Rising early for another long day, we awoke to fog too thick for navigating (at least for this rookie). Instead of a 6:30 exit, we delayed till 7:00. It appeared the fog was burning off as the sun peaked over the horizon, so we pulled out, went about a half mile and then ran into the same thick stuff.
This was when conditions were improving.
We puttered, watching instruments and the bow, which was as far as we could see, for about an hour. Thankfully, the fog finally lifted and we were able to have a little more relaxed day.
The approach to the dam and lock
The spillways…cell in the foreground, where the barges are temporarily tied while the rest of the load transitions through the lock
Entering the lock
the pin (floating bollard). Loop your midship line over the post and hang on
We went through 3 locks today. Seldom do we have a day on any of the river travel where we are not in at least one.
Our destination was Grand Harbor Marina. The marina is located at the North end of the Tennessee-Tom Bigbee Canal. This canal was completed in 1984, connecting the Tennessee River to the Tom Bigbee River. Total length is 224 miles. This canal was designed to relieve barge traffic on the Mississippi to the Gulf and also stimulate the economy along its borders. The bonus was to those like us who are Loopers.
Gorgeous rock strata along this stretch
Some don’t have to worry about soil erosion.
This leg is much prettier than the option down the Lower Mississippi to New Orleans. Seldom do Loopers take that route, as a result. Many towns have reaped the benefit of the Tenn-Tom. Many have purchased property along the banks and built their dream homes overlooking the water.
The current is virtually non-existent which makes navigation much more appealing as well. After all our miles upstream and against current, it has been nice making a descent speed.
Ho-hum. Just another routine sunset.
We covered 45 NM and it took 8 hours, counting the lock time.
Today is Saturday.
That used to mean sleeping in, being a little lazy, and catching up on
chores. But to the ever-so demanding
lifestyle of the slaving boat life, it was just another hard day at the
office. We, correction, I rose at 5:00
am to start the coffee. The Pebble Isle
Marina had virtually no internet, the phone service was sketchy at best, and
our TV would not pick up the first station.
The end result: we were in bed at
8:15. I won’t complain; I had almost 9 hours of sleep. I did comment to Amanda that I think this may
resemble nursing home life, but that concern is for another day. There are
certainly worse things in life than no internet or TV.
We pulled out at 6:30 with the Salty Dog, Resolute, and Sayonara. Clifton Marina in Clifton, Mississippi was the destination.
I never get tired of watching these tows at work.
Tornadoes have damaged many properties. Loss of trees, roofs, etc. He who builds his house upon the rock….will still have to deal with the wind.
Sheds over RV’s are the norm
We enjoyed the colors of what will soon be the last of the leaves changing. This leg of the Tennessee River has considerable erosion issues. We saw many properties whose land mass has decreased because of the swift water and flooding. Some properties have owners who appear to have the resources to address the problem with rip-rap and/or retaining walls, but from the looks of most, it is my guess that these folks are just biding their time until the creek bank washes away. It appears the Corps of Engineers manages this river, since they obviously operate the locks. For the sake of many who have most of their wealth invested in their homes, I hope there will be a solution that keeps them from losing it.
This leg was just under 50 NM and 9 hours, counting the
lock. We encountered our usual tows and dredges. The landscape varies so much, but the
prettiest part of today’s leg was the rock formations along the river’s edge,
acting as a natural bulkhead.
Clinton Marina is a small marina and under new management. Stephanie and her mother-in-law make it happen. After the previous owner retired, they acquired the facility and, according to the locals, they have turned the place around. This is prime time here where the Loopers are in this season. A half dozen boats poured in on them in about a 30 minute window this afternoon. They busted tail to accommodate fueling, pump-outs, and slip assignments. They were quick to grab our lines and make us welcome. Later, these gals were in the restaurant, waiting tables and making sure I got to watch the Georgia–Auburn game, and then the LSU–Ole Miss game. The food was excellent, including their lasagna special. We enjoyed dinner and went back to the boat where I watched LSU survive against a feisty, hungry Ole Miss team, who wanted it more than LSU. Fortunately, the talent pool was deeper and we outscored them.
