After a quiet night on the River, we raised anchor by 8:30am, destination Louisville. On the way, we passed the optimistically named Dreamland. Even the houses on the riverside drive have little view, and no access to the river. It is shoehorned into an area of heavy industry, including a petrochemical plant. Dreamland is next to the equally evocative, and possibly more accurate Rubbertown.
It was an easy run, and we went straight through the lock in Louisville. We managed to find our slip in the marina (with no signs or numbers on the piers or slips), but there was a sailboat in our assigned spot, so we took the one behind. It is a well-built, modern marina in a safe location, but it is unmanned, not dredged (much of it is silted up), and neither the showers nor the pump-out were in service. In fact, the pump-out nozzle was broken, and given past reviews of this marina, I suspect this is always the case, it never gets repaired. Why money is spent to build a great facility, and then it is unstaffed and allowed to fall apart I will never understand, but it is a story we are seeing again and again.
The marina is located in a part of Louisville known as The Point, the city’s most prestigious place to live in during its founding years. The only remaining intact house from that period overlooks the marina, and the elegant façade of another home stands as a gateway at the nearby Botanical Garden.
We walked up the hill to the self-proclaimed “Best Pizza in Louisville”, just under a mile, but very hot, so a miserable walk. The pizza was just so-so, from a menu of overly pretentious toppings. My mushroom pizza had little flavour, and was almost all tough stems, such a contrast to the delicious pie I had earlier at Biaggi’s. Dick had a better choice, but we still would not return.
Later one of the local AGLCA Harbor Host couples joined us on board for late docktails. It was a most enjoyable evening, and we hope to meet them again on our return journey. Just after they left, we were able to watch a great fireworks display over the downtown, a good finish to the evening.
July 8 began with a leisurely morning, with a big breakfast, and then I sat down to complete the first installment of the blog while Dick took care of a few boaty chores. Thunderstorms were in the forecast for the whole day. We were sitting and listening to the rain pattering on the roof, when we suddenly realized that the cockpit was completely open, screens rolled up, and upper hatch open. A scramble ensued and we did a hasty closing up, but since everything was already wet, Dick chose not to get half drowned in order to swap out the screened doors for the eisenglass.
We enjoyed a great evening. After Dick scouted the route, and discovered that there would be ½ mile of rough, busy, two-lane highway between bike paths, he booked our first Uber ever, to take us to the restaurant. It was a very positive, if eye-wateringly expensive option. I felt briefly guilty at the cost, given that it was purely for my benefit (we have apparently forgotten about the rain and thunderstorms), so I offered to pay for the appalling expense of taking Uber instead of walking or riding, from my own limited funds. Not that Dick is going to be any more willing in future, avoiding courtesy cars or taxis has become an obsession and a matter of immense pride for him!
It was an excellent meal. Dick had the daily special stuffed lobster thermidor, and my surf and turf pasta was outstanding. The presentation of cornbread in a hot cast iron pan had us planning for special dinner accompaniments when we entertain in UK. They were out of my dessert choice, but Dick loved his cherry almond cake special. Since our Uber was not due for another 45 minutes, we were forced to repair to the bar to wait. There we chatted with a small group, one of the men is very familiar with Hilton Head, hoping to buy a house in Leamington. Dick and I each ordered a different flight of bourbon whiskeys. Careful tasting and evaluation produced two favourites. Who knows whether we will ever buy any bottles, but this is the start of an investigation into small bourbon distilleries. It’s a tough job, but we will gird our loins and step up. Is that an alcohol-fueled mixed metaphor?
Louisville was founded in 1778, and is one of the oldest cities west of the Appalachians. Its location on the Ohio River gave the impetus to the shipping and cargo industries, which are still an important piece of the economy. It is the site of the Kentucky Derby, arguably the most famous horse race in America. Mint Juleps are invariably associated with the Derby. Another claim to fame is bourbon. I found an official government tourism website that described the city as “Bourbon-soaked”. Hmmm. One third of all bourbon comes from Louisville. Bourbon can in theory be made anywhere in the USA, but it is mainly associated with Kentucky. Unregulated until 1964, bourbon must now, by law, be made of at least 51% corn, and must be matured in a new container made of charred oak. The charred oak gives the whisky its distinctive colour and taste. Each distillery will have a different mix and percentage of other grains. Angel’s Envy, that we visited, does a second maturation in used port barrels.
