Halloween, 2009

Another river entering the canal.

Carol in the lock.

At first, yesterday it seemed like a bad decision to stay overnight at Grand Harbor. The day started out warm, no rain, little wind, and cloudy. However, by afternoon the wind picked up and by late afternoon we had some pretty heavy rain and high wind. We were glad to be in a covered slip.

Today is another gray, cloudy, cool day. We are traveling with a group of loopers who were at the Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park. The first lock we came to today was Jamie Whitten Lock, an 84' drop. There were 11 pleasure boats in the lock. The lockmaster was holding the gates open for all of us. There were two boats already in the chamber who had passed the rest of us up earlier.

In a mere 6 miles, we all arrived at the second lock of the day. This lock is called Sonny Montgomery Lock, All 11 of us were again in the chamber together.

In a mere 6 miles, we all arrived at the third lock of the day. This lock is called John Rankin Lock. All 11 of us were again in the lock together.

We went to Midway Marina along with eight of the other boats. We spent 9 hours traveling today. The sun came out and warmed things up and by night time, there was a full moon. How appropriate for Halloween. We met a lot of interesting people and attended a Halloween Party at the marina. It was nice to run with a group of boats.

We spoke to our boat buddies in Aurora, Indiana, and to some of the family who were at a party at Mom's. We miss you all. See you at Christmas.

Thurs., Oct. 29, 2009

What a peaceful night we had anchored out by Kelley's Island. This was a great place to spend the night. The stars are amazing when the clouds go away and there are no city lights to interfere. We traveled all day in cloudy, gray, cool, rainy weather. Are you seeing a trend here? We passed an area called Williamson Pond Slough. It made us think and talk about Jim & Joyce Williamson (only good stuff).

We pushed onward because of the forecast. We had to wait 2 hours at Pickwick Locks because they have one side closed like Markland. We had to wait while they broke down barges. We had intended to stay at Pickwick State Park Marina, but they are 3 years into a renovation and have no docks. Apparently, the state pulled their funds after they had just begun renovation. So, we ended up going to Grand Harbor on Yellow Creek. It was just getting dark when we pulled in to fuel up. We are staying here tomorrow as well because of the weather. There are about 7 or 8 other looper boats here. Most of them have just come from the Rendezvous. We spent 12 hours traveling in the boat today. That's more than we would have liked, but we are in a safe place now to ride out the weather.

Unfortunately, we realized when we hooked up electric last night that we accidentally left our 50 amp splitter at Paris Landing 2 nights ago. We called them this morning and they did find it. She said she would try to send it to Aberdeen where we hope to be on Monday.

Wed., Oct. 28,2009

We left Paris Landing at 8:10 A.M. It's still really gray and cloudy, but not raining. It's about 55 degrees and no fog. We stopped at 5:00 P.M. and anchored out behind Kelley's Island. No, not the Kelley's Island in Lake Erie, the Kelley's Island in the Tennessee River (mile marker 142.8). It stayed cloudy, gray, and cool all day.

Once we were situated, we grilled out and enjoyed dinner on the back deck. Today was a long day running, but we hope to be in Aberdeen on Monday and the weather is supposed to get worse. They are calling for flash flooding, and the current already is extremely swift. Therefore, we are trying to put as many miles as we can behind us. So far, so good.

Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 26 & 27, 2009

Monday was spent at Green Turtle Bay. We cleaned the inside and outside of the boat and did a little laundry. We figured we might as well do any laundry we have, whenever we have the opportunity. After all of the work was done, we rented a golf car and went into Grand Rivers, Kentucky. We drove the golf cart all around the marina too. Green Turtle Bay has everything you could ever want. There's the marina, the beach, boat rentals, laundry, a store, a restaurant, an indoor pool, an exercise room, condos, fuel, golf carts.....The day was beautiful and perhaps we should have been traveling, but it was nice to sightsee on land.

Tuesday we left Green Turtle Bay at 8:15 A.M. in the rain. It was gray and rainy all day. After about 5 hour of straining to see buoys and day markers, we decided to stop. We docked at Paris Landing State Park in Buchanan, Tennessee. This harbor only charges .70 a foot with electric. We thought that was a pretty good bargain and we wouldn't be blowing around at anchor tonight. The park has a lodge with a buffet from 4:30 til 8:00 for dinner. We were told to call the rangers and they would come and pick us up and take us to the lodge. The ranger who came to get us (Ranger Davis) said he lives in the park and is on call 24/7, even Christmas and New Years.

We spoke to Gina who is sending us all of our accumulated mail. She is sending it to Aberdeen, where we expect to be on Monday. John is anxious to get his boating magazines. We are hoping that tomorrow will be sunny and dry. We would settle for just the dry part.

FYI

A few people have asked me to explain how to use the map in the laft hand column. First, click on "Seas 2 Day-Great Circle Trip under the picture. When the larger map comes up, drag the -sign down away from the + sign and closer to the bottom - sign (about 3/4 of the way down) to see all spots. Click on individual exclamation points to see notes about that stop. Zoom in for more detailed look or click on place name in left hand column. So far, that's all I know about it.

