Rogersville, AL – September 30, 2008

We got our rental car this morning and drove to Huntsville. Our first stop was the Visitors Center. 2 very nice ladies were there and offered their suggestions. The major draws here, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the Botanical Gardens and Burritt on the Mountain, are what we will be seeing on our group tour the day after our Fall Rendezvous concludes, so they came up with other things to see.

Another of the attractions here is Harrison Brothers Hardware and we went there. Harrison Brothers Hardware is the oldest operating hardware store in Alabama. It was founded in 1879 and was moved to its present location in 1897. When ownership of the store passed from father to son, the store was maintained in turn-of-the century condition. In 1983 when the last son and owner died, the Huntsville Foundation purchased the property to preserve the store.

It is indeed a popular tourist attraction. The wood displays, tiny drawers, hand operated rope elevator, pot-bellied stove and cash register are among a few of the wonderful things to see. It has been re-stocked with many items to be purchased. We bought a Tiddledy Winks game (remember those) to have at home for the grandkids.

We then drove around the historic section of Huntsville. There were many old, beautiful homes with beautiful gardens and grounds. Most were very well maintained and some were in the process of being renovated.

It had been quite awhile since we had seen a movie, so our next stop was a theater. We decided to see a move entitled “Burn after Reading”. We didn’t know anything about it, but George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand and John Malkovich (big name stars) were in it. We nearly left during the movie, and afterwards we felt we should “Burn the Movie”. At the end credits we discovered it was directed by Ethan and Joel Coen. They have made some good movies but also a number of really “off the wall” films.

Part of Joe Wheeler Park is a habitat center. On the way back to the boat, we stopped for four fawns on the side of the road. They were quite unafraid of our car. Tomorrow, more sight seeing.

Rogersville, AL September 29, 2008

Today we decided to stay at Joe Wheeler Marina for a few more days. We will be taking a trip further up the Tennessee River into Chattanooga, but since we will be back here towards the end of October for the Looper Fall Rendezvous, we found it would benefit us to convert to a monthly rate.

Tomorrow we are renting a car and will do some exploring. We may backtrack and go visit the Shiloh battlefield. There is some more work we want to do on the boat so we will also be doing some shopping and picking up some supplies.

There are 4 other looper boats here and we got together for cocktails. It’s always fun to visit with other loopers to hear about their travels.

Rogersville, AL – September 28, 2008

Today was spent doing (still) more jobs around the boat. There is always something to do. We do have internet here, but unfortunately our cell phone coverage is very spotty here. We have weak signal for a few minutes and then it’s gone for an hour or so.

There are also a couple other looper boats here. One couple has been doing the loop for 9 years, and they haven’t yet completed it. They keep finding areas they really like and spend a lot of time exploring them. They will eventually finish the loop and will have been able to see everything.

We found that there are many boats that had planned to spend several weeks or a month here at Joe Wheeler Marina. They have had to postpone their arrival because they’ve been delayed due to the flooding on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

Fuzzy and the Swan

One time when we were anchored Fuzzy saw a swan swim up by our boat. It was so pretty and graceful and Fuzzy wanted to know more about it.










Swans are birds and are in the same family as ducks and geese. There are many kinds of swans and this one is called a Trumpeter Swan.

A boy swan is a cob, a girl is a pen, and babies are called cygnets. A swan can have 25,000 feathers!! That’s a lot of feathers!!!!







Fuzzy got to throw some bread to the swan. The swan liked to eat the bread and stayed by the boat to get more. Then he drank some water.

Florence, AL – Rogersville, AL – September 27, 2008

After getting up early to call the next lock to check on availability, we were underway at 7. We traveled again with Footloose, who also left today.

Wilson Lock has a lift of 93 feet and, other than the pan lifts on the Trent-Severn in Canada, is the largest of our trip. Wilson Dam is named after Woodrow Wilson, is 137 feet high and 4,541 feet long and when it was completed in 1925, was the worlds largest. The arches forming the spillways are patterned after construction skills dating back to the Roman Empire and, in 1966 the dam was designated as a National Historic Landmark.