We left the state park marina and headed to Pebble Isle near New Johnsonville Kentucky. Our shortest day in quite a while, we only traveled 27 NM. The temps are slowly coming up, so we don’t wear as many clothes in the boat. Another 4 ½ hours of travel behind us, we arrived early enough in the day to grab the courtesy car and make a run to WalMart for some grocery shopping. Our newest friends from the Resolute (sailboat) joined us. We got back in time to knock out a couple loads of laundry and call it day.
From Paris Is. State Park to Pebble Isle Marina
This home was built on the end of the abandoned railroad bridge. Other homes bordered the shoreline beyond.
This old dock may have been built over the water from the beginning, but it had seen its better day and was now abandoned.
The serene entrance to our safe harbor for the night.
I was amused to meet a contract diver who had been called to take a look at another Looper’s boat props. The air temps have been very cold and the water temperature is slowly dropping, making diving pretty nippy. This guy has the answer to the cold. He had built a propane fired hot water heater, made from 6″ & 4” pipe, a roll of copper tubing, an old fish fry burner, and a 12-volt circulating pump. With this combo and a roll of plastic tubing, he had rigged a hot water body heater. He pumps the heated water from the “still” through the tubing lining his wet suit, keeping his body warm while he is underwater. When he turned it on, water was running out of both cuffs and around both feet. Entertaining to see it work, but quite effective for his vocation. My dad would be quite impressed with this contraption, using scrap material and probably parts of other people’s “throw away” stuff.
This guy could run a major business because he really knows how to keep his overhead low. Guys like this inspire me with their ability to make things work with what they have.
The only downer to this stop would have to be the cinnamon rolls that we would miss. The proprietor serves guests each morning at 8:00 am. We needed to leave around 6:30 because of the long day ahead. With the uncertainty of delays at locks, we have to build a minimum of 30 minutes delay into each. That sometimes, is not nearly enough. I love cinnamon rolls, but getting caught on the water after dark is a far greater consequence that missing a roll. Maybe a can of Pillsbury’s is in my near future.
The Barkley Lake Marina is in the town of Cadiz, Kentucky. Never been there, never heard of it, but I can now say I’ve been there.
More than twice as warm as yesterday, we were relieved to see the thermometer going the right direction.
It was 29 degrees when we left and 46 degrees when we arrived Paris Landing State Park Marina. We traveled 8.5 hours and covered 62 nautical miles. The landscape was beautiful. The eye catcher for us in this region has been the white pelicans. They are so pretty, well, as pretty as a pelican can be.
We made a big horseshoe coming from the Cumberland River into the Tennessee River, officially getting us back on the Great Loop. A long day and we were 10 miles from where we had started.
This tow was cutting through the canal that connects Lake Barkley to Kentucky Lake.
This picture gives you an idea of how the tows churn the water. The tow pilots call it wheel wash.
We met Bill and Nicole, owners of the “Resolute” sailboat and Greg and Pam on a little trawler called “Salty Dog” . We would see them again many times in the days ahead, as our boat speeds are similar.
Many marinas include the mile marker in their name, for obvious reasons.
Sunset at Paris Landing State Park
Paris Landing State Park provided us a place to walk before sundown.
It was colder than I care to remember…but it was dry cold (whatever that means).
I don’t remember the last time I saw that temperature, but I hope it’s a long time before I see it again.
Saw an eagle today. We were told we would see many in this part of the country. Maybe I’ve looked in the wrong places or at the wrong times, but I’ve not seen them like I thought I would.
The same plant we passed going up still made an interesting picture.
Another long distance eagle shot.
The snow still lingers
White pelicans abound here
Barges move silt, dredged from the rivers
Another beautiful bridge
..from afar
Traces of the snow still are seen in many places, as the temperatures haven’t been above freezing long enough to melt.
