Old Man River

"Mee-zee-see-bee" which means, Father of all Waters
~ Ojibway Tribe

It's interesting to me, but as we turned into the Ohio River today I was struck with the thought that it seemed a more 'feminine' river that the Mississippi...not thinking for a moment about the song, Old Man River, but just noticing the 'softer' shoulders...the gentle way the banks rolled down to the water's edge...then tonight I listened to the song, as sung by Judy Garland, and I knew that 'Old Man River' was Mother Nature's way of wearing the pants...tough and sturdy and dirty and forceful...It was a great 4 days cruising down this magnificent body of water...even in the quiet boredom, mile after empty mile, it was filled with something deeper than words...a lone bald eagle perched on a rock jetty...a breathtaking sunset...it truly is the Father of all Waters...

~and, How could I ever conclude our trip down the Mississippi without mention of one of its more famous steamboat pilots: Mark Twain? Born in Hannibal Missouri as Samuel Clemens in 1835, he took the pen name Mark Twain after the term of measurement. A fathom being 6 feet, and a twain being 2 fathoms...the deck hands would yell out "Mark Twain" to notify the pilots of the depth of the river...his stories have brought the river life to readers around the world...

We are ahead of schedule...not that we actually have a schedule...Originally I thought we'd be on the Cumberland River by month's end, but at this rate we should be there either tomorrow or Wednesday. We aren't supposed to be at the rendezvous in Joe Wheeler State Park until the end of next month...so I would say we're going to have some down time coming up soon....I am looking forward to a little chill time in the Kentucky Lakes...maybe get my paints out...read a few books. After spending 6 of the last 9 nights on the hook, The Green Turtle Marina is going to look good to this weary first mate.

Tonight we are anchored on the Illinois side of the Ohio River in a town called Metropolis, best known as the hometown of Superman...It's a good safe spot, off the path of tug traffic, tucked in under a RR bridge behind a floating Harrah's Casino...