Destination: Zippy Cove (I know, I know, it sounds like a made up place!!)
Distance: 51.1 miles
Speed: 7.2 mph
Time on the Move: 7 hours and 7 minutes
We woke up at Eagle Nest to fog, which was no surprise. We weren’t sure how thick it was, so we turned on our chartplotter to see if there were boats moving around us on AIS. Soon after, we saw a looper pass by the channel behind us, so Mike called them on the radio. They said the fog wasn’t too bad anywhere except down the channel where we were anchored. Other radio communications let us know that there was a whole string of loopers coming by, so we fired up the engines, pushed away from Living the Dream, and we both joined the morning looper boat parade.
Fog ahead of us in the channel.It was a beautiful morning!Fog cleared out quickly once we got moving.
Throughout the course of the day we did school work and looked out the windows as we traveled in quite the caravan. We had to wait about an hour for the lock to open, but the lockmaster let us tie up on the wall to wait for some repairs to be made to the lock. The slow down allowed the long line of loopers to gather so that we could all go into the lock together. You’ll see another looper boat tied up behind us on the wall, and a whole slew of them coming around the corner heading toward the lock.
Waiting for all the boats to get settled in the lock. The BIG white boat across the way is from our home marina back in Harrison Township, MI!!Once we got tied up in the lock, this is the view looking up the track that the floating bollard moves in. It was obvious we had a big lift ahead of us.The kids are playing games and making messes in the salon, and there’s Mike, holding the line at the floating bollard while we raised up.This is our “before locking” picture. You can see how high they will raise us–up to the dark line that shows where the high water mark is.Here’s our “after looping” picture. We had to wait a while for the doors to actually open because there was a tow waiting to come in that lost control of his barges. He had to do a lot of maneuvering to hold station in the wind and current so that we could all safely pass by as we exited the lock.
Our friends were heading straight in to the marina, but we were heading to one more anchorage before joining up with 2 other kids boats the next morning for Halloween festivities.
Pokemon cards!!
After we anchored in Zippy Creek, the kids were anxious to take off on their kayaks and explore some rocky ledges along the shoreline of the lake. It is the first time they have kayaked in quite some time!! I quick searched to see if there were alligators in Pickwick Lake. My search came up with mixed results, but I came to a “probably not” conclusion. The next day I heard from locals that we actually have 3 more locks before we have to worry about alligators. Whew!!
3 tiny kayaks on the left and 3 tiny Herbons on the right.
After a long day of traveling, playing, exploring, and learning, we read some bedtime stories and headed to bed, excited for Halloween the next night.
A little light bedtime reading. Thanks for the book Grandma and Grandpa Herbon!!
One of the best parts about Pebble Isle Marina (aside from the great people and proximity to history lessons) is the fact that they bake fresh, giant cinnamon rolls for you each morning—for FREE!! That is great service!! We moved our boat over to the fuel dock to fill up with diesel and get pumped out as soon as the fuel dock opened at 8am (seeing was dicey with the fog, but we made it to the fuel dock). While Mike was helping with the fill up/pump out, I took the kids in to the restaurant for our cinnamon rolls. The man behind the counter had all 5 cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven, waiting at a table for us, and he was just bringing up our 5th chair. Again, that is great service!! Mike finished helping with the chores on the dock and then came in for his cinnamon roll and to chat with Living the Dream while we waited for the fog to lift.
Another morning of singing “Smoke on the Water.” Light, wispy fog in the harbor, but thicker fog out on the lake.
After another 15 minutes or so, we watched 2 other boats head out, so we figured game on and we prepped for departure. The day was pretty uneventful, just a long trail of about 6?? looper boats following each other down the river.
Who are all these boats following us?! Just kidding…they’re loopers, of course.This tow pushed his barges against an island in the middle of the lake to wait out the fog.Hayley has been on a roll with her math lately!! She is a whiz at story problems and two digit addition with regrouping. We feel so lucky to have a classroom with a view!!Mike spent some of the trip on the phone talking with the service department of a marina a few days down the line. It’s always something with the boat!!Still the looper line up. It is pretty fun to see familiar boats on the water. We use the app Nebo to keep track of other boaters and their speeds. There is a great sense of community along the route!We passed by this new development of raised houses. Cute!!
We ended up deciding on an anchorage for later in the evening and were joined by Living the Dream at Eagle Nest Anchorage. We whipped up a fancy dinner of hamburgers and hot dogs and had kid/adult fun night for a while before bed. Boating is awesome, but boating with friends is even better!!
Beautiful sunset view from our anchorage.This was the location of our anchorage, for everyone who would like some perspective of where in the world we’re at!
We left GTB bright and early hoping we could get to our destination early enough to enjoy the warm, sunny afternoon that was forecasted. We were treated to calm pastel skies at sunrise.
