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Resuming our Kentucky travels in the middle of horse country, we stayed at Kinkaid Lake, then Yatesville State Parks. The 13th hole at Yatesville is great, a 250 foot vertical drop from the tee to the fairway….‘got lots of balls?’
The back roads of West Virginia put the GMC to the test up, down and around the mountains. New River Gorge is 897 feet deep with a spectacular bridge. Onto the North Bend State Park and another round of golf.
In Pennsylvania, we used Ohiopyle State Park as our base. We took a side trip in the Smart thru the country side and into Pittsburg. The luxury of a hotel room at the Westin, then a Pirates game in the wonderful Three River Stadium. This stop included visits to three Frank Lloyd Wright houses, Falling Water, Kentuck Knob and the Duncan house…..great works. A little golf at the Summit and breakfast at the Summit Inn built in 1904.
Our last stop on this leg was Kooser State Park where we were the only ones in the campgrounds.
At Harbortowne Marine boatyard, where True South was made ready for her road trip, Dan tried to fix the water tank in True West that had started leaking. We stayed the night in a hotel at Maryville.
The next day we tried to find Prigmore, TN which shows up on Google Maps and our GPS system. My conclusion is that my forebears were not very good at selecting real estate locations at the center of economic activity….just a nice pasture. Dan has elected himself head of the Pr-more Family Association and has tracked over 10,000 members of the family with roots back into the 1600s.
Then off to General Burnside followed by My Old Kentucky Home state parks, both part of the Kentucky Golf Trail. There are 13 courses within the State Parks with 18 holes. Our goal is to do 5 in addition to one we loved at Dale Hollow. In each case, we will stay at the park camp ground for an average of $20/night….helps pay for the wine.
A short side trip in the Smart took us to the home of Dan’s nephew Tom Prigmore and his wife Erica in Carmel, IN for a short visit. Due to a problem with the rooftop a/c unit, we laid over in a Hampton Inn and got the a/c unit serviced the next day at Blue Grass RV in Lexington, KY…just a relay switch.
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Dan, Marcia and Lola flew into Knoxville late on the 14th and spent the night at the Candlewood Suites by the Airport.
The morning of the 15th we took a cab to Steve Cox storage yard to pick up the GMC and headed off to meet Mike and Malli Gero at Tellico Marina on the Little Tennessee River where they finished up their week on True South. After a quick visit and lunch, we dropped them at the airport for their flight back to Boston. The Gero’s have already signed up next years trip.
Returning to the boat, we decided to take one last trip up the headwaters of the Little Tennessee, about 10 miles upsteam. It was beautiful as we were starting up into the Cumberland Mountains. Our progress was stopped by a dam, we took a swim….Marcia will never fall for ‘the waters fine’ again, the water was 60 degrees.
On the morning of the 16th we headed by boat and camper to Harbourtowne Marine in Louisville, TN across the river. True South was hauled out and made her ready for her road trip.
On July 20th, she was loaded on a truck and trucked about 600 miles over to Hemstead, NC and unloaded at Anchors Away Boat Yard.
In the capable of hands of Dennis Hollingshead, formerly of Hull, MA, she will be serviced and made ready for launch on Sep 18th.
In the meantime, its on the road again for Dan, Marcia, and Lola.
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On this leg, Dan and Marcia travelled up the Tennessee River approximately 460 miles (north according to the lock operators) to its headwaters. Clearly the best part of the entire journey. Arriving in a rental car from Birmingham, Dan and Marica meet Peter and Diane at Grand Harbor Marina. On the 17th we all tour the Shilo Battlefield. …a moving experience. While the Tea Party may be at odds with the rest the citizens over the role of our government, as least we have not resorted the using the arms we have a right to bear, yet. Peter and Diane head back to Boston while Dan and Marcia get ready for a round of golf at Pickwick Landing.
