Returning to Nashville, Tennessee and On to Kentucky

The Cumberland River has played an important part in American history with its transportation routes and its Civil War battles. When traveling along it, one can imagine many of the important events as they are described by Fred Meyers in “The Cumberland River Cruise Guide”. The combination of historic significance and sheer natural beauty certainly makes this river one of America’s treasures.

When approaching Nashville from the east on the Cumberland River, boats must pass through Old Hickory Lake and then lock down sixty feet at Old Hickory Lock. The lake was named for President Andrew Jackson, nicknamed “Old Hickory”, who was born in the area and whose home, “The Hermitage” is one of Nashville’s most popular tourist sites. It is on our list of “must visit” before we leave Tennessee.

Old Hickory Lake is sometimes referred to as the “water playground for boaters from Nashville and surrounding cities”. It is often used by speeding powerboats when they want to go “full speed ahead”. This became all too obvious when we were about five miles from the lock and a fast moving catamaran powerboat started doing huge circles around us. It sounded like an airplane, traveled at an estimated 80-100 mph, was about 50-60 feet long, and threw a high rooster tale of spray behind it. It was fascinating to watch and its path was far enough away that we never felt in danger. Luckily the channel in that area is wide enough so slow boats can also travel without being in the way.

Labor Day weekend we spent at Rock Harbor Marina in Nashville, provisioning and cleaning the boat, visiting with friends, and feasting on “Memphis style” dry barbequed ribs. Frank, a yacht club member highly praised for his expertise in barbecuing ribs, spent from noon until 6:15 pm preparing some of the most delicious ribs we have ever had.

Eighteen people thoroughly enjoyed the ribs and the accompanying “sides” and desserts. Besides the new type of ribs, Bill and I were introduced to southern delicacies of fried okra and baked lima beans. If this is southern cooking, we may never leave the south!

Labor Day afternoon we finally left the marina, heading “downriver” with hopes of reaching Grand Rivers, Kentucky by next weekend. Last year we traveled this portion of the river in the reverse direction, but repeating it is necessary to get to the Tennessee River. Alan Jackson has a home on the Cumberland River about five miles from the marina. This picture shows his house, but it doesn’t show the airport that is also part of his estate. He has another home on Old Hickory Lake. Several people have told us that many trees were uprooted there during a tornado or windstorm several years ago. Rather then wait for the slow moving government approval necessary to legally clear the fallen trees, he opted to cut them down and pay the fine, no questions asked. I’m not sure if this would work for anybody, but with a celebrity who doesn’t have financial worries it wasn’t a problem.

Our first anchorage after leaving Nashville was the Harpeth River, probably one of our favorite scenic anchorage sites last year. The Harpeth River twists and turns with farmland and forests along the sides and has many fishing boats. About a mile up river where the high cliffs abut the river, the water depth is perfect for anchoring. We set anchor and watched a spectacular sunset.

Animals, birds, and other living things always attract our attention. The next morning I think we saw one of the largest flies we have ever seen. It was on our bug screen and with camera and ruler we measured it as 1 5/8 inches long. If all flies were this big, I would not have had to spend so many hours working on the bug screen trying to cover every microscopic hole!


Around mile 139 of the Cumberland we saw our first bald eagle for the year and shortly afterwards we saw a night heron. This year we have seen night herons several times, while previously we had never seen them. I don’t know if we are more observant, if it is the “right season”, or if the new bird book makes identifying birds easier. Anyway we’re enjoying this version of bird watching.

Our next stop was at Clarksville, the fifth largest town in Tennessee. Parts of downtown were destroyed by a fire in 1878, by a flood in 1937, and then severely damaged in 1999 by a tornado. Downtown Clarksville has been rebuilt, remodeled, and has developed into a tourist’s dream. Many historic buildings are intact and open for visitors. The Customs House Museum and Cultural Center is of special interest. The architecture consists of Italianate ornamentation, a pyramidal slate roof, Romanesque arches, and copper guardian eagles. Bill and I spent nearly two hours enjoying the paintings, woodcarvings, historic exhibits, and the Explorer’s floor which features model trains, giant bubble makers, motion displays and much more.

Last year we had stopped at a Clarksville marina and had to bike several miles to get to the center of town. We wanted to go downtown again, but thought it was too hot for the long bike trip. As we took the boat by the ever-expanding River Walk section, we noticed a town dock had been constructed since last year. I got on the cell phone and called the Parks and Recreation Department to see if we could spend the night at their new dock. They graciously said yes. Soon after we tied to the dock we noticed some men putting a small tent over the entrance ramp. They told us the ribbon-cutting ceremony dedicating the new dock was starting in fifteen minutes. We decided to stay and watch it. We quickly became celebrities and met the mayor, city council members, and River Commission members. The justification for building the dock was that it would attract boaters who would bring business to restaurants and shops in Clarksville. We were living proof that it actually would attract tourists, local and out of state. We made a point of buying meals and other items while we stayed at their dock. One of the other boats at the dock formerly belonged to Alan Jackson and was called Neon Rainbow. Country music connections seem to be everywhere in central Tennessee.

Continuing on to Kentucky we passed three or four tows a day. Tows on the Cumberland River carry no more than fifteen barges, five rows from front to back with up to three barges in each row. The barges we've seen this year have been loaded with coal, sand, and cement. On the Mississippi River the locks are bigger, so the loads can be as many as 5 barges across each row and more than 5 rows deep. The most we have seen was seven rows with five barges in all but one row for a total of thirty-three barges.