Fascinating Rivers
from Missouri to Nashville: October 8 2022
Our
next day on the mighty Mississippi River was a bit more mellow than yesterday as
we sped along at a smooth 9-10 knots, eagles dotted the river banks and we
moved along from Hoppies to Kaskaskia Lock, MO (9/25). Nope, we don’t pass through this lock;
rather, it is a wide spot in the road to stop for the night. The Mississippi River is mostly commercial so
“pulling off to the side of the road” means you have to pick your spot
carefully so that the BIG barges don’t run you over in the middle of the night
(the barges run 24/7). The lock wall is temporarily
dismantled so that the area can be dredged but the Lock crew is happy for us
PCs (pleasure crafts) to anchor between the dam and the dredging
equipment. Sounds good but gulp – that
is tricky maneuvering and kinda makes Hoppies look plush. That said, ten boats squeezed into the
anchorage for the night. Aboard Barefeet
we had steaks on the grill, mashed potatoes and peas after catching some NFL
games…and Jana introduced me to the triple barrel curling iron. Oh, we’re sooo fancy!
We
made the most of the construction site accommodations at Kaskaskia but make no
mistake - the dredger is LOUD and worked throughout the night which made it
easy to pull the anchor up early and get back onto the Mississippi. Poet T.S. Eliot was born in St. Louis, and he
knew the power of the Mississippi River.
Brother-in-law, Hugh, passed along Eliot’s 1941 poem, "The Dry
Salvages," which begins this way:
I do not know much about gods; but I think
that the river
Is a strong brown god - sullen, untamed
and intractable,
Patient to some degree, at first
recognized as a frontier,
Useful, untrustworthy, as a conveyor of
commerce,
Then only a problem confronting the
builder of bridges.
The problem once solved, the brown god is
almost forgotten
By the dwellers of cities - ever, however,
implacable,
Keeping his seasons and rages, destroyer,
reminder
Of what men choose to forget.
Thanks
Hugh – perfectly on point. Our travels
ended for the day anchored well outside of BIG barge traffic between a cement bridge
abutment and river wing dams off of Cape Girardeau, MO (pronounced
jur-ar-doe). Shore landing was scarce so
Chris did a touch and go for me and Jana to explore the town (9/26). The town is charming brick buildings, sleek Spanish
Colonial Marquette Tower (built in 1928), murals of town history covering the
river barrier wall and countless antique stores. Our favorite shop was the eclectic Annie
Lauries. At more than 5,000 square feet
of shopping bliss there is a lot to see and it was a lot of fun. Back aboard Barefeet dinner was brat sandwiches
from the grill and roasted broccoli below the illuminated, spiderweb looking
bridge where tugs made no more than a small ripple as they passed.
Morning
dawned chilly but with clear skies. We
carefully rounded the corner from the Mississippi River to the Ohio River at
Cairo, IL, with bridges criss-crossing the rivers (9/27). “Carefully,” because the VHF radio was
exploding with chatter about barges going aground due to low water levels with
additional tugs being called in to get them off. There was A LOT going on. We passed on our first two anchor ideas
because water levels simply looked too low (later learned that fellow boaters
had gone aground in 3 feet of water damaging props – yikes). Third time was the charm at mile marker 971
in 9 feet of water outside the shipping channel. The upside of low water levels meant
discoveries of shore treasures…river mussels and iron railroad spikes. Chris was giddy! These iron trinkets are his kind of sea shells. And the mussels?! Well, they
create South Pacific black pearls. We came across this crazy fact
on a different boating trip in the Tuamotus. It goes like this -
a piece of Mississippi freshwater clam shell is used as a nucleus along
with a bit of flesh from the oyster to serve as a mantle. Over
approximately the next two years, the oyster places thousands of layers
of nacre and ultimately creates a pearl. What a planet! Our day ended with homemade pizza and a
stunning sunset with a sliver moon.
According
to the depth gauge we awoke to two more feet of water under the keel. The dam must have released water overnight –
hopefully, it helps the barges back at Cairo.