Turning out of GTB we got to turn west this time and head thru the canal to Kentucky Lake. Shortly after we reached the large body of water that is Kentucky Lake, we realized that it was actually pretty choppy out. The weather was calling for partly sunny skies and 15-20 mph winds out of the north northwest. However it appeared that the wind and waves were coming from the south which meant they had a long narrow lake to pick up some steam. We saw 1-2 footers for the first 3 hours of the day, but they were coming right at the bow, so we didn’t feel them that much. The forecast later in the day called for them to start coming out of the north, so we hoped that when that change happened, they wouldn’t hit us on our beam for too long or the ride would be quite uncomfortable—something we have not had to even think about for weeks!! Luckily, the waves didn’t come at our side for long and when they did they were pretty unorganized, so it didn’t roll the boat too much.
It was a little rougher once we turned onto the lake than we were expecting, but you can see that it is a huge body of water, so we shouldn’t have been surprised.
We enjoyed the changing leaves and pretty shorelines. We saw several bass fishing boats (who were bouncing around quite a bit—Hayley actually said she’d pay $10 to ride in one it looked so fun!!) and several tows pushing barges. At one point, the most excitable tow captain we have met so far told Mike to “get right up on them red bouys, right up on em.” He said he was “coming hard at us, but he would knock it down if he needed to,” and not “to worry because he wouldn’t hit us.” Of course, that doesn’t actually make you feel any better—I would have rather had him say he’d just pass us on the 1s, but I get the feeling he was pushing hard against the waves and wind to get where he needed to be, and maybe that had him a little flustered. Luckily Mike had the Lions game and Sirius XM fantasy football radio to listen to the keep him occupied.
Here is a pretty congested area with a sailboat sandwiched between INNTW and a tow.Mike had a good set up for watching Sunday Football while autopilot did lots of the work!!Mike replaces our American Flag with this Lions Flag every Sunday.Hayley worked on some friendship bracelets.
The history of Kentucky lake is pretty interesting. It used to just be an area through which the (narrow) Tennessee River flowed. However, in the early 1940s the Tennessee River Authority decided to build a dam which they knew would flood the entire area surrounding the river. And by flood I mean permanently raise the water levels by 55 feet and completely destroy entire towns. Throughout the area, our charts showed plenty of submerged roads, buildings, and bridges that were plunged underwater for good when the dam opened in 1944. Some signs of the old town still remain, sticking out of what is now Kentucky Lake. History is so interesting, especially when you get to see it in real life!! The fact that this area was completely erased, along with all the civil war history along the river, is fascinating.
This is the old grain elevator that used to be 6 stories high. Now, the first 3 floors are always underwater and only the top 3 floors are visible.This railroad bridge used to connect to the grain elevator. Most of it is still standing today.
While we were underway, Mike worked on a little electrical issue we’ve been having lately. One of the power panels has been tripping, and we couldn’t figure out the cause. So we would flip it back on and it would work for a short amount of time before it tripped again. After a short time knowing something was wrong, Mike looked into the situation further and found that the connection where the cord goes into the boat was actually frying. Thank goodness he caught the problem before it melted more or caused a fire. He plans on replacing one end of the cord and it looks like he’ll have to replace the receptacle on the boat, as well, before we can have heat or air through this power cord. It’s always something on the boat. However, usually the “something” doesn’t look quite so much like it will cause a fire.
The receptacle on the boat.Melted end of the power cord. YIKES!!
We got to our destination around 4:00 in the afternoon and we were anxious to get off the boat and burn some energy. After we tied up, the Zeefs tied up right next to us and we got everyone moving as fast as we could to take advantage of the warm weather and daylight. We were less than a mile from Johnsonville state park with lots of history and walking trails, so off we went.
The kids found some replicas of Civil War era barracks to play in and we read about the horse corrals and railroad transfer station that used to occupy the land here.
You can also see the hillside filled with headstones marking unknown graves.INNTW
We also found two vines strong enough that everyone could swing from them and two armadillos. That’s right—real live armadillos!! Hayley walked off the trail at one point and came running back screaming about some creature she had seen. Mike asked if it was a coyote (obviously he didn’t really see it) and Hayley responded she thought it was an armadillo. We had just about gotten over that big surprise when I looked towards the end of a long concrete wall and saw an actual armadillo walking towards us, out of the brush. Poor guy had no idea what he was walking into. Once everyone got a chance to see him we let the kids go after him, and we were amazed at how fast those buggers can actually run!! It also sealed the deal that Hayley must have seen an armadillo, so the mystery was solved.
It’s so nice the kids have buddies to hang with sometimes!!
We walked back to the boat for some grilled cheese and tomato soup and family game night. After a late night playing with the Zeefs the night before, we went to bed early to get ready for another long day.
