Day 108 – Wednesday, September 29, 2010

089° 12.725’ W

37° 01.699’ N

Cadiz, Kentucky

Lake Barkley State Park Marina (day 1)



Leaving Green Turtle Bay



Along the Lake Barkley



Yes, we finally made it to Cadiz, Kentucky. The trip down was very nice with great weather and plenty of sunshine. We traveled a little slower than usual with no problems encountered. Fall is definitely in the air. The night time temperature prediction should be in the high 40’s.



We have been assigned to a fifty foot slip under cover! Normally this type of slip would be some what expensive but at a state park in Kentucky its only $21 for the night. With this we have access to golf, a beautiful beach, health center with swimming pool and the largest log building east of the Mississippi River, which is the Barkley State Park Lodge.


Cove into where the property is




Dock in front of property

After arriving at the marina we dropped our dinghy installed the motor and streaked across the lake to our property. This area has changed so much since I purchased it. The property on both sides of ours is now developed with houses. What was once raw wilderness are now beautifully manicured grounds with most of the trees still in place. The density of the trees is great enough to hide most of the buildings when viewing from the lake. 



Tomorrow Chris and Bruce will play golf and Barb and I will take care of some property related matters. Tomorrow night we will dinghy to the lodge for dinner.

Day 107 – Tuesday, September 28, 2010

088°13.553’ W
37°00.438’ N
Grand Rivers, Kentucky
Green Turtle Bay Marina (day 6)

Twenty-four hours makes a big difference around here. I contacted the Marina at the Lake Barkley State Park and received a different report on the water depth situation! At present there doesn’t seem to be a problem if we stay in the marked channel and proceed slowly into the harbor! With all of that new news we have changed our plans and will cruise to Lake Barkley State Park Marina tomorrow. This area is special to me and I’m looking forward to visiting our property!

Today was another day of kicking back, doing a lot of nothing while still getting something done on the boat! There isn’t any stress associated with this part of the trip. My special project at this time is to repair our ice maker. Ice makers on boats seem to break down when least expected. The challenge is to repair it with out very much test equipment available!

Some old friends Paul and Cindy on Bulldog Sally showed up today. They took a quick trip home while their prop was repaired. It’s always fun when you get to see old friends again.

Barb and I are trying to figure out where we will be a month from now! I think we will spend a few days more in Lake Barkley then cross over to Kentucky Lake and head for Paris Landing State Park in Paris, TN. From there Chattanooga could be the next major destination.

Day 106 – Monday, September 27, 2010

088°13.553’ W
37°00.438’ N
Grand Rivers, Kentucky
Green Turtle Bay Marina (day 5)

This morning Barb called to confirm that there was space available in the Lake Barkley State Park Marina. The disappointing news was that there was plenty of space but the Army Corps of Engineering had dropped the water level and we would run aground if we attempted to enter the marina! To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I guess we will stay here for another three nights for a total of 7. When five nights are paid for two additional nights are free. I don’t know of any one that passes up a free night in a four star marina. Green Turtle Bay is very pleasant with many amenities to enjoy. There are also many loopers present that all have good stories to share.

Unless the water level is raised in Lake Barkley we will enter Kentucky Lake and head for Paris Landing State Park Marina and Resort in Paris, Tennessee on Wednesday morning.

Tonight we will watch Monday night football – Chicago Bears / Green Bay Packers!

GO BEARS!!!!!

Day 105 – Sunday, September 26, 2010

088°13.553’ W
37°00.438’ N
Grand Rivers, Kentucky
Green Turtle Bay Marina (day 4)



ELK



We decided to stay another day as it is very overcast and misting from time to time. We will take this opportunity and drive the courtesy car down the Trace on the Land Between the Lakes.



Buffalo





Tonight we will dine on leftovers. Patti’s restaurant serves enough food per serving for three meals!



The plan for tomorrow is to cruise to the Marina at Lake Barkley State Park. While there Barb and I will try to visit our property via the lake. The water level is down so will use our dinghy or rent something that will get us there.

