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.