Rolling on the River

 Two barges passed each other behind us on the river this morning.

Anne and Murff took the day off the boat today.  They visited Shiloh and ate lunch at the Catfish Hotel.  Then they rejoined us in the afternoon.

We left Cuba Landing at 9:00 am and headed further south about 43 miles.  It was a beautiful day.  We had glassy water and no trouble all day.  We did meet a few barges, but there was no drama all day. Here are a few photos of the land beside the river.

These white cliffs come straight down to the water. 

I wonder how the round earth discs were shaped by erosion.

Around 2:30 pm we pulled into Clifton Marina.  There are several other loopers here.  We hosed off Aunt Aggie immediately because once again we had lots of spider poop.  And we had just cleaned the 

boat two days ago!  We have a new cleaner that really works, so we sprayed the poop and washed it off.  By the time we finished, Anne and Murff were here.  

Anne and I walked to town.  We actually walked for 20 minutes in the wrong direction and then came back to the marina and took her car to town. (Being on the loop has not improved my sense of direction.)  Clifton was not as charming as I had hoped.  It had some city services:  fire, post office, bank, general store, spa, and churches. It had fresh brickwork and sidewalks. Most doorways were decorated for fall. Water Street borders the river and has fine, large homes. However, there was not a single restaurant open today.  One bar/restaurant is open on Friday and Saturday in the evening.  It is hard for small towns to make a go of it.  Our loop has in some ways been a tour of small town America. 

Tomorrow we cross our wake at Grand Harbor at the top of the Tombigbee River. 

Tennessee River Trip

Phil Murff is a happy camper on Aunt Aggie.

Today we traveled from Paris Landing on the Tennessee River to Cuba Landing about 50 miles south.

Anne had a day to herself in the car, and Murff traveled with us on Aunt Aggie.  We had a quiet day with glassy water.  It was beautiful. We passed many fishermen.  We were waked once by a fast boat.  Flashlights and peanuts and water glasses tumbled, but no harm was done.  

We enjoyed having Murff with us.  He is a cheery passenger.  Murff makes sharp observations and is curious about the world.  He appreciated the lake, as we did.

Our main issue was getting in touch with the marina.  They are closed on Monday and Tuesday, so George finally called their emergency number to ask if we could tie up at their dock.  I felt as if our needing a spot for the night was not a true emergency, so I didn't want to do it.  George had a good chat with the owner and got directions for us.  

We passed this abandoned grain elevator on the lake. 

It was on the river bank when the lake was created in 1944, and now it sits in the middle.

Three more floors are beneath the water.

When we pulled into the marina, we saw the open dock.  I lassoed the middle cleat.  Murff roped the stern one.  We were quickly set up. Soon Anne came walking down the dock to join us. She had ice, a rare treat.  This is a quiet, rural spot.  The bathrooms/showers are up the hill.  It feels like Girl Scout camp, which is a pungent and sweet memory for me.  

We had happy hour on the front of the boat to avoid the sun's rays as it set.  As we were enjoying our chips and dip, a huge TVA tow came into the marina.  Fishermen scattered to get out of the way.  The tow pulled even with us but on the other side.  They are here for the night.  A guy came out on the deck to grill supper.  

The TVA tow sits across the way.

A tiny frog appeared this afternoon.  Did he come throughout the hole in the deck?  

Should we toss him over?

We had a great  dinner of pork chops, corn on the cob, and salad.  Now we are settling in for the night. So good to be with friends. Tomorrow Anne and Murff will have a day to themselves: They plan to visit Shiloh, the Civil War battlefield.  Anne also is excited about a catfish restaurant for lunch. We'll have separate adventures and then see each other at the end of the day. 

Kentucky Lake

A good friend, Kathy, stopped her morning chores to say good-bye to us this morning.

We grabbed lots of hugs this morning as we left Green Turtle Bay to head south.  Red Eagle was going to Colorado.  We were leaving our friends, Kathy and Kenny and Sue and Dan, at least for a while.  Anne and Murff came along for the trip today as we headed south to Paris Landing Marina in Tennessee.  We were on Kentucky Lake all day.  It is beautiful and bordered by green.

Murff is a happy passenger on Aunt Aggie on Kentucky Lake.

Anne is serene on the fly bridge as we head south.