Day 104 – Saturday, September 25, 2010

088°13.553’ W
37°00.438’ N
Grand Rivers, Kentucky
Green Turtle Bay Marina (day 3)

Today was a beautiful day in port. I took advantage of the weather and marina facilities to wash the boat from top down to the water line. The mighty muddy Mississippi left her mark on our white boat. The Ohio and Cumberland Rivers are clean as compared to the Mississippi.


Patti's





Skip's Pork Chop Dinner



Later in the day we did a little local sight seeing and visited Grand Rivers and PATTI’S 1880’s Settlement. We had dinner at Patti’s restaurant which is famous for their 2” thick pork chops. As I had remembered from prior visits - it was superb!



Capt. Bill Seward on M/V TORTUGA arrived at Green Turtle Bay today and is moored two slips away. He’s a looper that we meet last summer in Canada on the Trent Severn Waterway. We meet Bill at the same party that we meet the Flints! As always it’s great to renew old friendships.



If the weather changes tomorrow we’ll probably stay another day. We’re looking forward to a slow cruise down Lake Barkley to the Barkley Lodge and Marina where we will stay for a short period.



As a side note - Lake Barkley was formed by damming up the Cumberland River as part of the TVA project.



Day 103 – Friday, September 24, 2010

088°13.553’ W
37°00.438’ N
Grand Rivers, Kentucky
Green Turtle Bay Marina (day 2)

The morning started out slowly with coffee on the floating patio with old friends.

Today was a day to work on the boat after three days of running her in muddy waters. She was dirty and needed some TLC.

Green Turtle Bat is a very large marina with a ships store that has most every thing needed to keep your boat in good repair.

We signed out the courtesy car and drove to Paducah, Kentucky for their annual BBQ fest. The food was great and the atmosphere was great fun. After eating, a quick trip to Wal-Mart for a few items then back to the boat. Tomorrow should be a repeat of today.

Barb and I are now looking at charts and a calendar to plan the next portion of this trip. We still need one more chart book to get to Mobile, Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico.




Day 102 – Thursday, September 23, 2010

088°13.553’ W
37°00.438’ N
Grand Rivers, Kentucky
Green Turtle Bay Marina (day 1)



Approaching I 57 bridge





Confluence of Mississippi & Ohio



Today we learned a great deal about rivers and how they work! I thought the Ohio water level would be at summer stage and not affected by the rains we encountered in Illinois that messed up the Mississippi. Turns out that the Mississippi is flowing so fast that the water has risen an additional 5 to 7 feet where the Ohio flows into the Mississippi blocking the Ohio from flowing into it. With the Ohio water level up, the barge traffic is backing up on the river due to high water problems at the locks.



Barkley Lock & Dam



Cumberland River

What this meant to the Bades and us was the going was slower than planned and day light was running out! We were about to enter the Cumberland River that is narrow and snakes itself all thru the country side and requires day light to safely find your way. To increase my speed was to burn more fuel and fuel was a concern for this portion of the trip. While at anchor the evening before I had added the extra 40 gallons of fuel that I had taken along for an emergency. Running out of daylight was not a contingency I had planned for. For two and a half hours we increased our speed burned a lot of fuel and got to the marina as the sun was very low in the sky.



Arriving at Green Turtle Bay



As I approached the fuel dock there was John Flint welcoming us to Green Turtle Bay. We have again reconnected with the Flints. As Barb and I looked around we saw many boats that we have cruised with before and will renew old acquaintances.

We celebrated our safe trip with a few cold beverages then had dinner at the Yacht club at the marina.

Day 101 – Wednesday, September 22, 2010

089°12.725’ W
37°01.699’ N
The Mississippi River and I-57 Bridge (7 miles from the Ohio River)

Stay between the buoys??

