Day 106 Cairo Il to Paducah, Ky Sunday September 1, 2018

Day 106 Cairo Il to Paducah, Ky Sunday September 1, 2018

The temperature stayed warm.  The day was beautiful and sunny - again - with a nice breeze.  Temps in high 80s.

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Well our plan worked regarding getting through Olmsted lock. I called Olmstead lock and was thrilled to hear "Sure - we can get pleasure craft through"

We had eight miles left on the Mississippi River to Cairo and then up the Ohio River about 17 miles to the Olmsted lock.  The seven miles down the Muddy River went quickly due to the current. Look at the whirpool swirl on the starboard side. Like the large current (from tide drop) at Eastport, Maine.

 Last bridge on Mississippi River

And Mississippi River to the right and the Ohio River to the left

 Looking up the Ohio River. One good thing is that the current we are now bucking is about a third the speed (against us) as the current in Mississippi. And barges everywhere!!! Some even moving around.

The Olmsted Lock - under construction.

All vessels need an escort. The lock is complete - see the lock doors in place and open on both ends. We only waited ten minutes to get ours - see the barge tow ahead?

 The Ohio looked more like what we thought the Mississippi would look like - some industrial development. And see the rain to the right  - it passed right in front of us - it was fun to watch it move.

 Above the Olmstead lock is the notorious Lock 52. It is only a 12 foot lift (remember we are now going up river) so what is the big deal. Well the lock is very old and very much in need of replacement. There is an auxiliary smaller chamber that could help move traffic - but it has long been out of service for some reason. So the wait for a tow and barge can be days.  But we were again more than fortunate - they let me squeeze in with a small  tow and and two towboats - so we only waited about twenty minutes. We have heard of PCs waiting for many hours - We were happy Loopers!!

They had me float in the lock just behind the third tow boat. That is somewhat unheard of when in a chamber with tows. And then we were allowed to move through the tows to exit first.  Yes!!

 The new dock at Paducah is now just a few miles away.  And we have it all to ourselves

 

 The Admiral deserves a dinner out after the recent long days.

 The downtown of the city is very old and well kept

Shandie's restaurant is very old and very nice - some great southern cooking.

Illinois Central RR ran through here.

 The amazing thing is how high the levee is - nearly fifty feet above the current level.

So back at the boat and watching so football tonight is fun.

So time to say ..................

Good Night and God Bless