Barkley Lake is a backwater on the Cumberland and is beautiful. The area has many marinas, loaded with huge houseboats. Some of them are larger than most of our homes, loaded with all the features, and just happen to float. The families in this part of the country love their version of life on the water, like we love ours on the coast. The Barkley Lake Marina is officially closed for the season, but the dock-master lives on her houseboat with her family, and welcome transients (like us). The rates are very reasonable (less than what it seems it would cost them to accommodate us) and the folks are sincerely hospitable. We arrived around 4 pm, were quickly signed in, and ate a light supper on the boat because it was just too cold to go outside.
We pulled out of Clarksville, TN. and enjoyed a beautiful day’s ride to Nashville.
The Cheatham Lock
High rock formations are common along the Cumberland
This deer was about to cross the river in front of us and changed his mind.
A park along the Cumberland
Early morning…Cumberland River
Old Glory flying high over Clarksville
The relatively short ride to Nashville brought us to the Commodore Yacht Club. A semi-private club, we were welcomed by the Belita and her husband. The slips are all covered and privately owned. The good rate for the slip, the nice cozy warm restroom/showers, and free laundry made this 1-week stay delightful.
The Honey Queen at the Commodore
My strong woman holding the Honey Queen.
Our time here allowed us to catch up with Abigail’s life, get to know her BF, Zach, on a deeper level (glad/relieved we still like him:)) and just chill on the boat. I know I have said this before, but having a day on the boat, without a mandate for a deadline or destination, makes for a little genuine relaxation.
We had a little free time to eat ice cream our favorite way.
We ordered and received a few boat components while in Nashville, as well. Somewhere upstream of here, we lost a ball fender. Ball fenders are pretty critical in the locks. They provide that little extra buffer between the boat and the wall. When the locks are filling or emptying, turbulence can move the boat a good bit, allowing it to slam into the wall.
Abigail, Zach, Amanda, and I went to dinner at Earnest Bar & Hideaway Friday night. Besides being the location of Abigail and Zach’s first date, the meal was over the top. My red fish was delicious. Abigail brought us home (to the marina), spent the night with us, and we turned in relatively early. Saturday morning the alarm went off at 3 am, we were in the car by 3:30, and off to the airport. We flew to Rochester, NY to attend a barn dance, hosted by our friends, the Stein’s. Our friends now for 11 years, the Stein’s have attended virtually every one of our October barn dances. It was fun to be guests and enjoy the event from a different perspective.
Our dear friends, the Steins; Sandy, Rich, Evan, Eliza. They do say “Yee-haw” kind of funny.
We were afforded the opportunity to meet many of their friends we have heard about over the years. We were grateful to be included in this first of many to come event.
November 11
The temperatures dropped, the snow came, and Monday afternoon we caught a plane back to Nashville. We were welcomed by rain and more cold temperatures, dropping to 21 degrees by morning. The 2nd arctic blast of the week blew into Nashville during the night and made our heater work overtime tonight. I’m still trying to figure out how boating and sub-freezing temperatures go together.
We woke up to snow on the bow Tuesday morning in Nashville.
The heaters on the boat served us well last night. After debating for a couple hours, we decided to head back down the Cumberland River. The temps are going to be so cold for several days, so we decided we might as well be moving in the cold, as opposed to sitting in the cold. We trusted the boat will perform well at sub freezing temperatures. The sooner we can get south of here, the sooner my toes will get warm.
Headed down the Cumberland
A rare eagle spot. We never get close enough to get a really good picture.
A great venue at Clarksville Marina
Thankfully, the sun shone bright today, though the high was only 24 degrees. The boat ran fine and got us back to Clarksville Marina by 4:00 pm. We revisited the Guadalajara Mexican Grille, as we promised ourselves we would do. We ordered the same food we did last time and enjoyed it even more. A short cold walk back to the boat and we tucked in for the night. Tomorrow, we head to Barkley Lake which will get us to the Tennessee River, completing our 250 mile round trip/side trip to Nashville, and then back to the Great Loop route.
