Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Grand Harbor Marina

We have been here in the marina for a couple of days yesterday we did chores on the boat and today we used the courtesy car to go to Savannah, TN for some shopping. We had lunch at the Hickory Pit a great BarBQ place in Savannah. We were able to visit the battlefield and museum at Shiloh. We watched a really informative movie showing why and how the battle was fought. The Union had taken two of the Confederate forts in Kentucky and the Confederate Armies pulled back to Corinth to protect the railroad system that linked the Mississippi River with the Atlantic coast. General Grant and Sherman brought their armies down the Tennessee River at Pittsburg Landing. The set up camp and waited for General Buell to arrive with his troops before they attacked Corinth. General Johnston of the Confederacy learned of the plan and marched north from Corinth toward Pittsburg Landing to intercept the attack before Buell arrived, by the end of two days of fighting 110,000 soldiers were involved and over 23,000 were killed, wounded or missing. 

We returned to the marina in time for docktails with the other Loopers here, tomorrow will be a travel day for many of us. 

Lunch Stop, BarBQ Plate with Hot Sauce, yum!
Shiloh Visitors Center and Museum
Grocery Shopping at Kroger in Savannah, TN
Grand Harbor Condominiums and Marina
Dwain, Jackie, Donna, Bill,
Bev, Kaye, Carol, Dennis, and Al

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Pickwick Anchorage to Grand Harbor Marina

While at anchor this morning we were able to worship with our home congregation, Mt Pleasant Lutheran Church via a pod cast(spaceshipchurch.org>News>Podcasts). 

We arrived at Grand Harbor Marina today after a very short trip from Pickwick State Park anchorage.  The homes along the way are very grand – if you have some notion about Mississippi and Tennessee and hillbillies, you can forget about it.  These are some serious mansions.  The landscape is so beautiful its easy to see why one would want to build a dream house high above the river.

We drove a courtesy car into Corinth this afternoon and visited the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center.  Its part of the Shiloh National Park area.  The museum was very nice, and explained the critical role of Corinth as the crossroads of two major railroads serving both the north and the south.  Both the Union and the Confederacy were determined to control this rail junction and prolonged battles were fought in this area in April/May of 1862.   A town of 1500 people became a battlefield for 50,000 soldiers and the available water, largely from winter rain quickly became a tainted swamp.  As many soldiers died of disease and dysentery as from their battle wounds.  The entire Shiloh campaign took 23,000 lives and the town was largely abandoned after serving as a field hospital.  In the end the Federal Army controlled the area and the railroads. 


Federal troops protected thousands of slaves who escaped to Corinth as “contraband” until they could be relocated and freed after the war.  General Hodge turned a part of Corinth into a Contraband camp, where houses, a school, a hospital and businesses were established.  A regiment of freed slaves from Corinth served the Union Army.  Slaves held paid jobs and over 1000 people were taught to read.  After this successful experiment, no other camps were ever developed at this level and slaves struggled to become a part of the free culture.

Infinity pool?
Roof over the deck
Well presented
a Modern Touch

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Clifton Marina to Pickwick Landing Anchorage

We departed the dock about 9:00 this morning for a cruise day with the Pickwick Lock at the end of the day. There is an Atlantic low working across Tennessee, 20-40% chance of rain, overcast and temperatures in the 70's for the next several days. More rock formations today as we continue down Kentucky Lake and the Tennessee river, this river elevation is controlled by the Kentucky Lake dam 186 miles down river. Now the new pool is controlled by the Pickwick Dam. Lots of fishing both on shore and from boats. No commercial activity today and only a few pontoon boats cruising on the river. 

Beautiful shoreline
An ATV on the shoreline
Stilt houses and a RV Park
Cool striations
Some houses are a bit strange
Fishing from a boat
 Amish Ladies, Fishing from shore
A dredging operation shut down for the weekend
Pickwick Lock
I believe each lock is assigned a heron as a masscot

Double Island to Clifton Marina

Friday, September 24

10 mile cruise today, Carol arrived about noon and Tom Harrold departed for Tulsa. It was a real pleasure having Tom on the boat, I learn so much every time we talk, Thanks Tom. The rest of the day was a marina day, a little boat cleaning and I was able to get paper charts printed from online at a local bank. 


Geologists use the rock strata to age the earth
Like counting rings on a tree
Clifton Marina

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Pebble Isle to Double Island Anchorage

Pebble Isle has complementary Cinnamon Rolls and coffee in the morning, that were delicious. We departed about 9:00 and arrived at our anchorage about 3:00 PM. The anchorage is behind double island the river splits around both parts of Double Island and the water has a little current that keeps us mostly parallel to the shoreline. A bit of breeze moved us around a bit at anchor for a while but now the current has taken over and we are sitting very comfortably 100 yards off shore in 10 feet of calm water. Kentucky Lake has transformed into the Tennessee River, the river walls show off many interesting geological formations, Tom is an expert and explained to me the dips and ridges and how the mountains were formed. Lots of good discussion on the scenery and we solved most if not all of the world's problems today. After anchoring we went for a swim and I was able to check out the hull fittings and zincs, all looks great.

