, longer but far less traffic.  The experience of our many predecessors, has proven the longer route is usually quicker, the Cumberland was the decision.  The real downer to this, we learned, was the swiftness of the current. Going “uphill” all day, we were lucky to make 5 knots. The riverbank is pretty, but the ride is painfully slow. And the real kicker is we traveled 47 NM, and 9 hours on the Cumberland and ended up 28 miles, by car, from where we started. If you are wanting to make good time traveling, I suggest using a car.

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The barge traffic was light and when we arrived at the Barkley Lock a barge was locking through.  Our wait was about 45 minutes.  I tried to anchor, but the bottom was pretty rocky, so the anchor was skipping and not holding well. I let the boat drift, while idling.  We were in and out of the huge lock in a matter of minutes to Barkley Lake level.  GTB can be seen from the exit of the lock. I made the mistake of trying to cut across to the private channel of Green Turtle Bay instead of following the main channel another 500 yards.  The depth finder went from 20- 10-8-4 feet in about 10 seconds.  I found myself parked in the mud.  I called the other boats who were following me to save them the same trouble.  It’s funny how the front man is the leader, whether he is qualified or not.  It took a few tries, but I was able to back off the mud and find the real channel, getting into the bay without further incident. 

We had dinner in the Green Turtle Bay Yacht Club with our boat buddies and everybody called it an early night.

We’ve decided to make GTB a 2-night stay. An oil change and provisioning is mandatory.  We’ll check out what’s cool about this place, too, while we are here.

Mound City to Paducah

Two Bells, Geru, and Honey Queen pulled up anchors at 7:15 and we were moving toward Paducah by 7:30.  This leg was 37 NM.  Barge traffic significantly is reduced, compared to the Mississippi.  The Ohio current is considerably calmer, and radically smoother.  This upstream trek, however, shocked us back into the real world of slow boating, after spending the better part of 3 days on the Mississippi.  Our fastest today was more like 7 knots.  We arrived at the Paducah City Dock around 1:30, affording an opportunity to scope the docks, the town sites, and get acquainted with other Loopers who were our neighbors for the night.  We were pleasantly surprised to find Mike and Brenda on Valsignet were also docked there.  We had met them back in Charlevoix, Michigan and enjoyed cherry pie and ice cream on their boat.  Their home port is in Minnesota, but having bought their boat in Pickwick, that will mark the official “crossing their wake” and end the Great Loop.  Fortunately for us, they plan to continue their journey southward for the winter, so we hope to have more good times with them somewhere in South Florida.

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After getting the lines and power secure, I took delivery of oil from a local John Deere dealer.  Our little engine continues to serve us well and it is time for her oil change.  Then we bundled up (all this wintering and boating is such a paradox) and took a walk into downtown Paducah, destination:  The National Quilt Museum.

I must confess, getting pumped up for a tour of the quilt museum fades in comparison to the LSU vs Alabama game.  But as an act of sacrifice, undying love and devotion to my bride of 41 years, I went with Amanda.  Having a wife and a mother who are so passionate about quilting, I was compelled to go.  I was very pleasantly surprised at the discovery.  The creativity, the workmanship, and the appreciation for the 1,000’s of hours poured into these projects made the tour quite enjoyable. It is my hope to bring my mom (dad can tag along) back here.  She will think she has died and gone to heaven.  The only caveat, touching the fabric is prohibited.  For my mom, who touches every piece of fabric when she goes into a fabric store, this might be a challenge.  She may have to be restrained. These pictures are for you, mom. Touch them all you want.

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After the museum and a brief walk through the rest of downtown Paducah, Mike, Brenda, Geoff, Ruth, and a couple of uninvited guys (nobody knows their names), joined us on our boat for refreshments in the early evening.  I think it’s the first time we have had 6 guests on the boat.  We had to overflow into the pilot house just to have seating.  We got acquainted really well, as we were often breathing the same air.  It was so cold outside, everyone found comfort in the coziness of our warm little abode. The winds picked up pretty significantly in the night, so the boat really rocked.  I woke up about 2 am, concerned that I had lines coming loose.  The lines were fine and every boat on the dock was rocking like a choreographed dance.  Knowing the lines were secure, I returned to my sleep for another 4 hours.  What a difference 6 months on a boat makes.  Not long ago, I would have paced and worried about something going wrong on the boat . It cost me some precious sleep until we grew accustomed to the “normal” sounds of the boat in the water at night.

