We made it to our first significant destination...Green Turtle Bay Marina & Resort today after 2 very long days of traveling and anchoring out. After leaving Hoppie's Marina in Kimmswick, MO on September 20, we traveled a very long day and anchored in Little Diversion Channel near Cape Girardeau, MO. It is a very pretty, quiet anchorage well protected from the tow traffic on the Mississippi. We arose very early on the 21st and were thrilled when we entered the Ohio River! Tow traffic was still present, but the water was much cleaner and we encountered NO DEBRIS in the river. It was a very long day, but much more relaxing and more scenic. We anchored at Cuba Head Island near Paducah, KY, which also turned out to be a great choice for anchoring.
Today we entered the Cumberland River and found it to be even more appealing than the Ohio River and the most scenic and serene of all our travels thus far. We ended our day at Green Turtle Bay Marina and were pleasantly surprised at what a wonderful place it is. It is located on Lake Barkley, KY and a channel connects it to Kentucky Lake. We will do much more exploring of the area over the next few days, as we plan to stay here about a week. It was so much fun to pull into the marina and spend a short time reconnecting with Loopers we had met in Grafton.
We now have very good internet service so I will post photos from the past few days...please enjoy.
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| Entering the Mel Price Lock, the first on the Mississippi |
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| Up close and personal with the logs and other debris trapped in the lock with us |
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| St. Louis from the river |
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| St. Louis' famous Arch...symbolizing Westward expansion |
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| Debris caught on the front of a barge being towed down the Mississippi |
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| Infamous Hoppie's Marina...a unique and cherished experience by all Loopers |
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| Four of our six boats tied to Hoppie's barges, which serve as their marina docks |
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| Patriot tied to the "dock" at Hoppie's |
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| Hoppie, whose father started the marina in the 1930's |
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| Dearly beloved Fern Hoppie, who gives nightly briefings to Loopers about traveling conditions, anchorages, and traveling tips for the Mississippi |
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| Traveling companions at dinner in Kimmswick, MO |
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| Homestead donated as a museum, beautiful site along the river |
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| Seasonal slip holder at Hoppie's surrounded by river debris |
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| Part of Hoppie's Marina...not like most marinas, but a special place |
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| Preparing for Fern's nightly update |
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| Jim and Fern...buddies forever |
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| Fern and daughter Susan...entire family of dedicated hard workers |
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| Sunrise at Hoppie's |
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| Surprisingly pretty scenery along the Ohio River in Illinois |
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| Churning water on the Mississippi behind a tow pushing several barges |
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| Leaving the Mississippi and entering the Ohio River |
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| Muddy Mississippi water |
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| Prettier Ohio River water |
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| Mississippi in back, Ohio in foreground |
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| This butterfly accompanied us along a great distance of the river...flying around the outside of the boat and finally landing for a short rest. Possibly our guardian angel? |
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| Following a barge onto the entrance of the Cumberland River |
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| Scenery along the Cumberland River...now THIS is a river! Beautiful, and our favorite so far! |
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| High bluffs along the Cumberland with layers of rock |
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| Many of these beautiful birds along the river |
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| Eagle nest on one of the power line towers |
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| Our new resting place for the next few days |
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| Very large marina (Green Turtle Bay)...MANY Loopers! |
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