Bobcat swims upstream

Hello out there ! Almost the end of April 2017 and I'm gonna try to learn to be a blogger. I'm 72, slow learner and my patience sometimes overwhelms me when I goof on this iPad . I want to blog about my River travels and since I first tried this a few years ago ( and gave up) I've travelled the Illinois to Chicago and back ,the full length of the Tennessee and this year I'm planning on doing the Cumberland River from its upper end of navigation at Celina,Tn down to the confluence ,the Ohio River. Last year I did the Tennessee starting at Knoxville,Tn. and  going down to the Ohio and up it to Smithland and pulling the boat out at Golconda,I'll. marina and trucking back to my home port on the Mississippi River ( umr224). So a little about my boat and me. The boats a 25' C Dory powered by two 90 hp Honda's.I pull it with a 4x4 F -250 ford.Last year my wife and I and 13 lbs.of dog named 'buddy' did the Tennessee . Because of Buddy we watched the chart for public ramps and docks for Buddy potty stops and every night went to Marina's so both we and him could exit the boat for showers and relief. This year wife has other obligations and I will do the Cumberland by myself as 'Buddy' loves her the most and will stay home with her. The good side of that is that I will be able to 'hang on the hook' and not have to be at a Marina every night.The dory has a small but useable head (bathroom) and a spray shower and a water heater.So while I plan to stay at marina's like every other day and when I need to grocery shop, I can get by just staying on the boat. I'll sleep in the forward cutty cabin and I have a gen, micro wave and a small ( think dorm room fridge) fridge on board ,the fridge runs off a 2000 watt inverter. If it turns really warm the boat also has a roof A/C as long as I'm plugged in to shore power.Running the gen to run the a/c is to loud when at anchor but if I'm underway I could run the gen to run the A/C but that would be really unusual . One day last year on the Tennessee we took a side trip down the TennTom in Mississippi on a very hot July day and ran the gen a/c then. But in May I don't think that will be any problem. Half the fun of the trip is the planning . The Cumberland has a dam ,Wolf Creek ,that has no lock so while I could start right below the dam and run the whole River I've learned that the river is to shallow for a boat with my draft ( depth of water I need to float in without hitting bottom), if there are any non boaters out there that explanation is for you.So the last Marina is at mm332(Granville Marina) that I can launch at,leave the tow rig, and motor up to the head of navigation at mm381 and then turn and slowly motor down the Cumberland.I say slowly as I like to run at trawler speed 6-9 mph and observe the countryside and wildlife and life! I'll pass thru 4 lock&dams ,one of them(Cordell Hull lock& dam) is so seldom used by commercial traffic that they require calling a day before to schedule meeting you there and lockage thru. River travel is a 'Adventure' for sure.A little bit of river term talk might be necessary here in case a reader is not a boater. River length is measured in miles with mile '0' being at the point where the River runs into the next River or the ocean! Mile '0' on the Mississippi is down in New Orleans at the gulf .As you start up the Mississippi River the miles start adding ,at the confluence with the Ohio River the mm (mile marker) is 950 ! So the Cumberland starts at mile 0 where it runs into the Ohio and as you travel up the River the miles add. The first dam after leaving the Ohio is the Barkley lock at mm31 . So River travel way back when was mostly downstream with the current,so your thinking canoes were paddled both ways but think about commerce. Way back before the steam engine commodities were shipped down the river on flat boats and then the flat boat was sold for lumber etc. As such ,as most River travel was headed down the river the 'banks' were referred to as the right or left descending bank ,and the mm were 'high' at the point of origin. Hope I'm clear to you! So I'm gonna start at mm381 the head of navigation at Celina,Tn.and travel down the river 381 miles to the confluence with the Ohio. As I watch the charts ( maps on water are called charts) if the chart shows a Marina on the right that means the right bank headed down! I now have a confirmation from the Marina on storing the truck so I'll travel there ,launch ,plug the shore power in and start the fridge.While its cooling down I'll drive to a grocery store and get provisions about a week to 10 days worth as the fridge is small and the little freezer can handle only so much...( TV dinners are a big part ) as the cooking gene passed over me! I'm gonna try to insert a picture of my boat so you have a better idea of me and it!Well I told you I'm a little slow,on a email I can insert a picture but it's not working the same on this blog . If I learn I'll put it in. Until next time ,Jim on the 'Bobcat'