A veteran Riverbarger
Modern Art in Nashville. Just outside the Football Stadium.
Sunset leaving Nashville TN
Dave of Dave and Daphne. Very talented performer.
Daphne
Our BargeMaster - Ed Clark
Alonzo Pennington
Angela Moseley
Eddie Conrad and Alonzo Pennington's wife shaking a leg....
Gate to Shiloh Cemetary. Only Union soldiers have marked graves. The Confederates were buried in 5 mass graves and left unmarked.
Grant used an old oak to gather his troops. The tree was killed in the Tornado of 1998 and this monument was erected in its place.
Gravesites of 6 very young drummer boys. This overlooks the Tennessee River.
Recreated Shiloh Chapel. Around the site, the first great battle of the War was fought April 6-7 with a loss of 40,000 men.
One of the many state memorials at Shiloh
Inscription left by a soldier at the Battle of Shiloh
Cannon at Shiloh Battlefield
The Fosters
We tie up at a park in Florence, TN.
It took 2 lots to build this house, one for the house and one for the stairs.
And the home of WC Handy, the composer of St Louis Blues...
Rick and Betsy visit the home of Helen Keller. Very nice stop.
Helen Kellers Home
The cottage where Helen Keller was taught by Annie Sullivan.
The official Alabama State Quarter featuring Helen Keller
Key used by Helen Keller to lock Annie Sullivan in her room the first day they met.
Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan late in life...
Helen Kellers home. Very modest. The small room where Annie Sullivan taught her is to the right.
Parlor in the Keller home.
The water pump where Helen Keller “got it”. It was here that Annie Sullivan spelled “Water” in her right hand and as the water passed over her left hand, she understood what the letters meant. A breakthrough of the first magnitude.
Helen's room in the adjacent building where she stayed with Annie Sullivan.
Back view of the well, the house and the building where Helen lived on the left.
One of the many tributes to Helen Keller on the grounds of her home. These tributes came form over 70 countries and take the form of permanent exhibits. W. C. Handy is also from Florence AL.
The Tuscumbia park where we saw a water show. Very pretty and quite large.
A view of the waterfall in the Tuscumbia park.
Info on the waterfall
Local Florence Band plays for us when we return from the tour of Florence and Tescumbia.
The “Southern Ladies” are out to greet the boat. Perhaps looking for a riverboat gambler.
This is one side of the instrument-the fiddle side.
This is the other side-a bbanjo. This man made this unique instrument.
We approach the Wilson Lock (Mile 259 TNR). A tow is there before us and we wait for 1 hour. The lock will raise us up 94.5 feet. As the lock is only 600 feet, the River Explorer will break up and the Miss Nari and the Mr. Wally will but put on the side to go through the lock.
We go into the “Grand Canyon ” Wilson Lock
From the sky deck inside the Wilson Lock. Note the two hot Tubs on the River Explorer.
Rising 94.5 feet in the Wilson Lock
Miss Nari is moved along side. That is Mr. Wally in the background.
Captain Matt Ledet guides the Miss Nari beside the two barges.
At this and other locks, the Herons were plentiful. Often we could count over 100 at a time.
Betsy enjoys cruising down the river....
That is going to leave a mark!!!
We are up 94.5 feet and time to reattach the Miss Nari to the barges. Takes about 30 minutes. We did this 8 times on the trip.
The Country Legends band. They did a tribute to Hank Williams and other country music.
This man did most of the Hank Williams singing numbers.
Betsy and Jeanette Maxim howl along with the boys in the band. Note the electronic bass.
Betsy and Jeanette try to secure a singing contract in Nashville.
Write your own caption.
We enter the Guntersville Lock-breaking apart as usual.
Hey, Watch where you are going.....
Seems like he should be singing “old man river”
Enough Said.
Dustin takes command and directs the Mr. Wally
The city of Guntersville went all out. Flowers, signs, and the Mayor came onboard to give a 2 minute welcome.
The city park and marina at Guntersville.
Captain Jeff Soulier and Eddie Conrad share a non-alcoholic beverage
Picture of a picture in the Guntersville Museum. Small but very nice museum. All private funded and exhibits.
The Lake Guntersville State Park entrance. Built 20 years ago for 2 Million. Recently underwent a 2 year renovation at a cost of 22 million. It is beautiful and first class. Hotel, camp ground, marina, golf course. Similar to Joe Wheeler, but much nicer. Actually operates in the black.
Marina and the Tennesse River and Lake Guntersville. They have 6 boat ramps and over 300 slips. They are host to several fishing tournaments each year and water speed records are set here.
