Monday, July 30

Ricatoni's Italian Grill - Florence, AL.

Helen Keller - Water pump

Helen Keller birthplace - Tuscumbia, AL.

3614 Jackson Hwy - Muscle Shoals Sound Studio - Sheffield, AL.

W.C. Handy birthplace & museum - Florence, AL

The Muscle Shoals Area is steeped in music history.  Florence, AL. is frequently referred to as "the birthplace of the Blues" -  W.C. Handy was born here and is generally regarded as the" Father of the Blues."  Every year the W.C. Handy Festival is held featuring blues, jazz, country, gospel, rock music and R&B.  Unfortunately, we missed it.  We did catch an act Sunday night by a very talented local artist, Dylan Hodges, who won the national flat picking contest at the age of 17 years old. 
Two music studios in the area are standouts - FAME Studio in Muscle Shoals, AL. and 3614 Jackson Hwy.- Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, AL.  Between the two of them such great songs & artists as "Brown Sugar" - Rolling Stones, "I'll Take You There" - The Staple Singers, "Kodachrome" - Paul Simon, "Old Time Rock and Roll" - Bob Seger, "Mustang Sally" - Wilson Pickett and many many more were recorded here.  
 It all started with the FAME Studio that featured studio musicians called "The Swampers", whose distinctive accompaniment and arrangements were heard on many legendary recordings. 
3614 Jackson Hwy - the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, was formed when The Swampers left FAME to create their own studio.  With their reputation well established in the music world they attracted such performers as The Rolling Stones (Sticky Fingers was recorded here,) Elton John, Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan.  
Switching gears we made a quick stop at Ivy Green:  Birthplace of Helen Keller, located in Tuscumbia, AL. (Charlie stayed in the car)  It is here that Anne Sullivan revealed the mystery of language to 7-year old Helen by spelling the word w-a-t-e-r into her hand as water flowed over the other hand.  It was at that moment, that Helen learned her first word, "water."  She went on to graduate from Radcliffe College and was actively involved with The American Foundation for the Blind well into her 80s.

W.C. Handy - Father of the Blues - Florence, AL.

The locals living at the Florence Harbor Marina are a friendly bunch - a young man on our dock, who owns the marina restaurant, was very knowledgeable about the current music scene in Muscle Shoals and gave us several CDs of young artists.  One of them was Angela Hacker who was the winner of Season 5 - Nashville Star.  She & her brother (who came in second) grew up in the area and return often to play in the clubs.  Being the music lovers that we are, we are finding this place to be pretty cool.


 

Sunday, July 29

Wilson Dam - Tennessee River

New construction in Muscle Shoals - nice boathouse - Pickwick Lake - Tennessee River

Before casting off for another long day on the water, we jumped on the bikes for a quick ride around Goose Pond Colony ........ yet another marina in a park like setting.  This seems to be unique to this area and we have really enjoyed staying at these type of facilities.
We knew that retracing yesterday's cruise would not be that exciting and in fact it was not.  By 5:30 pm we had reached Wilson Dam, the oldest on the river.  Completed in 1925, it was declared the world's largest at 137 ft. high and 4,541 ft. long.  The dam is architecturally interesting as the arches forming the spillways are patterned after the Ancient Roman Aqueducts.  It is on the National Registry of Historical Places.

Painted Bluff - Guntersville Lake - Tennessee River

Just past the dam, at the far eastern end of Lake Pickwick we pulled into the Florence Harbor Marina.  We had traveled 120 miles and pasted through three locks.
This area is known as Muscle Shoals and consist of four towns - Florence, AL. on the north side of the river and Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia, AL on the south side of the river.  The area offers several attractions for visitors and is a popular destination on the Tennessee River.

Saturday July 28

Is it really raining?  Nickajack Lake - "Grand Canyon of the Tennessee"

It's five o'clock somewhere - party cove Nickajack Lake - Tennessee River

 Nickajack Lake - Grand Canyon of the Tennessee

Seventeen miles past Huntsville we exited Wheeler Lake and entered the Guntersville Lock.  It is here exiting the lock, that the Tennessee River views really begin to change.  This expanse of water between bluffs and forested hills is quite lovely.  Guntersville Lake is about two miles wide and runs a length of 76 miles.  It is the second largest lake in the Tennessee River - only Kentucky Lake is bigger.
While beautiful, it is also home to the nation's largest gray bat population.  Three caves in this area have the correct environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity in which the gray bat can survive.  Some 40,000 to 60,000 bats can live in each cave.  At dusk, thousands fly from the caves to feed on insects - we did not stick around to see them.

