Football, Muscle Shoals Music, Helen Keller and Dead Coon Dogs- Tennessee River Part II

Looper happy hour on the dock

After our water hose incident, we were met by Fred and Julaine Eddy of Boreas. We all decided to have lunch together at the marina restaurant. They were waiting for the arrival of Brandy IV later that day, and the two boats would then head to Joe Wheeler State Park and on up the Tennessee. We stayed at the restaurant and watched Alabama beat Arkansas which made the partisan crowd really happy. We returned to the boat and listened to some other football games on the satellite radio. Around suppertime we went back to the restaurant to see if we could watch LSU play West Virginia. LSU ranks high on many Alabamian teams to watch (probably because we sent them Nick Saban!) and we were able to get a TV turned to the game. We ordered a pizza and some beers and settled in to watch the game. At half-time a musician started to set up next to the big screened TV, and started playing at the start of the third quarter. A lot of famous musicians have recorded in the Muscle Shoals studios because of the wealth of studio musicians that exist in the area. We were treated to some really fine guitar playing and interesting original compositions. We listened to the music and watched the game until LSU was victorious, then said goodnight to everyone and headed back to the boat.

The next morning we got up and took the marina's courtesy car to a Cracker Barrel restaurant for breakfast, then for a run to Wal-Mart. We returned just in time to catch the Saints football game on the restaurant's big screen TV. Larry Valentine wandered by and we shared some beers, talked football, and watched the Saints win (not very glamorously though!). We were invited to Lauren Grace for happy hour and the celebration of some Valentine friend's 47th wedding anniversary. We returned to the boat, had supper, and listened to some more football before finally turning in.

Ivy Green, Helen Keller's birthplace

At Ivy Green

Helen Keller memorabilia

More memorabilia

Dresses worn by Helen Keller

Water pump where Helen acquired language

The next day we awoke to a fairly steady rain. We needed to do some laundry and the marina's machine was acting up, so we took the courtesy van and found a laundromat (or as Jane says a washeteria!). We arrived back at the marina as the weather was starting to clear. We had lunch and decided that it was going to be a nice afternoon. We needed some items for some chili that we wanted to make for the Monday night football game, and took the van out again. This time however, instead of going into Florence, we crossed the river into Muscle Shoals. As we looked for a grocery store we saw a sign pointing to Ivy Green, the birthplace of Helen Keller. We called the museum and found it was open and we could probably squeeze a tour in before we had to return the car. The grounds have been very well preserved and the memorabilia and furnishings were impressive. While we were both familiar with the Helen Keller story, neither of us had any idea that the lady was so accomplished. She wrote 14 books which were translated into 50 languages, graduated cum laude from Radcliffe (the first deaf and blind person to do so), led a distinguished campaign that championed the eradication of preventable blindness, and was a very vocal advocate for the needs of people that shared her handicaps. Reviewing her accomplishments, it's difficult to envision her as handicapped in any way. Her life was the inspiration for the Lions International service project for the blind. We left Ivy Green and found a grocery store and returned to the boat to make our chili. Yes, it was delicious!

This way to the Coon Dog Cemetery

Troop's grave started it all in 1937

The only one of its kind!

Coon dog graves

A homemade marker

A fancy marker

We now go from the sublime to the singular, bordering on the bizarre. We learned from the Valentines about the Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard, located just outside Tuscumbia, AL. Established in 1937 when Key Underwood buried his coon dog Troop here, the cemetery accepts only authentic coon dogs that must pass certain criteria in order to be buried there. With over 185 coon dog burials from all over the world, the site is interesting to say the least. Grave markers range from homemade wood and metal markers to engraved, polished granite headstones. Many of the markers lists the coon dog's accomplishments such as how many raccoons they treed during their lifetime, or how many awards they won in competitions. What we also found interesting was that every grave was adorned with a flower arrangement and many sported American flags. There is no question that the grounds are routinely maintained. The cemetery is located in the rural hills of north Alabama, an absolutely beautiful and scenic area.

