Mon - Tues, Oct. 8 - 9/2018 Pickwick Lake
Mon, Oct. 8 - Columbus Day!
In observance of the national holiday, we decided to enjoy the hospitality of Grand Harbor Marina for another day. Everyone is soooo nice! After a lovely breakfast aboard Port-A-Gee Brian did some boat maintenance, and Loral went for a run. The hills of Alabama have nothing on the mountains of Tennessee/Mississippi! Cardio/Strength/Endurance training, check, check, check.
After doing a couple loads of laundry, we used the courtesy car to visit Shiloh National Military Park. The magnitude of war fought on US soil is sobering. Nearly 110,000 American troops clashed in a bloody contest that resulted in 23,746 casualties; more casualties than all of America's previous wars combined. The soldiers were buried at their place of death on the battlefield and remain to this day. Most of the grave markers simply stated the soldier's name and state that he represented. Remarkably, the Midwest was well represented, particularly, Iowa, Illinois and Ohio.
We returned to Grand Harbor for fellowship and docktails accompanied by Tom & Jody Goldman (Braveheart) and Bert Allen (Touch the Horizon). Much to our delight, "Mayor" Herb Seaton (My Phantom) arrived later in the afternoon, with other loopers in tow. Everybody knows Herb!
A local restaurant, Freddy T's, offers shuttle service between the Marina, so Bert joined us for a lovely dinner.
In observance of the national holiday, we decided to enjoy the hospitality of Grand Harbor Marina for another day. Everyone is soooo nice! After a lovely breakfast aboard Port-A-Gee Brian did some boat maintenance, and Loral went for a run. The hills of Alabama have nothing on the mountains of Tennessee/Mississippi! Cardio/Strength/Endurance training, check, check, check.After doing a couple loads of laundry, we used the courtesy car to visit Shiloh National Military Park. The magnitude of war fought on US soil is sobering. Nearly 110,000 American troops clashed in a bloody contest that resulted in 23,746 casualties; more casualties than all of America's previous wars combined. The soldiers were buried at their place of death on the battlefield and remain to this day. Most of the grave markers simply stated the soldier's name and state that he represented. Remarkably, the Midwest was well represented, particularly, Iowa, Illinois and Ohio.
We returned to Grand Harbor for fellowship and docktails accompanied by Tom & Jody Goldman (Braveheart) and Bert Allen (Touch the Horizon). Much to our delight, "Mayor" Herb Seaton (My Phantom) arrived later in the afternoon, with other loopers in tow. Everybody knows Herb!A local restaurant, Freddy T's, offers shuttle service between the Marina, so Bert joined us for a lovely dinner.
Tues, Oct. 9 (55.9 miles):
Time to get back on the water. We cast our lines around 9:00 a.m. and headed to the Pickwick Lock and Dam (mm 206.7). While the temperature is still hovering at 80, the winds have picked up giving us a bumpy ride to the lock a mile away. Once again, the Lock Gods were smiling down on us. When Brian radioed, the Lockmaster informed us that 3 pleasure boats just came up, and the lock is ready to go back down again. Of course, the 3 pleasure boats were Loopers likely heading to the Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler. We are officially going the opposite direction than the pack. The winds challenged us as we tried to tie up to the lock wall, and we had to hang on tight as we dropped 55 feet to our final destination of Kentucky Lake. We observed that we are beginning to see some of the rocky banks of the Tennessee River being replaced by sand.
Navigating 45 miles to Clifton Marina, Clifton, TN (mm 158.5) in narrower waters proved to be less challenging in the winds. The day heated up 84, with a little cloud cover, which we were grateful to have. Clifton Marina is a popular Looper stop as evidenced by the 5 other Loopers taking refuge with us (Then Again, Corkscrew, Compass Rose). It's a small marina, and we were packed in pretty tight. We are really appreciative of the Southern hospitality at the marinas that we visited, and Clifton is no exception. We feasted on a delicious pork roast that has been taunting us from the crockpot all day.
Time to get back on the water. We cast our lines around 9:00 a.m. and headed to the Pickwick Lock and Dam (mm 206.7). While the temperature is still hovering at 80, the winds have picked up giving us a bumpy ride to the lock a mile away. Once again, the Lock Gods were smiling down on us. When Brian radioed, the Lockmaster informed us that 3 pleasure boats just came up, and the lock is ready to go back down again. Of course, the 3 pleasure boats were Loopers likely heading to the Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler. We are officially going the opposite direction than the pack. The winds challenged us as we tried to tie up to the lock wall, and we had to hang on tight as we dropped 55 feet to our final destination of Kentucky Lake. We observed that we are beginning to see some of the rocky banks of the Tennessee River being replaced by sand.Navigating 45 miles to Clifton Marina, Clifton, TN (mm 158.5) in narrower waters proved to be less challenging in the winds. The day heated up 84, with a little cloud cover, which we were grateful to have. Clifton Marina is a popular Looper stop as evidenced by the 5 other Loopers taking refuge with us (Then Again, Corkscrew, Compass Rose). It's a small marina, and we were packed in pretty tight. We are really appreciative of the Southern hospitality at the marinas that we visited, and Clifton is no exception. We feasted on a delicious pork roast that has been taunting us from the crockpot all day.
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