Guntersville Lake - Tennessee River

At the far end of Guntersville Lake you can see both sides of the Sequatchie Valley, one of two rift valleys in the world - the other is the Great Victoria Valley in Africa.  Both were created by the earth's surface literally splitting apart.  The valley is more than 125 miles long, but never more than five miles wide.
Our final lock was Nickajack where we entered the narrow 46-mile long Lake Nickajack.  This stretch of the river to Chattanooga is known as the "Grand Canyon of the Tennessee."  While that may be a bit of an exaggeration, the scenery was some of the best we have seen on the river.
Soon the gray clouds overhead cut loose and we found ourselves actually needing to use the windshield wipers - a rare occurrence these days.  This was our turning around point - we would now retrace our route back to Lake Pickwick and the entrance to the Tenn-Tom Waterway.
Our intentions were to spend the night at the Hales Bar Nickajack Marina - but with a lukewarm response to our request for a slip, we decided to head further down the river and knock off a few more miles.
At the Goose Pond Colony Marina on Guntersville Lake we called  it a day.  It was 6:30 pm and we had traveled 200 miles.  Located at the marina was a relaxed, low key restaurant reputed to be one of the best on the river.  With a house specialty of shrimp and grits, it did not disappoint. 

Friday, July 27

Sunset over Wheeler Lake - Tennessee River

Sunset over Ditto Landing Marina

Lunar Excursion Module

Rocket Park -U.S. Space & Rocket Center

The most popular tourist attraction in Huntsville, AL. is the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.  It's the world's largest space museum and has the nation's largest and finest collection of NASA rockets and army missiles.  It is here that a team of scientists, led by Dr. Wernher von Braun, designed and tested the rockets that eventually put man on the moon.
In 1958 they successfully launched a four-stage Jupiter-C rocket carrying Explorer 1, the nation's first earth orbiting satellite.  The U.S. had officially entered the space age.  In 1961, a Mercury-Redstone rocket lifted Alan B. Shepard, America's first astronaut, on a suborbital flight.  Next came the Saturn V rocket that was used in the Apollo missions, the most famous of which resulted in Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon on July 20, 1969.  These successes were followed by several important space projects including Skylab and the shuttles.
What made the visit so fascinating was to visually see the evolution of these rockets and missiles from the German V-2 in WW II to the present.  Looking at what was achieved with the relatively small amount of money spent during the 1950s on space technology, makes one wonder how we could find our country in today's current situation of outsourcing astronaut transport to the Russians.....
Next to us at the Ditto Landing Marina were Hank & Ann Evans, who have been cruising full time on a 42 ft. trawler - Queen Ann's Revenge for over four years.  Before retiring, they lived in West Des Moines for twenty years.  As is turned out, we knew several of the same people and enjoyed exchanging stories with them.  It's a small world .......

Space Shuttle Park -dedicated to the crew of Challenger

The marina is located in a park setting so we jumped on our bikes for a sunset tour of the property.  Gone was the humidity & brutal heat of the last couple of days - finally a night to enjoy the great outdoors.

Thursday, July 26

Hungry heron at the Wilson Lock- Tennessee River

Tennessee River 600 - Wilson Lock - Tennessee River

Waterfall Cove a favorite on Lake Pickwick

In Pickwick Lake, eight miles past the dam, you can exit the Tennessee River and enter the Tenn-Tom (Tennessee-Tombigbee) Waterway which takes you to Mobile, AL. and the Gulf of Mexico.
The Tennessee River continues on for several hundred miles past Pickwick Lake and is renowned for its beauty.  A thirty mile stretch leading to Chattanooga, TN. is known as the Grand Canyon of the Tennessee.  With nothing but time on our hands, we decided to veer off on yet another side trip.
The river consists of a series of lakes created by the dams - beginning with the 55-mile long Pickwick Lake.  Next is Wilson Lake, with a length of only 15-miles long it is the shortest of all the lakes on the Tennessee.  It is also the deepest with depths up to 125 ft.  These lakes are the prettiest waters we have seen since Georgian Bay in Lake Huron.
There was great excitement locking through the Wilson Lock as we watched 46 jet skies exit en masse.  They were part of the Tennessee River 600 and were traveling down river from Knoxville, TN.  They were a fun group who haul their jet skies all over the country to cruise different waterways - maybe our next adventure? (with Kathy's next husband?)  Once inside the lock we watched two heron feast on the small fish trapped in the lock.  Maybe not the best pickins'- but it was quick & easy - sort of like the McDonald's of the avian world.

Cove on Pickwick Lake

Soon we entered Wheeler Lock, our final one of the day.  Exiting onto Wheeler Lake we could see the hint of mountains in the distance.  This lake is about 20 miles long and leads to Huntsville, AL.  and the Ditto Landing Marina.  This unusual name comes from James Ditto, a pioneer who began operating a ferry here in 1807.  Today, we cruised 118 miles and have passed through 131 locks to date.

