Day 149-151. 2nd year. October 19-21 On to the Cumberland River, Grand River, KY. Miles 39. Total miles 4565 and lay days in Green Turtle Bay, Oct 20-21

 Woke to a cool clear morning to leave the dock at Paducah with the 12 Looper boats which stayed the night.

We are heading up the Ohio River and passed another large dredge to where it joins the Cumberland River.  The Army Core is quite busy dredging to keep all these waterways open.

On the way, we passed the junction of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers.  We are traveling on the Ohio to the the Cumberland River versus the Tennessee today to avoid the heavy barge traffic in this section of the Tennessee river.

Our trip on the Ohio today as we pass Paducah  changes so that the industry and barges are on Kentucky side and the undeveloped shoreline is on the Illinois side.

We came to the confluence of the Cumberland  River and headed off Ohio River.

The Cumberland River flows almost 690 miles thru part of Kentucky and through Tennessee.  The river is only navigable past Nashville, about 381 miles.  The shoreline is mostly forested like the Ohio, 

except for two quarry operations.

Along the way, we passed three barges and four Bald Eagles,

We went under the road bridge and approached the Barkley Lock right after lunch, entering the lock to rise 57 feet into a Lake Barkley.

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Leaving the lock, all the boats traveled in a line to the Green Turtle Bay Marina, where we will tie up and take a deep breath from our long days of traveling.

At 5:00 we all met at a small restaurant to celebrate Jenny and Danny on MV Another Woman and Joel and Tracey on MV Summer Place who completed their Loop adventure here in Grand River, KY, earning their gold Looper flags.

Day 150-151    October 20-21.  Lay days in Green Turtle Bay

October 20.   Slept til after 7:00, Yeah!  We took long hot showers and set to planning the next two weeks of our trip as we move to our next river, the Tennessee.  We figured out anchorages and marinas along the river all the way to Chattanooga, TN.

At 11:00, we borrowed the loaner car with Loopers Trisha and Mike and hit the NAPA store for oil and then lunched at the famous Patti's Restaurant.  Here the specialities are a two inch pork chop and Mile High Meringue Pie.  We perused the menu to make sure we had room for dessert- of which we had 15 different selections to choose from.

Another one of their specialties is their fresh baked bread in flower pots served with strawberry butter/

The place was all decked out for Christmas and the food was delicious and we left room for a slice of pie. We all managed to eat our pies - Brownie Boat Sinker Pie, Kentucky Chocolate Pecan Pie and Boat Sinker Peanut Butter Chess Pie.  Boy were they good!!

Here is s picture of the Mile High Meringue Pie

We then waddled out of the restaurant and wandered around the old time shops on the restaurant property, along with trains and cars and forts for the kids to play in.  Bill liked the train!

We then headed to the grocery store to reprovision.  Once that task was complete we headed back to the marina and got a few chores done - cleaning the boat and laundry- all the fun stuff we have to do.  

October 21

Got up after another good nights sleep to another beautiful day- sunny and 58 degrees warming to 75.

This morning, Bill and I finished chores of cleaning the boat and another load of laundry.  Exciting stuff!

Before lunch we stopped and walked into the small town of Grand River, well we walked 1/4 of the way before a marina shuttle passed us by and picked us up and drove us into town.  After a quick lunch, we took in the town.

Fall is definitely in the air.  Grand Rivers is located in Kentucky, just north of Land Between the Lakes. The area is very forested, we enjoyed all the trees.

Grand River is quite small, only 350 people, with a few antique and gift shops, grocery, restaurants, and Patti's Settlement.  Patti's Settlement and Restaurant have been here since 1977, serving good food in a family atmosphere.  We did not go to the restaurant again, just walked through the general store and gift shops,  then enjoyed watching the children enjoy the miniature golf, panning for stones, and radio controlled boats.   

As we left we passed an ice cream shop, which called to Bill.  Bill loves his ice cream!

We also perused the antique store and purchased a Christmas present for family and a suitcase!  Bill has been buying stickers from many of the town we have visited and decided a suitcase would be appropriate to display all his stickers.

We came back to the boat, via shuttle and Bill set to work to make peanut butter cookies which he he promised some Loopers.  

Well the Loopers came by after dinner and guess what they were brave enough to try them!!

Here are some drone shots of Green Turtle Bay.

Reflections on the Rivers - Illinois, Mississippi and Ohio

Large locks up to 1200 feet long

Short and long waits to go through the locks

Lots of wingdams in the bends to help curtail erosion

Barges and tows, lots and lots of barges and tows in all shapes and sizes

Knowledgeable Lockmasters that guide/direct you through their locks

Flood walls and levees used to control the flood waters.

Green lights and loud speakers giving us direction into the lock and horns to let us know we can leave the lock

Passing barges and tows on the ones or the twos

Having to decipher the thick Louisiana accent of many of the tow operators

A deeper appreciation for the tow operators and the commerce all along the river, so vital to this country.