We say goodbye to the Valentines

Jambalaya Larry

We spent what we thought was going to be our last day in Florence doing some boat chores. Jane was treated to an all girls lunch with the marina manager then ran some errands with her, returning to the boat around mid-afternoon. Theresa Valentine was flying out to attend a meeting and dropped by to say goodbye. We invited Larry over for dinner since he would be spending the evening by himself. We were cooking a jambalaya and Jane called the marina manager over to give her one of her paintings. When we mentioned that we were leaving in the morning she told us that she was sure that she had us down through tomorrow. We were pretty sure this wasn't right, but she was insistent so we thought, what the heck, we'll stay another day that's free! Larry Valentine came over for dinner and we had some after dinner drinks on the cockpit of Bavarian Cream for a couple of hours. Capt. Larry had baked a fresh loaf of bread to go with the jambalaya. He gave the remaining half loaf to the crew on the sailboat from Sweden that was berthed next to us (not all sail boaters are assholes!) as part of his baked-bread diplomacy. It was a real hit with them as everyone kept telling him how good it was all evening and the next morning. We turned in on a cool fall evening that would make for good sleeping.

A freshwater "croc" caught by the marina staff

Running the Tennessee River- Part I

Kentucky Lake scenery

Bridge with channel span removed

Building flooded by TVA

We left Green Turtle Bay to continue our trip up the Tennessee River. Our plan is to run the river east to at least Chattanooga and perhaps to Knoxville, or somewhere in between. We would do this side trip and then join the other loopers at the end of October for the AGLCA Fall Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, AL. That would give us the month of November to tool down the Tenn-Tom waterway to Mobile where we would complete our loop before making our way back to Louisiana around the first part of December. It had rained the last couple of nights we were in GTB and the forecast was for rain the next two days, so this was the day to move on. We were planning on going into an anchorage at Ginger Bay about 50 miles upstream, so we were in no hurry to get an early start. At the last minute we saw Ron and Jan aboard Jolley Tolley fueling up at the fuel dock. Jolley Tolley had just completed their loop at GTB a couple of days earlier and were eager to get to their home in Georgia for a post-loop party. They announced that they were going to go all the way to Pebble Isle Marina in New Johnsonville, TN. We decided to tag along and hurriedly got ready to shove off.

More Kentucky Lake scenery

We were just about through the Barkley Canal which connects Lakes Barkley and Kentucky when we encountered a large tow entering the canal. We were to the edge of the channel and bearing down on a fisherman in a small skiff who was also at the edge of the channel. Capt. Larry slowed down to not wake the fisherman, but the tow's prop wash caused him to loose control. So he sped up to maintain control and avoid a collision, much to the chagrin of the fisherman. We don't really feel sorry for boaters who put themselves in compromising situations and have things go wrong because they expect everyone else to deal with them. Kentucky Lake is beautiful and presents lots of small coves and bays for great anchorages. Parts of the lake are very shallow because hills, houses, and even towns were flooded when the lake was formed by the TVA, making it necessary to stay in the buoyed channel. We followed Jolley Tolley the 70-some miles to Pebble Isle for a rather uneventful, but scenic trip.

Loopers gather for dinner

Dinner on Bavarian Cream

Sunset at Pebble Isle

Jolley Tolley leaves in the rain

When we arrived at the marina, we found Boreas and Larry and Theresa Valentine aboard Lauren Grace already tied up. We had received several e-mails from the Valentine's during our trip, but had not seen them since Port St. Joe, FL. It was a great reunion! After the new arrivals got settled in, we had some drinks on the dock and everyone went over to the marina restaurant for a group dinner. The next morning it was raining, but Jolley Tolley shoved off, determined to make their party. The other three boats remained in port for better weather. The marina staff treated us all to free, fresh-baked cinnamon rolls and coffee which were absolutely fantastic. It was a good day for boat chores, so Capt. Larry changed the engine fuel filters and motor oil and did some other necessary maintenance, while Jane and Julaine borrowed the courtesy car and went to Wal-Mart to pick up some things for dinner that night. That evening everyone came aboard Bavarian Cream for a grilled chicken dinner. Everyone had a good time.

Socked in at Pebble Isle

River scenery, overcast skies

River house and lighthouse on cliff

It just gets better!

More river scenery

Dredging the river

Unique sign

The "big bend"

Docktails with John and Mary

We remained at Pebble Isle the next day while everyone else shoved off. We had to wait for our new ice maker to be delivered, and besides, the weather was not really great for traveling. Our ice maker arrived in the afternoon, but no other boats showed up that day. We had dinner aboard and watched another of Todd's movies. It's hard to believe that of the 60-some DVD's we started out with, there are only a few remaining that we haven't seen yet. The next morning we got an early start to make our way to Clifton, TN. We started with pretty decent weather, but as we proceeded it started to mist and continued pretty much the entire way. Along the way we passed some pretty spectacular homes that were built on the rock cliffs that border the river. We also came to the river's greatest bend which bends through almost 360 degrees of arc. It would only be about 2 miles to cross the land between the beginning and end of this bend, but almost 9 miles to travel the river through this bend. The town of Clifton is located approximately halfway through this bend. We pulled into the Clifton Marina where we were greeted again by John and Mary aboard Mary Frances IV. We learned that they were celebrating Mary's birthday and an anniversary in the next couple of days, so we invited them to celebratory happy hour at the marina's restaurant.

