Tennessee: Densons Island Anchorage to Clifton

Day: 105
NM Today: 28
NM Total: 2174
Locks Today: 0
Locks Total: 82

We agreed with Ariel and Time Out to be ready to leave at 8:00 this morning.  The weather had other ideas.  We woke to pea soup and decided that it would not be prudent to venture out into the river until some of the fog cleared.

Too Foggy to See the River!

The fog played with us for about a half hour - looking like it was breaking up and then rolling back in heavier than ever.  Then, suddenly, it cleared  like magic and we were on our way.

We bought a Tennessee River Cruise Guide at Pebble Isle, and today as we traveled on the Tennessee River, I followed along landmark by landmark.  It made the trip a lot more interesting.  As we passed Lady Finger Bluff I read that legend has it that a pioneer woman jumped from the cliff's edge to avoid being captured by attacking Indians.

Lady Finger Bluff

Although not in the guide book, Clark became very excited at the first sight of houses along the river. It has been so long since we have seen one!  What we quickly noticed is that almost every house is raised - a sure sign of a flood zone!  Besides the houses we started to see lots of mobile / motor homes.  Our recent stays at marinas have been at locations with covered slips.  Like boat slips, the motor homes along this stretch of river also reside under cover.  Without the artificial shade created by a covered structure, it is just too hot here in summer months.

Signs of Civilization along the river

Look alike, raised houses along the river

The guide book pointed out that the scenery from here until the start of the Tennessee River consists of rock ledges along the river's edge made up mostly of gray limestone and shale.  Cedar trees and Cypress are prevalent in the area.  Due to the shallow and dry soil, cedar trees have no competition from other trees for clinging to the edges of the rocks.

Shale and Limestone Ledges along the river

Although not specific about what we would see when we got there, the guide book advised us to look out for the Mermaid Marina signage.

Anatomically Correct Mermaid
swimming along the river

We arrived at Clifton Marina in Clifton, Tennessee at 1300 hours.  We were the first to arrive of the 8 boats with reservations for the night.  The marina only advertises room for 7 transient boaters, so we are packed in here tonight.  After getting settled and helping Ariel and Time Out tie up when they docked shortly after us, we eventually made our way into town for a look around.

Mike from Time Out reserved the courtesy car for all three boats to get provisions.  The marina claimed that the vehicle seated 6 which we thought would be perfect.  When we left to walk up to the car, there were 6 people plus the dog Lucy from Ariel.  I believe we all envisioned a van and not the 5-seater car that we found in the parking lot.  Mike joked that the woman at the marina told him to remember the trunk for additional seating.  Perhaps she was serious?!  Corinne and Robert decided to walk Lucy into town.

Mike and Gail from Time Out climbed into the back seat.  As soon as we got in the car we immediately felt the heat.  The first thing we noticed when we started the car was the noise coming from the air conditioning.  I thought the car would blow up with the sounds coming out of the thing. We turned it off and opened the front windows but discovered that the back windows would not open.  Ventilation to remove the heat in the car was severely limited, so we started to make our way out of the parking lot to get a breeze going from the two front windows.

By the time we had driven the short distance to the exit for the marina, Clark noticed that the "low coolant" idiot light was on.  He wanted to stop and check the radiator immediately, but we convinced him to drive the 5 blocks into town first.  Mike pointed out that a bottle of coolant was sitting on the floor of the back seat, so we figured low coolant was a known issue.

Ironically, when we got into town we pulled over to the side into the parking lot of an abandoned business that used to be a service station.  Mike pulled off the radiator cap and discovered that it was full of fluid.  So, like the last courtesy car Clark and I borrowed, the idiot lights are not to be believed.  Even though Mike had reserved the car, he and Gail only planned on hitching a ride into Clifton itself and then letting us take the car to get provisions.  After checking the coolant level, Mike and Gail took off to go explore town.

I needed a few groceries - minimal really, and Clark was looking for a hard-to-find part for the propane tank connection.  We found out that the nearest stores for full provisioning were at least 20 miles away, and the only store claiming to sell the propane tank part was further than that.

I was convinced that if we tried to drive this wreck of a car 40 miles to buy groceries and parts, we would be very regretful later.  Either we would pass out in the heat or it would break down and leave us stranded in some remote part of Tennessee.  Since my only serious need was milk, we decided to have a look around Clifton and forget the trip to Savannah for supplies.

Downtown Clifton, TN

We managed to buy the milk I wanted as well as two rib-eye steaks and a bag of ginger snaps - all things on my short list for groceries at the Clifton General Store.  Since I was cranky about the time spent in the heat and dealing with the car, Clark bought me an ice cream cone to brighten my day!  After our shopping spree at the General Store, we drove the jalopy back to the marina, with Corinne and Gail in the backseat, to put our perishables in our refrigerators on our boats.  We left Mike and Robert to walk back with Lucy the dog.

