Back in Touch.....

We have not had much internet over the last three days....so I will try to catch up on the major happenings! 

Saturday
Happiness is.....two days on the Mississippi with No Locks!

We had an easy 40 mile ride to Kaskaskia Lock where Echo, Tango, Maia, Sunshine, and Snow Cat tied to the lock wall for the afternoon and night. There is very little traffic through that lock on the Kaskaskia River, and the lock master is very accommodating to cruisers. We weren't going through the lock on the Kaskaskia River, but we were allowed to stay overnight. Neither Verizon nor AT&T had enough of a signal to blog! It's so nice not having any locks since you never know if you'll lock through right away, or if you will have a one, two, or three hour delay…or more. 

 Kate's a bit bored at times!

 This is an example of a wing dam. They jut out from both shores all along the MS River. Usually they are several feet below the surface, and help to direct water into the channel. We liked being able to see them this year with the low water conditions.

 Great example of erosion!

 This barge full of stone is low in the water.....

 Here is the rest of it. I wonder how long it would take him to stop!

 Cape Girardeau-- the first "walled" city that we have seen

We saw several dry-docks for barges!

Sunday

Today we had our earliest start in quite a while. High 30's were forecast for overnight, and it was rather nippy with fog drifting over the river when we got up at 6 am. We left after the other boats at 7:15, with just a little fog being blown over the water.We passed by the town of Chester---where Popeye was born! 

The first recommended anchorage at Angelo Towhead is about 117 miles away….There isn't enough room for many boats there, so since we can travel faster, we decided to go 1.5 miles past the anchorage and turn north, up the Ohio River, and go an extra 17 miles and anchor near the Olmsted Lock that is under construction. 

The Ohio River is 981 miles long…and starts in Pittsburgh, PA, mile 0. We will be going upstream for the first time, with the current against us, causing us to slow down 3-4 mph. We have to remember that the red channel buoys are now on our right, opposite from the MS where we were going downstream. We will have 90 miles and three locks to the first marina and fuel stop, Green Turtle Bay, on the Cumberland River.

 The Mississippi River is to the left and the Ohio on the right. We are just turning to head up the Ohio at Cairo, IL.

 There are barges everywhere! The entire IL side of the river had barges, and they were also anchored on the Kentucky side!

Today, Sunday, has been a tiring day because of the long distance traveled, the many barges to pass, and also because we are always looking for the channel buoys. They are not shown on our GPS or our electronic charts. This must be because they are moved so often with the ever-changing depths. 

When we arrived at Olmsted Lock, we saw Gemini Dream anchored. He was told by the lock not to come any closer. So we anchored near him, and luckily there was a boat ramp to make it easy to take Kate to shore. Matt and Colleen invited us on board for drinks…and Kate, too! We had such a nice visit….and then Tango and Echo arrived and anchored nearby.

We were far from the main channel, but we were near huge cells that tows use to tie up their barges during "staging."  All was good until a tow came and secured two barges to the cells that were a few hundred feet in front of us! We would be fine unless there was a "runaway barge!" We had an OK night on the hook hearing tows from time to time, and in the morning noticed that the barges in front of us were gone! The tows work all night…I'm glad I didn't know when the tow was removing the barges! It would have been hard on my nerves….

 Our anchorage near Olmsted Lock...looks peaceful....but there was barge traffic on the other side of the river during the night.

 Before dark, a tow came to the cells in front of us and attached two barges! 

I read some interesting info on the Army Corps of Engineers' website. When Lock 27, just north of St. Louis, finally opened there were 63 vessels and 455 barges in queue. That is equivalent to 26,500 semi-trailers! That means one barge can hold the same amt. as 58 semis!!! Were we ever lucky that when we got to that lock, it was open and ready for us!!!

Monday

We awoke to cool temps and FOG. We "don't do fog"….so we waited until 8:15 to raise the anchor. 

 Kate and Don returning from shore

The river levels can be changed by letting water out of dams, and the Ohio water level is quite high with lots of current.  When we reached Lock 53, they had lowered the dam some how, and we just passed over the dam without using the lock that would lift us 10 feet normally. There was amazing current…going over a dam was a first for Snow Cat!

 The sign says....DANGER DAM!

We passed by Metropolis, home of Superman! We had to wait two hours for Lock 52, but we were able to anchor in 10 feet of water, without hooking any submerged rocks or trees! 

We passed Paducah, KY, where there is another wall along the river. More about that wall later....

The Tennessee River flows into the Ohio River at Paducah, and we had to make a decision, whether to take the TN River or the Cumberland River, which would add 20 miles to our trip. We, like most cruisers, will take the Cumberland because there is usually a much longer wait to lock through the Kentucky Lock on the TN than through the Barkley Lock on the Cumberland.

This map was taken from Skipper Bob Publications, an invaluable resource for Loopers!

We anchored for the night at Cumberland Island Towhead, which is actually off Towhead Island, right before the Cumberland River flows into the Ohio. It was the best anchorage! So peaceful, little current, with no fear of runaway barges, and an easy landing for Kate to reach shore.

In a few days, we will be taking the Cumberland to Nashville. When we return, we will go through the canal, shown on the map, that connects the Cumberland to the Tennessee River, going from Lake Barkley to Kentucky Lake. 

Tuesday

We didn't have very far to go up the Cumberland today, and traveled at 7 mph with Echo, Tango, and Maia. We didn't have to wait for the Barkley Lock which took us up 57 feet to Lake Barkley,

The Cumberland River is very narrow, but it still has some industry along its banks. This barge is getting filled....

We only had to pass two barges today...the first one we met at Doom's Landing, a really bad curve. The second we met 10 minutes later...and as we were passing him, the front barge crashed into the rocky shore and came to an abrupt stop!

Lake Barkley was an amazing sight as we left the lock. From the confines of a narrow river, we emerged into a huge open area. Lake Barkley is 134 miles long, with a shoreline measuring 1,004 miles. It was created in the early 1960's when a dam was constructed on the Cumberland River, to help prevent flooding, to create hydroelectricity, and to provide the area with a wonderful recreational resource.

Just a mile past the lock, we went into Green Turtle Bay Marina...the first marina we have seen for days! We took on 87 gallons of diesel, had a pump-out, and were secured to a dock with water and electric! And have access to a courtesy car!!! Life is good....

We drove about 25 miles into Paducah with Lise and Renald and saw the downtown section of the inside of the 2.5 mile long "wall". The wall, which must be over 12 feet high, was built after the devastating 1937 flood that saw the river rise 11 feet above street level. There are beautiful murals painted on the sections, each with its own plaque explaining what it depicts. It is very informative and beautifully done. I learned more about Lewis and Clark. Lewis paid $20 in 1803 for his Newfoundland dog, Seaman. In 1827, Clark acquired thousands and thousands of acres of land, for $5, and called the town Paducah, after an Indian chief.

We had dinner at Patti's Settlement after sight-seeing and grocery shopping, arriving back at the boat at 9 pm....exhausted!