Oct. 7-13, 2024 – Paducah, KY to Buchanan, TN
Highlights this week: A bonfire on the beach; paddle boarding; a beautiful anchorage; reuniting with old friends; and, a new state – Tennessee!
Monday, Oct. 7, 2024 – Paducah, KY (Paducah City Marina) to Grand Rivers, KY (Green Turtle Bay Marina)
Today, we were underway 6 hours, going 45 miles (39.2 nm), at an average speed of 7.5 MPH (6.5 knots). However, thanks to an extremely long wait at our 1 and only lock of the day, our trip really took 9 hours and 25 minutes.
We pulled away from Paducah City Marina around 7:15 AM. We didn’t have to leave at first light, because we only had about a 6-hour journey. Our travel companions on Keep Calm call Tim “Mr. First Light.” 😁 They had never boated at first light or anchored, so we were breaking them in. However, in hindsight, we should have left at first light.
After pulling away from our dock, we had about an hour cruise fighting against the current of the Ohio River. If we had continued on the Ohio River, we would have eventually made it to Cincinnati, but we turned right and headed up the Cumberland River.
The Cumberland River, like the Ohio River, had about a 2-3 knot current against us. The river is more scenic and narrow than the Ohio River.
The Cumberland River also has tow and barge traffic, because the river goes all the way to Nashville, TN. We passed several stone quarries.
About 5 hours after leaving Paducah, we came to the Barkley Lock and Dam, which would take us up 57 feet to Lake Barkley. We were running ahead of schedule…but that was about to change. The lock master informed us that he was raising up the second barge of a split – meaning that the first barge was already up on Lake Barkley, so the tow and barge, currently in the lock, would join and reattach to that first barge before exiting. After that tow was reattached to its two barges, another tow and single barge had to come back down, before we could go up. We know from experience that this is at least a 2-hour process. The current in front of the Barkley Dam was strong so we dropped our anchor, along with Keep Calm, and waited.
After about a 2-hour wait, the single tow and barge finally emerged from the lock and we entered. At the entrance of the lock there a bioAcoustics fish fence, which is being tested to slow the spread of the invasive carp. This wall of sound and air bubbles is supposed to be a highly effective barrier to keep the carp out of Lake Barkley. However, the carp were jumping everywhere inside the lock, so maybe it isn’t so effective. One carp almost made it into Keep Calm’s dinghy.
Nine other Loooper boats had caught up, so Keep Calm rafted with us, so that everyone would fit.
After exiting the lock, we all filed into Green Turtle Bay Marina, which was just minutes away. After getting settled, Jim and Debbie, of Keep Calm, got a golf cart and we headed into Grand Rivers for dinner. The popular restaurant is Patti’s 1800’s Settlement, which looked like a cross between an Amish Restaurant and Cracker Barrel. We had to pass on eating there, since the earliest reservation was 7:45 PM and it was only 5:30 PM. Therefore, we went up to Between the Lakes Tap House for some food and a drinks after our long day! Keep Calm is staying here until the end of October, but hopefully we’ll meet up again sometime.
On Tuesday, we stayed at Green Turtle Bay Marina. We spent most of the day making plans. We made a reservation at Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht, in Iuka, Mississippi, for November and December, so that we can come home for the holidays. Once we got that reservation, we reserved a car for the 8-1/2 -hour drive home. We had originally planned to copy what we did last year by going back to the boat between Thanksgiving and Christmas and traveling down to Mobile, AL. However, with multiple hurricanes hitting Florida, we decided that holding back and letting Florida recover would be our best option. Besides, I’m looking forward to being home for the holidays!
In the afternoon, we took the marina’s courtesy car to the grocery store. While shopping, we got a message on Nebo saying that there was going to be a bonfire on the beach tonight. So, I circled back to the marshmallow aisle for marshmallows and marshmallow sticks – which were a big hit at the bonfire. It was a fun evening on the beach, meeting some Loopers whom we had never met.
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 – Grand Rivers, KY (Green Turtle Bay Marina) to Cadiz, KY (Prizer Point Marina)
Today, we were underway 3 hours and 21 minutes, going 24 miles (20.7 nm), at an average speed of 7 MPH (6.2 knots). It was a short side trip down Lake Barkley.
Lake Barkley is actually just a wide section of the Cumberland River, which resulted when the Barkley Dam was completed in 1964. Many towns along the Cumberland River in this area had to be relocated. In addition to the towns of Kuttawa and Eddyville, parts of U.S. 62, homes and cemeteries had to be moved. There are still some concrete foundations and railroad spikes visible underwater, so it is important to stay in the channel.
The lock, dam and lake are named for Alben W. Barkley. If you recall from last week, Barkley was a lawyer and politician originally from Paducah who went on to become Harry S. Truman’s vice president of the U.S. from 1949-1953.
We had a beautiful cruise down Lake Barkley, with fall colors and 80-degree weather! We cruised by the Kentucky State Penitentiary. This beautiful building, completed in 1886, is Kentucky’s oldest and only maximum security facility. Known as the “Castle on the Cumberland,” it houses Kentucky’s Death Row Inmates. The prison is located in what is now “Old Eddyville” and was constructed using massive limestone blocks quarried from a site down the Cumberland River. Italian stonemasons were recruited to construct the original medieval-looking structure.
Next door to the prison are two historical homes. Rose Hill/ Lyon County Museum is a two story Federal Brick Mansion built in 1832 by the grandfather of humorist Irvin S. Cobb (1876-1944), who I mentioned last week was a native of Paducah. It is the oldest standing structure in Lyon County. Also on the property is the home of Dr. George M. Huggans, an early doctor of Eddyville. Dr. Huggans was asked to judge the sanity of William Kelly, who was thought to be insane because he was experimenting with cold air to make a material more malleable and stronger than iron. Dr. Huggans, who was familiar with iron ore, found Kelly to be sane. Kelly won the patent to manufacture steel in the U.S. in 1857!
