The 2nd Rivertrek began with Fall Foliage Tours for the Tishmingo County Tourism Commission the last part of October. We operated from J.P. Coleman State Park, MS. The colors weren’t as bright as last year due to the lack of rain, but the area is beautiful any time of the year. The cruises were three hours long, so there was ample opportunity to explore that section of Pickwick reservoir. Basically there were three routes: the first was upstream towards Bear Creek and either up the creek for a couple of miles or pass the creek and cruise up to turn around at Waterloo, AL; the second was down stream past Yellow Creek where a number of magnificent homes look out upon the water, then turn around and return along the Alabama shoreline; the third was to turn up Yellow Creek (which is the northern starting point of the Tennessee – Tombigbee Waterway that connects the Tennessee River with the salt water port of Mobile Bay) past the several marinas and the industrial fleeting area. On that portion of the cruises that we went downstream we usually passed close by what I am told is one of the tallest waterfalls in the state of Alabama, it flows out of J.P. Coleman State Park and is located in a beautiful little cove about 1½ miles upstream of Yellow Creek.
On our departure the heaviest rains I have ever piloted through, 1” per hour for 5 ½ hours, kept the cruise to Savannah, TN interesting. The folks at Savannah / Hardin Co. Convention & Visitors Bureau are wonderful with which to work, and the ladies and the ladies of B&B BBQ are marvelous. In Savannah we offered Rivertrek school trips as well as public afternoon excursions and dinner cruises. After a couple of days to learn the area and the waters, on most of the public cruises (which are a little over an hour in length) we started cruising around Wolf Island just above Savannah and across the river from Crump, TN. The last cruise in Savannah, local celebrity and national recording artist Wayne Jerrolds was onboard.
Next stop was Perryville, TN where we nosed into the bank at Beech River Decatur County Park, a little way up the Beech River. School trips only this stop. Note this: The Principal of Parson Jr. High School thought the opportunity for the students too good to miss, he brought the whole school!! After a few enjoyable days in Perryville it was time to move on.
Beautiful and well-located Paris Landing State Park, TN, was next downstream. Paris Landing is a Resort State Park, with hotel, marina, and restaurant. Evenings at the restaurant is a buffet dinner, on Friday nights a seafood dinner. The whole crew enjoyed the all-you-can-eat buffet! Here also were only school trips.
Our final destination of this journey was next, Paducah, KY. The Executive Inn in Paducah, KY, sits atop the levee looking out over the Ohio River. The past two years have seen notable improvement of the docks at the Big E (note: the Ohio River fluctuates over 50’ in water level through the course of a normal year, so maintaining docks in such an environment takes a tremendous effort). The folks at the Big E were great and the amenities were quite a pleasure.
After a busy week of school trips and public excursions in Paducah came time to make the long trip back up the Tennessee River, 464 miles.
We arrived Chattanooga toward the end of November. Yeah!
Another journey completed. 38 days, 65 passenger cruises, 3,722 passengers, approx. 1,350 miles traveled, 6 locks – 14 lockages.