After we returned the courtesy car and stowed our groceries, Clark and I took out our bicycles to ride back into town for exercise and explore more than the General Store.  Sadly the area is depressed and the town reflects that.  The hopping-est place in downtown turned out to be the general store which provides basic groceries, contains a butcher shop and also serves ice cream. We saw several stores with "interesting" hours of operation such as a bar open only Friday and Saturday nights,  a craft-type store open only on Saturdays, and a drug store that had different hours every day of the week and closed at 4:00 on Wednesday (we were there at 4:02).  I got the distinct feeling that many of the shop owners had a "real" day job elsewhere and operated their own businesses on nights or weekends only. On the edge of town we found the Dollar General Store which had the most cars of anywhere in town.  We didn't go in.

The view of the river from the highway going through town was impressive.  A memorial to service men and women who died for our country sits along the river's edge.

View of River from the Clifton Memorial Site
for deceased military personnel

The other impressive structure in town was an elaborate tree house including a slide and a trampoline for unique exits from the tree house.

Elaborate Tree House with Wrapped Porch,
a slide exit on one side and a trampoline on the other

A dedication stone in town boasts of the Clifton Restoration Project from 1995 to 2001 and lists the names of the mayor and other key town reps participating in the restoration project.  I don't know what happened at that time, but clearly, in 2015 the town is not doing well.  The grocery store burned down four years ago and has not been rebuilt.  Many vacant buildings show signs of now closed businesses, and the Jack Nicholas 18-hole golf course near town also closed a few years back and shows no signs of reopening.  Truly sad!

Tennessee: Densons Island Anchorage

Day: 104

NM Today: 27

NM Total: 2146

Locks Today: 0

Locks Total: 82

We enjoyed our stay at Pebble isle Marina very much.  The day started today with fresh-baked complimentary cinnamon rolls provided by the marina that were absolutely delicious!  Free coffee was also provided but neither Clark nor I drink coffee.

Pebble Isle Marina reflections

PIC 2306 – Pebble Isle Marina

Before leaving Pebble Isle Marina, Clark and I decided to take the bicycles out for a tour of the neighboring Johnsonville State Historic Park.  I found the history of the area very interesting including the importance of the area to the Civil War as a Union army supply depot for General Sherman’s “March to the Sea”.  In 1864 Confederate General Nathan Forrest destroyed the supply base and the defending gunboat flotilla as well.  Per the information at the park, this event is the only record of a naval force being engaged and defeated by a cavalry force.  In all Forrest’s forces sank 33 Union vessels, destroyed two trains, and burned six million dollars’ worth of supplies. 

Johmsonville State Historic Park

Lookout over Tennessee River
from the Johnsonville State Park

Civil War Earthworks -- Rifle Pit

Canon for Guarding the River

Besides the civil war history lesson we learned that the entire town of Johnsonville ceased to exist in 1945.  For a hundred years the town was home to many families, but the area suffered severe flooding from the Tennessee River.  The TVA purchased the land including all farm lands, factories, and residential areas and all inhabitants were relocated.  Dams were constructed, and Kentucky Lake now sits where the town once stood.

The Tennessee River Cruise Guide points out that as we cruise the river, we travel over the remains of all those sunk Union vessels as well as whatever remains of those farms, factories, and houses that were vacated when Kentucky Lake was created.  At the restaurant last night (Clark and I had ice cream cones for dessert) we heard one lost anchor story that is relevant to this subject. 

A boater doing the loop put his anchor down in a recommended anchorage, but when it came time to pull up the anchor he could not bring the anchor up.  He had to mark and cut the anchor line to leave the anchor behind.  The boater hired a diver to go down to retrieve the anchor.  The diver failed to retrieve the anchor, but instead, as he searched under water he found old farm equipment.   Old roads, foundations of demolished homes, and who knows what else all lie beneath Kentucky Lake.

We left Pebble Isle Marina around 10:30 and traveled with two other Mainships – Ariel and Time Out whom we have known since the Trent-Severn Canal in Canada.  We reached our destination around 3:00 and anchored together in Densons Island anchorage.  As we pulled into the anchorage we noticed several Cypress trees whose roots are visible above the waterline. 

Typical River Scene --
note cypress tree roots showing above the water

3 Mainships in a Row
Densons Island anchorage
on the Tennessee River

Robert and Corinne from Ariel like to row so they pulled out their modified stand-up paddle-board rowing equipment.  When Corinne came by our boat, she convinced Clark he should pull out his kayak.  He joined them on the water for some exploration of the area as well as conversation off the back of their boat.  I stayed on Sea Moss and did some much needed window cleaning.  Between the panels on the full enclosure on the upper helm and the cabin windows, I had some pretty dirty water to dispose of when I was done.

We are all heading for the same marina tomorrow night and expect to travel together for a couple of days until we part ways as we continue on the Tennessee River to the AGLCA Rendezvous, and they turn onto the Tenn-Tom waterway to continue on their way towards Mobile, Alabama.

NOTE: Regarding yesterday’s bridge to nowhere and the abandoned building.  I read in a guide book that the partial bridge is all that remains of the L&N railroad bridge, and the abandoned building was used for shipping grain on the Tennessee River before the Kentucky Dam was built.  Apparently the building was so well built that attempts to destroy it failed, so officials decided to leave it standing.