We crossed Wilson Lake to Wheeler Dam. Footloose called ahead to the dam and found it was locking through a tow and that it would be 2 hours until they could take us. We slowed down considerably, but still arrived at the dam 45 minutes before we could get in. This dam is only 72 feet high and the

lowest of all the dams on the Tennessee River. However, with a length of 6,342 feet, it is the third longest.

We arrived at Joe Wheeler State Park Marina at 11:30. This is a very pretty marina, with well-kept facilities. The boat rates are among the most reasonable we have found on our trip, $0.75/ft. per night. We have paid more at many places having much less in the way of amenities. Joe Wheeler State Park also offers camping, along with cabins, cottages and lodge with rooms.


There are hiking trails and a golf course. There is a restaurant here offering everything from snacks to full meals. This is where our “Loopers” fall rendezvous is being held so we are getting a preview.

2 locks – total 90

Florence, AL – September 26, 2008

Last night we ate at an Italian restaurant recommended by the marina. It was a very popular place and we were lucky to get right in. The food was good.

Today was spent completing projects around the boat. Darrell also washed the boat while Beth took the courtesy car to get a much needed haircut.

The weather has been very nice these past few weeks. It has been warm and sunny during the day and cools down at night for really good sleeping weather.

Florence, AL – September 25, 2008

The area where we are staying is referred to as the Muscle Shoals area. It consists of four cities, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia on the south side of the river and Florence on the north side. This is the third largest urban area along the Tennessee River, population approximately 75,000.

Along with Jim and Sandy of Footloose we rented a car for the day. First on our list of places to visit was the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Showcased here are the best known Alabamians who have influenced the course of music history. Some of the singers from Alabama who had exhibits are Tammy Wynette, Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr., The Commodores, Bobby Goldsboro, Lionel Richie, Nat King Cole, and Alabama. There were many others who were not familiar to us.

After this we drove to Helen Keller’s birthplace and home. Ivy Green was built in 1820, by the grandparents of Helen Keller. In 1954 Ivy Green was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Helen was born in the small cottage next to the main house. The picture of the well-pump is the actual pump where Helen’s breakthrough occurred and is located between the main house and her birthplace cottage. There are huge trees in the yard of the home, including a 150 year old English box-wood.

Ross Branch, AL –Florence, AL, September 24, 2008

We pulled anchor at 9:15 this morning. We were going just a short way so we didn’t feel the need to get up early. Darrell did some fiber glassing while we were underway. A door jamb had a crack in it and we didn’t want it to get any worse.

This part of Pickwick Lake reminds us a lot of the upper Mississippi River south of Lake Pepin. There are little islands scattered all over, some of them having sand beaches. We arrived at Florence Harbor Marina and were tied up by 1 p.m. after traveling 27 miles.

We had asked to be added to the “River Rats” copy list so we could follow what was happening with the boats stuck up in the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. We know many of the people there who have been unable to move for the last 2 weeks. The latest word is that parts of the river have been re-opened to pleasure craft and some boats left this morning. It will probably take 7-10 days for all the boats to get underway.

Such a surprise! We had been in the marina only an hour when Footloose came in and docked. We shared the courtesy car, so we could have it longer. We drove around Florence to check out the lay of the land. Tomorrow we will go in together on a rental car.

We got back to the marina and ate dinner at the marina restaurant. Jim and Sandy from Footloose and Ron and Teana from Driftwood joined us.

Diamond Island, TN – Ross Branch, AL, September 23, 2008

Our anchorage last night was within 2 miles of Shiloh National Military Park and one of our books said they had a dinghy dock. So, this morning we went over in the dinghy – and found no dock. The shoreline was steep and comprised of rock, so there was no way we could stop.

We were sorry we couldn’t stop because this is said to be one of the most historically significant sites on the river. The battle of Shiloh was fought here April 6-7, 1862, the Civil War’s first major battle in the western theater. There were more than 103,000 Union and Confederate soldiers plus the Union gunboats Tyler and Lexington. By the time the battle had ended, 23,000 men were dead and dying.

We got through Pickwick Lock, a 55’ rise, and entered Pickwick Lake (still part of the Tennessee River). Shortly after the lock and dam is the entrance to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. We will eventually return here to go south to Mobile, Alabama. But first we are first taking a side trip and will continue on the Tennessee River up to Chattanooga.