Up came the anchor and we were off to the Olmstead Lock. The floating bollard stuck for a minute but
then came free - phew. Motoring against
the current of the Ohio River made for slow progress to Paducah, KY, where we
tied up at the transient dock (9/28).
Lots of familiar faces on the dock – hi guys. Arrival before 5pm meant there was time to
visit the National Quilt Museum before it closed. I have wanted to visit this place since the
early plannings of this trip. Wow! People are sooo talented and creative. Locally owned Over/Under was the site of our
farewell dinner with Jana. We told tales
of our river adventures and feel so lucky to have had this week together.
Fueled
up by Kirchhoff’s Bakery for breakfast had us off to drop Jana at the train
station in St Louis (9/29). We are in a
new part of the country…tornado country.
Not to mention, did you know Superman grew up here?! Metropolis…get it…tee, hee, hee. Back to a boat of two we tossed the lines
from Paducah and moved along the Ohio River (9/30). The Cumberland River Cruising Guide by Fred
Myers added nice texture to the navigational charts from Paducah to Nashville
(thanks Karla). For example, Smithland,
KY, (population 600) is the oldest town on the Ohio River. A small brown gazebo on the riverbank marks
the site of a huge cottonwood tree that was lost in a storm. As a favorite gathering place for local
residents to visit and watch the river the community donated time, money,
materials and labor to build the gazebo and continue the gathering place. Additionally, the Gower House can be seen on
a hill above the river. Built in 1780 it
was a luxury inn for travelers on the Ohio River with guests that included US
Presidents James Polk and Zachary Taylor, Red Cross founder Clara Barton,
authors Charles Dickens and Lew Wallace and French soldier/statesman Marquis de
Lafayette. Oh, and a brush with
Hollywood as the backdrop in MGM’s epic, “How the West Was Won.”
The
Ohio River became the Cumberland River and we passed through the Barkley
Lock. From here we make a detour to
Nashville on the Cumberland River then turn around and retrace our steps back
here to Grand Rivers, KY. Our stop for
the night was nine miles further from Grand Rivers to anchor in serene Kuttawa
Harbor. Dinner was a satisfying tenderloin
beef stroganoff with Amish egg noodles from Indiana (recipe below). This perfect anchorage is completely
protected from river wakes and has a soft mud bottom. We are lucky.
Up
at first light for our ten hour run to Clarksville, TN (10/1). Ha – we cannot say Clarksville without
humming the song by the Monkees, “Take the last train to Clarksville.” Along the river we passed a penitentiary that
looks like a castle and a Civil War battle site. No
kidding, The Castle on the Cumberland is a maximum security prison which holds
the record for most inmates legally executed in one day – seven in 1928. The Civil War site is where Confederates,
perched on the earthen gun emplacements, leveled fire at Union troops on the
water. Okay, back to the pristine nature
with beginning touches of Fall. For the
night we tied up to the Clarksville Municipal Dock ($21/night) and strolled
around the town. Cheers to us for one
year on the water! We chatted with a bar
mate from the area loaded with Nashville ideas and college football
opinions. The bar mate was female – it’s
nice to be in the football south.
Again
up at first light we joined the conga line of three boats headed to Nashville
(10/2). Locks were feeling like old hat
until today. As we passed through the
Cheatham Lock a fellow boater played a trumpet solo. Wow – the acoustics in the 47 foot high
cement lock “box” were incredible. Thank
you m/v Calypso. Our gentle ride morphed
into a shit show as we docked in Nashville: avoid the submerged cement pipe
(marked by a bit of red paint on the dock), back into a parallel parking spot, keep
track of the current, watch out for passing barges and hope the water level
doesn’t keep falling (7.5ft at the time of our tie up). Done.
Okay, now we are smack in the middle of downtown Nashville just steps
from Broadway and directly under the pedestrian bridge. We popped into familiar Robert’s Western
World for some live music and heard Elton John in concert next to the dock at
the stadium. Well, until, that is, the
next door wedding event DJ began to play.