Thanks for reading!!
1 (More) Night at Clarksville and 1 (More) Night at Green Turtle Bay
Leaving Nashville was bittersweet. We had so much fun there, but it was time to head south. We woke up to a chilly, rainy day with nothing brighter in the forecast, so that helped us push off the dock early. We traveled right back to the free Clarksville dock and tied up by our friends Living the Dream once again. (The Nashville side trip is about 160 miles completely off the path of the traditional loop. To get back to the loop we had to retrace our steps right back to GTB. While it was out of the way, it was definitely worth it!!)
Geese heading south. I guess their giving us a hint that it’s time to get moving!We got lots of school work done during the trip. The kids have been working on 1-2 lessons of math a day. Lately Tobin has asked to do his “learning book” while the big kids do their work. It isn’t always easy to get them to focus, but it seems to go in waves. Easier for a couple of weeks, and then they’ll fight me on it for a couple of weeks.After finishing our school work, I dug out some “rainy day activities” which today happened to be games and puzzles from old newspapers courtesy of Grandma Hays. It kept them busy for quite some time.
We weren’t quite so lucky at the lock this time because the lock was down for maintenance when we got there. The lockmaster wasn’t sure how long it would be down, so we tied up to the lock wall and started a family movie. It worked out perfectly, as the horn that signaled we could enter the lock blew about 5 minutes before the end of the movie. Thank goodness we didn’t have to idle that entire time!!
By the time we got to Clarksville, this is what our salon looked like. Toys, blankets, pillows galore. At least it looks like a good fort making day!
We ordered pizza and had it delivered to the dock and then went right to bed. We were exhausted and knew we had a very long day to get back to Green Turtle Bay the next night.
Our trip back through Lake Barkley was fairly uneventful. We did notice that the colors were changing more than they were a week before on our way to Nashville. We also noticed that the water level dropped significantly (2 feet or so) in that same time. We passed by this tree, growing in the middle of the lake, with it’s roots sticking way out of the water. Interesting it can live and grow like that.
When we got to Green Turtle Bay we were anxious to catch up on some quick laundry since we were planning on leaving again right away the next morning. We snuck in an hour of playtime on Living the Dream and heard some more concerts from the kids. Another successful day. Thanks for following along!!
We woke up to a beautiful pink sky, but unfortunately lots of fog too. We waited about an hour for the fog to lift before we left the dock.
Since we stopped early the day before in Clarksville, that left a much longer day for us to get into Nashville than we had hoped. The weather was beautiful for cruising, though, so we didn’t mind traveling.
We had 1 lock to get through to get to Nashville, but made it through with no problems. We arrived at the Nashville docks shortly before dark and saw that there was a police boat and fire boat tied up to the dock, with room for about 2 boats on either side. The spot we originally tied up in had a broken power pedestal, so we pulled the boat forward and hooked up no problem. The Zeeffs had the same problem with their power pedestal, and after trouble shooting several problems, we moved their boat to a different spot and all was well. It’s great when the problem is NOT on the boat.
It’s great to see a familiar boat on the water.Living the Dream shortly after leaving the lock.Heading into NashvilleCheck out the Batman building!!
Mike’s parents, Larry and Cheryl, drove down from northern Michigan in their RV to visit for a few days, and we were expecting his brother, Brian, and girlfriend, Kayleigh, the next day also. A family reunion right in Nashville!! Grandma and Grandpa Herbon came to visit for a few hours before bed and we were thrilled to catch up with them and go through all the goodies they brought! One highlight (for the kids) was a big guitar that they brought after Hayley and Toby recently showed a lot of interest in musical instruments. I say it was a highlight for the kids because a guitar is LOUD and BIG and we have a fairly SMALL space on board. However, this guitar was Mike’s idea, so we have him to blame.
The next morning we were anxious to get off the boat ASAP and start exploring Nashville. We were down 1 child because Tobin went back with Grandma and Grandpa the night before, so that helped us move quickly. We walked down Broadway, which is the main drag filled with Honky Tonks and the live music that Nashville is so famous for. We were amazed at the sounds of many live bands already playing by mid morning as we walked down the strip.
INNTW from the pedestrian bridge across the river.
Check out those boots!!
We first went to the Johnny Cash museum which was filled with all kinds of Cash memorabilia. There were lots of pictures, outfits, records, and stories to read that kept us interested, but the music samples played on headphones helped keep the kids engaged. By the end we were all singing and dancing.
We met up with the Zeeffs and a prospective Looper family, Mike and Megan Brady at a honky tonk for lunch. We literally sat in the front row and jammed out to some extremely LOUD music through lunch. If we thought we were going to hold a conversation through lunch, we were wrong. But I did enjoy the chance to sing along to some great 90s and 2000s era country hits. It’s amazing how I know the words to so many songs and I can’t remember my password to log in to my school email. We also met back up with Tobin and Larry and Cheryl for the lunch sing along.