We had a quiet and beautiful day of travel.  We went 45 miles and pulled into the marina. Kathy and Kenny had just delivered the Murffs' car.  What a sweet errand!  They are dear friends. We got another Kathy hug, and they went off to explore the "Land between the Lakes."  Island Office was here too, so we invited them over for docktails. Anne and I had a field trip to Piggly Wiggly.  We got the supplies we needed, but we were both feeling relieved that we don't live in a small town. After our visit with Denise and Mark, we prepared a Mexican feast.  Now we are all having a bit of quiet:  Anne is reading; Murff and George are playing online bridge; I am writing and waiting for a phone call.

We said good-bye to Sue and Dan this morning.

We plan to see them in the winter at Marathon.

Celebration Sunday

Jesse and Linda Williams of A Bama Dream.

We are in celebration mode here on Aunt Aggie.  

We started our Sunday by saying good-bye to Linda and Jesse on Bama Dream.  They will cross their wake this week in Guntersville, AL.  We plan to see them again at the RV show in Atlanta in November.  

After reading the Sunday paper, we had brunch/lunch with Kathy and Kenny from No Zip Code at the cafe on the hill.  We had planned on ordering the omelets, but we arrived too late for breakfast and had to settle for BLTs instead.  Kathy and Kenny offered to drive the Murffs' car 45 miles south on Monday, so the Murffs can travel with us on the boat.  

We spent a few hours cleaning the boat.  We tackled spider poop and webs and leaves and dirt from locks.  Aunt Aggie looks much better.  As we were finishing, Sue and Dan from Tranquility came back from a trip home to Connecticut.  We were so glad to see them.  We had already planned to cook dinner for them and had a pot roast bubbling in the crock pot.  

Anne and Murff, friends from Atlanta, arrived an hour early, just as the sun was returning to Kentucky. They will finish our trip with us.  We unloaded their car,stored their stuff on the boat, and 

began our visit. 

We had a yummy dinner with the Murffs and Sue and Dan.  Our worlds collided with good friends from home meeting good friends from the loop.  Sue and Dan invited us to join them for a week in Marathon this winter.  Having plans to see looper friends makes our leave-taking easier.  

We managed to stay up with the Murffs till about 9:00 pm (Looper Midnight).  I forgot to write the blog, so that's why I am playing catch up this morning.

We are headed 45 miles south to Paris Landing Marina today.  Kathy and Kenny are bringing the Murff's car, and Anne and Murff will take a river cruise with us.  

Football Saturday

This is a photo from October 7, 2014, almost a year ago.

We stayed in downtown Chattanooga for our first night on the loop.

Today is cold and grey and misty in Kentucky.  We are at Great Rivers, Kentucky, the land between the lakes.  The Lakes are Barkley Lake and Kentucky Lake. We did a lot of laundry and made lots of plans this morning.  We are trying to coordinate finishing our loop, getting the boat cleaned and ready to sell, renting a car to get back to Atlanta, checking on our Atlanta house closing, and scheduling movers.  We made progress by spending a good bit of time on the phone and the internet.

Loopers gathered on the dock this morning to chat and exchange stories.  We met Canadians who are doing their second loop on Something Special and got to catch up with Penny Pinchin', whom we have not seen since Lake Michigan. We also had a visit on No Zip Code with Kathy and Kenny.  Lady KK pulled into the slip beside us.

We ate our Patti's Restaurant leftovers for lunch. This afternoon we went over to watch the Alabama/Georgia football game with Bama Dream.  It was fun to be with Jesse and Linda.  The game was classic Alabama:  strong defense and exciting offense.  Jesse yelled, "Roll Tide!" twice out the door of the boat.  There was lots to cheer.

I'm sorry there are no photos today.  The day is dreary, but we are cozy on Aunt Aggie.

Our weather is supposed to improve on Sunday.  Our friends, Anne and Phil Murff, are coming tomorrow to join us for our last looping days.  We will say good-bye to Linda and Jesse and then do some major boat cleaning in preparation for company.

Captain George on October 7, 2014.

Obviously the weather was warmer last year on the Tennessee River.

Green Turtle Bay Marina in Kentucky

 Most of the Cumberland River is lovely and green.

A few places are bare and industrial, like this stone quarry.

When we passed this, I started singing the John Prine song, "Daddy,

won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County, down by the Green River where Paradise lay?

Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in asking.

Mr. Peabody's coal train has hauled it away."

We had an easy day, cruising on the Cumberland River just 34 miles to Green Turtle Bay Marina. It
was cloudy, and the wind was about 14 mph from the north.  However, the last half of our trip was heading south, so we were warm on the fly bridge.  We traveled again with Red Eagle.  When we arrived at Barkley Lake Lock, we came right in, so that was quick.  We arrived at the marina at 2:00 pm, got a pump out, and moved over to our slip.