Spending the night at an anchorage is always fun…exciting…a little nerve racking…adventurous. We always enjoy it, but there is always a little angst about what might happen when you’re asleep. Anchor could come loose and you could drift until you hit something or somebody. Someone could board your boat in the middle of the night and there would be nobody but me against them. Or can trust you have done all you can to secure the boat and go to sleep. Last night the temps reached 32 degrees. We don’t run the generator when sleeping (some do, but I don’t trust leaving an engine running while I’m sleeping). Since the heat on the boat doesn’t operate without the generator, we threw an extra blanket on the bed and checked out.
Cold air, warm water. This is what we woke up to.
What a difference an hour makes.
Sunday morning means church, and usually a pretty good breakfast, prepared by the Queen. So we “went to church” in the pilot house and enjoyed the live stream of Compassion Christian, our home church.
All a man needs….bacon and eggs and some spiritual food.
Our journey to Clarkesville was only 35 NM, so our journey was considerably shorter than the norm. We pulled up the anchor around 9:30 and enjoyed a scenic ride, with lots of sunshine and warmer temps as the afternoon progressed.
We heard a huge impact from the back of the boat while we were underway. Lots of slime and blood and scales….and smell.
The Asian carp are known for jumping in boats. I caught a fish without a fishing license.
…the beautiful Cumberland River
I loved light through the steam.
This guy is irrigating over the levee with a pump on his tractor
The Welcome Center overlooking the river, as we arrived.
Overlooking the marina basin. City of Clarksville in the background.
Pat was so glad to meet me.
We arrived in Clarksville, Tennessee about 2:30. A few boat chores (washing the fish crud off) and we took off to Liberty Park, the city park. It is well laid out, with lots of sidewalks, athletic fields, outdoor theater, and a fishing lake. The warm afternoon had lots of folks out enjoying the sunshine and few hours of warmer temperatures.
I learned that Clarksville is the birthplace of Pat Head Summit, the legendary coach of the University of Tennessee’s women’s basketball team. Not only did she lead her teams to 8 National Championships, she coached for 38 years and never had a losing season. Sadly, she died of dementia in 2016 at the age of 64.
After our exercise walk, we took a short food walk to Guadalajara Mexican Grille. We agreed this place could give Jalapenos’ in Savannah a run for its money. We have decided that on our return trip from Nashville, this place will be a stop for lunch or dinner.
The time change last night has me confused. It seemed so late when we went to dinner (it was 5:00 pm). That’s weird. The good news is we will be waking earlier (by the clock) allowing us to take advantage of the earlier daylight. We should be just outside Nashville tomorrow, where we will soon be joining Abigail.
Getting a slow start this morning, we left GTB about 8:30. Now headed on toward Nashville on the Cumberland River via Barkley Lake, we saw only 2 barges, one coming and one going the same way as us, South. The current showed a little mercy today, I assume because we are above the dam and the flow of water in the Cumberland is somewhat restricted. We were able to run just over 7 knots most of the day. That has been our normal speed for most of the Loop. The weather, warmer than yesterday for sure, but still cool was beautiful and crispy. I wore a long sleeve shirt and shorts. I was inside the pilot house all day, so I wasn’t really dealing with the elements. We traveled 7 ½ hours and covered 50. NM.
Hoping to make it to the Dover Island Anchorage, we thought
we’d check out a little marina, called Bumpus Mills Marina, as a backup plan. The name caused a little concern, but we had
heard the place would do in a pinch.
Amanda called and the conversation went something like this:
ML (marina lady—just imagine a Western Kentucky dialect that I cannot figure out how to type phonetically) HALLO!
AD (Amanda) Is this
the Bumpus Mills Marina?
ML Waille, eze
that the number you dialed?
AD I think so.
ML Must be then!!!
AD Do you have
room for a transient boat for the night?
ML Yep
AD What kind of
power hook up do you have available?
ML (to someone else) Wha kinda pow’r we got? 2-30’s? (to Amanda) Yeah, we got 2-30’s
AD Okay, we will be there in about an hour.
ML Aight! Bie!
