Grand Rivers, & Paducah KY

Green Turtle Bay marina is a popular stop for most loopers, it is around the corner from Kentucky Dam Marina where we stayed over the weekend.  This is by all means the shortest trip we have taken, and we will probably spend the week here.  We knew there was a bunch of fellow loopers over here that we wanted to catch up with.  Green Turtle Bay is in Grand Rivers, there is  this really cool restaurant called "Patti's" it has been here for over 30 years, started by Bill and Patti Tuller, who are now deceased and their children run the business.  They are known for their 2" thick charbroiled pork chops, mile high meringue pie.  They are located in a dry county, which I did not know existed any longer.  You can bring your own wine, and they will provide a glass and corkscrew, but you have to keep the bottle on the floor.   It's actually called Patti's 1880's Settlement, they have gift shops attached, miniature golf, remote control boats, a working water wheel, gardens where you can have a wedding, and over 12 acres of Christmas lights, western Kentucky's most beautiful display. It was voted number 1 by  "Southern Living Magazine" Best small town restaurant.

Our 32nd anniversary was the 15th, we went into Nashville to the Grand Ole Opry. That was very interesting, we did not know what to expect and it turned out to be quite entertaining.  The area that we are in in called Land between the Lakes, LBL. It is a national recreation area, that is between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake, consisting of 170,000 acre peninsula of play land.  There is hiking, biking, camping, hunting,  fishing, environmental education center, Elk and Bison  Prairie, Planetarium, and the list goes on.  We went to the planetarium and the Bison and  Elk Prairie.  Here's what I learned today, a Bison can run up to 35 miles per hour and can weigh approx 2,000 lbs.  A grown elk weighs approx 800 lbs and it's antlers grow up to one inch a day in the summer.

Paducah is the big town that is relatively close to the marina, we went in for dinner and also walked around the waterfront.  The town is in the process of revamping the water front, as of now they do not have any marinas or docks for the boaters.  The sea wall has some interesting murals along the water. In 1937 Paducah had a flood that lasted for almost 30 days and put 90% of Paducah underwater.

Today is our last day at this marina, we head back to the Tennessee river tomorrow morning. We have enjoyed our week here, but I am anxious to get further south, the weather has been cool, 55 during day and we hit 34 at night, plus it has been cloudy and rainy.  I know that doesn't come close to Ohio weather, but it's still on the cold side for being on the water.

Mississippi, Ohio & Tennessee Rivers

The river system is a very busy place with lots of barge traffic.  I am amazed at how many barges a tow boat can push down or up river.  The most we have seen so far is 7 x 7, that's 7 wide and 7 long.  Here are just some random shots of sites along the rivers.  We ran into allot of rain the 3 days we were on the Mississippi, the coast guard said the river would rise about 10 feet.  We anchored in a small channel since there are no marinas on the river, With the rain, we did not get any sleep, always checking the water for debris, like half a tree floating down the river, and making sure the anchor was still holding as the current increased. I'm not a big fan of anchoring out, but a necessity.
The Ohio river was a one day trip we spent the night anchored next to a casino boat and headed to the Tennessee river the next day.

The boat is running well, and we are having a good time, meeting allot of new people. We miss all our friends and family back home. Paul and Evie, it was good to hear from you, thanks for the voice message.  Marilyn, thanks for letting Linda read the blog on your computer. Hello to everyone.

Alton, Illinois

Leaving Alton marina on Monday morning and heading for Hoppies Marina in Kimmswick, MO.  It's about 44 miles south of here.  We took the boat for a 2 hour ride today, and dare I say, it ran as it should.  So we will proceed south, and none too soon, the temps have been about 40 at night and maybe 61 during the day.  Pretty much what Ohio has had. There is this really cool bridge that connects Illinois and Missouri, across the Mississippi river.  It's the Clark bridge, all lit up at night, and right above the entrance to the Alton marina that we are at.  I am trying to get a night picture and having no luck with my camera. I have one more chance tonight, I think I will take it at dusk.

Alton is a pretty old town, and rich in history, dating back to the 1800's.  The first state penitentiary was built in Alton in 1833, which held thousands of confederate soldiers during the civil war.  There are still structural remains left today. The "Alton Route" was a major stop along the Underground Railroad.  The town also holds the title of the "World's tallest Man", there is a life size statue of Robert Wadlow, measuring 8 foot 11.1 inches. And I thought the Fitzgerald"s were tall!

Grafton & Alton, Illinois

                                                               Houses along the banks of the Mississippi, on stilts

Since leaving our upscale accommodations at Beardstown, we were looking forward to Grafton, which is a very nice marina.  However  on our trip to Grafton, the port side engine stopped working,  so we did not go all the way to Grafton, we stopped about 2o miles short, there was a restaurant along the river that had a dock, we were allowed to spend the night there. Operating on only one engine, it took us the better part of the day to go the 60 miles that we did.  This dock had no electricity, which is usually not a problem, we just use our generator. As luck would have it, the generator also decided not to work.  For all you non-boaters, no electricity/generator, means no shower. Yuk!!

Next morning, we notified the marina that we were limping in on one engine, so they were there to help us dock, since the wind was pushing us around like a kite. It was very comforting to be inside a secured marina and not just in the river tied off. We met quite a few fellow loopers which is always nice. The mechanic, Mark,  came out and he and Jim started trouble shooting both the engine and the generator.  They found a relay on the engine that was not making contact, and replaced that.  The impeller on the generator needed to be replaced as well. The relay had to be ordered so we stayed for a few days.  As of Thursday, all parts were put in and we left today which is Friday.

The next stop is a short 16 miles south at Alton Marina, a short run to test the engine. Not good, although the port engine never quit, it did want to stall, and the oil pressure fluctuated greatly, then the starboard side decided to act up as well.  We got into Alton and called Mark. As of this writing, they did a few other things to both engines,  and as before they run great at the dock.  We will see what tomorrow brings. The next marina is 44 miles south of here.  Last chance to get it right, because the one after that is over 200 miles. Yikes.....

House above the mississippi on a rock face

Beardstown, Illinois

Our next stop after Peoria was Beardstown, IL.  It looks like we will be here for a couple days.  The weather is off and on again rain.  Rain by it self isn't bad, but when mixed with a narrow channel in the river, poor visibility, and dodging barges that are sometimes up to 1000 feet long, it's better to stay put.  In Beardstown there are no marinas, and very few places to tie up to.  So we got permission to tie up to this old barge, which is about 90 years old.
This weekend is Beardstown's fall festival, so we went to a parade this morning, I think it was the longest parade I ever attended, it went on for what seemed like two hours.  It was raining pretty hard, but since this is an old town with old buildings, most had awnings with benches in front. We had a dry spot under the awning and a comfortable place to sit.  As soon as the parade was over, the rain stopped and the sun came out. There was food stands, rides and games, the fall festival is a big deal.  Carny food, elephant ears, corn dogs, and  funnel cakes! Oh Yeah!

We will try to leave tomorrow, it will be a long day on the river, next stop is Grafton IL, 88 miles south and the last stop on the Illinois river, (mile marker "0") Then we will be on the Mississippi for awhile, where the barge traffic is pretty heavy.

This is where we were for the weekend of the 25th.  We have had issues with the Internet and especially down loading pictures to this blog.  I will be posting later today our current location and a few snags we are encountering.