Toby giving the band a tip.Checking out the drums.
After lunch we went back to the boat so the Bradys could check out our looper boats and ask questions. They hope to leave on their loop adventure in 4 years or so, and I’d say they are already more prepared and informed than we were just weeks before we left.
We rounded out the evening with a trip to the park/playground for the kids to run off some extra energy.
The next day we decided to take a hop on/hop off trolley tour around Nashville to see the sights without having to walk a ton or pay for a bunch of rides. Our highlight of the tour was stopping at Antique Archeology, the store from American Pickers. There was all kinds of interesting stuff to look at in that place. Mike and I mostly followed the kids around and said “don’t touch that” and “hands off” hoping they wouldn’t topple some ancient artifact worth a thousand dollars. Mike did some whisky tasting and we both tried some wine nearby. Then back on the trolly for the rest of the tour.
Old American Airlines training photos.
Wolf Boy mummy found in Peru. In the background are training slides of WWII aircraft that soldiers would use to identify enemy and allied planes.
We ended up on a rooftop deck with some great acoustic music, soaking up the sun. It was a great afternoon. Brian and Kayleigh joined us for a bit and then we met up with Larry and Cheryl close by for dinner. Again, more music and good times with family. Everyone came back to our boat for a bit before the evening’s events. Grandma and Grandpa were going to hang with the kiddos so we could join Brian and Kayleigh at the Phish concert that was literally right across the river from the boat. Brian loves Phish and was at his 39th show, or something crazy like that. Kayleigh loves Brian, she she was at her 27th show. It was a first for Mike and I both, so we were excited to see what all the fuss was about. It was a great place to people watch, amazing light show, and interesting music, though I like music that I actually know a bit more. Overall it was a great experience and Mike adds that they had amazing ice cream.
At Phish.
On our last day in Nashville I was determined to get into as many honky tonks as possible and hear some great live music. Even though the day was rainy, it did not disappoint in the music department. Throughout the day we hung out with all the Herbons and made it to 8-10 different places. The thing is there are different bands on every level, so you can just change floors and hear a completely different band. What an amazing place. A highlight was Tootsies where we sat right BEHIND the stage and got to see the band function from a completely different perspective. We chatted with the band for a bit before they started playing and they were so friendly. They gave the kids guitar pics, answered a bunch of questions, and were very patient with us. In the middle of their set, they called Hayley up on stage to help them sing some Taylor Swift songs. She loved it, though she was a bit nervous. It was a fun day, and the kids were troopers, listening to all the music. We have had more performances on the boat than I can even tell you since seeing all that live music in Nashville!
Making friends with the band before their set at Tootsies.We loved watching the band from this close! I also loved that they had male and female members for the kids to see and watch.Rockstar Hayley singing her Taylor Swift set. <3The kids have never sat as still and quiet ANYWHERE as they did every time we heard live music in Nashville. They were mesmerized by it !!Dreaming about all the possibilities in life…We ended up sending the big guitar back home with Grandma and Grandpa, but we bought a smaller version to keep on the boat. This is the mini.Concerts galore around here!! Favorite titles include “Pooping Out Rocks,” “Witches Flying on Halloween Night,” and “Living on the Boat for a Year.” This is the big guitar we sent back home. It gave us great inspiration for making music on the boat.
We took a break to find and taste the famous Goo Goo Clusters. They were pretty tasty!!
Toby tried to break down the door for their secret recipe!Heading in to 1 last honky tonk.
Once again, Grandma and Grandpa stayed with the kiddies at night so that we could go out and play with Brian and Kayleigh. We did the best we could to get to *most* of the honky tonks on Broadway. What a fun trip!
It was great to see our family and spend some time together. We are so thankful for the visitors!! It made the Nashville stop even more fun for all of us to share it with family. Thank you, everyone, for making the effort to visit!!
Thank you, everyone else, for reading all about our great adventures!!
When we woke up in the morning, the anchorage was sunny and so peaceful. What a beautiful spot! But—it was freezing cold!! It was 36* out and since we weren’t plugged in to power we didn’t leave our heat on overnight. The generator has to be on at anchor for heat or a/c to work, but we don’t necessarily want the noise of the generator all night. Both because we’d like to be able to hear any strange sounds in the night for safety and because the generator is pretty loud in our bedroom. So once we woke up and got moving, we turned on the generator for heat and making coffee. The salon said it was 61* and I was thankful all the kids had extra blankets on their beds!! We cranked up the heat while we had breakfast and Mike casted a few times, seeing if any fish were ready for breakfast.
Here fishy, fishy, fishy.