July 9th, Dick explored the cities by bike on both sides of the River, and scouted the route to the restaurant for dinner. It was my first bike ride in months, and while my new bike has a lower centre of gravity and is a proper step-through bike, it is still very large for me, and is taking some getting used to. The route was mostly bike paths and pedestrianized areas to avoid traffic, but I was completely halted by a large group of men standing in the middle, taking up the whole path, and refusing to move. Dick rode around on the grass and gravel, but I had to get off and walk my bike until we were out of the area of children playing and families partying.
It seemed a long way, but we eventually got to the historic Brown Hotel. The famous English Grill closed in covid and has not re-opened, but the Lobby Bar & Grill is a beautiful alternative. My cauliflower soup was excellent, as was Dick’s beet salad. Main courses were less impressive. I decided to experience the famous Hot Brown, in the place where it was invented, won’t need to try that dish again. Dick had a slightly chewy flat iron steak with frites. Desserts were wonderful. I had a chocolate espresso cake, and Dick enjoyed a delicious bread pudding. The ride back to the boat was much less stressful. Dick found a better, quieter route, entirely on sidewalks except for a few quiet streets downtown.
The next morning, we were on our bikes by 9:45 to head downtown for a tour of Angel’s Envy Distillery. It was a great tour, and we enjoyed the tastings afterwards, including the chocolate pairings!
We visited a Duluth store, and as always, I found a few useful garments. Back to the boat and rest for the afternoon, and then a return to town for dinner at an Italian restaurant. Dick took us through the park again, assuming, wrongly, that because it was a Monday evening, there would be nobody in our way in the park. I was reminded of the advice given by the leader of a Segway tour in Paris, watch out for little French ladies and little French children, who will wander all over the path, and completely ignore bells, whistles, and requests to get out of the way. Louisville residents are not quite that bad, except for the smaller ones. Dick rings his bell, and eventually people move over to avoid being run down (I’m sure he wouldn’t, but they don’t know that). I follow 20 meters behind, calling out “another on your left”, and thank them as I go by. Dick is unfazed by it all, but I find it rather stressful.
Dinner was excellent, in an elegant, if old fashioned venue. Unfortunately, our waiter also looked after a business group of 10, who arrived at the same time as us, so we were somewhat neglected. In fact, we have never before had a bottle of wine plunked down on the table and then left there for 15 minutes without any means of opening it! The ride back, avoiding the park, was less stressful.
Louisville is very clean downtown, even the vast areas of concrete under the overpasses and bridges. It is also bike friendly, and rented scooters seem to be very popular. Main Street has few shops, but lots of bars and restaurants, and many of the historic buildings have been repurposed. We are told that the bourbon distilleries are also moving back onto Main Street, where there were once more than 60 of them. Angel’s Envy was the first to arrive, opening 10 years ago.
Dick enjoyed another distillery tour, although this one has had a few reverses and is not yet up to speed. Instead, they are producing various liquors, gin rum, vodka, tequila, and blended bourbons. He enjoyed the fascinating commentary on the history of bourbon and how it was shaped by Prohibition.
Our final dinner in Louisville was less successful than the others. I discovered that, like many bike-friendly cities, the friendliness stops in the middle of town, and bike lanes suddenly turn into right turn lanes filled with rush hour traffic. To Dick’s disgust, I refused to ride in traffic, and walked my bike on the sidewalk for several blocks. The meal was a mix of good food (the main courses) and highway robbery (a $35 cheese and charcuterie platter that featured jarred pimiento cheese, a tiny square of brie that was more rind than anything, sliced ham, and slices of bologna).
Louisville was overall an enjoyable stop, but we will probably not stop on the way back. Given the poor condition of what should be an excellent marina, and two other city-run facilities that have no security, we are hoping to find alternative places to stop.
July 12. On a quiet stretch of the river, I noticed what seemed to be a floating branch, just behind us. By the time I realized it was a deer, with a large rack of antlers, he was too far behind for a picture. He was 2/3 across, on a choppy day, hope he made it!