What a crazy place!
It
is our first day not moving the boat in awhile so we took the day slow and easy
(10/3). Breakfast at 417 Union was the
treat that we remember followed by lazing on the boat. Our idea for the evening was to walk to the
Patterson House for decadent craft cocktails.
What?! They’re closed for the
night for staff training…ggggrrrr. So it
goes…pivot. We regrouped at nearby Red
Door Saloon for a drink (no dinner because the kitchen is under construction)
then dinner at Broadway Brewhouse and Mojo Grill. All good for a great night meeting Nashville
locals…chafing at the massive growth of the town (like the rest of us) and
learned about the “police state” vibe as establishments card everyone who walks
in a place that sells booze. It seems
that the Alcohol Beverage Commission, ABC, is no longer state funded but,
rather, fine funded. Oh – got it. We rounded out our stay with a visit with my
sister, Lindy – great to see her new digs and great to catch up. And a final bit of music at Kid Rock’s Honky
Tonk (10/4). Nashville is certainly
packed with musical talent around every corner.
Back
we went along the Cumberland River after tossing our lines from the Nashville
dock (10/5). It was a stunner of an
autumn day and a gentle ride to anchor at the mouth of the Harpeth River.
The
fall colors are joined by chilly, smoke on the water morning temperatures that
are as tranquil as can be imagined.
Retracing our Cumberland River steps is at a slower pace and at
different stops. Tonight, we anchored
behind Dover Island feasting on homemade lamb Penang curry (10/6). Yum!
The tug and tow barges remain a spectacular sight at night as they slice
through the quiet darkness.
Up
anchor from peaceful Dover Island as we wound our way back to Kattawa Harbor,
KY (10/7). TGIF! We are ready to go out so we showered, put on
our going-out clothes and hopped in the dinghy headed for Hu-B’s for dinner on
the deck with live music. Palm trees
remain on the docks but the docks are looking a bit empty…hhhmmm. Drat – they’re closed for the season. So it goes…pivot. We walked the town’s shoreline and returned
to Barefeet for a bit of how’s-your-father for dinner on the top deck. And for the evening’s entertainment we were
treated to deer grazing on the shore, a setting sun and a rising moon...just as beautiful as when we were here several days ago. Not too shabby at all.
A
short 1.5 hour motor had us at Grand Rivers, KY, and tied up at Green Turtle
Marina (10/8). This is a boater favorite
and we are glad to be here. A walk into
town had us exploring the 46th Annual Hunter’s Moon Festival filled
with carnival food, crafts and games for the kids. This is a cute town…with Monterey Jack cheese
at the supermarket?! We have not seen
that in months - it’s the little things.
The gorgeous day ended with a bike to the Thirsty Turtle for pub grub,
live music and a charming couple spinning on the dance floor. We’ll stay here a couple of days then move
along to the Tennessee River.
Tenderloin
Beef Stroganoff
(Winterlake Lodge, Alaske) serves 4
Egg
noodles for 4 (boil and drain per package instructions)
1.5lbs
beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips
2T
unsalted butter
2
cloves garlic, minced
1T
flour
1lb
mixed mushrooms, sliced
1
cup beef broth
12
pearl onions
½
cup heavy cream
½
cup sour cream
2t
Dijon mustard
¼
cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
Salt
and pepper
1)
In
a large saute pan over medium heat sear beef.
Remove from pan and set aside
2)
Melt
butter in saute pan and add garlic.
Saute 1 minute. Add flour and
stir with wooden spoon. Cook until light
brown (2-3 minutes). Add mushrooms and ¼
cup stock. Turn to low and simmer 15
minutes.
3)
Meanwhile,
cut X into bottom of each onion. Drop
into boiling water and boil 5 minutes.
Drain and slip off skins.
4)
Back
to the mushrooms – add ¾ cup broth, cream, sour cream and mustard. Simmer 5 minutes. Add seared beef, onions and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with buttery egg noodles.
Note:
I like it extra saucy so feel free to double the sauce elements.