Tonight we were at anchor in a very nice cove a few hundred yards from the I-57 Bridge that crosses the Mississippi. There is a 1.4 mph current in the channel that flows into the Mississippi River, which keeps the boat from swinging.



Bade's passing a barge



Today was another long day due to a late start due to a storm that started about 3am. Around 9:15 we got under way in a light rain that stopped a few hours later. The sun came out the rest of the day was beautiful. Again we had to dodge trees and other debris that were dislodged from flooding north of us. We are all looking forward to the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers that haven’t had rain.

Tomorrow will be another long day but at the end of the day we will be in a snug marina, Green Turtle Bay in Kentucky.

Along the Mississippi

 

Day 100 – Tuesday, September 21, 2010

089°56.820’ W

37°59.078’ N

Kaskaskia Lock and Dam – at anchor on the Kaskaskia River

The river continues to be fast running with lots of floating debris to dodge. After eight hours at the helm a good nights rest was needed.

Barge traffic

Normally when spending the night at this particular lock, it’s customary to tie up before the lock on the wall. When we arrived the Army Corps of Engineers was dredging and we were directed to the high end of the lock. There wasn’t much to hook an anchor into so we anchored and tied to a bollard on land. That worked well for us and Chris and Bruce anchored plus rafted off of us and with three points to hold us tight everyone got a good nights sleep.

A bend along the Mississippi

 Day 99 – Monday, September 20, 2010

090°21.624’ W
38°21.520’ N
Kimmswick, Missouri



Leaving Grafton



Barb and I departed Grafton Marina at 7:20 am and entered the hazy Illinois River. A few minutes later we were into the Mighty Mississippi River heading to Alton. We were hoping that we would be ahead of the river water level rising due to the storm Saturday night. The river has risen five feet and is expected to rise two additional feet by tomorrow.



Approaching St. Louis



Arch in St. Louis



We cruised to Alton Marina to purchase fuel at a much better price than where we were staying. In addition to topping off the tanks to 248 gallons, I filled the Gerri cans with and additional 40 gallons of gas. From there we entered the river and waited for Chris and Bruce to catch up with us as they departed an hour later than we did. It wasn’t very long when we spotted their boat coming down the river. We both passed through the lock and started down the river together. The current and debris in the river was something to deal with. As we passed the ARCH in St. Louis we were dodging logs and tree roots that were moving as fast as we were. The barge traffic was impressive considering the number of tows we encountered and the size of them. One of the tows had 41 barges lashed together six across and seven deep with one missing.

Barges

Hoppies

Both boats arrived at Hoppies marina around 3pm and are now tied to a barge for the night. The current had increased to 6 mph so maneuvering the boat along side of the barge and holding the boat steady while others handled our lines and secured our boat was somewhat challenging!

Later in the afternoon we all attended a river briefing for what was ahead of us. Fern who is known up and down the Mississippi was a source of valuable information and great advice.

Day 98 – Sunday, September 19, 2010

090°26.298’ W
38°58.115’ N
Grafton, Illinois (day 6)

RAIN – RAIN and more RAIN! Last night was a boom bang type of night and sounded like the fireworks a few hours before. At times there was enough lightening to read by! The weather service has predicted flooding north of us which is not good when on the river. All the run off flows to the Mississippi and were staying on the junction of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. The debris and flotsam will increase and make the trip down the Mississippi a little uncomfortable.

We bowered the pickup and made a quick trip to Lowe’s to purchase 8 five gallon gerri cans to carry an extra 40 gallons of gas. We expect to get underway at 6:30am tomorrow and refuel in Alton at 8am. From there we will pass through two locks then cruise past the arch at St. Louis, MO. From there we will cruise down the Mississippi to Hoppies Marina in Kimmswick, MO where we will spend the night and top off our fuel tanks.

A couple looper boats came into the marina late in the afternoon and after having chips and dip we went to dinner with Chris, Bruce, Leslie and Greg Marsh. As always the company was great and the food was adequate enough to keep us going for one more day!