Kaskaskia to Mound City, Ky

We left the Kaskaskia Lock about daybreak, which is now getting a little later everyday (until the time changes this weekend).  This is the section of the Mississippi where anchorages and marinas are between scarce and nonexistent.  Geoff knocked on our door at 7:00 and said they had decided to stretch the day out a little longer than we had discussed last night.  Based on the swift current and the limited safe places to stay, we agreed to join them in the longer day.  The rain is coming, followed by “nonboating” temperatures (25 degrees Thursday night is the forecast).  These were great motivators for pushing as long as we can tolerate, hoping to get South, sooner rather than later.

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At 5:12 pm, we pulled over near the bank of the Ohio River, a spot called Mound City, near the town of Cairo, Illinois.  The river is wide and plenty deep all the way to the shoreline, and well out of the flow of barge traffic. This anchorage (not actually shown on our maps as an anchorage) served us well.  The travel day was complete:  10 hours, 4 minutes; 101.4 nautical miles.  A new record in distance and time for the Honey Queen.  We averaged 10.1 knots.  I felt like a race car driver.

The current was relatively calm; winds became calm; and the temperatures were tolerable, allowing us to run the generator and heater minimally before tucking in for the night.   

Because of today’s push, the city dock in Paducah, Kentucky, will be relatively easy, followed by Green Turtle Bay in Grand Rivers, Kentucky, on Thursday.  With the low temps coming, we didn’t want to be out on the river, running the generator, trying to stay warm.

Alton, Illinois through St. Louis to Kaskaskia Lock

We left Alton Marina @ 7:10 because the Melvin Price Lock lockmaster said he could take pleasure craft in the “small bay” immediately.  Just 5 minutes downstream from the marina, we were in at 7:30 with 4 other similar boats, all celebrating the quick in and out.

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The morning was pretty uneventful as we pressed on down the Mississippi River.  We are amazed at the current, the rapids, the swirls that move our boat at speeds never experienced, and directions like we have no rudder.  There is never a dull moment, trying to anticipate next move/direction of the boat. The debris adds a dimension of excitement, as well.

We reached Lock 27 at 9:20 am.  In 7 minutes, we were moving out.  This has to be the quickest of the 100+ locks we have now gone through.

We reached St. Louis at 10:00 am.  Another exciting moment, having a picture in front of the Arch.  It was nothing like the thrill of pulling up to the Statue of Liberty (not many things compare), but it was a milestone in our journey, being the famous landmark that it is.

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The barge traffic is wild here. Though I am sure there is some order to the movement, it looks like a free for all. We were a little nervous weaving through. Though there are probably interesting things to take in while in St. Louis, it is common knowledge that this town does not cater to Loopers and pleasure boaters. The lack of marinas or other opportunities for land access simply don’t exist. Maybe the town doesn’t need or want the water tourist industry. As a result, everyone takes a picture in front of the arch and keeps going South.

We reached our first planned destination of the day at 11:45; the old Hoppies’, which was really damaged during the recent floods.  A view from the water made it clear we should not tie up here, but continue our trek to the 2^nd destination option, the Kaskaskia Lock and Dam.

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We made it to the lock by 3:15, giving us a little daylight to see where we really were.  We were the first boat to tie to the wall. Within 20 minutes of our arrival, we had been joined by Slow Bells and Geru (Geoff & Ruth). The lock wall prevented access to land, unless we went by dinghy.  As cold as it is now, there’s no way we were getting in a 9’ rubber boat and puttering anywhere. We watched a little TV, ate dinner, and Amanda was out.  I plotted our course for Tuesday and was soon snoozing.

Our trip plan called for one of the shorter days in recent past.  We would go only 20 miles to Grafton Harbor, one of the top 10 favorite stops of Loopers.  We arrived Grafton, noting there was no cell phone service, and our NEBO functioning at a very low level.  We had heard that Verizon was virtually nonexistent in this area.  The time was only 10 am, we were on a roll, so we opted to continue to Alton, Illinois, another 20 miles sort of South and mostly East.

