It’s New Years Eve Morning. We said goodbye to West Virginia and hello to Kentucky. Ohio is still with us. We are anchored behind Brush Creek Island (Kentucky). What a beautiful spot. It’s very remote and we have no internet or cell phone signal. Best news of all; it is WARM in the cabin. We played cards last night, a game called 31 that Pat and Vic taught us. (Bob and Victor cheated – obviously I lost!) It was so warm that Lionel put on a pair of shorts. We then had a concern that we would not be able to regulate the heat, that it would operate like our oven and we would be found, sometime in the future, having roasted in the galley; but Bob fixed it. It is now a toasty 67 degrees in the Sun Room and very pleasant.
Yesterday was a nice day. Achievement went along with the river currents at about 12 – 13 MPH. (I think that is what the Captain said). It was Patrick’s birthday – good thing his daughter Valerie made a comment on the Blog – or I would not have known. Anyway I made a coffee cake (Yes! Imagine that! I will never be the same after this trip – I am actually cooking and cleaning!) He knew all about it, but I suggested we have the cake in the wheel house while we were underway. When he came up we all hollered “surprise” and sang Happy Birthday to him. Even lit a candle he could blow out. Could he have lived with out it? Yeah! – but is sure was fun.
Yesterday was a nice day. Achievement went along with the river currents at about 12 – 13 MPH. (I think that is what the Captain said). It was Patrick’s birthday – good thing his daughter Valerie made a comment on the Blog – or I would not have known. Anyway I made a coffee cake (Yes! Imagine that! I will never be the same after this trip – I am actually cooking and cleaning!) He knew all about it, but I suggested we have the cake in the wheel house while we were underway. When he came up we all hollered “surprise” and sang Happy Birthday to him. Even lit a candle he could blow out. Could he have lived with out it? Yeah! – but is sure was fun.
Along the river yesterday we saw them loading and/or off loading salt. I missed getting a picture of it. Bob thinks it’s road salt – for snow and ice.
I’m back – we are now underway. About ½ an hour after our target time of 8AM – but we are getting closer. The sunrise this morning was one of the most gorgeous I’ve seen. It was spectacular! Of course you know the saying “red skies in the morning, sailors take warning” – it is now raining.
One of my biggest treats in the morning is watching the guys pull the anchor. Achievement’s windless is a bit cranky; and the combination of her anchor and huge anchor chain and (as happened this AM) boulders – not simply a rock – caught in her flukes it becomes quite a feat. In never fails that the windless will quit, they fix it, then the chain gets hung up, they fix it, then a rock or debris is stuck in the flukes, they fix it, then the anchor is sideways, they fix it, it gets hung up on the bow, they fix it, and finally she is up and we can get on our way. Even with all that, they laugh, tease and congratulate each other for their accomplishments, and the Captain sits in the wheel house at the controls shaking his head. Not sure if it is wonder or dismay. I was thinking this morning that perhaps we should start pulling the anchor the night before. They really are poetry in motion.
I’m back – we are now underway. About ½ an hour after our target time of 8AM – but we are getting closer. The sunrise this morning was one of the most gorgeous I’ve seen. It was spectacular! Of course you know the saying “red skies in the morning, sailors take warning” – it is now raining.
One of my biggest treats in the morning is watching the guys pull the anchor. Achievement’s windless is a bit cranky; and the combination of her anchor and huge anchor chain and (as happened this AM) boulders – not simply a rock – caught in her flukes it becomes quite a feat. In never fails that the windless will quit, they fix it, then the chain gets hung up, they fix it, then a rock or debris is stuck in the flukes, they fix it, then the anchor is sideways, they fix it, it gets hung up on the bow, they fix it, and finally she is up and we can get on our way. Even with all that, they laugh, tease and congratulate each other for their accomplishments, and the Captain sits in the wheel house at the controls shaking his head. Not sure if it is wonder or dismay. I was thinking this morning that perhaps we should start pulling the anchor the night before. They really are poetry in motion.
We should make Cincinnati today. (This time I’m not lying.) Good thing I’m not the navigator! We are planning a stop in Cincinnati. We want to take on water, the Capt. needs a prescription refill and hopefully we will get to do some sightseeing.
Soon as we regain signal I’ll send this off to Cathy to post. Keep your comments coming – the entire crew reads the blog everyday to see what you all are thinking of the trip. It really is a wonderful way to have this experience and feel that all our friends and family are with us. HAPPY NEW YEAR! We Love you! :)