Wednesday, July 25

  Grand Harbor Marina - Lake Pickwick

Tennessee River

Bloody Pond - Shiloh Military Park

Shiloh Meeting House

Pittsburg Landing - Shiloh Military Park

Shiloh National Cemetery

Pickwick Lake is all about water activities - from tubing to fishing, from a 6-foot dingy to a 100-foot yacht - you see it all.  The deep water coves provide perfect places for anchoring and swimming.  It was hard to tear ourselves away from this boater's paradise (especially on a 100 degree day), but there was one "must see" historic site in this area, Shiloh National Military Park.
On 4,200 acres overlooking the Tennessee River, 156 monuments (several honoring the Iowa Infantry Division), 217 cannons and more than 650 historic tablets mark America's best preserved battlefield.  It was the site of the Civil War's first major combat on the western front, fought for the purpose of controlling freight movement in all directions through the rail junction in Corinth, MS.   The April 6- 7, 1862 battle included 40,000 Union forces and 44,000 Confederate soldiers.  It took place primarily in the forests and fields surrounding a small log church known as the Shiloh Meeting House.  The bloody battle ended with nearly 24,000 dead, wounded or missing soldiers, a casualty rate of nearly 30%.
The battlefield tour begins at the Visitor's Center, which features an excellent orientation film.  It is followed by a 10-mile self-guided automobile tour, which takes visitors throughout the park to 20 stops telling the story of the battle.

Memorial to the Iowa Infantry Division

The park is also home to the Shiloh National Cemetery, established in 1866.  The cemetery is the final resting place for 1,227 known and 2,417 unknown Union dead recovered from both the Shiloh battlefield and other Civil War- era graves along the Tennessee River Valley.  It is a solemn reminder of the ultimate sacrifices made in the belief of freedom and love of country.

Tuesday, July 24

Dinner at Freddy's

Home on Pickwick Lake

Dip in the river - under the mermaid

Cows cooling off - many in shade & one in the river

Cerro Gordo Mound - Tennessee River

Finally, we were off.  It felt great to be back on the water with a mission.
There was a nice breeze, very little boat traffic and virtually no "go slow" areas - under the shade of our hard top, the 100 degree heat was quite manageable.
After leaving Kentucky Lake, the Tennessee River narrows, bluffs line the shore and the countryside becomes hillier.  Against this backdrop, it was quite a site to watch the birds of prey (eagles, osprey & hawks) soar above us.  Some people might call this stretch of our journey "a whole lot of nothing."  If Starbucks is your thing, this place is not for you.  We on the other hand, call is a nature cruise and are amazed at the vast areas of this riverfront that remain untouched.
What little building that there is along the river is done on the top of bluffs or on stilts.  The smart ones have motor homes that can be driven out of harms way when flooding occurs.
We noticed people lazily floating in their tubes and decided a quick dip in the river would be refreshing.  We pulled out of the main channel and under the mermaid sign jumped in - life of the river is good!
180 miles later we locked through the Pickwick Lock and entered the beautiful Pickwick Lake.  Part of the lake is surrounded by lovely lake homes with manicured lawns.  The other part is surrounded by wilderness - miles and miles of undeveloped land which will always stay that way thanks to the
TVA (Tennessee Valley Association) which has control of it.

Monday, July 23

Been there!

These owners have plenty of it - they have (2) lg. boats with this name

No doubt a Doc is enjoying retirement on this one

Pretty clever

A groaner

This will be our last day at the Green Turtle Bay Marina - we have been waiting for a replacement windshield wiper to be delivered - funny how a little thing like that can slow you down ............ it finally arrived late in the afternoon and if it can solve our problem it will have been worth the wait.
It's another hot one ......... making it to 100 degrees.  We did lots of swimming and took an afternoon tour of the harbor in our kayaks.  This is a huge marina with 450 slips.  The boats range in size & type, from over 100 ft. riverboats down to 20 ft. Whalers.  We  were amused by some of the names of the boats - some quite clever, while others were "groaners."  Our personal favorite was "Sea Meant."

Our favorite boat name

With Charlie's career in the cement business & our love of the sea, we liked the play on words.  I guess you could say we are easily amused these days.  Time to get moving!!

Sunday, July 22

Badgett Playhouse - Grand Rivers, KY

Lake Barkley - sailboat dingy of choice is the jet ski

Kentucky Penitentiary - Old Eddyville - Lake Barkley

Once again, the place to be was on the water - today we cruised Lake Barkley.  As we left the Green Turtle Bay Marina we immediately took notice of all the large barge tows - three deep waiting to lock through the Barkley Dam.   We were grateful not to be part of that line-up, as pleasure craft always take a back seat to any commercial traffic.   We would have been waiting for hours.
Instead we turned down the main channel that parallels the shoreline of the Land Between the Lakes Recreational Area.  There were many protected coves and far less boat traffic than yesterday.
Although the main channel is well marked and deep, Lake Barkley is known for its navigational hazards.  Created in 1966 by the construction of the Barkley Dam, it is a man-made lake which changed the landscape of this area.   Many large foundations of previous buildings, cemetery tombstones and in fact most of a town - Old Eddyville - now lie beneath the surface of the water, along with the usual suspects like tree stumps and sand bars.
A few structures remain to tell the story of the town, one of the most impressive being the Kentucky State Penitentiary.  Built inland more than a hundred years ago, today it rests of the shore of Lake Barkley and is affectionately referred to by locals as the "Castle on the Cumberland."