This is a lazy trip averaging only 30 miles a day. On the 21st, golf at Shoal Country Club, one of a dozen Robert Trent Jones courses in Alabama State Parks….yes, much of the Tennesee River is in Alabama. Up thru Wilson lock with a 90’ lift and on to Joe Wheeler for another day of golf….still not keeping score.
In Decatur, a day off the boat and golf at Point Mallard Park. Onto Goose Point Marina and another day of golf. As we arrive at Nickajack Lake on the 28th, a stop at Nickajack Cave. Dan’s Prigmore clan settled near here in the 1790’s. On the 2nd we went up the Hiwassee River and found the likely place were Joseph Prigmore, at 107, fell off his horse fording the river. For that reference to Prigmore family history, simply click on the name.
The 29th and 30th were spent in Chattanooga which we consider to be the best city we visited on the entire river trip. The twin Aquariums, the Hunter Museum, the restaurants and great parks. This was also the only city with good municipal docks.
July 3 we locked thru Ft. Louden, our last lock on the trip, only to be met with a wall of boats waiting for the big fireworks display that night. Anchored in a cove nearby…nice show. Up the Little Tennessee which was first flooded in 1979; therefore, all of the development here is post 1980. What a show place for ridiculous 10,000 sf faux chateaus….miles of them. Dan suggests building an international airport for direct flights to China as a way to clear the market.
On the 6th we meet Mike and Mali Gero at Volunteer Landing in Knoxville and have a nice dinner at Ruths Chris. The next day is devoted to an orientation on the boat as we head for Louisville Marina. Here, Dan, Marcia and Lola depart for their trip back to Miami. On Jul 15th they meet up with the Gero’s again for another handoff.
Peter and Diane Mahoney flew into Nashville, picked up the GMC and drove it up to Gainsboro, TN. At that point they met Dan and Marcia arriving at the same place on the True South.
After an afternoon cruise together, Peter and Diane headed down the Cumberland the next morning on their way to Iuka, AL where they would met up with Dan and Marcia in a week. Peter and Diane’s trip downriver would cover the same waterways Dan and Marcia saw on their way upriver.
Dan and Marcia headed out in True West on their way to Knoxville where they would leave it until the end of the river journey.
We did get a chance, after a morning struggling when the GMC got stuck in the mud, to go to Dale Hollow State Park. This is a wonderful park created when the dam was built at the headwaters of the Cumberland River.
They have a fabulous golf course that we had a chance to play.
At Knoxville, the GMC and Smart went into storage for a period of about a month.
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This leg of the trip covers 350 miles up the Cumberland River to its navigable head waters. The river was the subject of tremendous flooding May 1-3, Nashville was particularly hard hit. Watch the video on this site.
Clarksville, which has a very nice municipal dock was hit hard with the debris from up river. Based on the erosion of the river banks we saw, the trees are all ready to fall in during the next flood. As we approached the first lock, Cheatham, we were informed the control room had been flooded and they had restricted recreational traffic. After a discussion of our journey, the lockmaster agreed to lock us thru. We did not see one other cruising boat on the entire Cumberland River!
After clearing Old Hickory lock, tied up at Anchors High Marina on the 3rd and walked into town….again, a puzzling sight for the natives. Anchored in Bledsoe Creek on the 5th, then on an old lock wall below Cordell Hull lock on the 6th due to a delay at the lock. Spotted a boat having engine trouble, offered help to Greg and Elisa….turns out to be a cousin of the service manager of the boat yard where we plan to replace an alternator…small world.
On to Gainsboro at the end of the river where we meet Peter and Diane Mahoney.
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The first part of this leg covered 223 miles from Demolopis, AL to the junction with the Tennessee River.
The boat was unload and launched on the evening of the 25th so we were able to stay aboard. Matt and the crew at Demopolis Yacht Basin were terrific. The next morning we fueled up and headed about 50 miles up theTenn-Tom Waterway. We anchored up at the Gainsville cut off just below the Howell Heflin Lock. Mud everywhere about 4’ up the banks, very poor holding….ended up tied to a tree.
