DAY 5

Today’s blog (July 22nd) could not be posted until the following day (July 23rd) because I was in an isolated area with virtually no cell signal.

This was my view as I left the marina at Harrod’s Creek at about 6:50, thinking I would be on the Ohio River by 7:

My first task was to clear the bridge to exit the marina. I had to pass directly through the hugest point, which as you can tell from the second photo I accomplished with only a few inches to spare.

Just as soon as I cleared the bridge, rain began pouring down. My bimini didn’t completely protect me, so I was holding a golf umbrella as I steered the boat. The second photo shows the rain continuing as I moved on to the Ohio.

I wasn’t feeling as happy about the rain as I appear to be in this photo.

As I approached the city of Louisville, Kentucky I passed some beautiful homes, their historic water tower, a unique perspective on a couple of bridges, and the Louisville skyline from the river.

I got a little squeezed in between the moored Belle of Louisville and a full tow. My rudder bottomed out for a second when I drifted too close to shore.

Usually I can make it through a lock in less than a half hour from the time I arrive until I’m on my way. Today it took my an hour and a half because I had to wait until the towboat and barges that squeezed me could make it through. I’ve never seen a tow take so long to pull into the lock chamber.

After exiting the lock, I hit a stretch of pretty choppy water.

Somebody was having a bad day. It must have just happened because it looked like a pretty new truck..... not one someone just abandoned.

I passed Caesar’s Casino and several beautiful Marathon tow boats.

I stopped at Mauckport, Indiana. I tied up like I was staying overnight. While having a bite to eat at the River Bottom Inn, I decided the gravel river bed would be too rough for the bottom of the boat when it would bounce up and down due to the wake from passing boats.

I tied up the boat for the night two miles down from Muackport, but on the Kentucky side of the river. It was very isolated in this location and had no cell signal at all. The red sky that evening indicated to me that tomorrow will be dry. (Man, did that ever turn out to be wrong!)

Today I covered 54 miles,