Wednesday - Friday, April 24-26, 2019 - Clifton Marina to Kentucky Dam Marina, mm 23

Well, we've been in a few remote locations since last we communicated!  When we left Clifton early on Wednesday morning we found out pretty quickly that there were a lot of "dead" spots for our cell reception as we made our way "down" the Tennessee.  It was a pleasant day for traveling, a little cloud cover and 70's.  We chose the Richland Creek anchorage that night, mm 89.  Spent a peaceful night on the hook...much due to the fact that we had no cell connection and no TV reception. ;-)  But...the view of the Tennessee River channel from our anchorage was beautiful...

And later in the evening we began to see weather moving in for the next day.

Thursday we woke to more clouds in the sky and all day it seemed to threaten rain and storms...but we missed the wet stuff.  We definitely saw more tows after Pickwick Lock.  We only had to pass one going in our direction.  All the others were headed up the Tennessee and were given passes according to their preference.  One fellow was going to meet us under a bridge.  I called and asked if he wanted me to wait until he'd gotten through...or shift over to the other side of the channel.  Nope, he said just "keep her coming on the ones."  OK...I did, but held my breath until we were both actually under the bridge and clearly wide apart.

We ended up at the Kentucky Dam Marina, mm 23, for two nights.  Last night we spent in an open slip near the marina store, which was very convenient for handling the laundry. 

I did the laundry while Wayne checked out the cooling system trying to find the cause of a squealing noise as we were backing into the slip.  He ended up changing the impeller, even though it didn't look worn.  The sound went away....so.

This morning we moved to a covered slip.  We then got the loaner car and went into Benton, KY, for breakfast at Jo Jo's Diner.  Delish!  Two eggs, bacon, a huge pancake, and "home cut fries" that were basically round potato slabs about 1/4 inch thick.  From there we sought out the IGA grocery for provisions. (No wine or beer in the IGA so we also found a local beverage store).

This afternoon we've napped,

caught up on blogging :-), and walked around the property.  This is a huge marina, part of a state park.  The marina has about 50 boats for rent from a small pontoon to a large houseboat.  This is the week of the big quilting week in Paducha, KY, a short drive from here.  The marina staff said there are several women here staying on one of the rental houseboats and attending the various show venues.  Sounds like fun!!

Tomorrow we'll go through a small canal that connects the Tennessee River to the Cumberland.  We'll head up the Cumberland as far as Clarksville, TN, spend a night or two, and head back home to Knoxville.