We think Pickwick Lake is prettier than Kentucky Lake. The landscape is hillier with more bluffs. We passed a beautiful cove and went in to just look. There was a small waterfall among all the trees and a sand/rock beach curving out into the water. There were several boats pulled right up to shore. The water must be quite deep all the way in.






We left Tennessee and went through the very northeast corner of Mississippi. Our anchorage is located in Alabama. Anchored in Ross Branch at 3:30.

1 lock – total 88

(no phone or internet coverage at our anchorage)

Clifton, TN – Diamond Island, TN, September 22, 2008

We walked into Clifton this morning. At one time Clifton was a major port and was the home of writer T.S. Stribling. His book “The Store” won a Pulitzer prize in 1933. Clifton is now quite small, population about 800. The business district is 2 blocks long and there are several empty storefronts and many businesses with a ‘for sale’ sign in their window.

We were back to the boat by 10:30 and decided not to stay another day. There wasn’t anything to do in Clifton and it was quite hot in the shelter of the marina. It’s much better to be on the water with a nice cool breeze. We were underway at 11:15.

There are a lot of new homes on the banks of the Tennessee River, many still under construction. All the newer homes are on stilts, to allow for the occasional flooding. Tennessee does not have state income tax and we’ve heard of many retirement communities springing up here.

We also saw many homes being threatened by erosion. For many the river bluff has eroded well into their yards. Some have lost fences and the river bank was within 10 ft of the home. Most are using rock to limit erosion. Some homeowners have resorted to reinforcing the ground with steel pipes and plates.








We saw one example of very aggressive vegetation being used to stabilize the bank.












This two-story house with the square wooden columns is Cherry Mansion, located close to Savannah, TN. Cherry Mansion was constructed by David Robinson in 1830 on top of one of 14 mounds which had been built along the river thousands of years ago. The house was given to his daughter as a wedding gift when she married W.H. Cherry.

General Ulysses S. Grant was eating breakfast here on April 6, 1862, when he heard artillery fire as Confederate forces attached his army at nearby Shiloh. The house served as Grant’s headquarters during the two-day battle. It also served as a field hospital and hospital boats were moored below the house.

We anchored at Diamond Island at 4:15.

New Johnsonville, TN – Clifton, TN - September 21, 2008

We had dinner last night with 3 other couples, all Loopers. Two of the couples had already completed their first loop and were doing their second. It was nice to visit with them, to get their opinions and to hear of places they liked and would return to as well as places to avoid.

The food was good, but nothing special. There was a lot of food for a very reasonable price. They were out of their special chocolate chip cookie dessert. It’s a warm cookie smothered in ice cream, caramel, and chocolate sauce, big enough to serve 2-4. There had been a run on that dessert yesterday afternoon. No one wanted to try the fried twinkie with ice cream. So we are unable to give a dessert rating.

We’ve found out there are 40 boats waiting for the Mississippi and Illinois rivers to subside and clear of debris. They have named themselves the “River Rats” and will be coordinating their departure time. As of now, everyone is still waiting.

We were underway this morning at 7 a.m. The scenery is becoming very beautiful. We went through landscapes formed between 150-350 million years ago. There are limestone bluffs with layers of limestone jutting out at different levels. Homes are built into rock ledges with scattered rock as their lawn.

We went through one of the sharpest hairpin turns on the Tennessee River today. You could leave the river here and return to it by traveling less than 2 miles over land. By water you will travel 9 miles to that same point.

We arrived at Clifton Marina at 3:30 and are planning to stay here 2 nights.

Fuzzy and the Bridges

Papa and Nana’s boat had to go under many bridges on their trip. There were a lot of bridges that were too low for them to get under. These bridges had to move so the boat could get through. Fuzzy didn’t know there were so many kinds of bridges that could open and that they had different names.

This one is called a lift bridge. Part of the bridge, called a span, rises straight up so the boat can get under.

This is a bascule bridge. Bascule is a French word for seesaw and balance. A bascule bridge lifts up on one side to make an opening for the boat to go through.

This is a picture of a double leaf bascule bridge. Each half of the bridge lifts up.