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We arrived in Alton around noon and fueled up before heading to our slip.  Laundry was the next mandate, so we knocked that out and took a little 30-minute snooze.  We saw a guy walk up to the boat, all but looking in the window.  A local, Dan was admiring our boat.  He and his wife hope to do the Loop someday, so he was interested in the boat and how we reached the decision to buy this one. We invited him and Cherri over for a boat tour and they gladly accepted.  They own a boat and keep it here at the Alton Marina, so he is far more advanced in experience than I was when we started our research.  We enjoyed our time together.  As they were departing, we asked about the town and for what the town is known.  As he scratched his head, he remembered that Bon Air Fast Eddie’s is where everyone liked to hang out. Fifteen minutes later, we were in the back seat of Dan’s pickup on our way to Fast Eddie’s.  A huge piece of real estate (Eddie bought 4 city blocks since his founding in 1981), we wandered into the place, ordered our peel-and-eat shrimp, hamburgers, shish kabob’s and wings on a stick.  The cool thing is they still sell the food for the prices they set 19 years ago, when they added food to their drink menu.  Our ½ pound burger was only $1.99! “Over 4,000 half barrels of beer and thousands of cases of cans, bottles, and liquor quench the thirst of our patrons every year.  Some even say that Bon-Air is the #1 volume bar in the world.” So now, we have been to Fast Eddie’s, and even bought the T Shirt!

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Dan and Cherri were great local hosts.  Low key and full of conversation, they are the perfect twosome to make transients like us feel at home.  We are so glad to have stretched our day to Alton, Illinois. 

Tomorrow we see the St. Louis Arch…from the boat.

With the weather forecast calling for lots of rain and continued cold (to us), we decided to push on southbound today.  It was either sit on the boat in a strange town, watching it rain, or move on down the river…and watch it rain.  We covered 57 miles and made it to Hardin, Illinois located just 20 miles above the mighty Mississippi.  A long quiet, ride, we are finding the barges cause us less stress than when we first entered the river system. With virtually no boat traffic, we enjoyed the more relaxing ride.  The terrain changed significantly from the past few days.  Hills now instead of flat delta land seems to be the norm for this area.  The landscape is much prettier. 

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The milestone for today’s journey was the crossing under the I-72 bridge, which seems pretty insignificant, other than the fact it is the most Western point of the The Great Loop. From here on, we are either Easterly or Southerly until we round the tip of Florida.

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With the push of the current, we were able to leave at 7:00 am and arrive just before 2:00, 30 minutes before kickoff of the LSU/Auburn game.  The staff at Mel’s Riverfront Restaurant tolerated and served us well. 

They allowed us to tie up to their dock, sit in one of their dining rooms (where the TV is located), and enjoy the football game, all before ordering dinner.  The wait staff and management could not have been kinder. I have grown to appreciate the core of Americans, the ones who, every day, hit the grind, do their jobs well, and trust that their hard work will ensure provision for tomorrow.  Mel’s is the premier restaurant in this little town, which was one of the hardest hit regions during the flooding of the Illinois River this year.  Sand bags were still stacked around numerous houses and businesses along the river.

The football game, a hard fought battle, turned out to be a relief, as an LSU fan, as opposed to a celebration.  Thankfully, the game was in Baton Rouge.  That was probably worth more than the 3-point victory.

After a quick walk to the Family Dollar store in the cold rain, we watched a little baseball and called it a night. We dozed off to the rain peppering down on the deck above our heads. 

The flotilla pulled out at 7:30 this morning.  Six miles downstream was our first lock of the day.  We learned, that because of the high water, the lock itself was not in operation.  They drop the wickets, which in essence means we drive over the dam, literally.  Pretty anti-climactic, it was nice not having the normal experience of delays and miscommunications with the locks.  Avoiding those delays makes the 68-mile day pass a little quicker.

Barge traffic was also much lighter today.  Seems this section of the Illinois is less developed along the riverside, so there are fewer barges hauling.  Here’s a little trivia to bore you, regarding the barge traffic.  I thought the barge world was passé, and not as relevant as it once was.  One barge carries the equivalent of 16—18 wheelers or 15 jumbo hopper train cars.  And an 8-barge tow, going .1 of a mile carries the same amount of cargo as a string of 18-wheelers 19.1 miles long, assuming 150 feet between vehicles.  These guys move 10’s of thousands of tons with one tow. 

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Though we were third in line when we left this morning, I was the last to arrive about 4:00 pm.  We tied to a barge that was secured to the shoreline.  This tow company supplements their revenue by allowing boats to tie here.  With marinas and good anchorages spread pretty far apart in this area, the dirty old barges look pretty good after a long day.  They are safe and out of the channel and you don’t have to worry if your anchor is going to hold all night.

We caught up with some of boat friends in the little town of Beardstown. 

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We explored the city block and walked to a restaurant for dinner.  Amanda and I then went to the grocery, because our supply of Oreo’s and ice cream had reached a critical stage; and there is no grocery accessible tomorrow.  Another crisis averted.

