Catching Up is Hard to Do - Part 2

Ohio River...Oh How I Miss the Mississip!!! – 10/1/12

Woke up to more ‘on and less off’ rain.  Figured we had a short hop to Fern's next recommend stop...anchoring in the 'under construction' Olmsted Lock...slept in and left during one of the short breaks in rain.  We were told we'd be bucking a 1-2 mph current...bullshit...we drove against 3-5 mph current and 12-15 mph winds!!  Average speed 4-5 mph with occasional 3 mph!  Ugh!  Got to Olmsted and were met by a workboat who told us to back out as this was a construction zone…no anchoring.  So we backtracked a couple of miles and found a recommended place (MM967.3) on the river to anchor.  Rain kept falling…we were snug for the night.

Wide open and duck are swimming by me!

Olmsted Lock and Dam under construction

Bad news coming!

Next day…no wind…so we squeezed out a couple of more mph’s!!  Good thing.  When we got to Lock & Dam 53 the wickets were down so we had to creep up the current over them.  Another ~3-4 mph transit.  At Lock & Dam 52 we waited two hours for a group of five powerboats: Seaquel; One September; Sareanna; Jim’s Joy II, and; Good Karma.  Ended up being a great thing as they included us in their raft at the Cumberland Towhead anchorage later that day.  After watching the action around retrieving a line that got stuck under 1 September we let them wine and dine us.  Tough duty!!

Lock & Dam 52 - Slow ride over the wicket dam

The wickets are up - must lock through

At the top!

Time to go but must go around tow thats ready to come in.

Cruiz'n to Green Turtle – 10/3/12

We were instructed to tune into Channel 78 for our early morning wake up call.  We declined to participate but did get up and off before the others…eager to get the hell off the Ohio I was!  Immediate right turn and we’re on the Cumberland River.  We chose the Cumberland because the word was the Kentucky Lock & Dam could get backed up for hours with tow traffic.  Mike on 1 September called the Barkley Lock and Dam last night (the eagerest of beavers) and they said come on!  So plan was get off early for the 30-mile trip to Green Turtle and celebrate early.  Best laid plans!!  After being passed by the group of five Chris suggested calling the Lock to make sure they counted six before filling the chamber.  I was told the lock was down for maintenance and would not open till 4:30!  Shit!!!  After slowly making our way to the Lock…arriving about 2pm…they shortly finished their work and up we went.  When I say up…I mean UPPPP!  The lift is 57 ft!  You go from this skinny little river (about like the Saginaw River) up to Lake Barkley, which is 134 miles long with a shoreline of 1,004 miles!!!  There is a little split of land they call “The Land Between the Lakes” which butts up against Kentucky Lake (formed on the Tennessee River by the Kentucky Lock & Dam.  Google Map Grand Rivers, KY and see what I mean.

The pack is catching us again!

Chris---Hard to port!!!

This is why you can't always trust the chart plotter!!

Outside waiting of the doors to open

Floating Bollard Track

Look how high the water line is on the wall!!

Floating bollard we tie to as we go up or down

Going up!

Top of Barkley Dam

After arriving Green Turtle…which is the nicest marina we’ve been to so far…it was time to straighten up, wash and organize.  Green Turtle Marina is one of those stops most Loopers make.  So we’ve met many new Loopers and got caught up with past Loopers. 

Patti's -- The home of the 2" thick pork chop -- mmmm good!!!