Tennessee: New Johnsonville - Pebble Isle Marina

Day: 103
NM Today: 30
NM Total: 2119
Locks Today: 0
Locks Total: 82

After so many days of overcast skies and a chill in the air, the sun finally came out today.  The temperature rose from 55 Saturday to a high of 85 today.  We left the anchorage at 9:45 - a nice civilized time of day - with Palmetto Paradise and Penny Pinchin' exiting the anchorage shortly afterwards.  As we motored along we could hear the two of them discussing the beauty of the Tennessee River.

Cypress Creek Anchorage in sunlight

 From my point of view, the scenery on the trip down the Tennessee River today was, for the most part, 'more of the same'.  The water is cleaner and lacks the heavy barge traffic making it much prettier than the Mississippi, but after a while one tree looks like all the others.  Every once in a while we see something out of the ordinary like the bridge to nowhere that we passed today.

Bridge to Nowhere and Ferry nearby

Then, next to the bridge to nowhere, we saw this dilapidated building which had no obvious use or access to land other than by boat.

Dilapidated Building on the Tennessee River

We traveled into the sun with no breeze to speak of, so that 80 something degrees felt so much hotter. When I took over the helm for Clark so he could change to cooler clothing, I could feel the sun baking my skin.  We both started out this morning in jeans and regretted that fashion decision in very short order.  As soon as he came back to steer the boat, it was my turn to change into shorts.

We decided on Pebble Isle Marina as our destination for today.  We were not alone in this decision. When we pulled up to the dock, multiple looper boats were here before us.  More showed up after us. One person mentioned that it was "like a looper convention" on the transient dock.  We saw familiar faces, Ariel, Time Out, Tika, Sweet Sensations, Plane to Sea, and many vessels that we had not seen previously.

When we checked in at the marina office, we found that they keep a log book for loopers to sign into with the date they passed through the area.  I flipped through the last couple of pages and was amazed at how many vessel names I recognized.  We looked for a couple of names such as Harmony and saw that they are many days ahead of us in their travels.

After we checked in, I met the owner of Sweet Sensations whom I had not met before.  However, I had seen his boat when we anchored in Little Diversion and saw their catamaran boat there.  As we talked today, I learned that he and his wife are from Trinidad doing the loop.  They have been on the loop for 11 months.

We saw Palmetto Paradise briefly at Pebble Isle as they pulled in to refuel before continuing south on the river.  Although they originally planned to stay here, Penny Pinchin' decided to continue on without stopping.  Palmetto Paradise is on their way to Chattanooga, and  Penny Pinchin' is in a hurry to get home to Alabama.

On our transient dock Clark met a looper couple that started their voyage yesterday, so they are on day 2 of their trip.  We also met two couples traveling together (on two boats) from Wisconsin.  I chatted for a while with a couple from Maine on the smallest looper boat I have seen on the trip thus far called Laughing Gull.  It is a very small tug-style vessel. They left from Troy, New York in August and have been hurrying to catch up with the looper schedule ever since.  Given the number of looper boats at this marina, I would say they did a bang up job of catching up!

When we docked, a man from the boat next to us helped grab our lines.  He and his wife are from Toronto, Canada.  We chatted for a while after we got tied up, and they graciously offered to share the courtesy car with us for a trip to Walmart.  Given we were desperate for produce, we took him up on the offer.  He had the car reserved for 3:00 and by the time we had docked it was already after 2:00, so we hurried around to get our stuff together so we could join them on the ride out.

The road out of the marina is real twisty turny, and it is a long distance to get to anything of interest. We had thought of staying an extra day to go see a nearby state park and some historic sites, but given what we saw using the courtesy car, we have changed our minds and plan to move on to another location tomorrow -- most likely an anchorage.  Some of the other boaters here are "in the same boat" that we are in that they are traveling slowly for the next week to kill time before the start of the AGLCA "looper" Rendezvous.

Kentucky: Ken Lake State Park to Cypress Creek Anchorage

Day: 102

NM Today: 18

NM Total: 2089

Locks Today: 0

Locks Total: 82

Due to the weather still being overcast and our next destination only a few miles away, we were in no hurry to leave Ken Lake State Park today.  We toyed with the idea of exploring the park, but ultimately decided we would not see too much of interest if we did.  We ended up spending quite a bit of time in the marina office as Captain Clark talked to the locals about where to go and where not to go for anchorages. 

Two seasoned fishermen plus the two men running the marina advised us against the anchorage we had targeted in our plans.  They told us that anchorages on the east side of the Tennessee are to be avoided due to heavy biting fly problems whereas anchorages on the west side do not have that issue.  Once again our “best-laid plans” went by the wayside as our selected anchorage was on the east side of the river.  They recommended Cypress Creek Anchorage as having no biting flies and being well-protected from every wind except one directly from the south.  We revised our plans to have Cypress Creek as our next destination.

We set out from Ken Lake just before 1300 hours.  As we travel down the Tennessee River now, we are following along beside the Land Between the Lakes Recreational area that we visited by car while in Grand Rivers, Kentucky.  The landscape is mostly the same with lots of trees along the water and an occasional bluff thrown in for added character.

Bluffs on Tennessee River

 Because we are trying to kill time between now and our AGLCA Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park, we are taking short hops each day.  Our trip today was only 2.5 hours long.  We arrived at our destination at 3:45.  Although the weatherman promised sun at Ken Lake by 3:00, we had traveled south and the sun was not expected to make an appearance until after 4:00.  With a cool breeze as we traveled sometimes I felt downright cold!