Our friends have decided to stay 2 nights, but we will pull out at day break Saturday morning, push another long day, and with luck arrive in Hardin, just in time to watch LSU and Auburn play, 2:30 local time.  We called the restaurant to ensure they would have TV access for us, as this was a condition of our coming to their dock.

Sixty more miles under the boat.

54 miles was the plan for today.  After being advised by the lockmaster last night that he would get us through at 7:00 am, we called him at 6:30 to confirm.  “Looks like it will be around 9:00 before we can get you through,” we were told.  He promised to call at 9, which he didn’t, so I called.  He said come right now and we will get you through with the tow going in.  We jerked the power and the lines, and took off like our pants were on fire, running at a blazing 9 mph all the way to the lock.  As we pulled up into position, the lockmaster closed the gates in front of us. 

The tow advised us on the radio that we could go through on the next cycle.  So much for good communication.  The lock masters are responsible for coordinating the cargo up and down the rivers, so pleasure boaters, rec craft, etc. get the leftovers.  It’s okay, we made it through shortly thereafter and headed downstream for our long day.

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The day was long, but fairly uneventful (a good thing).  We continue to enjoy the colors of Fall.  There’s clearly a nip in the air. For Amanda, it’s more than a nip; more like a 5 gallon bucket. Though we have an enclosed pilot house, it still gets pretty chilly inside. To run heat, I have to run the generator, which I prefer not to do so while underway.

Wishing for more sunshine and warmer temps, we are content to be sightseers and free to travel in this country we call home.  We (especially me) enjoy the absence of so much TV, 24-hour news, and politics.  My attitude, I have found, is generally much better without those things.  We still miss family and friends, wishing that each (one or 2 at a time) could join us on the legs of this adventure.  We are so fortunate to get to taste and see.  Early Wednesday morning, I saw a small deer drinking from the riverbank.  The verse in Psalms immediately came to mind, “As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longs for You.”  Though we often encounter those who share the same faith, we do long for the fellowship of the church. 

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We arrived at the Illinois Valley Yacht Club (IVY as it is called) around 5:30 pm.  We were pleasantly surprised to find other Loopers (Thunderbolt, Drifters, Pura Vida III, Kissed Some Frogs) already in the marina.  Finally, we have caught up with some folks who are sharing our experience.  The marina office was closed already, so we were instructed to deal with the bar tender in the little Yacht Club Grille.  There we met up and ate with the other Loopers and exchanged truths and lies about our experience. 

We had previously met a couple of the boats, and were introduced to the others.  We all decided to leave together on Friday morning, with the goal of going to Beardstown, Illinois (Longston Tug).  An ambitious ride of 59 nautical miles (68 statute); we will see how it goes.  Each boat cruises at a little different speed, and we are clearly the slowest.  But we burn significantly less fuel than the others and usually arrive 30 minutes or so after the crowd.  I was in a hurry for 45 years, so I’ve decided the slow boat is good therapy for me, forcing me to “smell the roses” and see what’s going on around me.

We pulled out of the Big Basin Marina, adequate, but not a place we plan to revisit, a little after 7 am this morning, with the Dresden Lock just 5 miles downstream.

With a small delay, we were able to get in and out and continue on our merry way. The scenery was prettier, at least for awhile, than the industrial environment we’ve seen the last few days. Kind of like Pt. Wentworth, Ga., we deem it as a necessary evil. Not pretty, but essential to the economy for us all.

We enjoyed the flat waters, a mix of sunshine, and the changing colors of the leaves. For the most part, it was a better than expected vista, as we had been warned that this was not the pretty part of the Great Loop. We have hoped for the best and expected the worst, continuing on the South and Westward route. Today’s journey covered the Illinois and DesPlaines Rivers. Thus far, it’s been all downstream, so our gas (diesel) mileage and speed has been excellent. With the more speed, we get to spend more time waiting at locks. I have to remind myself occasionally, I could be sitting at my desk, estimating a sprinkler job, and wondering how I’m going to make payroll this week. This is good, and I’m not complaining.

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We arrived at the Marseilles Lock just before noon. I made the routine call to the dock, advising of our presence, and seeking an estimated time for locking through. The lock master advised me the barge traffic was heavy but he was relatively certain he could get us through…today. “Come on up close to the lock and stay near to the last red buoy. We’ll see what we can do,” I was told. Taking a deep breath, and remembering what my fellow Loopers had already experienced, I pulled up near that last red buoy and dropped the anchor. A short 3 hours later, the lock master called and said we could come on through.

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The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, with the exception of the occasional tow/barge traffic. These guys can be intimidating, but we have become accustomed to seeing them, so we don’t get quite as nervous as we did, whether meeting them or passing them.

