JACKIE B III Going Loopy

  We set our sights on the AGLCA Fall Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park.  To get there we cruised up the beautiful Tennessee River. Initially we went through Pickwick Lake formed by the Pickwick Dam. The colors of fall continue to offer us very pleasant views along the waterway. Our first stop on the way up was Florence Alabama.  This town is famous for the Muscle Shoals music industry which had its beginnings right across the river.  The weekend we arrived was the song writers festival.  We were able to enjoy some live music at a bar called Swampers after the band that started the movement here.  One of the best things about Florence is that old Army Air Defense families live nearby. On the way up to the park Rob and Tammy Jassey came for dinner. The night was just beautiful and we had a beautiful sunset cruise. We had an early morning departure to get through the Wilson Lock. Several boats joined us.  This is one of the largest lifts on the river,...

We had a great time on Pickwick Lake with our friends Scott and Pam.  We tied up right behind them and their beautiful boat, Mi Escape, for 10 days.  Safe Harbor Aqua is a great marina. The view of Pickwick Lake from their marina is great.  The shot on the left is of the full moon reflecting on the clouds in the water at night. One of our first activities was to explore by dinghy. Each couple loaded up their own dinghy’s so we were able to go faster than if we had all piled into one dinghy.   We found a cove with a waterfall. Mike and I hiked up and the views were breathtaking. The best view was from the falls down to the beach where Scott and Pam were guarding the dinghy’s and where we had our picnic. Scott and Pam taught us how to play Pickle Ball, which we played almost every day.  We had a blast and we even ordered our own rackets. Another favorite activity is playing cards after dinner.  Pam and I took turns preparing our favorite boat recipes. We were...

  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....

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 gro...