I had been wondering about some of the differences between the Ohio River and the Mississippi. On the Mississippi we saw a lot of wildlife, and there were pleasure boats and fisherman everywhere. We also saw a lot of houseboat rentals and the usual pontoon boats and fast pleasure boats. Houses and cottages on the water had docks, and were built to maximize the views of the river. The Ohio is completely different. We can go all day and not see a single fisherman or pleasure boat, and we have seen no rental houseboats. Houses are screened by trees, and while there are some docks, many are derelict and clearly unused. I theorized that perhaps the history of being a polluted river means that the Ohio is not seen by its residents as a good place for recreation, so I did a little research. The Ohio is still one of the two most polluted rivers in North America. The major pollutant is nitrates from runoff, but there are also many locations pumping raw sewage, and industrial effluents into the river. The Clean Water Act stopped some dumping, but power stations are specifically exempted. In 2020, heavy industry dumped more toxic chemicals into the Ohio than any other watershed. It added up to 41 million pounds of toxic pollution. The river is the source of drinking water for much of its length, and yet in many places it is considered unsafe to swim in it. It is probably not surprising that inland lakes are considered more interesting for recreational activities and especially fishing, although the pollution will affect the entire watershed. We use a special filter for drinking water on the boat, and this year we have added a second filter at the water hose. Having read about how bad the river water is, I am glad we are double filtering.
Our destination was the dock at a waterside restaurant in Madison, Indiana. Dick managed to shoehorn Nine Lives into the only space with power, a 50-foot gap right next to the bar. The docks are floating steel platforms, clean enough, but no protection, so lots of fenders required, especially as the dock is open to wakes from the River. The sign said $3 a foot, more than we have paid since East Coast marinas! As we set our lines, a small Coastguard vessel went ripping downriver, throwing a large wake that bounced all the boats on the dock. I guess the Coastguard feels that they are exempt from the rules about no wakes when passing moored boats. We added an extra couple of fenders! As we came in, a fellow in the bar was hugely impressed with how we parked Nine Lives in such a tight gap. (with the dinghy, there was less than 5 feet to spare). He bought Dick a drink so he could hear all about it and how we came to be on the Ohio River all the way from South Carolina.
Madison is an interesting town, with many preserved 19th century buildings. The town is trying hard, flowers everywhere, festivals, and well-kept parks, but there are clear signs that there is little outside money coming in. Tourism is very much needed if the impetus to preserve and renovate the town is to continue. There are few shops and no restaurants to speak of. I was coming down with a cold, but was persuaded to walk into town. We had planned to visit a spice and oils shop, but although they advertised a 10am opening, it was closed and there was no sign of activity inside.
In its early years, Madison was a port and gateway to Indiana Territory. Later, it was an important stop on the Underground Railroad, given its position across the river from Kentucky, a slave state. Railways, and its position as a port city made Madison the third largest city in Indiana by 1850. Fortunes declined after the Civil War, with the reduction of freight on the river and building of other railroads in more favourable locations. The majority of the well-preserved downtown area is designated a National Historic Landmark, with a long stretch of 19th century buildings in a variety of architectural styles.
After our brief visit to the town, we had a short trip upriver to the Kentucky River, and then 4 miles on that to the first of four locks. We tied up on the lower lock wall for the night. When the last business in Frankfort that was using the Kentucky River to transport its output closed, the canal and all the locks closed in 2002. The Kentucky River Authority has reopened the first 4 to encourage tourism, but they are only open from Friday to Sunday. In hindsight, we would have been better to have gone upriver on Saturday or Sunday, stayed 6 nights, and returned on Friday.
Frankfort is the capital city of Kentucky. It is located on the site of one of the main east-west buffalo trails, known as buffalo or bison traces. These were the seasonal migration routes of the millions of bison, and were followed by native Americans, and subsequently by explorers and pioneers. The town was chosen as the capital after Kentucky became a state in 1792.
60 miles, with 4 locks, is always going to be a gruelling day, add in 95F heat, and I was at the most miserable stage of a summer cold. We finally tied up in Frankfort by 7pm. It is a friendly boat club, members came to the docks to greet us and help tie up. Dick went alone to dinner at a very nice local restaurant. Afterwards, he enjoyed the outdoor Bluegrass Festival for a while.
July 15th, I stayed on the boat resting, and Dick took the free trolley service to Buffalo Chase Distillery for their popular tour. He said it was very different from the previous tours, and involved a lot of standing around, so I was glad I had stayed behind, as I would have found it exhausting. It was pouring with rain for most of the day, but Dick was able to take the rest of the trolley tour, with an excellent driver/guide. He really liked the city, so we plan to return by car when we are in the area at the end of next month.
Dick wasn’t feeling so well himself, most likely the same flu/cold as I had, plus lack of sleep, so he cancelled the restaurant reservation, which would have required Uber, and we had a quiet evening.
