Ohio-Cumberland to Kentucky Dam Marina

My Hero!!



Rafted up - a party in the making!



Another beautiful sunset

Yes, it's raining!

Enjoying dinner at Patty's

New dam under construction

Dam under construction - major project!

Heading in to raft up - happy hour anyone?

Friday Morning – September 23 – Couldn't leave our great "rafting" anchorage until about 10:30 due to fog – another morning of thick soup……again…! We finally headed on down the Mississippi for another fine day of boating. We had planned to anchor at mile marker 7.7 but some ahead decided that it didn't look quite right for all of us. - So we all pushed on. We then realized it was going to be another long travel day.

About 3:00 p.m. we came to Cairo IL where the Ohio River converges with the Mississippi. This is where we leave the Mississippi behind and join the Ohio. We go up the river for about 46 miles to near Paducah. Now you want to talk about barge traffic!! Wow! The radio was busy with towboat chatter and they were going in all directions. It took about another 5-7 miles before the congestion let up. I was beginning to think this was going to be a long 46 miles!

Finally we were ready for an anchorage only they were quite scarce. We checked out tying to the bale anchors which are the big bollards right outside the new dam that is under construction. The Lockmaster told us that we could use them if we wanted. We decided against that idea. We went on past the construction and found a great anchorage along the Kentucky Side of the river. Eight boats total – plus one canoe! Yes, one canoe!

Just as all of the boats got settled in, here came two young men in a canoe down the Ohio. They were looking for a place to stop for the evening. They were on a major canoe trip which consisted going down the Mississippi River to Mobile Bay! They had already gone over 900 miles starting somewhere around Akron, Ohio. They had this canoe packed! However, their tent was wet from the rain the night before. SO, being a fine specimen of a Looper, Southern Bell asked if they wanted to stay up on top of their boat. They would be safe, dry and out of the weather. Of course, they said yes. Wouldn't you? I mean if you'd even get in a canoe and take it down the Mississippi! They were a couple of college age guys out on a major adventure. We all wish them well! Stay safe, guys! I'd never be able to sleep if that was one of my kids!

Saturday morning I was so excited because my good friend, Pam, was coming to visit while we were still fairly close by! We hadn't seen each other since I left Joplin over 5 months ago. We worked it out that she would drive to Metropolis and we would pick her up there. Then we'd go on to Kentucky Dam Marina where we could get a car and take her back to hers in Metropolis. Pretty smart!

When we got to Metropolis we found that the launch ramp and courtesy dock wouldn't handle big ol' NautiNell. So we anchored out a little ways while we waited. The other guys went on by - we planned to meet up with them at our designated anchorage. Mike launched the dinghy and we waited until Pam drove in. Right on time! I love it when a plan comes together! We loaded her up and headed on up the river. Oh did I mention – we're heading to Kentucky where we will be in a dry county – so Pam, the bootlegger, took orders before she left Joplin. The dinghy was loaded down! LOL!

Just up from where we picked Pam up was Lock and Dam #52. This was a very busy place. We finally got to lock through only we had to go in with a huge barge. If we didn't - we would be waiting another 3 hours! We pulled in when we were told – but that was a little too soon. The tow was still trying to stage his barges and the thrust from his engines just pushed us over to the side of the lock. Mike had no real control at this time and we slammed up against the lock wall – popping one of our huge fenders and pulling another one entirely off the rail. What a noise that was!! No real harm done – but lost two fenders! We were glad to get out and away from the lock.

Soon we were going on up the river. It didn't take too long before we made it up to where everyone was anchored. Everyone was rafted up at the Cumberland Towhead. This is where we will get off the Ohio River and start up the Cumberland. We tied on and prepared for a fun night. After all, Pam was here and we were ready to party! HA!

We decided that is was a night for blender drinks. Everyone donated what they had and several batches of great tropical drinks were made (TMFrs!). We had a great time! Mike grilled some chicken and Linda of Awes Spray made a terrific pot of soup. We chowed down and drank up all evening!

The next morning was rainy. I mean it was raining cats and dogs! We ventured on though – we really couldn't just sit there. We were heading up the Cumberland River to the Barkley Dam and Barkley Lake. We had the option of taking the Tennessee River to the Kentucky Dam and then into the Kentucky Lake but chose not to. This trip would have been a lot busier with commercial traffic and sometimes the Kentucky Dam has delays of several hours. We were only on the Cumberland River for a few miles – 33 miles to be exact. It snaked through a pretty region and seemed quite peaceful. It would have been a lot more enjoyable if it hadn't been pouring down rain and COLD! We were still having fun though. Pam and I made up a big pot of chili while Captain Chappy maintained the wheel. Chili just hit the spot on a day like this. We were just about ready to serve it when we realized that we were at the Barkley Lock. All of us locked through at the same time, thank goodness. The rain did let up a little while we were locking through and we really didn't have too much trouble. It was a 57' lift however, and the Lockmaster brought up the water rather quickly! It's all good! After that, we ate our chili while we ventured in to Lake Barkley.

We passed Green Turtle Bay Marina which is a huge marina. We had planned to stay there, but there was no room at the inn. So we had reservations at the Kentucky Dam Marina. This meant that we would boat through the Barkley Canal which connects Lake Barkley (on Cumberland River) and Kentucky Lake (on Tennessee River). The land between them is called "The Land Between the Lakes". Original huh!

When we made it through the canal we turned back up river about a mile or so to the Kentucky Dam Marina. There were five of us boats coming in and it was quite a cluster. BUT WE MADE IT and IT WAS STILL POURING DOWN RAIN! It must be monsoon season here in Kentucky.

We didn't let the rain stop us though; we all decided to go to dinner. There's a great place near here called Patty's 1880 Settlement. The restaurant is known for its 2 inch thick charbroiled pork chop and their wonderful desserts. So here we go – all ten of us! They sent a shuttle for us and we piled in. The food was everything they said it was. It was all good! Even including the 15 inch tall meringue topped coconut pie! Okay, Pam and I split it. Our waiter was quite the talker. He was a poli-sci/history major and wanted to tell us all about the history of Kentucky. We just wanted to eat and drink. Oh yeah, it's a dry county! No problem for us! We snuck in our own….. LOL

Monday morning, we got the courtesy car and drove Pam back to Metropolis (home of Superman!) to get her car. We stopped at Willy Jak's for lunch. A really cool place! Great shrimp and great burgers. And of course, we had our pictures taken with Superman! Then we dropped off Pam so she could drive the 6-7 hour drive home. It was so good to see her. Can't wait till she comes back. Guess she'll have to bring Bill next time… LOL

We stopped at the store and ran a few errands on the way home. It was a much nicer day than the day before. We worked around the boat and ate leftover chili. Planned to leave on Tuesday - however, Tuesday was a little cool and cloudy. It didn't take much to decide to stay another day. We all just hung out while catching up on things such as blogs and laundry. Awes Spray had decided to leave on Monday so we'll catch up with them in a few days. We'll see what Wednesday brings……..

Till next time!

Admiral "C"