This is a swing bridge. The movable part of the bridge pivots in the center, and turns horizontally making an opening for the boat to get through.

Ask your Mom or Dad to explain the word pivot to you. Hunter, ask Aunt Heidi or Uncle Greg.

Fuzzy never thought he would learn so much on a trip!

Cypress Creek, TN – New Johnsonville, TN - September 20, 2008

We had a quiet night at our anchorage. We did notice it was pitch black at about 8 last night. The days are certainly getting shorter.

We pulled anchor at 8:15 and were back on Kentucky Lake. We passed many fishermen and several fishermen passed us as they were going to different spots to try their luck. They all went much, much faster than us.

We passed a partially dismantled railroad bridge, then an abandoned building in the middle of the water which was called an ‘abandoned dock’ on

the charts. The abandoned dock would have been on shore prior to the dam being built and the creation of Kentucky Lake.

We arrived at Pebble Isle Marina at 12:45. Nice, short day. Darrell had time to replace the threshold for one of our sliding doors. He finished just as it started to rain.

As we were traveling this morning we received a radio call from Footloose. They were about ½ mile ahead of us. It seems they had changed their mind yesterday and decided to have a short day like us. They stayed at a marina about 2 miles further up the lake than our anchorage. They were also going to Pebble Isle Marina, so we met up with them again.

There is a restaurant here, the “Grey Heron Grill”. We have heard many reports of excellent food here. The restaurant is more the size of a small café and is located in the same building as the marina office. There is a wide array of food offered with this small kitchen. Our friends on Footloose had lunch there and said it was very good. We are all planning to eat supper there.

One of their desserts is a fried twinkie with ice cream and another is called cookie delight. That is a large chocolate chip cookie taken directly from the oven and topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Food review tomorrow.

Grand Rivers, KY – Cypress Creek, TN – September 19, 2008

After a week of R&R we started traveling again. Footloose and another couple of boats also took off today, but they were going much further than we wanted to, so left much earlier. We only planned on going a short way, so we slept in and left Green Turtle Bay Marina about 10.

A little history here. Barkley Lake is on the east side of the ‘Land Between the Lakes’ and was formed from the Cumberland River when the Cumberland Lock & Dam was built. Kentucky Lake is on the west side of the ‘Land Between the Lakes’ and was formed from the Tennessee River when the Tennessee Lock & Dam was built. The one mile Barkley Canal connects the 2 lakes.

We entered the Barkley Canal from Barkley Lake about 1 mile after leaving the marina, then traveled in Kentucky Lake about 40 miles until anchoring in a little cove called Cypress Creek. There were many little bays along the way and we see how people could spend much time exploring the area.

The cove is very pretty. There were some fishermen trying their luck when we entered, but they soon left.



We took the dinghy out for a spin. Beth was dinghy captain for a while, then Darrell took it out alone.

Grand Rivers, KY – September 18, 2008

Our meal last night at Patti’s was very good. We were there with Sandy and Jim, from Footloose. One thing Patti’s is known for is their 2” pork chop, seasoned with their special mix and charbroiled until it practically falls apart. That’s what Darrell had and he said it was very good. Beth had a pasta dish that was good, and her dinner salad was fresh spinach with a hot bacon dressing. It was delicious! The bread served with dinner is flowerpot bread, which is bread actually baked in a flowerpot.



They are also known for their desserts. The menu has 17 to choose from, with additional specialties told us by the server. The menu also tells the stories behind such desserts as Sawdust Pie, Chess Pie and Boo Boo Pie.

Beth and Sandy took the van this morning for a last trip into Paducah for groceries and other odds and ends. Jim stayed to wax his boat and Darrell replaced a second port. He had the same difficulties as yesterday, however it went easier since he got a few pointers from the first one.





There are about 6 other Looper boats here and we all got together at 5 for snacks and talk. Besides us there was Footloose, Our Way, Twins, Our Turn and 2 more, one of them a very cute little tugboat. It is always nice meeting other boaters and share stories.