The anchorage at Cypress Creek is also known as Fort Heiman Anchorage because it is the site of the “forgotten” Confederate fort -- Fort Heiman, which was established in 1862 and strategically placed to protect Fort Henry located across the Tennessee River.   Before completion of the fort, however, Ulysses S. Grant came on the scene, and the fort was abandoned by the confederate troops.  Union troops occupied the fort for one year before they too abandoned it.   Later, in 1864, confederate troops reoccupied the fort and used the site to capture a union steamboat and make raids on union forces. By reading a bit about Fort Heiman, I learned that Fort Henry is now under what is called Kentucky Lake, but the entrenchments built at Fort Heiman can still be seen today and are considered a very good example of Civil War earthworks.

When we arrived at Cypress Creek / Fort Heiman Anchorage, no one else was there so we had the place to ourselves.  We found a nice little spot and dropped anchor.  

Entrance to Cypress Creek Anchorage
on the Tennessee River

Having just settled in, we noticed two boats coming in to join us in the anchorage.  Both vessels proudly displayed AGLCA “looper” flags, so Clark pulled out the binoculars to check out our company for the night.  The first boat he spotted was Penny Pinchin’ whom we met at Green Turtle Bay; the second I recognized even without binocs as our friends on Palmetto Paradise whom we met way back on the Trent-Severn in Canada.  What a pleasant surprise, and to think we (Clark and I) ended up here basically by accident!

Penny Pinchin' and Palmetto Paradise
Rafted up in Cypress Creek / Fort Heiman Anchorage

Shortly after they got themselves settled into the anchorage, Dave from Penny Pinchin’ came over in his dinghy to invite us to come over for hors d’oeuvres and dinner later.  He even offered chauffeur service so we would not have to launch our dinghy to join them.   How could we refuse a great offer like that?!  We jumped at it and said, “YES!”

Clark has noticed that one engine appears to be running hotter than the other, so he is a bit concerned as to whether it is the sign of a bigger problem planning to announce itself later.  He checked the engines carefully in the boat after we anchored and then decided he needed to dive under the boat to take a look around to check the props and rudder for any problems not visible from above water.  He aimed his thermometer at the water for a reading, and it came back as 68 degrees. 

Clark was just in the process of getting into his wet suit for the dive under when Dave came over with the invite.   As he got himself ready to go in the water, I set to making a dish to bring over with us to share for our impromptu pot luck dinner.  When he surfaced from his dive, Clark was pleased to report after his check of the boat bottom that nothing appeared to be amiss down there. 

As a bonus, Clark even got a shower out of the deal as, after he stripped off his wet suit, he decided to soap up and shower off!   He was, however, chased from the quick shower at the stern of the boat into the “real” shower in the bathroom by vicious biting insects resembling over-sized mosquitoes who thought a wet, soapy Clark was a tasty treat.  Still covered in shampoo and soap, he ran through the cabin quickly to change venues and complete his rinsing off. 

Fairly close to the 5:00 invite time we called Penny Pinchin’ on the VHF radio and said we were ready to be picked up.  We left the boat a mess with wet suits, weights, and towels strewn around and drying.  We figured we could deal with the mess when we got back on board.  As promised Dave appeared shortly thereafter to ferry us over to Palmetto Paradise who hosted the pot luck get together. 

We enjoyed great food and wonderful conversation until it got to be just after sunset.  I needed to get back to the boat while I could still see to get out of the dinghy and onto the one-foot square piece of swim platform I have to land on!  

Sun setting at Cypress Creek

The good news is that Clark and I discovered that the three of us are all headed for the same state park marina tomorrow, so we will see them again real soon.  Clark was happy to hear, when he asked what time they planned to leave, “Not early!” as the answer.  Looks like we may be joining a caravan for the trip tomorrow!

Kentucky: Ken Lake State Park

Day: 101
NM Today: 20
NM Total: 2071
Locks Today: 0
Locks Total: 82

Last night, just as I finished cooking dinner, the propane tank on the boat ran out of fuel.  Timing could not have been better.  At least the meal preparation was done when it ran out as opposed to mid-preparation.  So, today, before we left Green Turtle Bay Marina, we needed to refill the tank figuring that it would be easier in Grand Rivers than it would be further down river.  After a couple of mis-directions, we were told that we could get our tank refilled at Shop-O-Rama - a 20 minute drive away.  Well that is just fine when walking or bicycles comprise your main means of transportation.

Without much hope of success, we stopped into the marina to see if they had a courtesy car available for use.   They said we could have a car at 10:30.  Hmmm!  We needed to checkout today, so we asked about checkout time, and the dock master told us not to worry about it and go get our propane.  Since it was only 9:20 or so when we signed up for the car, we went back to the boat to eat breakfast and hang out for a bit before coming back for the car.

I found Shop-O-Rama interesting as it is a hardware store, boot / shoe store, clothing store, and general store all wrapped up in a store space about 1/4 the size of a normal Home Depot.  The dock master told us that even though we did not need the car for the two-hour time limit, we may end up keeping it that long to explore all the nooks and crannies of the store.