After we changed out old glory for the Lions flag, a Sunday tradition, we fired up the engines to get started on our way for the day.
We enjoyed traveling on the sunny day and the flybridge warmed up quickly with the sun shining down on us. We passed by lots of rocky cliffs and trees that were just starting to change color and absolutely nothing else.
Colin had a new past time today. He turned packing foam into ghosts for Halloween decorations.
We planned on traveling about 65 miles to another anchorage but somehow we got sidetracked (that seems to happen quite a bit on this trip!!). We were pulling past the thriving metropolis of Clarksville when Mike happened to notice they had a free town dock. I noticed they had a playground and nice walkway along the river. We decided to stop and check it out. The sun was shining and this was a great chance for us to take advantage of the beautiful day and let the kids burn off some energy. We didn’t know how long we were going to stay, but that’s what this trip is all about. INNTW!! So we tied up and enjoyed a “we made it—maybe?!” cocktail while listening to the Lions on XM. Then we rounded up the kids and checked out the playground.
INNTW is way in the background.
While we were there, the Zeeffs, decided they would join us on the free dock if we stayed overnight, so the decision was made. The Zeeffs joined us at a brewery for dinner and again on our sun deck for a nightcap. We planned to leave early the next morning to cover the rest of the 65 miles or so we had left until we got to Nashville. The kids loved seeing their friends and playing for a bit. So having friends close by, a free dock with power, and a great little town made Clarksville a great impromptu stop for us!!
There are actually a lot of hills in Clarksville, so the scooters were a tad tricky at times.Throwing pennies in the wishing well. Tobin always asks me if he is supposed to keep his wish a secret or if he can tell us.
Thanks for following along on our crazy adventure!!
We headed out of Green Turtle Bay and took Lake Barkley south toward the Cumberland River. The lake was a much bigger stretch of open water than we have seen in quite some time. The word is that if it is questionable, you actually need to check wind and wave forecasts because it is that big. This is a big change from other areas we’ve seen on the rivers lately. Luckily, today was gorgeous. We were bathed in sunshine and warmth. It was amazing!
Here we are, bathing in sunshine and warmth.
We heard that you should be sure to stay in the marked channel throughout the lake because, while it looks like a big lake, there are many shallow areas. And boy weren’t there?! We would be in the middle of a huge stretch of water and see a big sand bar like this one sticking right up out of the water. Thank goodness our autopilot understood that we needed to stay in the channel, as well.
Mike took a break from driving for a bit and made us lunch. It was a nice change from the days when he had to be at the helm because it was so busy and stressful. I can watch autopilot and change a heading hold no problem. I can even slow down to pass a pontoon or fishing boat if I need to (usually). Plus, I like to be in charge every once in a while. **In case you’re keeping track at home, AIS is our #1 electronic upgrade and Autopilot is a close #2!! We can’t imagine actually having to steer all the time!!**
Even Toby knows how to change a heading hold.
While the scenery was beautiful, it looked like a lot of the same stuff over and over. But, we enjoyed the ride, the sunshine, and the football game. (We listened to Michigan beat Michigan State on XM.) It was a good day!
We definitely enjoyed the sunshine!Colin is working hard on his “Monsters and Magic” game. Don’t go stealing his ideas, now.
We ended up in a quiet little anchorage behind Dover Island from the channel. It was a very peaceful night. Except for that one moment when it looked like a tow pushing barges was actually coming our way. But it wasn’t. It was actually turning and staying in the channel like we knew it would. And there was that one other time when a smaller bow rider came whipping down the river right towards our anchorage. We worried maybe they wouldn’t see our big 43 foot boat floating in the middle of the river, but of course they did. So ya know, no worries.
We were the last of 4 boats that pulled away from the Paducah Dock this morning. We were last because we needed some extra time to figure out how we were going to get out of our tight spot at the dock. A trawler was about 8 feet in front of us and a sailboat was about 4 feet behind us so we didn’t have much wiggle room. Mike figured it out just fine, and with the help of some other boaters to give us a good push off the dock, we pulled away no problem.
The water was very calm and that seemed to hide some debris that was floating in the Ohio. We had a day off of looking for logs, so it was a rather unwelcome sight to think we might have to get back to debris watch. It didn’t last more than 10 miles or so, though, and the debris ended. We didn’t even hit anything!!
There are two ways you can get to our destination—either the longer route of going the Cumberland to the north, or remaining on the Ohio to the south. Either option ends with a lock right where you enter into Lake Barkley, so the guidebooks tell you to call the locks and see which one will be the shorter wait time. However, the word among fellow loopers is that the lockmaster at the end of the Ohio doesn’t like pleasure craft and has been known to send boats all the way back around—about an extra 8 hours. Now I don’t know if this is really true, but everyone I know that has gone thru this year went by way of the Cumberland. We heard it is a nice scenic trip, so we didn’t even bother calling the locks.
