June 13, '07. After a 2 hour wait, HUCK FINN was admitted into the Kentucky Lock, the last lock of the TVA system before the Tennessee R. meets the OHIO 22 miles downstream. There were large tows (tugboats pushing clusters of barges) waiting above and below the dock, but lockmasters are required to admit "pleasure craft" every third lock. This is a view inside the chamber before a 65' lift up to Kentucky Lake.

Paducah, KY is one of my favorite rivertowns. Last summer, this is where I met my friend Dannel McCollum on the way North to St. Paul MN. This floating dock, which is removed during the winter and re-installed after the Spring floods, is the only place to tie a pleasure boat in all of Paducah. That wiil be changed , however, as Paducah has received a multi-million dollar federal grant to build a full-size marina on its waterfront. It wont be completed for 2-3 years, but I hope to be on the waiting list for a permanent slip. Ans I hope they allow liveaboards!