Sat. & Sun., Oct 24 &25

E-Town River Restaurant (our boat at dock)


Cave-In-Rock, Illinois

On Saturday, we passed through the John T. Myers Lock. The lockmaster had the doors ready and open for us. After the lock, we were in Illinois. We went past an island called Cincinnati Island. It made us feel at home even though we were 350 river miles away from home.

John and I were discussing the harbor we stayed in last night. John said, "Did you see the shower the guy was bragging about having a 55 gallon water heater? If I took a shower in there, I would have felt I needed a tetanus shot."

We passed a city called Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. It got its name because years ago, pirates hid in a cave in the side of the rock along the river and waited for boats to come along. They would jump out and rob them.

We stopped at a restaurant called E-Town River Restaurant. They have dock space for their customers and said we could stay there for the night. The restaurant was quite crowded and people who didn't know one another were sitting together because of lack of space. A conversation started among 3 or 4 tables that began with the question, "Who's boat is that out there?" When we said it was ours, they were interested in the trip and asked lots of questions about the practical aspects, like how to get mail, paying bills, watching TV .......

Saturday night we were able to get one TV channel and were able to watch the news. There was a story about a bunch (6 or 7) of barges that had been tied on the Cumberland River that got loose just below Smithland Locks and Dam. That's where we were headed the next day. It felt lucky that we were a day behind that kind of activity.



On Sunday morning, we left E-Town River Restaurant in light fog and cool temperatures. We locked through Smithland Locks without waiting. The Cumberland River is very close to the Smithland Lock, but you have to take a 5 mile detour around an island to stay in the channel to get there. We passed 1 barge almost immediately after turning up the Cumberland River and then did not pass another single boat the whole way until we reached the Barclay Lock, which again the lockmaster had the doors open and ready for us. However, after he closed the doors, the lockmaster informed us they were having an electrical issue and we would be delayed. It took about 1/2 hour for them to fix it and begin raising the water in the chamber.
We are at Green Turtle Bay and meeting some very nice people. This place is huge. It even has a brand new indoor pool. Tomorrow we plan on staying here and taking advantage of some of their amenities. So, til Tuesday, ........

Thurs. and Fri., Oct. 22nd & 23rd

Before we got started this morning, John had to figure out why the aft head wasn't pumping any water. Fortunately, it was just a kink in a hose. Oh that all of our problems could be solved so easliy. We got underway at 7:45 A.M., hoping to do 60 miles or so today. It was cloudy and mild and we are hoping to outrun the rain.



We went right into Cannelton Locks without a wait. We stopped at 6:00 P.M. and anchored out in front of Little Hurricane Island just past Owensboro, Kentucky. It rained and blew all night long. We tool turns monitoring the electronics so that we were sure our anchor was holding. we definitely didn't want to end up stuck on the island. In the end we traveld 100 miles on Thursday.

Friday morning we got underway at 8:00 A.M. We only have about 35 miles to go today. It was gray and ugly and raining when we left. The plan was to go to Nu Plaza Yacht Club in Evansville, Indiana at 797 mile marker. We needed to get fuel, do laundry, shop for a few things, and sleep, not necessarily in that order.

We went through Newburgh Locks at 9:45 A.M.; the locks were open and ready for us again. How nice is that? We arrived at Nu Plaza Yacht Club at noon. The man working there was very nice. We bought 146.8 gallons of diesel at $3.04 a gallon. That means we got 2 miles to the gallon, which isn't bad for a boat our size. If you buy 100 gallons or more of fuel, you get to stay overnight for free. They also have free laundry facilities, and a courtesy van. So, John took the van and went shopping and I started doing laundry. It felt good to get caught up.

OUR NEW FRONTIER

The Kentuckiana guy came back at 8:00 A.M. to finish working on the boat. He did a thorough job, even cleaned up after himself. We did another sea trial and then, finally, left Jeffersonville, Indiana at 10:30 A.M. We went right into McAlpine Lock with no waitng.

This stretch of the river is pretty and undeveloped. Today began the part of our trip where we have never been before. We ran 7 hours and passed 1 pontoon boat, 1 kayak, 1 fishing boat, and 2 runabouts. We anchored out at Upper Blue Island (the island, however, is gone) across from a noisy gravel plant. John contacted the first towboat after anchoring, to ask if we were out of the way. He told us that we were in a perfect place to spend the night. After running all day, John checked the engine room. His report was, "No runs, no drips, no errors. The thing is finally fixed."

We heard from Mike and Linda. They got through Markland last night at 9:30 P.M. and went on to Lighthouse Point Marina, arriving around 12:30 A.M. Unfortunately, they had to go back to work on Wednesday. "Sorry, Mike and Linda."

Anxious to get moving

Today Mike and Linda Luti left to go home. We are going to miss them. They are wonderful traveling companions. They made it to Markland Dam by 2:00, but the last we heard, they were still there waiting to get through (that was around 6:00).