Grand Rivers, KY – September 17, 2008

We continue to realize how lucky we are that we got out of the river system before all of the rain from Hurricane Ike. We know of at least 19 boats that are in marinas at Alton, IL and Grafton IL. There are more north of there, in the Illinois River and also 4 boats tied up at the Kaskaskia Lock. Everyone will need to stay where they are until the river recedes and they can be sure most of the debris is gone. Then, they need to coordinate their departure because there aren’t enough marinas or anchorages to accommodate them if all the boats leave at the same time.

From Grafton IL. you go 212 miles on the Mississippi to where you enter the Ohio River. There is only one marina and 2 anchorages available on that entire stretch of water and the marina can only accommodate 6-8 boats. It will be quite some time before everyone can get through.

Darrell spent much of today replacing a port (window). Whoever installed it used 3M 5200, which is an extremely strong adhesive. This made it very difficult to remove. He actually had to cut it out.
Along with Sandy and Jim from Passport, we are going to Patti’s tonight for dinner. Electricity is back in Grand Rivers and we’ve been told the Patti’s is good place to eat.

Grand Rivers, KY – September 16, 2008

We went to Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart yesterday afternoon and re-provisioned. We don’t know when we will have another opportunity to find these stores, so we really stocked up. We had dinner at Olive Garden.

While driving in Paducah we saw some of the problems caused there by the heavy winds of yesterday. There were many downed trees, also a lot of debris in yards and some downed signs.

It was 10 o’clock before we got back and the electricity was still out. Fortunately there was a full moon that gave some light. Shortly after we got everything unloaded from the car and into the boat the electricity came back on.

Beth rode her bike into town to mail the paperwork for our absentee ballots. The town still has no electricity and we heard that the IGA grocery store there lost much of their frozen/cold foods. They had a generator, but it wasn’t big enough to handle all of their stock.

Grand Rivers, KY - September 15, 2008

The cold front came through during the night. It felt good to wake up during the night and need more covers. Today is overcast, but no rain. Darrell washed the boat and did some more maintenance. Beth worked inside the boat.

The electricity is still out both here in the marina and in town. There is no definite word yet as to when it will be fixed. Some hear today sometime and others have heard it will be 2-3 days.

We are very fortunate that we are off the river systems. The heavy rain from Hurricane Ike is causing problems and severe flooding in many of the areas we traveled last week. There are many looper boats behind us and we hear via e-mail that they will be staying where they are for several more days.

Along with Sandy and Jim from Passport we are getting the courtesy van late afternoon. We will be going into Paducah to do some shopping. We will also find a nice place to eat.

Grand Rivers, KY – September 14, 2008

The show last night was wonderful. The entertainers were talented and versatile. There was music from every genre. Swing, Motown, Oldies, Country and Gospel, just to name some. There was also a tribute to Hee Haw and Ed Sullivan. We both thoroughly enjoyed it and were glad we went.

The past couple of days have been very hot and humid. It is supposed to cool off later today or tomorrow. We will be glad when that happens, it’s hard to work when it’s so hot.

This morning the wind picked up a lot. We got wind gusts up to 45 mph. This is courtesy of Hurricane Ike. There was very little rain, just the high wind that lasted until mid afternoon. The marina, and the city, lost power mid-morning and it is not expected to be restored until tomorrow. We also lost cellphone coverage. We heard there was a downed tower.

Our plans for tonight have been postponed. We were going to go out to dinner to Patti’s, a “must go to” place but with no power they are not open.

Fuzzy and the Inukshuk

When we were in Georgian Bay in Canada Fuzzy kept seeing stacked rocks and wondered what they were. Papa told him they were called Inukshuk, pronounced in-ook-shook and are stone monuments built to look like a man.

They are landmarks that were made in Canada where there were no trees or way to mark a path. Many of them were built a long time ago as road signs, to tell other travelers that someone had been here before and that they were on the right path.




Fuzzy thought that was pretty interesting. Can you see how they look kind of like a man? Can you take your blocks and make an Inukshuk?

Grand Rivers, KY – September 13, 2008

Last night we went to dinner at the Commonwealth Yacht Club with Sandy and Jim of Footloose. Transient boaters are given a temporary membership card so we can dine in the yacht club. We were all happy to get off the boat and eat some food prepared by someone else. This is a dry county and we brought our wine to drink. The yacht club had a wall of beautiful wooden lockers. Each member has their own locker and this is where the members keep their bottles of liquor. This way they don’t have to bring in something every time they dine.

