Up at 6:30 and off the hook by 7. We only had .7 miles of the Mississippi left. The Mississippi gave us her current to help us go faster. The Ohio was not going to help us at all.  Once into the Ohio, we entered a busy area where the tows are tied to the shore, anchored in the middle of the river, or being repositioned for their upcoming journeys. There was less trash in the water but more tows to watch for.

We continued on pass the spot where the new Olmsted Lock is being constructed. My goodness. It is incredible how large this one is. It will replace 52 and 53.  We knew 52 was coming up next…no, the river was so high that the wickets were down and we went right by it. Score one for us! No wait.

We had heard that 53 was congested. Having checked the website we knew it could be a long wait unless there was an opening. But, as luck would have it, the lock master said to come to the waiting area…We passed barges waiting to lock up; in front of us were the Nina and the Pinta (no kidding, replicas but!). There are 2 locks here, a large one and a smaller one for smaller barge loads and, of course, we “recs” (recreational boats). There was not a small barge that could be locked down or up, so he opened the gates and in went the Nina, the Pinta and the …..no, Prime Time. Score two for us! We had heard from loppers that they had to wait until the next day to get through.

We passed the city of Metropolis. Of course this is where Superman was from…however, the mural on him on a water tower could not be found.

From here we could smell the anchorage. We had gone so far yesterday that a shorter day would be nice for us. We went by Paducah, Quilt Capital of the World. This is a walled city. There are huge walls with large openings so that cars can drive through and go down to the parks near the river. These walls protect the city from floods; there was one this year. Large metal gates are secured in the openings and the city is safe.

Here is where one must decide whether to do the Tennessee River and the Kentucky Lock which is more commercial, or the Cumberland to the Barley Lake Lock, less commercial. We had reservations at Green Turtle Bay on Barkely Lake and the Cumberland Towhead anchorage was but 14 miles away. The towhead won.

We have been traveling alone. Perhaps not a wise move, but we like thinking that when we want to anchor there are not 4 other boats with us all needing a spot. The Towhead was empty. Kelley picked the perfect spot. Down came the anchor. We locked in. And Kelley had his safe landing beer. Well deserved, I might add!

Mississippi River: Mile 7.7  (Boston Bar) to Mile 923.5 on the Ohio River (Cumberland Island Towhead )

Miles covered: 62       Bridges: 7          Locks: 2 (but one down)

Left at 7 am      Arrived at 2:30 pm