We had another 2 hours of beautiful scenery, after passing the penitentiary, before docking at Prizer Point Marina. The owners are fellow Loopers who we met in Michigan last year. They said Loopers don’t usually go that far down Lake Barkley, unless they are going to Nashville. Last year, it was too cold to explore Lake Barkley, but this year we had the time and beautiful weather to explore. The marina is part of a KOA campground, so we had a nice place to walk around.
On Thursday, we stayed at Prizer Point Marina and did some route planning, cooking, cleaning and hiking around the campground.
On Friday, we had planned to travel back up Lake Barkley and over to Kentucky Lake to an anchorage. However, we got a message on Nebo from our friends on LaRea who said that they were heading to Prizer Point Marina to join us. We hadn’t seen them since Oswego, NY, so we told them to come on down and we’d stay another day. While we waited for LaRea, we pumped up my paddle board and attached its new seat. We bought this seat a while ago, but haven’t tried it out yet.
La Rea got in around 1:00 PM. After helping them tie up, we sat on their back deck and caught up for a few hours, before deciding it was time for dinner. We were warned by the locals that the restaurant wasn’t good, but that just piqued our curiosity. The food actually wasn’t bad – just all fried. Our chicken wings and French fries were very good, but a little cold because the cook- who was also the host, sever, and dishwasher – had forgotten to make our fried pickles and cheese curds first. He obviously let our dinners sit while he made our appetizers, because they were steaming hot. It was all part of the experience and we had a great time! We didn’t go away hungry. We finished the evening on HOMES, having drinks until we hit “Looper midnight” – which is usually between 7:30 PM and 8:30 PM. Looper days are tiring, so no one usually stays up too late.
Saturday, October 12, 2024 – Cadiz, KY (Prizer Point Marina) to near Benton, KY (Pisgah Bay Anchorage)
Today, we were underway 3 hours and 52 minutes, going 30 miles (26 nm), at an average speed of 7.7 MPH (6.7 knots). I like short travel days because it allows time for coffee on the back deck.
LaRea headed off first because they had to stop at Green Turtle Bay Marina to pick up some packages. However, we’d meet up again at about the same time at the anchorage.
We needed a pump out this morning, which was free. Pump outs can range from complimentary with your dockage to up to $20.00. Since it was free, we tipped to two young guys $10.00 each.
We finished pumping out around 11:30 AM and headed back up the way we had come down on Wednesday. Barkley Lake (Cumberland River) was busier today, since it was a Saturday, sunny and 80 degrees.
About 3 hours later, we came to the Barkley Canal. This 1.5-mile-long canal links Lake Barkley (Cumberland River) with Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River), cutting through the Land Between the Lakes Recreational Area. Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake run parallel for more than 50 miles. Kentucky Lake was created when the Tennessee River was dammed up with Kentucky Lock and Dam. That lock and dam was built in the late 1930s and early 1940s to improve navigation and reduce flooding on the the lower Ohio and Mississippi rivers. It is the largest lock and dam in Kentucky and is 1 of 9 dams owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. It was a major project of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, which invested in infrastructure to benefit the country. Kentucky Lock has more commercial traffic than Barkley Lock, so most Loopers go through Barkley Lock, like we did- even if it is a little longer route to the Land Between the Lakes.
About an hour after emerging onto Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River), we turned off into Pisgah Bay, along with LaRea, and found the anchorage. Reviews say this is a popular anchorage, so we were happy to see it empty, except for a few little fishing boats. Once settled, we headed over to LaRea in the dinghy.
Before dinner, we took the dinghy over to the neighboring old quarry, which is known for its graffiti. We drove along the cliff walls two times. It was kind of like an art gallery. We got a kick out of artwork and sayings.
After exploring, Diane made a delicious chicken dinner and salad! It was another nice evening with Chris and Diane.
Sunday, October 13, 2024 – Benton, KY (Pisgah Bay Anchorage) to Buchanan, TN (Paris Landing State Park Marina)
Today, we were underway 4 hours and 48 minutes, going 37 miles (32.2 nm), at an average speed of 7.7 MPH (6.7 knots). It was an uneventful cruise down Kentucky Lake.
We pulled up anchor and waved goodbye to LaRea. They are headed back to Green Turtle Bay Marina to have their boat pulled out for some repairs.
We continued our journey down Kentucky Lake – beginning in Kentucky and ending in Tennessee. Kentucky Lake is the largest artificial lake by surface area in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River, with 2,064 miles of shoreline. it provides hydro-electric power, besides being a huge recreational area.
We didn’t see any commercial traffic today, but lots of little boats out enjoying this beautiful 80-degree day. Starting tomorrow, the temperatures will be falling into the 60s during the day and 40s at night.
Less than 30 minutes after crossing the border into Tennessee, we turned off into Paris Landing State Park Marina. We stayed here last year, so we are looking forward to the hiking trails and Aviary (a rehabilitation center for raptors, or birds of prey, that are native to West Tennessee). We also plan to head over to The Lodge at Paris Landing. There are 11 other Loopers here, so I’m sure we’ll find someone else to walk over for drinks around the outside fire pit tonight.
Here is where we’ll leave you. Next week, we’ll continue slowly down the Tennessee River. We have 18 days to get to our stop for the holidays in Iuka, Mississippi – which is only about 4 travel days away. So, we’ll be taking our time.
See you next week!
Thanks for reading.