We decided to press on to the anchorage. Kind of felt like it would be less painful than negotiating the rest of that deal after we arrived.
This gorgeous building is the state prison
US Highway 79 bridge. Somewhere down that road is home, Haynesville, La.
The high hit the 50’s, and with the sunshine pouring in, we had to open the hatches and allow a little cool air inside. This is more like it. The cruise was quiet and uneventful. We enjoyed the brilliant colors, enhanced by the sunshine and calm waters. The occasional fisherman flew by in his bass boat, but otherwise, we had the whole place to ourselves and it was great. We arrived at Dover Island, a popular-to-Loopers anchorage. With virtually no current behind the island, the breeze caused us a few minutes of twisting the boat, blowing us back toward the anchor. After 2 tries, I decided to throw a little anchor off the stern to compensate for the windage and ensure we stay downstream of the anchor. I don’t want that thing pulling loose while I am asleep. That seemed to work, keeping us straight. Having the wind die down didn’t hurt matters either.
So today’s journey won’t go down in history as remarkable or particularly memorable. But it will be relished as the kind of day you wish for on a trip: one that is easy, stressless, where everything works on the boat (so far), and the weather is perfect. The forecast for the next week calls for clear skies and a warming trend. Both will be welcomed guests on the Honey Queen.
Two sailboats joined us just as the sun set. Nice end to a very nice day.
The marina is nice and has all the amenities. It’s one of the favorites of Loopers.
A day of rest from the boat sounds funny, but after 6 months and 3,263 miles, a day not traveling becomes very therapeutic. Oil change, laundry, running, workout at the fitness center, and grocery shopping, things most people do as part of their routine, become special events when living on a boat. We enjoyed the day.
We did wake up to 27 degrees this morning, which is was not part of my boat plan when we started planning this adventure almost 2 years ago.
Yes, that is ice on top of my oil bucket this morning.
And ice on the brightwork, too.
Another thing many take for granted is long hot showers. The bright spot of a marina is getting in a shower that is large enough to wash you hair without bumping the surrounding walls with your elbows. I’m not complaining, but it is nice to have that luxury, plus not worry about running out of hot water in the middle of a good lather!
On my run over a bridge
Many have covered slips.
I spooked this white tail on my run
They call this the beach. I didn’t tell them any different.
We hope to come back here and enjoy the facilities again someday.
On Amanda’s grocery run this afternoon, she learned the little town was “turning on the lights” tonight. There was going to be a choir and a band playing to kick off the Christmas season. We got bundled up, called the shuttle (an open golf cart) and we with our frosty cheeks were in downtown 10 minutes later. We missed the official ceremony of turning on the lights, but we did get to see them all on. Amanda said she felt like she was in a Hallmark movie. I agree. I have always laughed at those movies, saying NOBODY decorates like they do in the movies. Wrong! This little town and every little store were decked out like Santa Claus was just around the corner.
You better watch out
The water wheel was moving (literally) with the lights
Her wheels are turning looking at all the merchandise
This little choral group and band were really good.
We listened to the last song by the choir/band, walked around the different shops and outdoor lighted areas, and then ended up at T. Lawson’s Restaurant for dinner. Good fish tacos and a Reuben sandwich finished off a delightful day. We called Norman, the golf cart driver, and he delivered us back to our toasty little floating home.
We enjoyed this stay and respite at Green Turtle Bay. Now, with mixed emotion, we head on up the Cumberland to Nashville. The last of our boating friends will continue down the Tennessee River, headed toward the Gulf. We get to go to Nashville to see Abigail for a few days, something we have looked forward to for months, but we will miss the camaraderie and feeling of safety that boat companions offer. We will look forward to meeting our next boat buddies and catching up, perhaps, with many who have become good friends.
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.
The Cumberland is pretty
Cells, as they are called, are used for temporary securing of barges. This one didn’t fare too well to the flood or a barge.
We had 30 seconds of sunshine today, but I missed the photo op.
Loading aggregate onto a barge from the quarry.
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.