The good news was that we got our propane tank refilled.  The bad news was that I ended up finding things to buy in Shop-O-Rama that I had not planned on buying.  Also, as part of the propane tank refill, Clark decided we needed to replace the O ring for the valve.  We ended up buying an $8 propane tank fixture just to cannibalize it for the $.75 O ring.  At least we were able to acquire the necessary part without running around the countryside looking for it.

When we made our turn out of Shop-O-Rama, we saw a police car poised like a patrol car in a speed trap.  Upon closer examination it turned out to be an antique police car with political advertising for a circuit judge.

Old-time Police Car across the street from the Shop-a-rama

We returned the courtesy car well within the two-hour required timeline.  After eating lunch, we finally pulled in our lines and fenders and headed out for our next destination.  As we pulled away from the dock, we took one last picture of our friends' boat - Sea Horse - that was just a couple of slips down from ours during our stay at Green Turtle Bay Marina.

Sea Horse at GTB Slip

Our plans indicated that we look for an anchorage for tonight.  We had two anchorages that we wanted to peak at before finally dropping anchor in yet a third anchorage for the night.  The first of these three is a place called Pisgah Bay.  On weekends in warmer weather, this anchorage is "the place to be" and is packed with partying boaters playing loud music.

We had trouble finding our way into the anchorage until I pulled up Active Captain as the water depth into the anchorage area went from deep to very shallow in no time flat.  One second the depth finder showed 30 feet and the next it showed 3.6'.  Without careful guidance, finding the channel through the unmarked entryway appeared to be nearly impossible. The  Pisgah Bay party area is a rock quarry.  Once we got into the quarry, the water depth registered over 100 feet deep.  

Pisgah Bay - Quarry Anchorage

 Graffiti covers the rock face all over the quarry.

Example of Graffiti in Pisgah Bay Quarry

We had only come for a look since we had heard about the graffiti in the quarry, and so we turned around to find our way out of the anchorage.  Getting out seemed infinitely easier than coming in.  The main reason for this was that, although we did not know it at the time, the proper spot to come into the anchorage was blocked by a fishing boat when we attempted our entry.  By the time we left he was gone and we could follow the channel out.

Our next spot that we wanted to explore was Sugar Bay anchorage.  When we went to Land Between the Lakes Park, we drove by Sugar Bay.  We thought it would be interesting to see it from the water side.  Well, by the time we got to Sugar Bay, the weather convinced us not to bother.  With no sun to be found in the sky, a temperature of just over 50 degrees, and a cold breeze blowing, we were getting pretty cold and miserable.   When Clark pointed and said, "There's Sugar Bay", I just grunted and gave a quick glance.  We kept going.

By this time, I was not looking forward to spending the night in an anchorage.  To have heat we would need to run the generator all night long.  Without heat we were looking at overnight temperatures in the 40's outside and perhaps even inside the boat as well.  As I tried to figure out how I was going to stay warm during the night, Clark was redesigning our travel plans to take us to a marina for the night.

So, instead of an anchorage, we traveled to Ken Lake State Park where we could tie up for the night at Ken Lake Marina with cable TV, water, and electric.  No showers but they do have working toilets! When we tied up at the dock, just before 1600 hours, we were greeted by a cold drizzle to add to the rest of the miserable weather.  Boy was I glad we were not sitting out in an anchorage.  Other than the trip to the head, we have shut ourselves in the boat with both the heat and the TV on!

Ken Lake State Park was our second stop on our way to Joe Wheeler, so one day out and we have already messed up our careful travel plans.  One thing we have learned on this trip is that the weather requires flexibility in any travel plan.  The forecast for tomorrow's weather is promising some warmth.  I certainly hope so!

Kentucky: Grand Rivers (Day 7)

Day: 100
No boat travel

We have not seen much sun to speak of in Grand Rivers, Kentucky and today was no exception to that rule.  Besides being overcast all day, it was in the 60s with a cold breeze.  It did not rain, so that at least was a blessing.

Today's agenda amounted to bicycle riding into town to explore plus restock some groceries.  As I mentioned in yesterday's block, it is quite hilly here, and right off the bat we had a serious hill to climb to get up and away from the marina.  My bike was in the wrong gear and refused to budge, so I had to stop and then change the gear to the lowest gear to help get up the hill. It was bad enough with momentum, but after stopping it was even more of a challenge, but I made it to the top.

Just before entering town a sweet shop sits near the street corner.  Before the cook retired she put on multi-course German meals with all the trimmings and desserts.  Apparently she was quite popular.  She is retired from that business now and only bakes to order, i.e. order a pie early in day and pick up later in the day sort of thing.  We were not in the market for a pie today, but I asked if she could make me some soft, chewy peanut butter cookies.  We placed and paid for our order and then continued on our site seeing tour of town.

As our first stop on our tour of town we chose to explore Patti's 1880's Settlement - almost like a town within a town providing two restaurants and a cafe, a mini-golf course, some trinket and souvenir shops, clothing stores, and our favorite - the ice cream parlor.

