Day 121 October 30

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.