The next morning, we were waiting at the lock by 9:45. The lock was ready, and we went through with 2 power boats, a pontoon boat, and at least 8 wave runners – the most company we have had in a lock in ages! The Kentucky River is very pretty, although much like the Ohio but narrow. We saw lots of kingfishers, little blue and great blue herons, a couple of bald eagles, turtles, a muskrat, and a woodchuck (groundhog). I noticed that the wildlife is definitely not used to boats. Herons, that we are used to seeing standing motionless on the bank and completely ignoring us, flew off as soon as we approached, several times finding themselves in another heron’s territory as they kept flying ahead instead of passing us. The Kentucky River has some very shallow spots, especially in the pool nearest to Frankfort.
We had no contours showing on either Nine Lives Navionics chart, or my Aquamaps chart on the iPad. Dick downloaded and printed off paper charts with contours, so he could be warned of shallow areas. We have not used paper charts since our sailing days and when we first had Seas the Day.
Nine Lives was much admired by the lockmasters. They asked questions about her, and also commented on how great it was for them to have boaters who know what to do in locks. One guy exclaimed that with our 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, Nine Lives is bigger than his house! Another thought she is the biggest boat to have come up the river, although I suspect that may be an exaggeration.
We had a much easier day on the return. The first 3 locks were all waiting for us with the doors open, and a light haze meant the sun was not so punishing, plus an occasional breeze helped. On the other hand, that haze was from wildfire smoke, so our eyes were red and sore by the time we were finished, and coughing from the summer colds was exacerbated. These locks are different from the big locks on the other rivers. They are much older, and are small and narrow in comparison. The lockmaster tosses a line to you, fore and aft, and you turn off engines and hang on to the line as the lock fills or empties. They remind us of the locks on the Rideau Canal in Ontario. It takes both of us to hold Nine Lives in place, so no pictures!
It was a long, mostly boring day. The final lock transit was not as smooth as the first three. The lockmaster clearly had someplace else he wanted to be! Only two lines were ready, and they were set right at the upper end of the starboard side of the lock, while we were rigged and fenders ready for portside. I had to jump to move the ball fender across, and Dick the one at the back, and then they had to be quickly put back as soon as the lock doors opened so we could tie up on the wall below. With the lines where they were, we were really too close to the back of the lock (and the cill, a huge step that can easily catch your props). Dick never worries, but even the lockmaster had second thoughts, asked how deep were our props, and suggested we allow the boat to float forward once the water started draining, a little easier said than done.
After a very peaceful night on the lock wall, we had the last 4 miles of the Kentucky River, and then 17 miles on the Ohio to Markland Lock. There was no wait, and a friendly lockmaster, and we were out with just another 1.5 miles to the Turtle Creek Marina. This is a very tidy place, an inlet with a mix of small cottages and fixed trailers, plus 2 marinas. The docks are in very good condition with plenty of good rubber. The grounds are beautifully kept, as are the houses, and the boats are clean and tidy. It is far and away the prettiest marina we have seen in years, and a refreshing change from what we have been experiencing lately.
July 18th, an early start with 65 miles to go, although fortunately no locks. The rain of the night before had not cleared away the smoke haze, so it was mostly cool. We experienced our first rain while underway this year, but we still had good visibility and the River is wide.
We passed Rising Sun, and across the River is the interestingly named hamlet of Rabbit Hash. Rabbit Hash is famous for its historic General Store (now under renovation after a fire), and its succession of canine mayors. One of the mayors planned to run for President in 2016. Sadly, she died after she announced her intention to run, before her campaign was properly launched.
Eventually we arrived in Cincinnati. The city appears to have little interest in their waterfront, except as a location for 3 major sports venues and a large waterfront parking lot. Further upstream the banks become wooded again. The Kentucky side of the Ohio has made a lot more of the riverfront, with restaurants and parks, and houses and condos that maximize the views.
The marina we are staying in is on the east side of the city. It is a large harbour, in great condition, with 2 restaurants on site. I had hopes for a nice dinner, especially after I read the reviews, but was sadly disappointed to find that not only is it an entirely outdoor venue, but all the food is served in baskets with plastic cutlery. It was also dirty, with tables not bussed, some with unfinished plates of food that were there when we arrived and had not been cleared when we left. The wind came up and blew the plastic and paper garbage everywhere. We will eat on board today.
We will be returning to Cincinnati at the end of August, for a longer stay and we plan to rent a car, so I will write more about the city and our explorations at that time.
The Voyages of Nine Lives 