The next four days will be interesting: day 1 (60 miles) and day 2 (52 miles) will be reasonable days. Day 3 (128 miles) will be a very long day because there isn’t any place to stop and anchor on the Mississippi until we reach the mouth of the Ohio! On day 4 (91 miles) we will enter the Ohio then Cumberland River and arrive at the Green Turtle Bay Marina in Grand Rivers, KY.

The weather looks good for the next few days and the water up stream of us should stay up there until we get out of its way!

Day 97 – Saturday, September 18, 2010

090°26.298’ W
38°58.115’ N
Grafton, Illinois (day 5)

First of all – HAPPY ANNIVERSARY – to Jill & Ray!

The day started with a celebration here at the marina honoring POW-MIA personal. There were speeches, a color guard and wreath laying memorial service. A boat parade of decorated boats followed the service. There was a band concert followed by fireworks. The fireworks were spectacular and completed minutes before the rain and lightening started.

The Gibson’s had to leave early this morning due to the bad weather prediction. Liz drove her car here and could remain dry but Mark was riding a new motor cycle he picked up yesterday and needed to get home ASAP!

We continue to make plans to get underway Monday. An important gas stop I was planning to use to get to the Tennessee River is no longer there, so tomorrow I will purchase 8 or 10 five gallon cans to assure having enough fuel to get to the next fuel stop! I will probably carry them with us until reaching the east coast of Florida.

Day 96 – Friday, September 17, 2010

090°26.298’ W
38°58.115’ N
Grafton, Illinois (day 4)

Skip and Jacques

Today Jacques and Maryann came to visit. They drove us to Pere Marquette State Park Lodge less than ten miles from here. We had a great lunch in the lodge built sometime in the 1930s. It’s always good to rehash old stories and events from the past.

As they were returning us to the marina Mark and Liz Gibson were walking across the parking lot to visit us! That turned into drinks on the boat to pizza at the hotel they were staying at. After dinner Barb and I walked back to the boat about a mile away when Bruce and Chris returned from up north! Another drink some quick chit-chat and we turner in for the night!

All in all, a very full day spent with great people!

Day 95 – Thursday, September 16, 2010

090°26.298’ W
38°58.115’ N
Grafton, Illinois (day 3)

The Flints departed and are on their way to Green Turtle Bay to meet with a group of loopers. We gave them a send off and hope to catch up with them soon. They were underway by 7:30am and traveled with another looper going south.

Chris and Bruce departed for home for an appointment Friday. After the appointment they intend to return to the marina later tomorrow night.

Barb and I bowered the loaner truck from the marina and drove to Alton where we purchased a few parts we needed to finish a couple of minor repairs.

I contacted Jacques L’Heureux an old friend from the University of Chicago who lives nearby in St. Louis, Missouri. Tomorrow he and his wife Maryann are going to visit us at the boat then the four of us will have lunch at the Pere Marquette State Park Lodge. I am looking forward to seeing them again as we haven’t seen them in a very long time.

Monday still looks like the day we will leave this port. At present we are busy confirming our fuel stops for our next week of travel. The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers are not fuel friendly to boats that use gas. If necessary we will visit Walmart and purchase every 5 gallon can we can locate to get us to Kentucky!

Day 94 – Wednesday, September 15, 2010

090°26.298’ W
38°58.115’ N
Grafton, Illinois (day 2)

Chris and Bruce arrived early afternoon. Once settled in their slip Chris, Bruce and the Flints, joined us for cocktails on our boat followed by dinner across the street at the Rotten Apple a Cajon Restaurant.

Tomorrow the Flints will move down the Mississippi River on their way to Green Turtle Bay to meet with a group of loopers.

Chris and Bruce will drive home Thursday for an appointment Friday then return to the marina Friday night.

Day 93 – Tuesday, September 14, 2010

090°26.298’ W
38°58.115’ N
Grafton, Illinois

The day began with the Flints and us having a breakfast so large that it carried us until dinner.