Betsy and her namesakes. (She was a Gunter before getting married)
Does this make Betsy kin to Will Rogers???????
The park at Guntersville across from the River Explorer.
The River Explorer. 778 feet in length.
Bobby Horton. He played several instuments and sang. He played the music for Ken Burns “Lewis and Clark” and “The Civil War”. He is a folk music historian.
We must be at the space museum in Huntsville AL. This is a Saturn 5 Rocket, used to boost the Apollo crews into space.
Info on the Saturn 5.
Rick at the Rocket Center. It is a big place.
Looking up at the 5 boosters in a Saturn 5.
The Space Shuttle on the Solid Booster Rocket
Lunar Lander
The LEM for exploration of the Moon
Gives you an idea of the size of the boosters. These are actual size.
Betsy and crew just before....
THIS and
This and ...
This.
The feeling of flight......or so I am told.
Betsy plays at the church service. She did the intro and played Amazing Grace during the service.
We depart Guntersville and head west on the Tennessee river and Guntersville Lake.
Ronnie Kole plays some favorites
Eddie Conrad makes some Executive Decisions......
Eddie Pennington. Father of Alonzo.
Eddie Pennington. A first rate “thumb picker”. He is the coroner in his local county. He is very “Big” in the music business.
The newlywed game. That is Betsy and Rick, third and forth from the left. Two of these couples have been married over 37 years and two have been married less than 2 years. The couple on the right won...
We meet “The Legendary Delta Queen” on the river.
The Queen of the River-The Legendary Delta Queen
They look at us and we look at them......
The Queen moves away
What a sight......
The Delta Queen is scheduled to end passenger service on November 2008. We are booked on her last cruise beginning on October 23, 2008. She was built in 1928 and is a true steam powered paddlewheeler. She is on the Natioinal Historic Register and is a National Landmark, the only floating one.
End of an Era and a Real Shame......
WOW!!!
The wharf in Clarksville. A Statue of Wilma Rudolph is just down the block. This is her birthplace.
Mr. Hollywood.
A towboat prop. Made possible by Capt John Ritchie. Capt Ritchie was our Captain on the Mississippi Queen in 1984. He and his son ran a cruise boat from Clarksville until the late 1990s. He had a long white beard and looked like Santa Claus.
Captain John Ritchie.
Clarksville sits on a Bluff and the highest building in town, by law, is 75 feet, due to the inability to get a good foundation.
All the churches in Clarksville. All but the Baptist church were damaged in the tornado of 1998.
Statue of Wilma Rudolph, a native of Clarksville, TN
The Church Murial
Clarksville Civil War Museum.
Clarksville Courthouse.
Tim Lewis, a former truck driver, exhibit of carvings.
In God's hand.
Moses and the 10 Commandments.
The Last Supper.
The Train Station in the basement of the museum. It was huge and quite nice.
The bubble machine in the museum. This is an interactive area.
Yes, the cruise director works long and hard hours and sometimes needs a nap.
At least she did not snore.....
We visit the winery and get a tour by the owner.....
The beginnings of next years wine.
Mildred, the finest tour guide we have ever had. She was wonderful.
Barrel Carvings at the winery. There were about 30 of these.
Ode to the Toad.....
Signage in the winery restroom. Cute.
Don Knowles and the Hot Band. They were very good.
Nathan, the National Champion Fiddle Player.
Funky Nathan....
Don Knowles. By profession, a Luthier...
No, this is not a mistake.....
Playing “Amazing Grace” on the saw.
Eddie makes some jokes about the “fiddle player” and the band.
Eddie says he rolled a Roman Catholic Cardinal for these shoes.
One heck of a nice guy...Eddie Conrad, Owner of the River Explorer.
The River Explorer celebrates 10 years on the rivers of America. (This is actually a puzzle)
The disembarcation meeting and we say thanks to our crew....
The Head Chef who did a great job...
Our cooks
Our waiters
our waiters
more waiters
Joan, the wandering job filler-in-er
We arrive in Nashville, TN Cumberland River
The Mississippi River is closed due to a collision. These barges are just waiting to get going. They are all along the rivers.
This guy was on the dock and posed for us.
One of the exhibits in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Where the LaSalle and DeSoto barges connect.
State Capitol in Nashville
Bi-Centennial Park in Nashville. Contains a very interesting map of the state in concrete.
Note the batman Building.
Inside the Charlie Daniels Museum
Sunset in Nashville TN
Batman Building in Nashville