Barge tow line-up for Barkley Lock

Over the weekend we had the chance to attend "The Super 60's Show" at the Badgett Playhouse in Grand Rivers.  Featuring talented performers, many from Nashville, and showcasing the great tunes of that era, it was a fun evening - but according to Charlie they butchered Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.

Saturday, July 21

Large raft-up on Duncan Bay - Lake Kentucky

Cooling off - Duncan Bay - Lake Kentucky

Graffiti Rocks on shore of The Quarry - Lake Kentucky

Partying at The Quarry on Lake Kentucky

Following Kathy's workout and my meditation on "Zen and the Minivan", we decided to annoy the local boat broker by asking to board a 1986 Hatteras 53 and a 70' Riverboat, both of which were huge in there own ways.  The three staterooms, three heads, vast salon and after deck on the Hatteras were most impressive, but the LONG vertical ladder to the bridge would be enough to discourage anyone over 45 from owning the boat.  The riverboat had five staterooms and a water slide.  It's aluminum construction was not very refined - they could learn a thing or two from Winnebago, their land counterpoint, with far superior appointments.  You want big, you can have big for $750,000.  I am also told they are most interesting to drive in crosswinds and rough water .......
Off to more constructive pursuits, we left Green Turtle Bay to inspect Lake Kentucky's equivalent of Clear Lake's Party Cove, The Quarry.  We arrived before the narrow enclosure was completely full of boats and did a brief inspection of the Poor Man's Riverboat (pontoons) and Viagra Boats before moving on to Duncan Bay, where we were assured eagles would not be "hid out".

Barkley Canal connecting Lake Barkley & Lake Kentucky

We had lunch, went for multiple swims in the 90 degree sunshine, observed large raft-ups and cleaned the waterline of the White Label, which had accumulated grunge from all the rivers we have been in since Chicago.  Following the work period we looked up to see two eagles gliding over the treetops along the bay.  One perched next to an empty nest for our viewing pleasure, the other took off and soon was "hid out".  While the heat hadn't dissipated, we went in one more time and headed back to the gas dock (ouch!).

Friday, July 20

Something likes this heat - Crepe Myrtle Bush

Flamed broiled burgers at Craig's Dairy Dream

 Pink Tractor Boutique -  Grand Rivers, KY

Putting out the flames

Green Turtle Bay courtesy minivan in flames on the Woodland Trace

We set out at 8:00 am to beat the heat and the weekend crowds.  In the Green Turtle Bay courtesy van #4, on a National Scenic Byway road - the Woodland Trace, we entered the Land Between the Lakes National Recreational Area.  Our first stop was the Elk & Bison Prairie ($5 per vehicle fee), a 700 acre tract with not one animal to be found.  As we exited and reported this to a park employee, he noted it was hot and added "they're there - they're jist hid out".  That was due to the temperature, but little did we know how "HOT" the day would get.
Kathy wanted to explore further down the road.  Lo and behold, what did we see?  Bison, lots of them and reasonably close.  We "got there just before too late" as they were "fixin' to get hid out" in a tree obscured creek bed.  Pictures were taken and victory declared.
We turned around and headed back to the park's welcome center to look for Bison postcards to send to Elle & Georgia.  When we stopped, we could smell gas but could see nothing wrong.   Leaving the
center, we could smell gas again and immediately thereafter smoke started coming through the ventilation system.  It was clear that we needed to get out and we tried to stop but the brakes were not working properly and the engine had died.  The vehicle finally slowed enough for us to get it to the side of the road and we bailed out.  Kathy even remembered to grab her backpack.  There were
open flames in the undercarriage and we got the Hell away from it.  About five minutes later the minivan with 187,000 miles on it was consumed in flames.  No one was hurt, although traffic was screwed up for awhile.  Was this a message from some higher power (Is there a Minivan God?) - retribution for bad mouthing minivans throughout my driving lifetime?
Deciding that minivans had become too hot to handle, we went to the resort office to rent a golf cart.  Funny thing, they didn't have any available ........... so we rode our bikes to Craig's Dairy Dream for a flame broiled burger and fries - delicious!  We "toured" Grand River's extensive (not) retail area, acquiring some junk our children will have to throw away some day.

Bison prairie - Between the Lakes Rec Area

We returned to Green Turtle Bay's pool to get out of the heat & relax from the drama of the day.