We arrived at the Grafton Marina around 11am and were assigned a slip close to the swimming pool and restaurant. This is a large marina with many covered slips but we are again in the sun. There were many looper boats arriving all day long most heading for the Gulf and Florida. Everyone we had dinner with two days ago are here now.

I have experienced a little bit of radio problems and have taken on the task to repair it once and for all! I moved the antenna to the top of the arch and have pulled the co-ax about half way through the boat. As always John lent a helping hand which was much appreciated! Tomorrow I will try to locate a store to purchase the rest of the parts needed to complete the task.

The Flints are planning to jump ahead of us and leave Grafton on Thursday. We are both heading in different directions at this time but will reconnect in the near future. In addition to different itineraries they have a family wedding to attend that will take them out of the loop for three additional weeks in October.

Barb and I will stick around through the weekend and make minor repairs to the boat and enjoy a day of celebration honoring our service men and women. There will be a boat parade, beer tent, food, live bands then fire works. Sounds like a fun celebration.

Chris and Bruce should arrive tomorrow. After they arrive we will see what they have planned for next week. At present Barb and I intend to leave no later than Monday unless someone has a better idea!

Day 92 – Monday, September 13, 2010



090°36.982’ W

39°09.218’ N

Hardin, Illinois



Last lock on Illinois river



Arriving in Hardin

Today was a long hot day in the boat. Not a cloud in the sky makes for a hot day in the boat! We were underway before 7:30am and headed south toward the Mississippi. It was a bust day with a lot of barge traffic and one lock to pass through. After ten hours in the sun and 100 miles, we decided to stop at Hardin and have dinner and stay the night. They have a river dock without electric or water but it’s out of the way of barge traffic and a short walk to home made pie! I ordered their famous 2” thick smoked pork chops with all the trimming a great ending to a full day. It was worth the trip to dine there.

Tomorrow we plan to have breakfast at the same restaurant then cruise a couple hours to Grafton which is in sight of the mighty Mississippi!

 Day 91 – Sunday, September 12, 2010

090°03.940’ W
40°18.357’ N
Havana, Illinois




Leaving IVY Club



We had a slow start departing the IVY Club. The person that operates the fuel dock said he started at 7am but didn’t show. We waited until 7:45 then departed for the Peoria Lock. Once there we had a one hour delay due to a large tow having to be split into two sections to get it through the lock! In addition to a lot of barge traffic for a Sunday we encountered a crew dredging the river with a lot of equipment south of the lock!



On the good side of things the weather was great and the ride to Havana was beautiful. We are now at Tall Timbers Marina a good marina but not a great marina as it was five years ago. They no longer serve food or liquor and the flowers that adorned this harbor are missing. If you’re looking for deep water and a quiet harbor at a reasonable price this is still a good place to stay! The marina does have gas and a pump out station which will get Barb and I to the Mississippi without stopping again.

At restaurant



Loopers In Havana



There are five looper boats in Tall Timbers tonight. After everyone got to know each other we all went to a local Chinese restaurant for dinner. What a great way to meet people with the same interest. After listening to all the BS at the dinner table, I think a prerequisite to being a looper is to be a good story teller!

Tomorrow we will move on and head for Grafton, Illinois. We have one more lock to pass through the LaGrange Lock about 40 miles south of here. At this time were not sure where we will end up but hope to make 100 miles before stopping for the night.

Day 90 – Saturday, September 11, 2010

089°33.435’ W
40°44.950’ N
Peoria Heights, Illinois (IVY Club – Day 4)

The weather started out overcast and cool today and as the day progressed the weather improved and turned beautiful. Even with the great weather there’s not much going on at the IVY Club today.

During the night it rained which always sounds wonderful inside the boat. The Asian Carp had a field day pecking away at the bottom of our boat as we tried to sleep! Not only do we hear the ones pecking at the bottom of our hull but we here the ones pecking away on the boats close by! There are times when the carp make enough noise that you can hear them while walking down the dock.

