Crowds to Solitude

Clarksville–After the crowds and noise of Nashville, it was good to be back in quiet town of Clarksville for 2 nights. We biked into town so Tim could get his hair cut. Tim rode his bike many miles to find a Barber for a hair cut while I “biked” around town. I wrote “biked” because the town was on a hill, so I biked down the hills and walked my bike up the hills. While waiting for Tim I noticed a group of young moms exercising in the square (with the kids in tow). These Moms were exercising while keeping a close watch on the little kids. (I wasn’t sure if the parents would appreciate my taking the picture, so the picture was taken from my lap). So enjoyed seeing how each Mom corralled their little ones with kindness and some kids even copied the exercise their Mom was doing. So cute!!

We enjoyed lunch at Strawberry Alley restaurant, rode our bikes along the riverfront, and then rode our bikes back to the marina. I also ordered our provisions (food) from InstaCart (my first time) which was a success.

Kailey also came overnight on her way to Nashville to visit a friend. Always good to see her and catch up. It was a short visit, but a good one. We were on our way downstream early the next morning due to the distance we planned to travel.

Buzzard Rock–Green Turtle Bay was overrun with loopers so we decided to spend 2 nights here which was about 1 hour from Green Turtle Bay. We borrowed the loaner car and picked up a package at GTB and ate at The Joint (recommended by our host). The morning we planned to leave, fog covered the marina and lake. I felt some urgency as today we needed to get to Paris Landing for the Looper Fall Rendezvous. After a 2 hour wait, the fog was lifting in the marina so we slowly motored out to Lake Barkley to find that the fog was gone on the bigger lake. After fueling at Green Turtle Bay we were off to Paris Landing. We traversed the channel from Lake Barkley to Kentucky Lake and headed upstream to what would become the Tennessee River.

The Fall Looper Rendezvous–This time it was held at Paris Landing State Park with 350 loopers in attendance. This was a new location for the rendezvous and for the most part everything ran smoothly. We rubbed shoulders with planners, in process loopers and gold loopers. What a great week of learning and enjoyed this state park. Sweet Jordan’s was a highlight on Wednesday night–What a vision the owners have for this business. Check it out. Also the lodge at this state park is new this year. The lodge is a great place for a family vacation

http://www.sweetjordans.com

Tim attended a marine electronics class on Friday while I did laundry and enjoyed some down time. Saturday was Tim’s chance to have down time before we headed out on Sunday.

Mud Bay Anchorage — One of the classes at the rendezvous was titled “Anchoring and Loving It”. The whole premise is practicing it until you are comfortable. So we anchored in a cove Sunday night. We anchored successfully and enjoyed an afternoon on the boat. Not sure when I’ll be comfortable with anchoring out because that night I didn’t get much sleep as I kept hearing the anchor chain dragging on the bottom, which made me worry and worry…. Oh, and did I mention that the temperature dropped that night so it was freezing. When we got up in the morning the anchor had held all night, but I was very weary from not sleeping well. Hopefully next time will go better.

Pebble Island Marina – Johnsonville –We left our anchorage fairly early because we were cold and tired. We arrived at Pebble Island Marina early afternoon. There was a state park within walking distance, so we enjoyed an afternoon of walking and enjoying a cool Fall afternoon. The wind was blowing very hard so that made the temperatures even colder. I was glad that we were plugged into electric so we had heat and that we were tied to the dock so we could sleep well. We were treated to big sweet rolls by the harbor master in the morning before we left, headed to Clifton Marina.

Clifton Marina–54 miles today. We arrived late afternoon. Enjoyed a prime rib sandwich at the marina restaurant and a cold walk. Being out of the wind at this marina is definitely a plus.

I’ve had my up’s and down’s with this journey. Some days I just want to be home and have a predictable routine vs everyday facing the “unknown” so-to-speak. I miss what I did at Customusic too. Another thing that is hard for me is interacting with new people all the time. Sometimes I just want to get beyond the superficial conversations that you have with people you are just getting to know. I also find it hard when you’ve made connections with other boaters and then they go their own way…happened with a group of tugs (people) we were traveling with for awhile. But acknowledging that feeling has made it easier to continue to interact with other boaters even though the time will be short. But it sure would be nice to have an extended connection with a woman friend who is on this journey. I’ve been stretched out of my comfort area these few months. I wonder what the next months will bring. Time will tell….