More News on the Waterway

On Sunday we traveled past one of the more sublimely beautiful scenes on The Waterway, The White Cliffs of Epes...After cruising through the Florida Keys, up the Hudson River, island hopping in The North Channel and meandering along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, the landscapes from Chicago to Mobile are pretty forgettable. Don't get me wrong, we've seen some lovely sights along this section of the blue highway, but it won't be the visual highlight of the loop. I did a bit of research to see if I could find out more about these majestic 200' cliffs that go on no more than a half-mile. Thanks to the river guidebook, I was ready with camera in hand at mile 249! I couldn't find out much online, but our own conclusion is it is some kind of geological anomaly. Several more miles down river another row of cliffs, much higher, but not as starkly white...less dramatic....but over 400', dotted the shoreline...Again, not much on google other than the blog entries of fellow loopers who made their way through this neck of the woods before us.

At mile 225 we found ourselves exactly half-way between the Tennessee River and Mobile Bay! Then at mile 217, another milestone, we passed the mouth of the Black Warrior River. We put the Tenn-Tom charts away and opened the Black River-Tombigbee Waterway charts...our last chartbook of the river system on The Great Circle Loop...I can almost smell salt in the air!

At the Demopolis Lock we waited over an hour while a northbound tug with 18 barges in tow came through. I still can't get over how they squeeze them in there! It was raining and cold, but I still went topdeck to get some neat pictures of the water cascading over the rocks and dam on the other side. For at least 6 miles past the lock the sides of the waterway became a beautiful smooth rockface wall, shaped by years of water rushing along the banks...here it is easy to mark the differences between the man-made channels that connect the God-made rivers that are bringing us south...

We are glad to have an electronic chart plotter, as many of the buoys are down due to the latest tropical storm, Ida, that made its way right up the path of the rivers just a month ago.

Monday was another long day...we arrived at Bashi Creek, mile 145, with just enough daylight to get both the stern and bow anchors set. When Chip turned into the creek I gave him one of those looks that said, 'you've got to be kidding me'! --From the bow I mouthed to him, "what is our depth?", he replied with both hands up, full-fingered...Hmmmm, 10 feet, interesting. Keep in mind, the width of this creek is less than 40'...you do the math.

~Well, we had no cell phones or internet service (we are in the middle of nowhere)...But, I had a delicious dinner cooking by 6:30...the wine cork was popped and we settled in...We are keeping the movie selection varied. So far this week we've watched Raging Bull, Blazing Saddles and Running with Scissors (thank goodness for $5 movies at Walmart, right?) Tuesday morning (today), it's raining again...We only went 26 miles and decided to stop at Bobby's Fish Camp...a bit of a let down...not at all what we expected after all the hype...It is not quite 5 PM central time and it's already dark outside...Tomorrow we will try to make it all the way to the Alabama River cut-off and anchor again. The last of the waterway locks (known as the dirty dozen) in Coffeeville is only a few miles from here...it also officially marks the very last lock of our entire trip! I haven't counted them all, but I'd guess we've locked through over 140 times...and I can start looking for alligators soon!

A "Pearl" of a Tour

"But the pearls were accidents, and the finding of one was luck, a little pat on the back by God..."

~John Steinbeck

The only one of its kind, I went to the Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Farm and Museum today. Located right here in Birdsong Creek near Camden Tennessee, in an embayment right off Kentucky Lake, tucked in behind the marina, exists the only farm that cultivates freshwater pearls in North America! I enjoyed a brief video which highlighted the pearl farm as it was featured on a nationally broadcast television show and I learned so much about how freshwater pearls are cultured and harvested. The implanting techniques and the variables which create different shapes and colors...It was fascinating. I just couldn't believe it was right here within walking distance of where Ithaka is docked! After being implanted, the mussels used are set into nets which are attached to floating PVC pipes (click on photograph to enlarge). There are literally hundreds of thousands of mussels in the farm, known as a "garden". After leaving the museum I toured the farm on my own. There is a variety of mollusks species used for pearl farming...and very few places on earth that offer the conditions deemed ideal for such an operation....and here I am...Alas, divine appointments are made for me each day.