The next morning John and Mary left. We decided to spend an extra day in Clifton. We borrowed the courtesy car and went into Clifton to get some groceries and supplies. Clifton is an interesting town of about 800 people, but at one time it was a busy port. When Tennessee achieved statehood, a vote was held to determine the state's capital. Clifton lost to Knoxville by one vote! Clifton is a very quaint town and one of the few towns along the river that is actually located on and overlooks the river. If you are ever in the vicinity, we recommend a stop. We returned to the marina and spent an afternoon blogging, sewing, painting, and relaxing. Late in the afternoon Brandy IV rolled in and we helped them get tied up. We had dinner aboard the boat and turned in early.

Railed boat lift

River home with a view

Pickwick Lock and Dam, note current

Getting a lift

Tied up at Eastport Marina

Lake Pickwick

Happy hour with the seasonals

The next morning we headed down the river toward the Pickwick Lock and Dam. This would be our first TVA lock that would put us into Pickwick Lake. While we planned to continue up the Tennessee River, this lake is the head of the Tenn-Tom waterway that would eventually take us down to Mobile. So we would again pass everything from this point on. We had an uneventful, but scenic, ride down to the lock. As we approached the lock the channel narrowed and the current increased considerably. Fortunately, we were able to lock through almost immediately on our arrival and did not have to "hover" in the current waiting for our turn in the lock. Pickwick Lock and Dam is a huge structure that would lift us 54'. Since we were the only boat in the lock, we almost felt lost. We got into Lake Pickwick and made our way to Eastport Marina in Bear Creek. The marina is located in Iuka, MS, but across the creek lies Alabama. The marina accommodates transients, but does not cater to this segment of boaters. We tied up at the end of some covered slips and were greeted by a bevy of seasonal boaters with all kinds of questions about the loop. While we were somewhat of an oddity, everyone was warm and friendly and we were invited to an extended happy hour. We found the restrooms and showers very clean and new and there is a restaurant on the grounds. At $1 a foot including electric, we felt it sure beats anchoring out. We will likely stop here again on our return trip through Lake Pickwick. As one of the seasonal boaters put it, "this marina is one of the best kept secrets around here."

Coming into Florence

Bavarian Cream sans sail boat

The next day we made our way upstream toward Florence, AL. This was a relatively short 30 mile run for us and got us into the Florence Harbor Marina around noon. We had very pretty scenery along this section with high rock cliffs lining the shores. It was an easy and relaxing ride until we got to the marina. We arrived to find Lauren Grace and Mary Frances IV already there. They helped us get tied up along with the marina manager. When we got our hose down to connect to the water, we noticed that the sailboat next to us had their hose connected to spigot in our slip. We looked for another spigot, but the manager said that that one was about the only one in our section. Capt. Larry indicated to the manager that we needed to fill our tank, so the manager disconnected the sailboat's line. We attached our hose and proceeded to fill our tank. While we were filling a lady came out into the sailboat's cockpit and began talking to Capt. Larry. He proceeded to tell her about our trip and chatted with her while Jane filled the tank. When we were through, Capt. Larry disconnected our hose and went over to the sailboat to get their hose to reconnect it. While he was trying to reach for the hose, a man comes out and starts yelling at him to leave everything alone. Capt. Larry started to explain that he was just trying to put everything back when the guy got ugly. Capt. Larry got pissed off and told the guy to "go to hell," then told Jane to go to the office and tell them that we would have to have a hose Y-connector. This pissed the manager off, so he proceeded to the sailboat and told the guy that he was the one who disconnected the hose. The manager was told that "they didn't appreciate having their hose disconnected," and when the sail boater was told that he didn't own the water supply on a transient dock, they got mad and left. The whole incident was totally unnecessary and reaffirms some of Capt. Larry's opinions about sail boaters.

Is it moonshine or mineral water?

