JACKIE B III Going Loopy

  We departed Green Turtle Bay Resort before the sun was up. But once the sun came up the colors were beautifully illuminated! We were blessed with gorgeous views all day long. Even the clouds did not disappoint. There were also some interesting man-made sights, to include this abandoned lighthouse on the bluff. We passed many spectacular bays which we would have loved to anchor out in, but we were determined to get to Safe Harbor Aqua, in Iuca, Mississippi. Lots of sedimentary rocks in this section of the river. We arrived at this anchorage at Double Island just as the sun was going down. We were not able to go to shore but I did manage to walk two miles by walking the outside deck of our boat for 53 minutes.  Yes it was boring. The shot of the right was sunrise as we were pulling up anchor in the morning This was looking back at the anchorage.  The boat on shore gives us an idea of how low the water is. Just before we reached Pickwick Dam we passed Shiloh National Park. Pickwick Dam

We spent a couple of days at the GreenTurtle Resort in Grand Rivers Kentucky in what is known as “The Land Between the Lakes.” This refers to Kentucky Lake and Lake Barclay. We were the last boat to leave Paducah in the morning, passing by some dry dock repairs on the tugs that push the many river barges.  It was interesting to see the large propellers that enable these vessels to push the huge loads. We caught up with our group at the Kentucky Dam.  They had been waiting about an hour but we were able to go right in the chamber since we were one of the larger vessels we tied to the wall and our friends, Jerry and Denise from Nevadatude, rafted to us. You can see the Jackie B III peeking around the trawler. We were the first boat to arrive at the Green Turtle so after refueling we walked into town. There is a darling place called Patti’s 1880 Settlement which is a group of shops and an excellent restaurant.  We couldn’t get a reservation the day we arrived. Mike led a group of looper f

  To get to Paducah Kentucky, we had only one lock and dam and just a few miles. We went through the lock with many of our flotilla 4 companions. This was a very interesting dredging operation we saw along the way.  There are actually two barges here. We were the first to arrive and after helping the other boats get in and tied up, Mike was able to go kiteboarding. I went with a group of ladies to the National Quilt Museum.  The quilts were amazing.  This is a sample of some of my favorites.  It’s amazing what these quilters can do with pieces of fabric.The red, white and blue was from an exhibit of quilts made for veterans. the Christmas tree is a close up of one square on a larger quilt. Quite an interesting exhibit of talent. This was a super cute town.  Reminded us of New Bern. In addition to the quilt museum they have a river history museum, many restaurants, a wine bar a distillery a brewery, a bakery, a sweet shop, and theatre venues. This theatre was originally a market.  The m

As we left Grafton we noticed a lot of color change. There were beautiful cliffs and although the day’s cruise was short it was Gorgeous. We filled with fuel and water as we staged for a long stretch with no marina services at Alton Marina. I was able to take a long walk on the levee and Mike changed the oil. In the morning, the lock-master at the Mel-Price Lock and Dam had us wait for the fog to lift.   But after we got the word everyone was quick to respond and we still made it through before 8:30. Our next and final Lock on the Mississippi River was the Chain of Rocks Lock and Dam.  We’ve heard of many boaters who miss this turn even with the big sign.  If they go the other way there are strong currents at…Rocks.  Fortunately I do NOT have pictures. The big event of the day was passing in front of the Gateway Arches in St. Louis.   We were traveling with our mini flotilla from flotilla 4 and traded photos. The Mississippi River is a busy super highway for barges.  These folks work h