Picturesque Kentucky Lake

What a beautiful afternoon we had yesterday on Kentucky Lake.
The temperature was ideal...the wind was perfect...and there were a lot of sailboats out on the water enjoying the day.
Last night we anchored at mile 60.2 in a little cove named Panther Bay. Tucked in behind a bend in the bay, we were the only boat here! We could anchor every night for a month of Sundays and never pull into the same cove twice...After the sun went down we sat up on the foredeck and watched the stars...even spotted a few satellites moving through the night sky. We would highly recommend this anchorage for all the loopers behind us. We are taking it slower than usual this morning because we decided to only go 19 miles today to stay at another anchorage before our next marina stop...as long as the ice holds out, we are happiest at anchor...
~especially when there's not another living soul in sight!
A video of Panther Bay, along with other short clips of Barkley Canal and Kentucky Lake will be posted on Youtube, too!

A Heavenly Day

It's Sunday...we missed mass again today...

Some days there is just no time for prayer...but, when I stop, on a glorious day like today, and lift up my arms to the sky and say, "Thank you God", I know He hears me because my heart hears him reply, "You are welcome"...and that's when you know, you are communing with God in a place that is holier than any temple or church...Today was a heavenly day.

Herons and Turtles and Ducks, Oh My!

Can you find Ithaka docked at The Green Turtle Bay Marina?

(click on photo to make image bigger)

We've had a wonderful reprieve after the trek down the Mississippi and up the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers...four lover-ly days at
The Green Turtle Bay Marina...I can see why this has become a looper favorite...popular possibly more so because it is strategically located at the end of 350 dismal miles of nothingness...If someone were to ask me now, which of the segments along the loop were the least desirable, I'd probably have to say the journey from Chicago to Lake Barkley...not withstanding the great folks we've met along the way...ah yes, Who could forget Fern at Hoppies smoking her cigarettes just a few feet away from the fuel tanks on her dock...BOOM! and of course, Captain Moe at Heritage Harbor in Grafton and Jan & Joe in Grafton...and, There were some nice anchorages: Upper Henry Island at mile 194.6 and Duck Island at 135.6....mile 61.6 where we anchored at the western most point of the entire loop! Little River Diversion Channel was quiet, except for the fisherman trying to stir up the carp by driving their bass boats in mad circles, trying to show us how they [the carp] actually jump right into their boat from the sound of their motors! (Didn't happen) ..We met a few other loopers and travelled with them on and off along the way...We've spent a few days exploring Lake Barkley in the dinghy, posted on (click) YOUTUBE and used the marina's courtesy van on several occasions to go into 'town' for dinner and re-provisioning as well as driving around parts of the (click for website) 'Land Between the Lakes'...the largest inland peninsula in the eastern United States! All very interesting and had we had our own car we would have visited the planetarium and the Elk & Bison Prairie...

We've caught our breath again...laundry is done, pantry is stocked, and the crew is well rested...we set out tomorrow for a few days of anchoring as we cross over the Barkley Canal from the Cumberland to the Tennessee River and begin our adventure towards Chattanooga...Life is good on Ithaka.

A Little Bit of "Sunshine"

We had a wonderful surprise visit yesterday from the crew of Sunshine! ~ About 10:00 AM yesterday morning the phone rang and Muriel asked where we were...We told her that we had just pulled into The Green Turtle Bay Marina, south of Paducah Kentucky on Lake Barkley the night before...she said, "Well, we'll be in that area on our way to Kansas City around 3 today...Can we stop by for a visit?" STOP BY FOR A VISIT! You've got to be kidding!? Bud later told us that when they were planning the trip they mentioned they would look down while crossing over the Ohio River with the hopes they might see Ithaka cruising by...Never did they actually think the timing would have been so perfect...But, you know us...we do seem to have things fall into place in a rather divine way! It was great to see Bud and Muriel and of course, Chip's 'fishing buddy, Shelly! We reminisced about our time together last summer and we made plans to see each other again while they are down in Florida visiting Jeff and Anne (their son and daughter-in-law) in November when we are home! We called Bill and Eileen (Blue Max) while they were here, too...and we all got very nostalgic.

