Day 17 – October 6 – Cumberland River

I let Mark sleep in just a little bit this morning before waking him for our trip down the Cumberland River. I also wanted to spend some time sitting outside to enjoy the sunrise over Towhead Island. It was so relaxing and pleasant to wake up to the gentle movement of the boat and the sounds of the birds. I find a great deal of comfort in the sounds of solitude and I have come to savor my early mornings. Each time that we anchor out, I find that I am loving it more and more.

The Tennessee River merges with the Ohio River and in an ideal situation we would have taken the Tennessee River south into Kentucky Lake. However the lock on the Tennessee River is being intermitting shut down for repairs and only commercial traffic is allowed to use the lock at this time. What this means for us pleasure crafters is that we get to use the Cumberland River that takes us seventeen miles in a round about way to the same location as if we had used the Tennessee River. However, the upside of this is that the Cumberland River is absolutely gorgeous.


We met a tug with about six barges just as we were entering the Cumberland and he was exiting but after that we had the river all to ourselves. It was narrower than the Ohio and Mississippi and even narrower than the Illinois, but it is much deeper. Often times Mark would comment on the fact that we had depths in excess of 30 feet.

At one point I was a little concerned with the flock of buzzards that was flying over our boat…I am not sure what they were after, but I have never seen so many gathered in one place.


Slowly and calmly we made our way to the Barkley lock and dam. I hailed the lockmaster and he held the lock for open for us. The rise in this lock is 57 feet but it is really fast. The ascent took us only 15 minutes. Immediately upon leaving the lock, Barkley Lake unfolds. It is truly a beautiful lake with almost picture postcard scenery. I understood instantly why so many people choose this as their place of retirement. Green Turtle Bay Marina is located on what is called “the land between the lakes” .

Hours on the water: 5
Nautical miles traveled: 30
Number of locks: 1
Time spent waiting at locks: 0
Tomorrow's Destination: Green Turtle Bay Marina
What we're listening to: mhl play list from lle I Pod
What we watched: 0
Lesson for the day: There is great personal peace in the solitude of nature
Obligatory knitting report: Mittens for Wunder Kids