The next day we passed thru three locks, the Howell Heflin, Tom Bevill and John Stennis and stopped at Columbus Marina along with several other boats working their way thru the locks.
The next morning we stopped at the Waverly Plantantion, had to anchor up take the tender ashore and walk half a mile…well worth it. We were still able to get thru four more locks that day and stayed at Midway Marina.
The following day, the 28th, we covered four more locks and had a nice stop at the Bay Springs Lake visitor’s center and then arriving at Aqua Marine mile 449 on the 29th.
From here we enter the Cumberland and spend the night at Green Turtle Marina.
The second part of this leg covers 183 miles from the junction with the Tenn-Tom to Kentucky Lake where the Tennessee and the Cumberland are joined by a canal.
We start by going down the Tennessee River, entering at about the base of Pickwick Lake that was created by the Pickwick Dam. Below the dam the river is narrow and not very interesting, essentially no development visible.
At Clifton, we stopped at cute marina and walk into town for ice cream….what are those strange people doing walking! On the 30th we tied up at Perryville Marina, the restaurant featured ‘fried green beans’ and closed at 6pm.
After a stop at Birdsong Creek with a long tender ride we anchored up for lunch at Cyprus Creek. Then onto Kenlake State Park, our last stop on the Tennessee before we cut over to the Cumberland River. Here the Kentucky Dam on the Tennessee and the Barkley Dam on the Cumberland are coordinated so as to keep the two rivers at the same level. This allows for a canal between them without a lock. Between the two rivers is a huge state park call Land Between the Lakes….amazingly with no boat docks.
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Finally, the GMC is deemed roadworthy (after 7,000 miles of shakedowns). We load it up at Coconut Grove and head first to St. Petersburg to meet the boat.
Dan takes True South and Marcia takes True West to meet at the Crystal River. There we prep the boat for its overland route to Demopolis, AL on the Tombigbee River. Given the BP mess in the Gulf, we decided not to risk trying that route and for some reason getting turned back.
From Crystal River we headed to Manatee Spring State Park (real home of Crystal Spring!). Swimming in that water is magnificent. A little golf at Chiefland Country club the next day and since we are both beginner we have agreed not to keep score.
St. George Island then some more golf at St. Joseph Island on the 19th. Onto FDR State Park and Callaway Gardens, with a stop at Providence State Park. Callaway is very special, read the story. More golf on a beautiful course.
Onto Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain. Over to Cloudland Canyon for a real hike (500 steps to the bottom) then in to Nashville to arrange storage for the GMC and Smart.
Marcia reconnected with an old friend and made plans to spend 10 days in the French countryside around Montournais about an hour east of Nantes and 300 km south west of Paris. She left Miami on May 28th and arrived in Paris with her friends on Jun 5.
Dan flew directly to Paris on the June 5th and, met up with the group.
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This first leg of the Summer 2010 travels on True South started in Miami and ended in St. Petersburg, FL.
From the winter dockage at Matheson Hammock County Park, we headed out for Islamorada Key where we docked among some noisy early morning fisherman. From there we cut across Florida Bay just above Duck Key and anchored up in the Shark River.
The Shark is on the west coast in the Everglades National Park and very beautiful. The next day we traveled east up the Shark and then west down the Harney River, about 50 miles thru the mangroves. Reentering the gulf at the mouth of the Harney, even at high tide was tricky trying to find a thread thru the tidal flats.
That night, the 9th, we were at Marco Island, then on to Fisherman’s Village, and Naples. At Naples we fueled up, walked around and provisioned at the farmer’s market.
At Ft Meyers Beach, we picked up a mooring ball and laid over on the 11th and 12th. Major blow with torrential rain on the 12th.
From there on to Tampa where we stayed at the downtown Marjorie Park Marina and then on the 16th we tied up at St. Petersburg Municipal Marina where we would leave the boat until we returned on May 12th.