Patti's 1880's Settlement

Walking my bike through the settlement

We saw a sign that prohibited bike riding, so we walked our bikes all through the settlement.  At one point Clark drew my attention to a store  "Little Lamb" selling baby and children's clothing.  I went in to see if they had any goodies for my future grandchild.  The clothing appeared to be of good quality, but I saw nothing uniquely related to the settlement or even the general vicinity of the store, and so I came away empty handed.

As we strolled around we saw some old farm equipment and home-made furniture on display.  We noticed a set of trees with major wind chimes hanging up in them.  We also saw the unique birdhouses shown in the picture below.  My favorite is the second from the right labeled Patti's Chapel complete with windows designed to look like stained-glass windows.

Unique Bird Houses

A few animals are on the property.  We saw numerous cats, a cage containing rabbits, and a few fowl like the one below name Tom-Tom.  As we watched, a rooster smaller than 1/4th the size of this turkey managed to chase the turkey to the opposite side of the pen by repeatedly attacking him with his claws.  No wonder Tom-Tom was skittish after that.

Shy Turkey named Tom-Tom
refused to pose nicely for the camera

Before leaving the premises, we stuck our noses into the ice cream shop to find out what they had besides the Vanilla flavor of the week.  We discovered two flavors of sherbet, vanilla, chocolate, mint and mystery ice cream.  The sales person had no idea what flavor the ice cream might be.  We told the clerk we would potentially be back later after eating lunch, and we set out to explore some more.

Ice Cream Parlor
Flavor of the Week - Vanilla

The only problem was that now I smelled all the goodies in the ice cream shoppe I decided I was pretty darn hungry.  My watch said "noon" so I figured I was justified in being hungry.  Clark's apparent plan was to return to the boat, have me make lunch, and then come back to town.  I nixed that idea and said let's look for something to eat in town instead of mucking about with the back and forth.  We used the street sign to help us decide where to go.

 

On the right side, ten items down in the list, we found "Lite Side Cafe & Bakery"  3/10 mile south, so we headed there.  Our fall back plan was the Village Market and Cafe right in town.  We found the restaurant at the top of a hill on the way out of town.  The inside of the restaurant smelled like cigarette smoke, so even though it was quite chilly, we opted to sit and eat outdoors.  I find the smell of old cigarette smoke to be most displeasing.

The homemade, fresh sourdough roll that my turkey and cranberry sandwich was served on was "to die for".  It was melt-in-your-mouth soft and sweet.  No wonder they make the TripAdvisor list of places to go!

After finishing our yummy lunch, we rode back into town to see what else we could find.  Clark knew of a lighthouse nearby, so that became our next destination.  We rode past the Badgett Playhouse where we have tickets to see their variety show.

Friday Night Performance
Variety!  Music, Memories, and More!

 After taking a few photos of the theater for the night, we crossed the road and traveled down Commerce Street to Kentucky Lake.

Lighthouse Landing Marina & Resort
on Kentucky Lake
(lighthouse is real)

Spying on Kentucky Lake through the leaves. Shhhh!

Fishing by the lighthouse -
fisherman and fisher bird (Heron) sit waiting for the catch of the day
by the lighthouse

A week ago, when we traveled down the Ohio River, we opted to avoid the Kentucky Lock when we traveled to Green Turtle Bay Marina to minimize travel delays  As we stood at then end of a long pier on Kentucky Lake, we could see the Kentucky Lock and a barge waiting for a trip through.

Barge sitting with its load outside Kentucky Lock

Closer view of Kentucky Lock

 Although Lighthouse Landing referred to itself as a "resort", they could not hold a candle to Green Turtle Bay.  Our last photo of Lighthouse Landing included a picutre of the cliffs below (the white cliffs of Grand Rivers?).  We could not decide what rock this wall is made from, but it did look to be eroding over time.  The picture does not show it well, but there are houses up there on top of the cliffs.

As we rode towards the marina exit a younger man walked by with his wife and said, "Hey!  I know you.  We talked last night."  It turned out to be the real estate agents that I talked to last night at the Looper BBQ at length.  We had another long chat about sailboats versus trawlers / power boats. They are not currently on the loop but want to be next year or some time in the near future.

Next stop, groceries.  Many folks have told us what a "nice little grocery" they have here in town.  In my opinion it provides most essentials, but quality seems to be a little lacking.  My fridge is basically bare when it comes to vegetables.  Shopping at the Village Market did not help that situation.  The cherry tomatoes had started to "prune up".  One fruit pie I saw clearly had mold on top.  I bought most of what I needed but looked at expiration dates carefully before selecting an item off the shelf.

After food shopping, I packed our backpacks full of our purchases for the trip back to the boat.  Before heading out of town, however, we decided to head to the ice cream shop for the ice cream we passed on earlier in the day, so back to Patti's Settlement we went!  I decided I had to taste the mystery flavor to see if I could guess it.  Sadly the mystery flavor turned out to be coffee ice cream and I hate coffee ice cream.  I ordered a vanilla in a waffle cone - hey - flavor of the week choice, and it turned out to be a good one for me.  Clark ordered both vanilla and rainbow sherbet in a waffle cone.  The sales person asked us how we could stand eating ice cream on such a cold day, and we told him any day is a good day for ice cream.