We took the golf cart to town to buy groceries.

We are on a dock with about 20 looper boats.  It is a celebration for us and for Bama Dream.  We both will cross our wakes next week.  We started about a week apart last October, and now here we are, finishing at the top of the Tombigbee River in a few days.  Being here with so many old and new friends is a treat.  The dock is full of friendly faces, storytellers, helpful boaters.  Before we had even tied our lines, Bama Dream, No Zip Code, Knot too Big, and Lee Loo came over to say hello.
We will miss these people and this community.

Jesse and George outside Patti's.

Tonight we went to Patti's for dinner with Jesse and Linda from Bama Dream. Patti's is another locally famous restaurant, known for their pies and their 2' high pork chops.  They sent a van to pick us up from the marina. As we were eating, we were interrupted twice to sing "Let me call you Sweetheart" to couples celebrating their anniversary.  One couple was there on their first anniversary! The food was delicious, and we brought home enough meat for another meal.  We have left over coconut cake for breakfast too.

We will be doing some laundry and cleaning tomorrow.  Then we'll watch the Alabama/Georgia football game with Bama Dream.  We want to play some cards with them too.

We are feeling satisfied in many ways this evening.

Coconut cake for dinner and breakfast.

Long Days on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers

On Wednesday, 9/30/15, we left Kaskaskia Lock and went 110 miles south on the Mississippi River.  The sky was mostly cloudy, which was good:  We could see the instruments, and we and they did not get overheated.  The sun came out for a beautiful sunset reward.  

We met three tows pushing 72 barges before 8:30 am.  They are small cities coming at us.  We call them, ask which side to be on, and then wait for the barges to turn, so they don’t run over us.  Most tow captains are friendly and clear.  Sometimes they sound uninterested, and that is scary.  One guy came within 15 feet of us in the afternoon.  Much too close. 

Sally Archer pushing 28 barges.

We traveled today with Red Eagle.  They were good partners:  attentive and humorous and energetic.  We chatted a bit in the anchorage across 20 feet of water because we were not good at rafting up.  Maybe tomorrow we can do better.  

We saw some strange sights in the Mississippi River today.  Tows and barges run the place, but other individuals leave their mark.

These kayakers rigged a sail using their paddles.  They cannot see where they are going.?? 

These two guys are paddling in a canoe. They started on the Mississippi in

Minnesota.  We have passed them twice. They are headed for New Orleans. 

Here we see a swimmer on the Mississippi River.

There are some gutsy folks out there. 

Sunset on the Mississippi River from our anchorage on the side.

Thursday, 10/1/15, we left our anchorage at 7:00 am and just had 7.7 more miles on the Mississippi.  When we turned north onto the Ohio River, the change was sharp:  We lost our speed because we were traveling upriver, dropping from 12 to 7mph.  We also felt the cold north wind.  The Ohio is more beautiful though:  It is blue not brown.  There were lots of tows and barges again.  

Headed north on the Ohio River

On the Ohio River we have to go through the Olmstead Lock, which is under construction, and also Locks 53 and 52, which are quite old.  They are being replaced by the Olmstead in a few years.  Loopers tell horror stories of waiting for hours to get through these spots.  We were lucky.  We moved through the Olmstead construction and Lock 53 without stopping.  I think the Lockmaster wanted to clear us out of the way because he was manipulating about 20 tows.  He was like an air traffic controller, moving them around and giving them information.  We followed Red Eagle and another pleasure boat.  The Lockmaster directed our path orally from his tower.  Yahoo!  We were through the whole area in an hour.

Construction site for the Olmstead Lock

Then we drove 20 miles to Lock 52.  There we waited for an hour and took a half hour to lock through.  Not really bad, but it is hard to wait in open water with barges moving nearby.

After Lock 52 we drove by Paducah, hoping to stay on their city dock.  They have a dock out for boaters sometimes.  It was not there today, so we kept moving for 11 more miles to the Cumberland Island Towhead. The wind picked up, and the sky turned grey.  We were tired.  It was 5:30 before we found our spot for the night.  We only went 67 miles today, but our day was longer than yesterday due to the lack of current with us and the lock.  

This is a lovely, quiet spot behind an island.  Just we and Red Eagle are anchored here.  The lapping water is soothing us.  We are tired and proud and happy. 

Here is the view from our stern of the anchorage with Red Eagle behind us.