Skinny river channels with several tows to pass.Our turn!!
We had a nice quiet ride on the twisty river. We had some sneak peeks of fall color change. A few tows kept us on our feet. A fox (or maybe it was a wolf?!) came down the the bank of the river to see us go past. That was about it for excitement, and that was just fine with us. About 10 miles from the lock we got word from one of the other loopers that there would be a 2 1/2 hour wait to get into the lock because a double tow was just starting to head up. At that point we put it just above idle and slowed down significantly, to avoid wait time at the lock when we would just have to idle and maintain position. In the end we still had to wait about an hour for our turn to go up the 57’ lock, but with some cleaning, exercising, and sing alongs, the time passed quickly.
Hayley worked on some “extra” math work I brought with us.
We also made a quick game plan about what we would do if the lock gates failed and water started rushing towards us. I’m not sure much could really be done, but it’s good to have thought about these things in case of an emergency. The lock was pretty impressive, as we haven’t seen many that big. It seemed to have a fair bit of turbulence in the middle, where we were tied up, but we handled it just fine. We did watch our fenders scraping rough concrete pretty hard and adjusted our method to help keep the boat a bit further off the wall.
Waiting to go in to the lock… Thank goodness for Pokemon cards!!Waiting to go into the lock, facing those HUGE lock doors. Mike had an escape plan formulated just in case…
Lots of locking pictures today–I must have thought it was quite scenic!
One of us always stays near the floating bollard just in case it doesn’t rise/fall like it is supposed to. This bollard is way higher than most of them are and that made it a bit trickier to lasso when we pulled up.You can see the metal doors and then the concrete structure underneath them that we would rise above with out 57′ elevation gain and then drive right over when exiting the lock. Locks really are engineering marvels!
After we pulled out of the lock, we had a quick 1 mile trip to the famous Green Turtle Bay, a known looper refuge. In this 1 mile stretch every single boat in our group called the marina in succession for slip assignments and to share intentions of filling with fuel or pumping out. We chose to fill up and pump out before heading to our slip. It takes about an hour to do both of those items and by that time I was freezing again!! The brightness of the afternoon sky was replaced by cloudy, cold dusk, and I was ready to tuck in for the night and get warmed up!! Mike grilled us some hamburgers and hot dogs and we cranked the heat on before bed. The kids were thrilled to have internet to download some new apps on their kindles and I was just fine with that!!
Reading Halloween books that we brought with us from home.
The next day we started off with chores before we took off to explore the marina. I did 5 loads of laundry and chatted with some nice folks in the laundry room while Mike scrubbed the boat down. The kids were anxious to feed the turtles that they heard lived around the marina, so we bought some turtle food and filled up their little bellies. The turtles could hear us walk on the dock and would come swimming up, looking for food. Of course Creature Boy loved this past time and Hayley seemed to love it as well. She would ask to go feed the turtles every once in a while throughout our stay when she didn’t think they had been fed for a while.
I love the extra time for snuggles. This kid loves his skeleton Halloween jammies!!Sunshine!! And Mike hard at work!!The kids got new haircuts by Captain Cuts (Mike). Colin has a lightning bolt on each side.Toby has shark fins on each side. INNTW!!There are actually turtles at Green Turtle Bay!! Who would have thought?!
Next, we also took off for the indoor pool (which wasn’t exactly warm) but it was definitely swimable. Toby practiced without his life jacket and the kids swam around with some other kids that were already in there. It seems like it has been forever since we swam!!
That afternoon the Zeeffs from Living the Dream arrived at the marina so after our swim, we got showered up for happy hour and dinner out at the Thirsty Turtle Tavern. The whole Green Turtle Bay complex is pretty all inclusive, so we got to ride on the courtesy stretch golf cart shuttle to the restaurant. When we walked in I think the record skipped and all the “regulars” turned to see who in the world would bring all these kids out to eat on a Wednesday night at 7 pm. Just us!! Crazy loopers!! Once again, the kids had their own table for dinner, which was amazing. Except for the part where Toby cried for 10 minutes because I told him he couldn’t actually drink the Dr. Pepper he had somehow ordered from the waitress. Then, Mike somehow knocked down the toilet paper dispenser in the girls’ bathroom, and we were told our children shouldn’t go to the bathroom unattended anymore. Sheesh…don’t these people know how to have fun?!
One of the beers we had was called “Country Boy Cougar Bait.” Just can’t make that stuff up!!