After locking through Marseilles, we had one more lock to possibly get through before day’s end: the Starved Rock Lock. Having met another boat, who had waited 5 hours at the lock where we waited 3, we agreed to push together and try to get through before dark. We arrived just before 5 pm and saw the same barge we had waited on previously. The captain on the other pleasure craft radioed the lock, asking what was the estimated time for our passage. “Probably ’bout 3 hours ‘fore we can get you through,” was the response. As I started my U-turn in the river, I was soon being followed by our new buddy boat, the Casa Marina II. We doubled back to a marina about a mile upstream (Starved Rock Marina) and tied up stern to stern at the fuel dock, because the marina entrance was too shallow for our boats.

So we are tucked in for the night just upstream of Starved Rock. We called the lock master tonight, and he assured us he could get us through at 7 am tomorrow morning. That assurance is based purely on the absence of barges, at that time. We look forward this section being behind us. This little skinny thin-skinned boy is ready to find some warm weather. I didn’t work 45 years, retire, and spend half my net worth on a boat, just so I could be cold. Come on Florida!

We landed in Chicago at 2:30 pm. My cousin, Ronnie, had been in contact with me after a visit with my folks and told me he would be in Chicago the day we arrived. We met in the airport and had a great visit with Christy and Ronnie’s son Marcus. Getting to be with family members that are separated by many miles is certainly precious. And I suppose, as we get older, it will only become more so. Thanks Ronnie for putting forth the effort to connect again.

We got to the boat around dark after a 1 hour Uber ride. Sunday morning, October 20th, we listened to our home church service, tried to pull things together for the next leg of our adventure, and then our friends, the DeYoungs came to visit us. They transported us to lunch, the grocery store, and then back to the boat. John and Karen helped us drop the mast on the boat (next leg has some low bridges). As I said earlier, they’re pretty good folks. Their efforts were much appreciated and they made our transition to boat life much more simple.

Monday morning, the 21st of October, we pulled out about 8:00 am. Most all our boating friends are now gone ahead of us, but we have heard time and again about the barge traffic and about the extensive delays at the locks. All our friends were telling the truth. With approximately 100 locks now under our belt, we felt plenty experienced in negotiating them, but we had not encountered the barge traffic and their impact on locking through. Barge traffic here rules the waterways, and though we are treated kindly and with respect, we pleasure boaters are really a nuisance to the tows moving the world on water.

We got through the Lockport Lock with very little delay or drama. I was thinking that being behind all the pleasure boater traffic might be to our benefit, since most are done. We weaved our way through barges, waiting when they tell us to wait, passing them on the “1 whistle” (port to port) as they instruct. Though stressful, I must admit it is quite gratifying learning a new way to drive and communicate in a world totally foreign to me. Lord, keep me from being or doing stupid. We passed under the 5 draw bridges and things were going well. Next lock, Brandon Road. We called the lock master and asked for the next opening. “A while,” we were told. “How long?”, we asked, but got no concrete answer. Barges were waiting to go up and to go down. After 30 minutes, we doubled back to the Joliet Wall, a free wall to mooring transients, determined to wait and check in with the lockmaster occasionally. If necessary, we could stay the night here. The “while” went 1 hour, 2, and eventually 3 hours. Around 7:00 and an now dark, we got the word he could get us through. At the same time we learned the lock will be closed for the next 2 days, after today, so it would be Thursday before we could move, unless we go now. I made the decision (and Amanda reluctantly agreed) to go now and get through this thing. With 2 other boats (I would never have done it alone), we headed downstream. With another barge going down also, they put the 3 pleasure craft (aka PC’s) on the opposite wall. We got through the lock with little drama and drove downstream into the darkness. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for a GALE WARNING, meaning winds gusting to 40 mph. We called a dive of a marina that was just a few miles down the river and pulled in about 9:30 pm. After trying numerous slips that were not deep as our draft, we managed to get into one, hook up power, and call it a night.

We were warned that these 2-3 weeks would not be much fun, and so far that forecast has been accurate. We are taking in the industrial scenery, fascinated by all mills, plants, etc. that use the river for their primary transportation in and out for their raw materials.

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Tuesday, October 22, we laid low. We determined to sit tight because of gale force winds in the forecast. Though not as ominous to negotiate in the river, compared to the big bodies of water like Lake Michigan or Chesapeake Bay, we were happy to sit tight. Wednesday, we hurry up and wait on 3 more locks. We will see where we really end up.