Thursday Paducah

This is so much fun!

Doug brought a GPS with him to navigate while we are in the car. We're using it on the boat! The boat was supposed to turn left last night into a canal and then head down the Tennessee River to the Ohio River. I was watching the GPS about 11pm and we went right past the canal. I kept yelling, "Turn the boat! Turn the boat!".

A few miles further and we made it to the Barkley Lock instead of the Kentucky Lock. After the lock through we were on our way back to our room a little after midnight and I found a 1st Mate and asked him why we didn't go thru the canal and the Kentucky Lock. He said there was a medical emergency on a towboat inside the Kentucky Lock and there was going to be a 2 hour delay so they decided to go the long way around - Barkley Lock, Cumberland River to Smithland, KY., turn left on the Ohio River and go downriver 21 miles to Paducah.

We woke up in Paducah - a nice little city on the Ohio River with a wonderfully large flood wall with beautiful pictures on the wall on the city side.



We walked up into town after breakfast and had a nice chat with the lady that worked at one of the museums. She had story after story after story. She was a hoot. Eventually we made it into the museum to look at the history of the 1937 flood and other things.



Our excursion for the day was a walk all the way across the street next to the flood wall - all of 100 yards. We'd been to this museum before, the last time we were here, but the tour lady insisted the talk by the curator was worth the extra $10. She WAS very informative and had some great information about Paducah and its history and riverboats and the flood.

The flood of 1937. The floodwater was above the 1st story of the buildings closest to the water. It was 11' high on 2nd Street. It reached back and flooded the city for 34 blocks from the Ohio River. The river was 7 miles across. The city was flooded for a month and it was February!



We found a place selling ice cream close to the boat and sat and looked out over the river like we hadn't a care in the world this afternoon. The sun was out (about 85 degrees) and the wind was blowing about 10 mph to keep things cool. We were in the shade on nice park benches and it was so relaxing. What a great vacation.



Our group boarded the boat about 4:30 and we left Paducah at 5pm with the calliope playing and echoing off the flood wall. We waved goodbye to the people on shore and they waved at us.

Currently (pun intended) I'm sitting in a rocking chair with my sandals off and feet up on the railing writting on my laptop. The boat just sound her steam whistle for some reason. Hmm. THAT was weird. Maybe she was passing another boat or something on the port side. Yep. I went back to the stern and checked and we just passed side by side with a towboat pushing 12 barges of coal. The channel is pretty narrow here so that must have been protocol.

Dinner is in an hour AND so is a lock through on the Smithland Lock. We want to do both. Karen had me make up some labels with www.save-the-delta-queen.org on them and she bought some candy and she put the labels on the candy and she plans to throw them at the lock people (people who like to watch boats in the lock). Dinner can wait for 15 minutes.

Dinner is always a new adventure each evening. Karen and I don't eat out often so this cruise is like eating out every night. There's an appetizer (choice of 2), soup (2), salad (2), entree (4), and dessert (2) to choose from each night's menu.

Some nights we have or try one from each group. Other nights maybe just a salad or an entree. We ALWAYS eat dessert.

Tonight Karen had the best entree of the cruise for her - flounder. Doug had a half portion and I agreed to eat the 1/4 that Karen had left over.



Betty and I had the New York Steak - it was cooked correctly for both of us but was still tough to cut and eat. I am of the opinion that T-Bone, Prime Rib, Rib Eye, and Tri-Tip are the cuts of meat that are tender and taste good. (Note to self - stick with those cuts for the rest of your life.)

I haven't mentioned entertainment much. Each evening we have a "theme". Tonight the cruise director will play banjo music accompanied by the f-piece band. This guy, Bob Stevens, was the assistant cruise director on the DQ in 2000 when we were previously on the boat. He still plays well and is very entertaining. There is also a man and a lady in their 50's who perform. Both have excellent voices and sing well.