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Trip Day:
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201
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Latitude:
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37°00.47'
N
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Locks Today:
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0
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Miles Today:
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0
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Longitude:
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088°13.64' W
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Locks Total:
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93
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Total Miles:
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4,162
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Location:
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Grand Rivers, KY –Green Turtle Bay
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There was rain on and off all through the night and this morning was very cloudy. Today was a work day— Ron scrubbed the boat while and I went with the others in a marina courtesy van to seek out the Super Walmart for groceries.
It was about a thirty mile ride into Paducah for shopping, but we did a little sightseeing at the Barkley Dam and in Smithland on our way. General U.S. Grant occupied strategic points along the Ohio River and Smithfield was indeed strategic since it sat at the confluence of the two rivers. Smithland served as a recruiting and training post especially for African American troops after 1964. The Federal Navy used the site as the headquarters for the gunboat division.
The town of Smithland suffered from the long troop occupation and only a few historic buildings remain. The Gower Inn, 1870, was host to many celebrities of that era, including Presidents James Polk and Zachary Taylor, as well as Clara Barton, Charles Dickens and Henry Clay. 
Grand Rivers is not much of a town, just a few gift shops and the local theater, but it gets kudos for the colorful atmosphere.
This afternoon more boats have come into Green Turtle Bay Marina. The girls on the Cal 27 arrived and we met Jessie’s mom who will be joining them for a few days. Although concerned about the girls it was easy to see she is proud of them and their adventuresome spirits.
We had a long chat with Joe and Tara, whom we met in Chicago aboard Seabatical. We discovered that Joe graduated from Sarasota High in 1969 and they now live in Marietta and practice law in Atlanta, GA. This is a bittersweet time for them because they only have one more month of their sabbatical remaining so their live-aboard life will be put on hold as they return to their careers. Joe (a Gator) and Tara (a GA Bulldog) plan to attend the Florida vs Vanderbilt game in Nashville which we hope to do as well if we can work out the timing.
After a light dinner at the Yacht Club we settled in with charts and guide books to plan our trip to Nashville.
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