Cumberland River

The sun returned this morning and we left Paducah under light north winds that increased moderately throughout the day. We traveled 12 miles on the Ohio River, then turned onto the Cumberland River. The Ohio is navigable for 900 more miles upstream to Pittsburgh, and then even further on the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. Another side trip for another time…

The Ohio River is deep, beautiful and wide, while the Cumberland is deep, beautiful and narrow; only 100-150 yards across. It’s mostly wild, punctuated by pockets of intense industrial activity, and the narrowness makes it more challenging when meeting tows.  

Our destination for the day was Green Turtle Bay Resort and Marina, 33 miles up the Cumberland, where we plan to do some more post-Mississippi River decompression. Besides laundry and badly-needed showers, we’re having some mail and packages sent here, and it’s another popular Looper gathering place. 

The highlight of the day was going through Barkley Lock. The 57-foot lift was the highest we’ve done so far, and the massive doors and walls blocked out the wind and late afternoon sun. Barkley Dam and Kentucky Dam hold back enormous parallel lakes with the Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area in the middle. This 171,000 acre natural area will be our cruising grounds for the next phase of our southward journey.