The next day we did a fair amount of bike riding and playground exploring in the morning, so we decided to push our luck and head back to the Thirsty Turtle in the afternoon for some outside bean bags, steel tipped darts (not always child friendly, but we made it work!), and life-sized chess. We started off all playing games, but eventually the kids were running rampant through the woods and the adults were standing around a bon fire, finishing our beers. We were chatting with a new boat we met, Cloud 9, which is from MacRays, our home marina back in Harrison Township, Michigan. What a small world!! One difference is that these loopers left home on 10/1 and were already at GTB. We left mid-July and were just now at GTB. They obviously burn some wicked amounts of fuel and are on a much faster time schedule than we are! Regardless, it was nice to meet them and see a familiar marina name on their boat.
Soaking in that sunshine at breakfast!!A little schoolwork…Check out Toby’s new wheels!! Mike worked in picking him up a new bike to our suuuuper busy last day in Grafton. This was Toby’s first ride and he was so proud of himself!!Posing in front of another Halloween display!
The beach at GTB would be amazing if it were 20 degrees hotter!! Those big brown things in the water are mooring cells where tows pushing barges can tie up to wait for the lock. These bad boys line the river in many locations near locks.We saw deer several times.
Adults relaxing and staying dry under the tent.Kids playing in the woods…
The INNTW and Living the Dream crews ended up back at the Zeeffs’ boat for the rest of the evening, hiding from rainstorms. Hayley and Allison serenaded us with a concert. Colin and Matthew talked about Pokemon and a new game they are creating called “Monsters and Magic.” Toby pretty much ran between the 2 bedrooms terrorizing kids, with a bit of terrorizing adults with very loud keyboard playing. The adults made plans to take over the Bahamas this winter and then the rest of the world later. And we drank all of the Zeeffs’ wine and ate their dinner. It was a good night.
We listened to a great concert, mostly about Egypt.
Somehow we snuck in family grocery shopping complete with pizza dinner out afterwards.Seriously, who doesn’t get pizza on the way home from grocery shopping?!At the ship’s store (that has EVERYTHING!!) Toby comes up to me with this visor and says, “Take a picture! I’m a grandma!!”
Soon it was time for INNTW to head out for our big Nashville trip we’ve been planning with the Herbon family. We are thrilled to be on schedule and chose to leave Green Turtle Bay a day earlier than necessary to make shorter days and give us another night in an anchorage on the way. We had a great time at GTB, but we were excited about the next adventure! Thanks for reading!
A funny thing about the “short trip” today is that we traveled much, much slower on the Ohio than on the Mississippi despite needing to be so careful with debris in the river on the Mississippi. We got a 4-6 mph push with the current on the Mississippi, so we traveled much faster. Then we turned onto the Ohio and started pushing upstream with a 2-3 mph push against us. Even so, it was just great to be off the Mississippi!!
After that looooong day yesterday, we were set up to have a nice short run to Paducah. It was supposed to be warm and sunny (didn’t happen!!). AND the best part–we had friends waiting for us in Paducah. The Zeefs from Living the Dream were tied up in Paducah and we hadn’t seen them since the very beginning of August way up in Canada. We’ve been playing tag ever since and they always seem to win. We were so excited to see them, both the kids and the adults!! The kids wanted to play and the adults wanted the kids to play so we could catch up. They caught our lines at the dock and we got to tie up right next to them. It was bliss!! Paducah put in a town dock because there was a long stretch of river without amenities AND it brings tourism dollars into their city. Except for on Sunday and Monday. Take note–nothing is open on Sunday and Monday in Paducah. But that was okay because we made our own fun!!
Living the Dream is is the 2nd boat from the left and INNTW is the 3rd from left.
After a few hours of the kids playing and the adults huddling around a space heater, the Steins from Have Another Day showed up to visit for the afternoon. They were on the way to the Great Loop Rendezvous and stopped in Paducah in their rental car for the night so we could all catch up (and again–that whole “kids playing together” thing!!). We had a beverage and then went on a walking tour of Paducah.
2 interesting things to note (but I’ll probably think of more):
1–There was a huge mural along the giant wall around the city that highlights the history of Paducah. It is painted in stunning detail and is pretty much like a free, walking museum. The above picture is just one panel (probably 50 feet wide) out of a half mile or mile stretch of paintings. It was amazing. I wish the kids would have walked slower so that I could have read each plaque in detail. There is also a train as part of this display. Amazing. Bravo, Paducah.
2–There is actually a giant wall around the city that is meant to protect the city from future floods. After the flood of 1937, during which the river rose a whopping 11 feet above flood stage, the city decided to build a flood wall. So from 1939-1949 they built a wall over 12 miles long and 14 feet tall that surrounds 11,000 acres and 20,000 people. There are huge tracks built into the wall to allow for removable doors to be inserted over roadways in case of an actual flood, while still allowing normal travel when floods aren’t a threat. If you look closely in the picture above, you can see the black angled tracks on each end of the wall. That’s crazy to me that they actually built a concrete wall around their city to protect it from floods. Crazy to me, but apparently very necessary to them.
