Day 4 To the Left… To the Right…

Wow. It has been a long day. I woke up early this morning packed up all my gear in the boat. I went to the restaurant and had breakfast as soon as they opened. I knew that there was some big water that I had to cover today. I wanted to get off to an early start and try to get some miles in before the water got choppy. Plan worked great on Barkley Lake. Next, I went through the Barkley canal to Kentucky Lake. Man that’s a big lake.

Kentucky Lake has two channels a primary and secondary, the secondary hugs the western shore line and is typically used by smaller boats. So I headed over to that side and after about 10 miles the chop became big rollers. At that point I decided the grass was greener on the other side, so away I went, once I got over to the primary channel I was experiencing the same thing. I had headwinds that were 14 to 17 miles per hour. There was no place on that lake it was going to be smooth today. I traveled for a sereral hours going 6 or 7 mph just plowing along. I was planning anchoring somewhere around New Johnsonville, which is where Kentucky Lake turns back into a river. Once I made it there the winds were dying down for the evening so I kept going.

The rest of your evening has been smooth water beautiful scenery. This section of the river seems really laid back people along the banks, people hanging out on boats. I look forward to seeing some more of it tomorrow.

Now this is cruel and unusual punishment. Kentucky State Prison along the shores of Barkley lake.

On the other side of this dam is a whole new adventure! The Ohio River, which will get you to the Mississippi River, which will get you…

Taking yard art to the next level.

You know the waters rough when the Coast Guard boat dock at a lake!

This is an old train depot that was flooded when the lake was created. My depth finder was showing 49 feet deep. Makes me wonder how many stories the structure is.

I love these old train bridges. I could see a worker in the office in the middle of the bridge.

This is the first River dredge I have ever seen. I wonder where it had been dredging.

Ladyfinger Bluffs outside of Perryville Tennessee.

I’m staying tonight along the riverbank just outside of Clifton Tennessee. I ended up traveling about 50 more miles than I was planning today. My total for the day was about 150 miles. The grand total for the trip so far I have been about 500 miles!

Kentucky Reservoir
Kentucky Reservoir is home to many varieties of fish, including largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish, bluegill, sauger, and crappie. Numerous boat docks and launching ramps dot the coves of Kentucky’s shoreline.

Located on Kentucky’s shores are the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, four state parks, the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, numerous public access areas, and two state wildlife management areas. There are resorts and campsites, areas for swimming and picnicking, and a back-country area for off-road vehicles.

Water skiing, sailing, and windsurfing are popular, as well as bicycling, horseback riding, hunting, and fishing.

TVA utilizes the reservoir’s strategic location and vast storage capacity to help reduce flood crests on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Kentucky Dam is also a major producer of hydroelectric power.

The filling of Kentucky Reservoir in 1945 opened the Tennessee River to year-round navigation and linked the Tennessee Valley with the nation’s Inland Waterway System.