September 22-24

Lock gates opening The Silver Foxes as taken by Gail of Our Time

September 22 Our goal today would be to get to Cumberland Towhead. River jargon for a protected island to anchor named Cumberland. Remember no marinas, no fuel, just us and our food and the pleasant confines of the boat. This will be our third night at anchorage. We have been very fortunate the weather has been very kind to us . Very warm but kind! We arrived at our anchorage, a distance of some 40 miles about 1pm. Cumberland Towhead is at the junction of where the Cumberland River flows into the Ohio River. If you are lost geographically, remember we turned left at the Ohio River and cruised up river to Paducah KY. At that point we could have turned South on the Tennessee River. However we headed up the Ohio another 12 miles to turn south on the Cumberland River. Why? Well there is a very busy lock on the Tennessee River that handles lots of commercial tows and the wait can be very very long to lock through. It is a time saver to travel another few miles rather than contend with the long wait at the lock. Besides we will get to travel on the Cumberland River. Both routes can end up in the same place. More on that later. Not much civilization here. I am not sure you can find it on the map but we are very near Smithland KY. This time Our Time dropped the hook and we rafted off of him. Later they joined us on our boat for cocktail hour. We agreed before we retired for the evening we would cast off about 8am the next morning.

September 23. SF unhooked ourselves from Our Time and led the way around the tip of Cumberland Towhead and headed down the Cumberland River. The Cumberland is much narrower, but still would allow 2 wide tows to pass. However we did not run into much tow traffic. We did have one situation where a tow was coming up to a very sharp bend in the River. He was headed north. Another boat had passed the word that 2 pleasure craft were headed south. He radioed me and asked our boats to hold up while he came around the bend. We gladly obliged. As we met on the River he thanked us for our patience. I was not up for any surprises of that kind! The Barkley Lock is 25 miles down the Cumberland River. This was the first lockmaster that was not very communicative. After a while we raised him on the radio but only when were right at his lock. after 30 minutes we entered the lock and were raised 57' to the river above in very short order. This lock has floating rings in the side of the lock. Simply pull up beside one of the rings, loop your line around the ring and it floats up with you and the boat as the lock is filled. We are now in Barkley lake (still on the Cumberland River). The buoyed channel wends its way down the Lake. Shortly after leaving the lock, the Barkley channel turns to the right which leads into the Tennessee River, a distance of only a few miles. That's where you end up in the same place whether you turn down the Tennessee River or the Cumberland. However our chosen destination is Eddy Creek Marina some 16 miles upstream from the Barkley Channel. Lots of boats on the Lake as it is a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Even a few tows. Eddy Creek Marina sits at the very end of a picturesque bay. We are currently docked under cover in a huge floating dock. Again amongst the giants. Not quite like Chicago, but many very very big houseboats. There is a restaurant here. Good news. Bad news it closes at 5pm. However we were ready for a restaurant meal. So the six of us had our evening meal at 4pm finished off with homemade rhubarb pie and ice cream. It was our intention to stay here 2 nights and then go back down river and cross over to the Tennessee river. However rain is forecast for the next few days and to further influence our decision to stay they have a deal for loopers (the owners of the Marina did the loop in 2003-04). Stay one night ($40) and get the next night free. We will be here through Wednesday night. sm traveled 1498. 160 engine hours

September 24 Restock the cupboard day! Judy, Sharon and Gail took the Marina courtesy car to Paducah some 40 miles away. Eddyville is the closest town. However this is a "dry" county so in order to stock the essential cupboard they needed to go to Paducah! They left at 10:30 am and did not return until 5pm. We met them with the wagons and unloaded the full car and restocked both boats. I did some reorganizing on the boat and some bookwork