On our walk through town we found these high water marks noted on the concrete wall.
3–(I told you I’d think of more) Everything is closed in Paducah on Sundays and Mondays. We hoped to get to a brewery, museum, and several other known spots, but everything closes down and it is a ghost town. Literally.
So, after our walking tour, we stopped at the only establishment that was open and had dinner before heading back to the boats. The Steins invited everyone over to their hotel pool so the kids could swim and burn off some energy before bed. The adults thought that was a great idea, and we were thankful the Steins carted us around in their rental van (that’s 2 nights this week that the Steins have driven us around in a giant van…).
The kids must have had so much fun because Colin slept in until almost 10:00 am which is mostly amazing because he sleeps in the middle of the kitchen and not in an actual bedroom. I assured Living the Dream that he would be ready to play by 8, but apparently I was wrong.
Colin’s bedroom by night and our kitchen table by day.
We were planning on heading out mid-morning because everything is closed in Paducah anyway. And it’s COLD!!! However, by the time Colin and Mike woke up, the wind started kicking up, and it didn’t look like a great travel day. Plus, we had friends right next door. So we stayed another day and the kids played all day. Seriously, all day the kids played on one boat and the adults chit-chatted and huddled around the space heater on the other. It was what dreams are made of.
Herbons and Zeefs, together again!!
Plus, it gave Mike a chance to do some of this, which was apparently completely necessary. It’s always something on a boat!!
Thanks for reading about the good, the bad, and the ugly!! We are having a blast and so glad you’re following along!!
Waking up early at the Kaskaskia Lock Wall we found a log jam in front of our boat, but Mike was able to move it out easily with the boat hook. We cleared that debris pile out and got moving right away, ready for day 2 on the Mississippi. Really, I think we were ready to be OFF the Mississippi River, but what can ya do?! Mike did a great job keeping us safe and getting us out of Alton the day before, and he did a repeat performance today, getting us all the way off the Mississippi.
It’s hard to tell that this is an eagle, but we saw dozens of them along the rivers–so fun!!Mike stood for a better view most of the 2 days we were on the Mississippi. At this moment, I actually sat next to him (not as good of a view at what is in front of us) and I was looking ahead in our river guide. It’s good to look ahead and know what’s coming so there are no surprises!! Blankets and coats and hats….Brrrr!Every once in a while we’d see a big log like this just floating along. I think it might have actually been helpful that the river was actually flooded and not just high level. Most of the stuff was at least floating and moving and not stuck buried partway in the river bottom.At times, the Mighty Mississippi was quite wide. Here a tow pushes a barge with construction equipment.
There are a few anchorages in the last 20 miles or so on the Mississippi River, and we considered those, but we were making such good time with the fast current push and Mike was very anxious to get off that river, so we pushed on. We weren’t sure exactly where we were going (this has become very normal for us), but we had a few options in mind. Our final destination would depend on how the lock went and how long daylight lasted. We were just thankful to be off of the Mississippi. And actually, the debris did slow significantly immediately after we turned onto the Ohio.
Thank goodness we’re off the Mississippi!! Some of these barges are just anchored in a staging area where the Mississippi meets the Ohio. And of course some of them are moving, being pushed by tows. Again, thank goodness for AIS, so we could easily tell which vessels were actually underway and which were stationary.Going a little stir crazy… (and a child actually came upstairs!!)2 locks on the Ohio River are being replaced by a new, single lock. However, this new lock has been under construction for 30 years. While it is supposedly “up and running” there were an awful lot of construction cranes and equipment in the area while we went right past it. Thankfully there was no delay at least!!The “new lock”–Olmstead Lock.Working on potential Halloween costumes. This skeleton mask was way better than the coconut bikini Colin made her.Colin was so excited to get out the “scratch off” map Mrs. Fraeyman, his first and second grade teacher, gave him to keep track of our trip. He scratched off Missouri and Kentucky (even though we wouldn’t technically step foot in Kentucky until the next day). Thanks for all the fun, Mrs. Fraeyman. The power teachers can have is just amazing…
After 146 miles, we finally made it to our anchorage shortly before dark. We pulled off to the side of the river, well out of the shipping channel, in a marked anchorage. This is not our favorite kind of anchorage–we prefer something more “tucked up a creek” and away from passing tow boats. Again, with AIS, the tows can see us and we were well out of the channel and safe. I actually even made Mike call a tow and ask him if we were in a safe spot to which the tow captain assured us we were. We couldn’t be too picky after making that big push to get off the Mississippi River.
Thanks for reading about this crazy stretch of our trip! We are thankful to be off the raging river and looking for some sunshine and warmth… We sure appreciate all of your support and encouragement!!
