Friday-Sunday, September 21-23- Lake Kentucky and Green Turtle Bay

Woke up Friday morning to this peaceful sunrise on the now famous dock of Paducah, Kentucky
(be sure to see yesterday's blog😁; if you didn't get the link, here it is:  http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/2017/09/21/boat-dock-gives-green-light-tourists/).

Decided to get some exercise by biking around the town once more, as well as on the town's bike path, before we headed to Kentucky Lake.  The first two pictures are of the downtown area; so adorable with cobblestone streets and MANY restaurants!

 Farmer's market is EVERYDAY in Paducah!  Enjoyed Greenway Bike Trail💗🚴

At 10:00 a.m., we leave Paducah with "Marylou" and "Rambunctious" and head back towards the Tennessee River.  Note the picture on the right is Paducah, and you can once again see the levee wall around the town.

Ahead of us we see a lightboat leave the Tennessee River to head south on the Ohio.

A little ways up the Tennessee River, there is a "fix-it station" or as Dave calls them correctly, "drydocks" for barges and towboats.

 Check out the gentleman working on this barge; you can see how large these barges really are.

We count SEVEN drydocks; that's A LOT of repairs!

A close look at a towboat on drydock.

After the "fix-it station" 😉, we see beautiful river (notice the color change in the water from the muddy Mississippi River), landscaped with many trees.  The Tennessee sure is different from the Mississippi in that it is missing all of the rocks from the help of the Army Corp of Engineers, along the shore.  

Check out the shore erosion!

A little further up river, and we come to a company called James Built - a specialty vessel construction company where they actually build barges!  This barge is ready to be launched (you can see the rail system that will allow the barge to be transported to the river).

Twenty-two miles up the Tennessee River is the Kentucky Lock and Dam.

  The dam is 206 feet high and 8,422 feet long!!!😲  This dam holds up Kentucky Lake which is 184 miles long and stretches across the states of Kentucky and Tennessee; it is the largest in the eastern United States.  The first picture shows "Marylou" waiting close to the lock wall and it is TALL!!!

Didn't get to talk with the lockmaster, so I am still wondering what these "garage doors" at the beginning of the dam are used for.

 As we get ready to enter the lock, we pass by the hydroelectric plant; I'm sure this dam powers MANY cities, as the plant has a net dependable generating capability of 184 megawatts!

  The lift of this lock is a little intimidating!  It reminds me of some of the first locks on the 

Erie Canal.

Check out the new fashion!  Life jackets are mandatory in this lock.  Haven't had to wear this since the Chicago Lock and Dam

(from our 2012 trip).

Those are some MASSIVE gates closing behind us!!!

Notice the water coming in at the base of the doors.  The second photo shows how high up the lockmaster's station is.

WOW!  What a lift!!!

 Goodbye Kentucky Lock - Hello Kentucky Lake!!!😄

 On our navigation screen you can see Kentucky Lake on the right
(which is part of the Tennessee River) and Lake Barkley on the left (part of the Cumberland River).

Our looper friends head to Green Turtle Bay Resort, while we stop in the lake for a swim and 

to give the boat a scrub.

After we cool down, we turn onto the mile and a half canal which connects the two lakes together

(you can see this canal on our navigation screen above).

The "Land Between the Lakes" is an inland peninsula that is 170,000-acres which consists of a national recreation area in Western Kentucky and Tennessee. 

As we exit the canal, we enter beautiful Lake Barkley.

To get to the popular "looper" destination, Green Turtle Bay, we make a sharp left turn and head north.  Straight ahead we see the Barkley Lock and Dam.

On our way to the resort, we see big, beautiful homes!

This home even has its own lighthouse!

Entering Green Turtle Bay Resort, we see our friend, "Moon River"!

 We also see a few other very large, beautiful yachts!

What a beautiful resort!  This full service marina features over 450 slips for most any boat style or size, from 22 to 100 feet!  There are three on-site restaurants, one of which is the 

Thirsty Turtle Tavern that had outstanding live music that we listened to Friday night.

The resort also has many condo units, and a wonderful spa where I got to take in 

Water Zumba!!!🏋😁

On Saturday, the marina fills up with TWENTY-FOUR Looper boats!!!  Who knew there were so many people doing this boat adventure?!  People are from all over, including this boat from 

Whittier, Alaska; CRAZY!!!

The yacht club provided a Seafood Boil to thank their members, and visiting loopers for their business.  I am now a fan of seafood!!!

 My plate; and yes, I went back for seconds!!!

Sunday morning we biked into Grand Rivers, the resort's local town.  This short bike ride brought us to the edge of Kentucky Lake; we could see the dam where we entered the lake on Friday.

 Here's the picture of where Dave is standing taken from Kentucky Lake when we first entered it.

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!!  Tonight we will be going to the famous restaurant, Patti's Settlement, where they serve 2 inch-thick pork chops.  Right next to Patti's is The Pink Tractor store; this tractor is just what I've always wanted!!!😉😂

We have met so many wonderful people here at Green Turtle Bay Resort, wish we could stay longer!  Tomorrow morning after water aerobics we will depart to explore more of Kentucky Lake, 

so stay tuned!

But, before I go, let me share with you Captain Dave's updated stats since leaving Prescott, WI:

Fuel:  576 gallons

Miles:  866

1.5 miles per gallon

Average moving speed:  10.5 mph

Max speed:  24.6 mph (look out "Summer Heat"!)

Water temperature in Kentucky Lake: 85 degrees (it's like bath water!)

Engine hours:  110

Generator hours:  36