Our backpacks full, our bellies full, we headed out of Patti's for the ride back to the boat.  But first, we had to stop to pick up my peanut butter cookies I ordered.  Clark had paid upon ordering, so all I had to do was retrieve the cookies.  She made a baker's dozen but the last cookie broke.  She had that one on a plate for taste testing for me to try with the offer that if I did not like the cookies she would give me my money back.  I tasted, I liked, I took!  I had just enough room in my backpack for my box full of homemade cookies, so I slid them in and we took off for the boat.

There is one good thing I can say about riding a bike on hills - downhill is great!  The steep hill we had to climb to go into town from the marina was now a sweet downhill ride back to the boat.  Since my accident last year I have been very cautious on speed with my bike, but today I could not resist keeping my hands off the brakes and just "going for it".  It felt great and the momentum was good to get me most of the way up the final hill into the marina!

When we got back to the boat, I unpacked the backpacks and sat down to work on my blog.  Clark went out to check on the golf cart rental and look for his missing package to see if it had arrived yet.  He finally came back a very long while later with no package in hand but with a golf cart ready for our trip into town "in style" later.

The time got away from me and all of a sudden I had to throw food together for supper in a hurry to make it to meet our friends on Jammin Jane for our trip to town for the show.  The only down side of our trip to the show was that just before we planned to leave it started to rain, which made the seats all wet for us to sit on.  On the other hand, it gave us a great, full-sky rainbow to appreciate.

Full-sky rainbow over the marina

We piled into the golf cart and started on our way.  It did not take long for us to start making jokes about the golf cart speed into town.  Clark assured us that we could have biked faster even though he had the pedal all the way to the floor.  Ben helped the golf cart up a hill by saying, "I think I can. I think I can."

The show was excellent.  Ben and Jane got popcorn and drinks.  Although we bought our tickets separately, fate was kind and we were able to sit next to each other during the show.  As we looked around the theater, we saw other loopers who had decided to take advantage of the entertainment.  We saw Palmetto Paradise, No Zip Code, Ariel, and Time Out to name a few.  

The Variety show was just that "variety".  The music they represented covered everything from Big Band to Gospel to Country to Disco to just about anything else imaginable.  Besides the regular cast of the show, they called Natasha Neely Henry up on stage and extended the show by a few minutes to have her and her husband join in the singing.  The show also included an attempt to stump Terry Mike Jeffrey who is an Elvis expert.  The audience came close but ultimately failed as he was able to play the tune requested.

When the show ended, and we exited to get our golf cart, we realized that as far as we could tell, all the other loopers who attended the show had walked!  With the chill in the air I believe that walking would have been considerably warmer than our open-air ride.  Still, I am glad we used the golf cart.  It was definitely fun to ride in it.  Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the evening.  It was well worth the price of admission plus the expense of staying at the marina an extra night just to see the show.

Tomorrow morning we pull out of this marina to continue our journey south.  We've stayed here for more than a week and greatly enjoyed the time spent with fellow loopers, but it is time to move on.  Our next stop is an anchorage so a blog entry may or  may not happen depending on cell service.

Kentucky: Grand Rivers (Days 5 & 6)

Days: 98 - 99
No Boat Travel

A large portion of the day yesterday (9/30) and today (10/1) was spent on chores of one sort or another.  Clark worked on cleaning the boat -- tackling a portion each day as it was so filthy with dirt, dead bugs, and spider webs and droppings.  I defrosted the refrigerator, got a haircut, did some repair-type sewing, ...

Although we have been at the Green Turtle Bay Marina for six days already, we have been busy running around seeing the sites or doing chores.  When we first arrived here, the weather was in the 80s and hot and humid.  Today the temperature reached a high of 67 with a cool / cold breeze blowing.  Since arriving, we have had an agenda item to tour the marina facilities. With the cooler weather providing ideal biking conditions, at 3:00 this afternoon, we finally managed to get out on our bikes and enjoy ourselves for a bit.

We started our tour of the marina on foot because the path to the beach clearly specifies golf cart and foot traffic only.  Bikes unfortunately do not fit into either category.

View of Barkley Lake / Cumberland River from
Green Turtle Bay Marina

As we walked back towards the boat, we passed a trail off to our right that went past a pond and beyond.  Clark suggested we stroll that way and see where it took us.  What we found surprised us and made me a little sad.   Clark noticed it first - a gravestone at the top of the hill overlooking the lake, and then as we walked, we saw more and more neglected headstones covered by the brush and weeds.  What made me sad specifically was the number of headstones for children who died at a very young ages.  For example, I saw one for a child that died at birth.   I saw another that indicated the child had lived only 14 months and another of a young girl who died at the age of 11.  Of course we also found stones for folks who lived to older ages, but I found the stones for the youths to be especially poignant.  All of the stones I saw had dates in the late 1800s to around 1906 or so.

Old Overgrown Cemetery 

We moved on to a cheerier portion of our exploration as we toured the remainder of the complex by bicycle.  Green Turtle Bay has been around for a while as one can tell by looking at the old ad signs posted in various buildings around the complex.  Here are a couple of examples.

Don't those ads just make you want to bring your boat right on down to GTB?!

