September 23, 2019 – Around the Great Loop on the Answer

Week Fifteen: Kaskaskia Lock & Dam to Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand Rivers, KY

We left Kaskaskia Lock & Dam on Thursday morning and planned to anchor out at Little Diversion Channel. It was a nice calm spot after traveling on the Mississippi River, avoiding tows/barges and logs. This is popular anchorage and we were not surprised to see two other boats there by the end of the day. Once again, we rafted with Bahama Voyager and Paddy Wagon and Peter and others took advantage of the calm water for a swim to cool off.

Friday we would once again travel on the Mississippi and by Saturday, we would enter the Ohio River towards Paducah, KY. However, after we locked through the Olmsted Lock, there was radio chatter as to our next stop since there were a few anchorages available but no one was thrilled with the possibilities. Peter suggested Paducah and the responses required about 30 seconds of thought and we all concluded that we would travel another 4 hours to get off the Mississippi. We already had reservations for Paducah for Saturday and were able to secure space for Friday night too so that meant an unexpected night with power and water. Another very long day but definitely worth it.

As we continued towards Paducah, we entered the Ohio River. It was amazing to see the color of the water change so dramatically from brown to blue. Before we left in June, John and Gabby from the Peekskill Yacht Club gave us a gift of a Message in a Bottle and we were to complete the form and launch the bottle and hope that someone finds it. We decided to use the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to launch our bottle. Paddy Wagon took a few photos and actually caught a frame that shows the bottle dropping into the rivers. It’s marked in the posted photos. We’ll let you know if anyone finds it!

Paducah proved to be an interesting stop – plenty of history, a nice town to walk and lots of activities going on. We were able to take advantage of a large farmers market and bought produce for the next few days. In addition to produce, there were craft stands and horse drawn carriage rides. Peter was able to visit the Lloyd Tilghman House & Civil War Museum. Since no one else is a Civil War fan, we toured the town and visited the floodwall murals, a large project that displays the history of Paducah in colorful graphics and plaques with thorough descriptions. All the art work is on the town side of the wall and the side facing the river is only concrete. We have been told that the water level has reached to the top of the floodwalls and that is a scary thought. When you view the photos below, take particular notice of how high the pilings on the dock are and how long that ramp is to get to ground. Also notice the one with the land peninsula behind the docks – apparently that wasn’t visible a few weeks ago. The National Quilt Museum is also in Paducah and this was a special week as the fall convention was taking place. They also hosted a number of activities from a Pop-Up Quilt Party, instructions and techniques, quilt exchange, etc. While I do not quilt, I do appreciate the art of the craft.

While we were at the docks, another Manatee arrived. This is the second Manatee that we have seen since we began the loop. The couple just purchased the boat and it is hull #2, made in 1984 and that makes it the oldest Manatee on the water. Only 99 Manatees were made and the first one sank on its maiden voyage.

When we were in the Illinois Valley Yacht Club we were given a recommendation to visit Doe’s Eat Place when we got to Paducah. Both Bahama Voyager and Paddy Wagon were more interested in BBQ but we were unable to find anything open that was nearby so we went to Doe’s. The steaks are enormous and are actually designed to be shared. Some are large enough to feed 3-4 people. Peter, the carnivore, was very happy with his steak as were the other guys. Kodey was happy to chew on the bone the following evening.

We left Paducah on Sunday and headed towards Green Turtle Bay Marina on Lake Barkley in Grand Rivers, KY. We planned a week at the marina, a looper favorite, for R&R and of course, to take advantage of mechanics for routine+ maintenance. Over the course of the week, on a daily count, there were 10-12 looper boats at transient docks. We all had the same idea. One night we had docktails under a tent that was set up by the mayor for an event. When he found out that we were looking for a place to hold docktails for a large group, he allowed us to use the tent and stated that if loopers wanted to use it, he would leave it up a few more weeks. As we have mentioned, loopers travel at different speeds with different time frames and loopers will probably show up in Green Turtle Bay until the end of October.

The marina had two courtesy cars, a 6 passenger golf cart shuttle, and numerous golf carts (4 person) for rent. The town was close by and allowed the use of golf carts on the roads. However, since there were six of us, we made arrangements for the courtesy car for two days so that we could just drive around the first time to see what was available locally and the second time so that we could find a BBQ place for dinner. Patti’s 1880’s Settlement is well known for it’s 2″ pork chops so that was one place on the list but it had a fire last year and had expected to be open this year but it is still under construction. There was a small cafe on the grounds but did not offer many menu items and two other local places that were recommended were closed the beginning of the week when we had planned to eat out. We drove around a bit and found a local BBQ place with a limited menu but we decided to give it a try. The food was just OK so the search for a BBQ restaurant will continue.

Peter had arranged for a mechanic to check a number of things on the boat: the steering on the boat as it was “sloppy”, the dink motor as it was running rough and was stalling, figure out why the refrigerator propane is not working, and look at the AutoPilot that has never worked since we bought the boat. The mechanic was able to adjust the steering a bit but advised that we needed a RAM rebuild kit to really fix it – not a part they had in stock so suggested we purchase the kit and have it fixed at another marina in the future, no experience with propane so that continues to be a problem, adjusted the dink motor so no stalling, and still awaiting the person who works on electronics for the AutoPilot.

We still have a few days left at Green Turtle Bay so will continue to enjoy the pool and relax before our next multi-day travel to Chattanooga.