We got "socked-in here today, but we did have a "little bit of Sunshine" yesterday!
Life is good on Ithaka!

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The Cumberland River

We left our anchorage on the Ohio at 8:00 AM and began the arduous task of continuing upstream, against the 3-4 knot current and on constant watch for logs and deadheads...It rained on and off all day and although, up to this point, the Cumberland River isn't nearly as impressive as the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, we have seen more eagles than on any other stretch of the rivers...The Barkley Lock and Dam lifted us an impressive 57' and we then entered a beautiful, serene lake on the other side... Today we will spend much of the day organizing, re-grouping, cleaning, doing laundry and shopping. The town that we are near is Grand Rivers, Kentucky...it is at the northern entrance to Land Between the Lakes. I'm sure I'll have more to blog about in a day or two as we intend to set out and explore the area both on bikes and dinghy over the next few days. Don't forget to check out the videos I'm posting on YOUTUBE!

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...

Honor the Sabbath

We missed church today...but spent the day in God's heavenly flow. Days like this can be monotonous...but, it all depends on how you look at it. We cruised 110 miles, taking full advantage of the river's current, and ended up in a creek called Little River Diversion Channel. I like the name...its almost as if the person who named it knew that after a long day on the Mississippi most captains would be ready for a 'little river diversion'. It is very peaceful. We don't even have the generators running...shhhhhhh...

It was raining lightly when we set out at day break...and it gently rained intermittently throughout the day. There weren't many other pleasure vessels on the river...mostly tugs and tows...plus there are not many places to stop on the way to the Kentucky Lakes, which makes it even less desirable for day boaters...We traveled with two other 'loopers' that we met at Hoppies...and I'm glad Fern, and our friends Bill and Eileen, who were here last year, told us about this anchorage.

There weren't any bright colors today...Ah, but the mist was a soft gray...the water muddy brown...the cliffs were touched with burnt umber and deep earthy greens...the sky was as blue as my grandmother's eyes...and God shined his sunbeams between the clouds on and off --we were treated to a light show dancing on the river...These are God's colors...No, we didn't go to church today, but we were in His cathedral all day...and it was wonder-full.

"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good." ~Sir Isaac Newton

Alton to Kimmswick

Here we are at Hoppies "Marina"...if that's what you want to call it--It's 4 or 5 retired barges, rusting out, attached and chained to rocks, floating near a quaint little town called Kimmswick which just so happened to be celebrating its Sesquicentennial today, yes today! (that's 150 years for us mere mortals that don't speak Latin...thank you Chip for telling me how to spell it)...Our perfect timing of showing up at places at exactly the right moment continues! The downtown is a bit surreal...kinda' like Goodland on Steroids. The Stores are all brightly painted and mostly all sell the same sh#@ and knick-knacks, yet we had to go in and out of each and everyone of them in the hopes we'd come across a treasure (which indeed we did...and packages are on their way to our 3 granddaughters as I write)...I highly recommend all loopers coming through to check out 'The Design Haus' on Front Street...possibly one of the cutest shoppes I have ever been in!

--After a two hour wait (check out the videos on YOUTUBE ) we locked through and actually made up the time lost by taking advantage of the 3-4 knot current..Ithaka actually saw double digits for probably the first time ever! I had to put my wind-breaker on!

One of the highlights of the day...heck, one of the highlights of the entire loop, was passing by the arch (click on picture to make it bigger) in St. Louis...The Gateway to the West! (video also on Youtube)

Ending up at Hoppies was not by chance...we've been planning to stop here for years...To meet Fern of course! On the Mississippi she is famous--(happens to be my own mother's name, too!) We attended her 'River Talk' tonight and with her assistance, we are plotted right through to Mobile! Thank you Fern.

It's over 200 miles to the next marina...we are aggressively planning to do 110 miles tomorrow and make it all the way to Little Diversion Channel. This is more remote than the Canadian wilderness!