Green Turtle Bay Resort and Marina is very large. In addition to the marina they offer condominium and houseboat rentals. It is located about 1 mile from Grand Rapids and is in an area called The Land Between the Lakes. There is a large piece of land located between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. This area is quite a popular place to go for vacations.

There is also a summer playhouse in Grand Rapids. It offers various plays and variety shows throughout the year. Tonight we are going to see “Variety! Music, Memories & More”, a Branson-style family show featuring professional singers, dancers and musicians.

Metropolis, IL – Grand Rivers, KY – September 12, 2008

We were up early this morning to check with the lock about availability for us to go through. We were told they could take us in 45 minutes. We went in the lock at 7:00 and were out at 7:30.

We went 50 miles today. 18 miles on the Ohio River, then 32 miles on the Cumberland River, going upstream all day. We cruised in all directions today, north, south, east and west. The river winds all over, making it a much longer trip than if you could go by air.



The Cumberland River was considerably narrower than the Mississippi and Ohio. There were also more hills and it was more scenic. We passed some rock on the side of the hill on the river. You can see the high water mark on the rock.

We were extremely lucky at the Barclay Lock. There is no auxiliary chamber there, so there was only one available for northbound and southbound traffic. We arrived just as a southbound tow was coming out. We were able to get the next lock up. This was a 57’ raise, the biggest in a long time.

We are at Green Turtle Bay Resort/Marina on Lake Barkley, Kentucky. We were docked at 1:45 and are planning to stay here 1 week. We need a little down time since being on the go almost everyday since we left Chicago.

2 locks - total 87

Cape Girardeau, MO – Metropolis, Il, September 11, 2008

Yesterday evening 3-4 fishing boats went past us to get to a fishing ground. Beth was looking out and saw an Asian Carp jump out of the water and into one of the boats. It was flopping all over inside the boat. Beth didn’t have a camera ready.
Our anchors were up and we were underway at 6:30 this morning. We were in the lead today. We traveled 50 miles in 4 hours, then turned into the Ohio River. We were finished with the Mississippi. Unfortunately, we go upstream on the Ohio, so we lost the current which had increased our speed. We dropped from going 12-13 mph to a measly 7-7.5 mph.


The left channel is the Mississippi River and the right is the Ohio River.

The first few miles of the Ohio River is a very big parking lot for barges and towboats. We now had Illinois on our left and Kentucky on our right.




We passed a lock under construction. It has been under construction at least since 2001 and we don’t know when it will be completed. One of the locks it is replacing was 1 mile later. It is a very old lock with wooden wickets. When the river is high the wickets are lowered and the boats drive right over them. When the river is low the wickets are raised to create a dam. A steam powered crane is used to raise the wickets and it takes a full day to raise the wickets.

When the wickets are up boats need to lock through using the chambers. The lock was in the process of setting up the wickets. We were able to get through before all of the wickets were up and in place.

There was much discussion today on the radio about where to anchor. Just like the Mississippi River, there are very few anchorages on the Ohio River, and no marinas.

At 4 p.m. we arrived at Lock 52 where we were told there would be about a 1 hour wait for us. While the others waited (nowhere to tie up, just going in circles), we took our boat over to check out a possible overnight anchorage. Darrell sounded the area between an underwater sandbar and land. It proved to be a little too shallow for an anchorage. So we continued to wait for the lock.

At 5 p.m. we checked with the Lockmaster and were told he had to lock through a northbound tow, a southbound tow and then he could lock our pleasure boats. It would be another 1 – 1 ½ hour. Since it took the last south bound tow a good 45 minutes to exit the lock (it was stuck in the lock because the water was so low) we didn’t have a lot of faith in the lockmasters prediction of when we could lock through. 4 of the 5 boats decided to anchor and spend the night just off channel of the river below the lock & dam. This wasn’t the place Darrell checked. The water was deeper and we had enough swing room to let out adequate anchor rode. The 5th boat (Passport) was going to wait to lock through and would continue in the dark. They were almost home and were anxious to get there.

We dropped anchor at 5:30. 94 miles in 11 hours. Remember yesterday? 109 miles in 9 ½ hours.