Bruce and Chris have departed for an appointment back home and will return in a few days. Tomorrow morning, the Flints and us will pass through the Peoria lock and start down the river to Havana a run of about 50 miles from where we are staying. Bruce and Chris will catch up with us some time during the week.

The lock should be in operation tomorrow so life is good!

Day 89 – Friday, September 10, 2010

089°33.435’ W
40°44.950’ N
Peoria Heights, Illinois (IVY Club – Day 3)

Today was another quiet day in Peoria. After washing the bugs off the boat in the morning we went shopping with the Flints. Barb Flint borrowed a car from a friend and took Barb and I on a tour of Peoria and Peoria Heights. Barb went to Bradley and worked here after grad school for about seven years. We stopped for lunch at the local Stake and Shake ---- dinning at its best!

On return to the boat I attempted to replace the regulator that had been special ordered and to no ones surprise it didn’t fit! I guess its time to contact the manufacturer of the regulator and see why they changed the physical size of the unit!

Later in the afternoon the Gibson’s arrived from work and happy hour began. While there some old boating friends from this area Marcia and Bill Cannon showed up. It’s always great fun to see them.

Regarding our schedule, it appears that we won’t get out of here until Sunday morning. If we did leave Saturday there wasn’t any place to dock and get fuel. As it stands now we have a place to dock Sunday evening at the Tall Timbers Marina in Havana, Illinois and take on enough fuel to get to Grafton, Illinois a few days later. Barb and I have docked at Tall Timbers before as its one of the nicest marinas on the Illinois River.

Day 88 – Thursday, September 9, 2010

089°33.435’ W
40°44.950’ N
Peoria Heights, Illinois (IVY Club – Day 2)

It’s been a laid back type of day --- the weather is great and we spent most of the day playing with the boat. Barb and I rearranged some of the storage areas to make our limited space more efficient. I have had a small problem with water pressure which is easily fixed with a new regulator. It was ordered today and will be here by noon tomorrow.

Seven of us went to dinner last evening to a small Italian restaurant on the East side of the river. We have been there before and the food was excellent as always.

At this time I am not sure when we will depart Peoria but Saturday is a possibility and Sunday would be the latest. The lock is undergoing repair and randomly open to pleasure craft just before the workers arrive to repair the lock around 6am! In other words we would need to be at the gate by 6am and hope that the lock master would invite us to pass through! Considering we need a half hour to prep the boat to leave the dock then travel an hour to reach the lock in the dark it doesn’t seem worth the effort to get up at 4:30am without assurance of getting through! On the other hand, Sunday we would be assured of getting through as there are no workers and the lock is open for business as usual.

Day 87 – Wednesday, September 8, 2010

089°33.435’ W
40°44.950’ N
Peoria Heights, Illinois (IVY Club)

Leaving SRYC

Entering the Illinois River

Let the next sequence of this adventure begin! Typically - the day we wanted to get underway was very windy and not a good day to depart. Today is perfect to begin the next phase of this adventure and we departed the harbor at 8am. We took a nice slow cruise down the river enjoying the scenery and sunshine, arriving before 3pm.

Entering the Starved Rock lock

Let me take a minute to set the stage with what is taking place. Barb and John Flint who we have traveled with on and off for the past eleven months have caught up with us at the entrance to the Starved Rock Yacht Club which Barb and I are members, and where our boat was kept for the past week! Chris and Bruce Bade and their boat BADE BOOMER are beginning their start of the Great Loop which the Flints and us have been doing the past couple of years. I don’t expect that the three boats will be together much as the Flints have a family wedding in October and the Bades will have personal things to take care of.

At present I am not sure who will be cruising with whom but as a looper no one is alone for long. With all that said the three boats arrived at the IVY Club this afternoon and we had a few drinks with the Bades and Flints and our special friends Liz and Mark Gibson that we have traveled with in the past!