Our primary source of navigation was sent to Garmin for repair or replacement yesterday and I noticed that at the end of the short cruise yesterday the battery on the iPad our backup navigation aid was dead. I was really concerned about being without good electronic navigation. This morning I remembered that we had paper charts for the Tennessee River, I pulled them out this morning and we navigated by the old fashion way all day and did not even use the iPad, a relief.


I did not know rocks bend!!
Densons Landing Light at
Tom's Creek, Just a coincidence?
Nice setting on a rock ridge
New Houses
Log Cabin Houses

Little bungalow houses, my favorite

A rock out cropping that reminds me of Door County
A tow pushing, a tow pushing, a barge?

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Paris Landing to Pebble Isle Marina

Rob Markum the Marina Manager at Paris Landing helped me get the chart plotter shipped off to Garmin this morning. He printed the shipping label for me and delivered the package to the Hotel so UPS could pick it up. According to the tracking information at UPS it will be delivered to Olathe, KS tomorrow by 10:30 AM. I am hoping for a quick turn around since the chart plotter is essential to our travels. Our journey on the river again was quite beautiful very scenic and relaxing. When the dams were completed several towns were covered with water and were moved to a new location. Some of the remnants of the old villages were visible today. We passed one 12 barge tow today. We arrived at Pebble Isle about 2:00, filled with diesel and tied to their pier for the evening. 

We were able to borrow the courtesy van and visited the Johnsonville State Historic Park about a mile from the marina. Johnsonville was a major military supply depot during the civil war. The confederate army attacked it and was successful in burning down much of the facility, however, it  only was rebuilt in a few weeks and back in service supply Sherman with supplies as he marched to Atlanta.

Interesting shoreline
Abandoned railroad bridge
The dams were completed in 1944, flooding some towns
Cast Metal Sign describing the Johnsonville
TVA flooded this town as well
Civil War Cannon
Barracks each house two soldiers
Information machine, turn the crank, push a button and a voice tells the story, keep turning the crank

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Green Turtle Bay to Paris Landing State Park

Carol took Tom's car this morning to visit with Tom's wife and the rest of her girl friends from Oklahoma. Tom and I prepared the boat to travel, we needed a pump out and began our journey about 9:30. Our destination was Paris Landing at mile marker 66 on Kentucky Lake. We crossed over through the canal from Barkley Lake to Kentucky Lake at mile marker 25. Kentucky Lake is a beautiful body of water created by the Kentucky lock and dam at mile marker 20, the Lake then continues to mile 120. We passed a new bridge building project for Tennessee Highway 60, it appears to be a project that will allow Hwy 60 to become 4 lanes. About 1:00 this afternoon our Garmin Chart Plotter flickered and a few minutes later went black. I thought it might have over heated so I shaded the case and waited for it to cool, still black. I called Garmin and did a few trouble shooting steps, still black, dead. We completed the day on the iPad with the Garmin ap. I need to find a way to ship the chart plotter to Garmin in Kansas and they will repair or replace under warranty. Pleased about the repair and replace but a real issue to run on the iPad for any length of time. Just one of those hurdles we need to overcome. 

Leaving Green Turtle Bay
Commonwealth Yacht Club at GTB
The new bridge span at Hwy 60 built along side the lake
Piers for the new span
Bluffs on the Lake
Peaceful rural setting
Coast Guard Buoy Tender Chippewa


Monday, September 21, 2015

Green Turtle Bay

We spent the day in the marina today, I cleaned the fenders and washed the muddy Mississippi from the hull. Carol did laundry and prepared for her trip to Arkansas. Tom Harrold will be with me for the next several days while Carol visits with her Oklahoma girl friends. Tonight we had dinner at Patti's 1880 Settlement with Gemni and Blue Haven, they will stay here for a few more days and Tom and I will start cruising tomorrow. Patti's has 2" pork chops that are just delicious and wonderful desserts.

 Scrubbing off the mud
Dinner at Patti's

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Tourist Day in Paducha

We went to our home church this morning via a podcast from last Sunday, it is a wonderful inspiration listening and participating in the service. Then a few boat chores, I changed oil and Carol did some laundry. This afternoon we used the courtesy car from the marina to go to Paducha with Gemini and Blue Haven. We visited the quilt museum, Carol's favorite, and walked the mural wall that tells the history of Paducha. The wall was built in 1937 to protect the city from the flooding Ohio River and is 15 miles long. The downtown portion has been painted with murals. We had dinner at the Flamingo Row and grocery shopping at Walmart finished the day. 

My Favorite Quilt, 12,000 hexagons
Interesting design
Award winner
Transportation mural
The Flamingo Row, recommended by the staff at the Quilt Museum
Interesting decorations
A toast to completing the Illinois, Mississippi, and Ohio Rivers
The restaurant mascott