One Last Boat Ride - Maybe......
Sunday, October 13 2019
I said I was going to sign off from this blog, but there have been some interesting other adventures, so I thought I would share those.
On Friday Vicki left the boat. I took drove her back to Green Turtle Bay Marina where she had left her truck/camper. On our way there we stopped at a country diner. This was a real taste of the south with chicken livers as one of the items on the menu and everyone seemed to know everyone else. I felt like a real tourist, being the only guy there in a blue and white striped polo shirt and blue shorts. Jeans were the order of the day for everyone else. We sat at a communal table with about six other people and everyone in the place seemed to know each other. It was a bit difficult to understand what everyone was saying, given the accents, but the crowd was friendly.
At the end of the meal, the waitress rung up my bill and it came to $10,91.57 We all had a good laugh about that and took pictures. :)
After dropping Vicki off I got a text from Nathan (the mechanic/friend at Green Turtle Bay). He had seen me at the marina and invited me to come by the next night to stay at his place. It was a really nice offer and I accepted. However, during the night I had some very painful back spasms and ended up driving to CVS Pharmacy at 5:00 am (thankful for 24-hour pharmacies) to get ibuprofen. In the end I decided to turn down the kind offer and to return to the boat.
Saturday was mostly about the three hour drive back to Iukah MS from Paducah, KY. There was often no other traffic on the road, and it was a peaceful drive back.
Today (Sunday 10/13) I did a load of laundry (a bit of hike back and forth at this marina) and then took Sunny Tug over for a pump out. I will still be using the toilet even though I am at a marina, since it also is a bit of a hike and the nights are getting chilly! However, the emptier the better for the tank and it had not been emptied since Green Turtle Bay.
It was a lovely fall day. There was no wind and so I decided that Sunny Tug and I should go for one last ride together. We went down the Tennessee Tombigbee Way for a couple of miles. The trees are just beginning to turn colors and it was a very nice ride. I opened her up to wide open throttle and she did her best speed ever, 18.2 knots at 4050 RPMs.
As we drove along I reflected that I have learned a great deal on this trip. Barges and tows, which once were viewed with trepidation, are no longer intimidating and are just part of the river scene. I have become better at docking (at least in calm/windless conditions) and operating a boat is a bit more natural. However, all that still does not overcome the aversion I feel to doing this trip solo and also how difficult it is to operate the boat in less than ideal conditions.
In the afternoon I drove to Corinth to see the NPS Battlefield Museum. The whole reason why the Battle of Shiloh and the Battle of Corinth were fought was over the two key railroads that intersect at Corinth. The visitors' center was very good with a film that gave the context and the battles and showed the conditions.
About that final boat ride....... In the evening I got a message from a friend that I used to work with at MROSD that he is in the area and could stop by tomorrow. It would be fun to take him out for a ride.
I said I was going to sign off from this blog, but there have been some interesting other adventures, so I thought I would share those.
On Friday Vicki left the boat. I took drove her back to Green Turtle Bay Marina where she had left her truck/camper. On our way there we stopped at a country diner. This was a real taste of the south with chicken livers as one of the items on the menu and everyone seemed to know everyone else. I felt like a real tourist, being the only guy there in a blue and white striped polo shirt and blue shorts. Jeans were the order of the day for everyone else. We sat at a communal table with about six other people and everyone in the place seemed to know each other. It was a bit difficult to understand what everyone was saying, given the accents, but the crowd was friendly.
At the end of the meal, the waitress rung up my bill and it came to $10,91.57 We all had a good laugh about that and took pictures. :)
 |
| Lunches in the South are expensive!! :) |
After dropping Vicki off I got a text from Nathan (the mechanic/friend at Green Turtle Bay). He had seen me at the marina and invited me to come by the next night to stay at his place. It was a really nice offer and I accepted. However, during the night I had some very painful back spasms and ended up driving to CVS Pharmacy at 5:00 am (thankful for 24-hour pharmacies) to get ibuprofen. In the end I decided to turn down the kind offer and to return to the boat.
Saturday was mostly about the three hour drive back to Iukah MS from Paducah, KY. There was often no other traffic on the road, and it was a peaceful drive back.
Today (Sunday 10/13) I did a load of laundry (a bit of hike back and forth at this marina) and then took Sunny Tug over for a pump out. I will still be using the toilet even though I am at a marina, since it also is a bit of a hike and the nights are getting chilly! However, the emptier the better for the tank and it had not been emptied since Green Turtle Bay.
It was a lovely fall day. There was no wind and so I decided that Sunny Tug and I should go for one last ride together. We went down the Tennessee Tombigbee Way for a couple of miles. The trees are just beginning to turn colors and it was a very nice ride. I opened her up to wide open throttle and she did her best speed ever, 18.2 knots at 4050 RPMs.
 |
| At the Helm..... One Last Time |
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| A perfect day to be out on a boat |
As we drove along I reflected that I have learned a great deal on this trip. Barges and tows, which once were viewed with trepidation, are no longer intimidating and are just part of the river scene. I have become better at docking (at least in calm/windless conditions) and operating a boat is a bit more natural. However, all that still does not overcome the aversion I feel to doing this trip solo and also how difficult it is to operate the boat in less than ideal conditions.
 |
| Barges are a lot less intimidating than they once were |
In the afternoon I drove to Corinth to see the NPS Battlefield Museum. The whole reason why the Battle of Shiloh and the Battle of Corinth were fought was over the two key railroads that intersect at Corinth. The visitors' center was very good with a film that gave the context and the battles and showed the conditions.
 |
| As you walk up the winding pathway to the visitors' center you see replicas of civil war items, as if you are walking through the battlefield. |
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| The railroad crossing still exists and is still in use! |
About that final boat ride....... In the evening I got a message from a friend that I used to work with at MROSD that he is in the area and could stop by tomorrow. It would be fun to take him out for a ride.
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