Finally we wanted to tell about an unusual individual we met along the way. We won't say where we met for his protection, but we met this boater who had played ball around Hammond, LA. When he learned about where we were from, he decided that we were "his people," and he started to do some really nice things for us. For breakfast, he fried us up a mess of thickly sliced, hickory smoked back strap bacon that was absolutely wonderful. Then he gave us a 3 lb. block of frozen catfish to cook on the boat. Finally he produced a Ball jar of moonshine that came from his granddaddy's stainless steel still, "you know, the good ones that won't make you sick." His hospitality to us was unbelievable and his stories were even better. We so enjoyed meeting this guy, that we may consider a return trip just to see him again.

Early morning "dew webs"

Lock "poop control" device

Relaxing in the Land Between the Lakes

"The Group" at Patti's

Capt. Larry's 2-inch pork chop

Jane's steak

The "river" crowd

Don't forget dessert

Jane and Linda

As we mentioned in our previous post, our first night at Green Turtle Bay Marina the group that we had been running with for the past 3 days decided to go to Patti's Restaurant for dinner. We bring this up again so we can share the pictures of the company and food that we enjoyed that night. The next night we invited Floyd and Linda over to Bavarian Cream for docktails. We wanted to go to the yacht club's restaurant for dinner, but when we arrived it was closed. We returned to our respective boats and scrounged up something a lot less appealing. We wanted to get a rental car the next day and Floyd and Linda wanted to also rent a car so they could return to Wichita. Although they are located 20 miles away in Paducah, Enterprise sent a van out to pick the four of us up to get our cars. We said goodbye to Floyd and Linda and took our car for a grocery run and lunch at a Chinese restaurant. We returned to the marina, unloaded our goods, and got ready for happy hour. Capt. Larry made a batch of homemade hummus which was a real hit with everyone. We returned to the boat and had a light supper before watching some TV and turning in.

At the Quilt Museum

The next day we went to the National Quilt Museum in Paducah. Because of this museum and the visitors it attracts, there are several businesses and schools dedicated to the quilting craft. The museum and the quilts were really awesome. It is unbelievable the artistic inspiration and technical expertise that are represented in these quilts. The museum featured the national competition winners over the past 20 years, and the quilts were truly amazing. Unfortunately, they allow no photography in the museum so we have no pictures of these magnificent creations. However, we have no doubt that anyone who visits this museum will enjoy it.


We wanted to spend some time off the boat. Milana and Millette had given Jane another night in a hotel for a bubble bath for her birthday. We just didn't know where we wanted to go. Jane went to the marina office and picked up several brochures about area attractions. We finally decided to visit an area of Amish craft shops in the Marion, KY area, then drive into Paducah to get a motel for the night. Then the next morning we would go to the River Heritage Museum before returning to the marina. We had difficulty with the Amish shops. We stopped in Marion and rode around for almost an hour, before Jane finally asked someone where the Amish shops were. Turns out they were 5 miles out of town. So off we go. We got to the road we were told to go only to find that the shops were not concentrated in a mall-like area, but were located at individual homes strung out over a 3-4 mile section. Being a Thursday, there was little tourist traffic and we thought it awkward for us to drive up to these establishments when it seemed we would be disturbing their routines. We went back to Marion and had lunch at the Marion Cafe, an establishment that was older than dirt. Then we headed on a leisurely drive to Paducah, stopping at each little town and river overlook that we came to.

Jane with Mr. Bubbles

Murals by the Paducah riverfront

I can be a tow captain!

We got our motel room after contacting several and doing some major negotiating. Jane had her heart set on a Jacuzzi spa tub, but didn't want to cost the girls too much for the privilege. We finally finagled an upgrade to a room with a spa tub which normally would have cost $165, but cost her daughters only $99. She was just giggly! She got her bath and then we went out to a mexican restaurant for dinner. The next morning we went to the River Heritage Museum. It was a nice museum compared to all of the others we've been to and focused on the development of commercial river commerce on the inland rivers. At the end of the tour, Capt. Larry got to do a computerized tow simulator, driving a tow up the Ohio River, which he found to be really difficult, but was successful in his attempt. We returned to the marina and bought tickets to a live variety show that was playing at a Grand Rivers theater that evening. The show was really entertaining and we had a fun time.

The next morning we returned our rental car and Jane went to the marina's spa to get a facial. We watched some college football on TV and grilled some salmon for supper. Tomorrow we leave Green Turtle Bay and head up the Tennessee River for our next chapter. It's all good!