Month: May 2021

Paducah, KY

We did not have a long day so we made the mistake of thinking we could leave a little later. When Paul called the Barkley Lock about 7:45, he was told there would be a 6 1/2 wait to lock through. Fortunately, we were able to get through the Kentucky Lock instead without much delay. The Paducah dock assistant told us we were lucky because the Kentucky lockmaster does not like pleasure craft. There is a new dock in Paducah since we came through in 2014. Unfortunately, it has not been utilized as they had hoped. Dock assistant told us they only had 70 boats that tied up in 2020. The National Quilt Museum is just one block from the city dock. We were very impressed with the collection. The town is nice but there are far too many empty storefronts. It makes me sad because I know the current situation in our country is going to make it even harder for small independent business to survive. We went to Broussards for dinner, a Cajun restaurant based in NOLA. I’m not a Cajun fan but it was the only dining place we found open within walking distance.

The city spent a lot of money on this great dock. There was only one other boat here. A man that talked to me when I took Lizzie up said that lock problems and COVID limited boater guests. The city had hoped there would be better traffic.

This one had felted wool, which I always like.

The Beatles quilt artist was from Ann Arbor, Michigan

This is the flood wall along the riverfront that
protects the city from the river floods

The dock assistant told us that the river flooded to the top of this walkway in 2020

Green Turtle Bay Resort and Marina

I love Green Turtle. This is a great marina/resort with wonderful amenities and the small town of Grand Rivers is very picturesque. They have an indoor and an outdoor pool as well as a beach. The weather was cool but it was a welcome change from the 90 degree weather we have had. On Saturday, we used the courtesy van to drive to Paducah to pick up a prescription for Paul at Walgreens. We will be in Paducah tomorrow but the pharmacy will be closed. The Commonwealth Yacht Club was a private club here available to guests of the marina. The entertainment was great and dinner was nice. On Sunday, we went to the local outdoor restaurant with a couple platinum (2X) loopers we met. Claudia and David have been living on their boat full time since 2015. They have boated in every state east of the Mississippi except for Indiana and W. Virginia. Their blog is extremely detailed with maps and description of their travels each year. They will be putting the boat in storage this fall so he can homeschool 7 teenage grandchildren in Texas!

This is the biggest houseboat we have ever seen. They were fueling at the dock here.

Paul is trying out the pink tractor at a store in Grand Rivers.

Dinner at the Commonwealth Yacht Club

A boat from Naples came in but they spent the night and then left early AM before we could talk to them.

Claudia and David have been living on the water since 2015

Sign on our table. Every business in every town is short-staffed.

You can see why it is called green turtle. There are turtles all around the resort.

Pebble Isle Marina, New Johnsonville, TN

We left Clifton when the rain slowed to a drizzle. The people at Pebble Isle were very nice but there is no phone service or WIFI. They had a Chevy Volt courtesy car (2013). It was a better vehicle than what is usually offered but not much cleaner. However, we are always very appreciative of the availability of any courtesy car. Unfortunately, there is nothing much to see in this area. We had to drive to the next town, Waverly, to get some groceries at Walmart which was the closest grocery store.

Clifton Marina, Clifton, TN

This is a small marina and RV park. There is not much here but they did have WIFI. When we were here in 2014, they had a courtesy car but there are new owners and that is no longer an amenity. They have a small restaurant on-site but I think we were the only customers the day we were here. We had quesadillas for lunch and they were very good. We are now on the Tennessee River. The ride is prettier and we can pick up our speed.

Houseboats are very popular on the rivers.

The reviews said this restaurant was popular with the locals but I didn’t see any customers during our stay.

Grand Harbor, Counce, TN

12 1/2 hours on the river and seven locks! Poor Lizzie had no potty break for all that time. This is a day we don’t care to repeat. Locks give priority to tugs over pleasure boats. We were behind a huge tug that took all the space in the locks so we spent a good part of the day waiting for the tug to go through ahead of us. We were too tired to take the courtesy car that is a bonus at this condo/marina development.

Columbus, Mississippi

Today we left before 6 AM. Fortunately, we were able to get ahead of the tows and the slower boats and make it through three locks without too much delay. The last time we came through in 2014, we anchored out halfway between Demopolis and Columbus. I was happy we didn’t have to do that again. Taking the dog to shore in the dinghy is a bit of an inconvenience. We used the courtesy truck to go into town for dinner. No reservations here. They just leave the keys in the car or truck and whoever gets there first, takes it.

Columbus is the birthplace of Tennessee Williams, the famous playwright. This town looks like my vision of a typical town in the deep south. Some of the area looks neglected but there were some interesting specialty stores and some pretty antebellum homes.

Demopolis, Alabama

I’m getting better at the early 6AM departures. We had a pleasant day on the river and a good lock experience. Demopolis had a courtesy car so we were able to go to town for dinner and pick up a few more groceries . We both enjoyed the fresh sautéed local catfish.

Pretty morning!

Cute little downtown restaurant owned by the mayor of the city. Very nice dinner.

Bobby’s Fish Camp

This is probably the most rustic stop. There is only room for three boats so they are preparing to raft off since another boat will be arriving soon. When we came through in 2014, this stop was famous for the restaurant here that served fresh fried catfish. The restaurant closed last year. Assuming it was COVID related, I asked the owner if there were plans to reopen. He did not hesitate to respond, “Hell no!” He said they could not get people to work and if they did find workers, they were better at stealing than working. The restaurant had been here for 64 years.

Greenline hybrid electric diesel boat docked behind us. Our friends, Kathy and Gary are considering this boat.

Dog River

One night at LuLu’s turned into three since high winds caused 4-6foot waves in the bay. We finally left for Dog River Saturday morning. The marina is rustic, more of a boatyard than marina but we met several other boaters. People were very friendly and helpful. They also had an old courtesy car so we were able to go to Walmart and a Thai restaurant for lunch.

Sharing on the Mobile River. We thought there would be no traffic on Sunday but were were wrong. This giant freighter called Paul on the radio to complain that he did not slow down enough when we passed!

Completed our first lock of the trip. I remember why locking through is not one of my favorite parts of the journey.

LuLu’s, Gulf Shores, Alabama

It was a bit of a rough ride but we made it to Gulf Shores. We docked at the marina and went to LuLu’s for lunch. It was much busier than than the last time we were here in the fall of 2014. There was an hour wait for a table so we just ate at the bar. This is a very busy place!