From the Ohio we moved to the Cumberland River. For most of our friends in Cleveland, you can compare this with either Rocky River or the Cuyahoga, much narrower than the rest, slightly muddy, a mixture of industry and wildlife, 30 miles of it at about 6 knots due to the current. Slightly boring after the first hour.

Then came the majestic Lake Barkley lock, the largest we have been in so far, and our first lift up. We were lifted a little over 50 feet in about 30 minutes. This was an exciting ride. The Barkley lock is one of the newest and most modern, and the first time we have been in the lock with a Barge, yes we all went up together.

From the lock, it was a short 2 mile trip to Green Turtle Bay, one of the most elaborate full service marina's I have ever seen, 3 pools, a full service mechanic, multiple courtesy cars, great WiFi and a ships store that rivals many West Marine stores.

We only planned to stay 3 nights here, but when we heard they were hosting a Looper-Q with locally made BBQ on Thursday, we decided that a 4 day stay was in order.

Knowing that we will lose some of our cruising mates for a while in the next few days, as they deal with insurance restrictions and trips to the AGLCA rendezvous, we plan to meander down Kentucky Lake, with short days and extended stops. Late next week, we will pick up the pace again and hurry to Mobile and the Gulf of Mexico.