Green Turtle Bay has several slip areas.  I thought I was on the remote outpost being on Pier 6 until I met folks with their boat on Pier 8 who clocked their distance to the main office at 2 miles.  Then later still I met folks with a boat on Pier 12 who said that they are 5 miles from the main office.  Geez that makes my 1/2 mile round trip feel like nothing at all.  The folks at the 5-mile mark had ridden over to the "head" using a golf cart.  I wonder if the marina has one there specifically for that purpose.

View of Green Turtle Bay Marina
from Pier 8 area

As we rode around, we found the size of the complex to be just amazing as it stretched in every direction and provided every conceivable amenity one might look for in a marina - docks (obviously), dry / stack racks, boat repair facilities, a ship's store for boat supplies, boat rentals, pools (both indoor and outdoor varieties), tennis court, multiple playgrounds, a covered and an open chapel for services on Sundays during the summer months, condos for rent, a spa facility, and two restaurants.  The services are so extensive I am certain I have forgotten a number of services they offer here.

A number of condos are located on the property.  Some are more remotely located, others are next to the tennis court and outdoor pool, and still more are over by the boat rental building.  The terrain is hilly here, so we got a decent workout on our bikes checking out all the nooks and crannies of the grounds. Because so many services are available, but are spread out over a bit of a distance, golf carts are popular here.  We even saw that the maids providing laundry service to the condos go door to door with their linens on golf carts.  Way too cool!

Golf Cart used for laundry service to condos

Golf carts are available for rent on the grounds.  Street signs are posted in the town of Grand Rivers stating that only licensed drivers can drive them on the streets in town.  We have reserved one to rent for tomorrow to go see a "Branson-style" Variety show at a local theater.   I am looking forward to the golf cart ride into town just about as much as the variety show - that's the little kid in me that wants the fun ride to town.

As we rode around the complex we came to the ship's store where Clark inquired about any packages he might have received.  He happily came away with a bundle containing all our regular mail for the past couple of weeks.  He was told that if anything came to us via USPS it would be at the main office, so we stopped there as well and received a second package containing a chart book for the west coast of Florida.  We have one more package we are expecting for the chart book of the east coast of Florida.  We only hope it arrives before we leave, but we are running out of time for it to get here before we move onward.

After our exploration, and with packages in hand, we made our way back to the boat to prepare for this evening's festivities.  The marina held a "Looper Q" free barbecue  to show all the AGLCA loopers how much they appreciate our business.  The menu was pulled pork, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, green salad, dessert, and soda / water -- a great menu unless you are like Clark - cannot eat pork and will not eat baked beans.  Although he could not eat a large portion of the food, we both enjoyed the company and conversation of fellow loopers.

Covered Tent Event - Looper Q 

As the couples came into the tent, a lot of us paused to get our photos taken with the pig.

Getting Ready to Chow Down
at the Barbecue for Loopers

 Entertainment was provided for the feast in the form of a boat broker who plays guitar and is learning to play fiddle.  He played one fiddle song for us that he had written about Loopers.  All I will say about that is that he needs more practice with that particular instrument.

Our home-grown entertainment for the night

We have met many lovely people from all over the country and made some great friends on this trip.  To name a few ...

Boaters from Sea Horse, Always Home, Bamma Dream, and Sea Moss

We have even enjoyed the company of boaters traveling the loop from New Zealand and Australia.

Boaters from Jammin Jane, Knot Sew Easy,
and  Movin' On (from Australia)

The BBQ event started at 4:30 and officially ended at 6:30.  We enjoyed the company and conversation so much that we did not leave until almost 8:00.  Some folks are heading out of the marina tomorrow that we may never see again.  Some have completed their loop like Sea Horse; others like Bamma Dream will complete their journey shortly when they return to Alabama.  Yet another couple on Penny Pinchin is leaving here to head to Mobile, Alabama as fast as they can get there with plans to complete the loop there, sell their boat, sell their current 3/4 ton truck and fifth wheel mobile home, and drive to Indiana to buy a new, larger Fifth Wheel and requisite one-ton truck to go with it. Another couple is leaving here tomorrow by car for an unexpected trip to North Carolina as Hurricane Joaquin is currently threatening their home there.

Staying at Green Turtle Bay for as long as we have allowed some looper boats to catch up to us like Palmetto Paradise who arrived today and whom we have not seen since somewhere on Georgian Bay in Canada.   Although we part ways with some folks, we know we will once again see others who, like us, continue on with their journey.

After the BBQ, we walked over to the "head" (bathrooms) before going back to our boat.  It was full dark due to the time, and cloud cover precluded moonlight to light the way for us.  Always handy with the camera, Clark snapped a couple of pictures of our Pier 6 docking area as we approached the boat.

Pier 6 from a distance
(the red light in front that looks like a G is a 6)

To light our way once we get on the dock, string lights in a variety of colors have been strung over the beams of the covered pier all the way from the first slip to the last making a rather pretty tunnel of lights.

Pier 6 "runway" of lights

Weather permitting, tomorrow (our final day at Grand Rivers) has a bike ride to town for groceries on the agenda plus the golf cart ride into town to see the "Branson-style" variety show.