The guy from Kentuckiana came back after noon to work on the boat. We went for a sea trial around 5:15, but there was transmission fluid on the floor of the engine room when we got back. They determined that the leak we knew about is fixed, but there are some worn out O rings that need to be replaced. Therefore, he is coming back again in the morning. Hopefully, we will be pulling out of here about 10:00.

This afternoon, a homeless guy opened our side door to the boat. John asked if he could help him. The guy asked if our boat is for sale? John told him, "No." He went on his merry way. That was a little scary.

Mon., Oct. 19, 2009

Today is a no travel day. Kentuckiana sent a man to work on the boat. He left around 11:00 A.M. because there were parts that needed to be reworked. Norm and Sue called and said they were going to be passing through on their way back to Florida and so Mike & Linda, and John & I met them for lunch. We had lunch at Sunny's which is right across the street from where the boat is docked. It was really nice to see Norm & Sue. So far this trip feels like a vacation. It doesn't seem like we are really retired. It is nice though to not have to worry about making sure the hours are covered at the store while we are traveling.

Hopefully, tomorrow they will have the boat back together and we can ease on down the river.

Fri., Sat., Sun

Mike, Linda, John, Carol, and Ed having breakfast at Lynn's. (Kyle took the picture) Crossed legs sticking out of the wall at Lynn's

Belle of Louisville (before her accident)

Friday we made the trip from Madison to Louisville. The docks right next to Tumbleweeds, are free and have 30 or 50 amp electric service. Shortly after we arrived, the police came down to welcome us and gave us some literature. Louisville's waterfront is wonderful. There are parks, walking trails, grills and picnic tables. They are building a bicycle/pedestrian bridge across an unused railroad bridge. There was a band right up on the hill behind our boat on Saturday morning. We took pictures of the Belle of Louisville on our way to our dock.

Saturday morning we walked into downtown and ate breakfast at a Coffee Shop. Ed & Kyle, and Donna & Dave came to visit us. We had happy hour at Tumbleweeds. While we were sitting there, a blurb came across the bottom of the TV screen that said the Belle of Louisville had been involved in an accident and was being towed back in. Later that night, we heard on the news that she hit a parked barge while turning around in the river and damaged the paddlewheel. They said the boat will be out of commission until spring.

Saturday night we went to King Fish on the Indiana side for dinner with Donna and Dave, and Ed and Kyle. We hugged Dave and Donna good-bye after dinner because they will be leaving early in the morning as they have tickets to the Bengal's game.

Sunday morning was a real treat. Donna Huber had recommended this restaurant called Lynn's in downtown Louisville. Lynn's was certainly something to see. The decor was unusual , to say the least. Very eclectic. The food was good, the company was better. After breakfast, Ed & Kyle left for home. It was so nice of our friends to come to visit us for the weekend before we continue on down towards Florida. We will definitely miss them.

After they left, we moved our boats, over to the Indiana side of the river to the Kentuckiana slips in preparation for them to work on our boat on Monday. We certainly hope the repairs go smoothly and quickly as we are anxious to get underway. It is great to have the Lutis along for a few more days. We really enjoy thier company and we always have a good time.

THE BIG ADVENTURE

The goal for Day 1 was to leave our harbor (Lghthouse Point Yacht Club) at 8:00 A.M. and get as far as the other side of Markland Dam. We were concerned that Markland might be a long delay because only the small chamber is operational. In reality, we left at 8:05 A.M.(not too bad) escorted by Mike and Linda Luti on Dustcutter who are going as far as Louisville with us.
We passed a barge immediately after leaving Loughery Creek. It was the only barge we saw between our home port and the dam.
Upon arriving at the dam, we were told there would be a 2 hour wait. We anchored and ate lunch and lazed around until it was time to lock through (2 1/2 hours). This was much better than we had anticipated. However, we've already had a malfunction. The generator made a squealing sound, quit running, and smelled like burnt rubber. It became important that we reach a marina with electric so we could have heat. We are spending the night at the Madison, Indiana marina. All in all, it was a good beginning, with the exception of the generator issue. The good news is: tomorrow we should be in Louisville and we can have the repairs done there.
JOHN'S NOTE: The water pump on the generator locked up causing the problem. We are going to get it fixed at Jefferson/KYS in Louisville when they do the work on the drive train.

Hip Hip Hooray!!!!

Sorry it has taken me so long to post. We did close our business on Wed., Sept. 30th as planned. What a relief! Since then it's been 12 hour days spent sorting, packing, hauling away, and then doing the same thing the next day. We had a surprise retirement party that was so much fun. We didn't want it to end.

We are on schedule to leave our harbor on Thursday, October 15th. First stop will be Louisville, KY where we will have some work done to the boat before going on.

We were sorry to hear that Billie's was broken into on Friday night, Oct. 10th. The Delhi police caught the guy within 2 hours. We feel bad for Amy and Glen, especially that it happened so soon after they bought the store.

Til next time.....