Travelers

We are currently anchored in Mammoth Furnace Bay (what an unusual name...does it have historical significance) on Barkley Lake.  We have had three people call us ‘travelers’ this week.  They will pull up to the boat and say something like, “we had to check you out, because you look like you are traveling...we knew you were travelers!”  That seems so much nicer than Gypsies or vagabonds😉

It’s another beautiful spot, and the water temperature here is about 5-7° cooler than the water in Kentucky Lake.  Much more refreshing on a hot afternoon. However, we have been incredibly lucky with fabulous weather - high temps in the mid to upper 80s, and humidity between 55-65%.  The locals have told us this weather is extremely unusual for this time of year.  

We found a wonderful marina to call ‘home base’ for the next two months.  The people are very helpful and friendly.  The rate is amazing at .75/ft.  So it only costs us $37.50 a night, and that includes electric and a courtesy car for us to use for shopping...unbelievable!  Of course, we prefer to anchor in secluded coves, but this is the perfect place to visit for a few nights (every two weeks) to get groceries, take care of trash and laundry, and pick up all of our Amazon deliveries👍

Between the marina and our current anchorage, we passed the Kentucky State Penitentiary, also known as “Castle on the Cumberland”.  When this prison was built in 1886 it did not have this view.  The Barkley Dam was completed in 1966, making the Penitentiary lake front property.  A little research revealed that this is Kentucky’s Supermax/Death Row facility.  Definitely not the place for us to anchor for the night😬

Still trying to get the right formula for the garden.  Some plants are doing well, while others definitely crashed and burned.  I think one problem has been mixing plants with different nutrient needs.  The basil, kale, and chard seem to like a lot of fertilizer (I am using an organic chicken poop liquid), while lettuces and some herbs have not done well with that mixture.  Since they all share the same water I have to find plants with the same needs and tolerances.  I am planning to buy some new seeds next week, so the experiment continues.

During the week we are usually alone.  Some boats do come out to play on weekends, but we RARELY see anyone spend the night on their boat.  That’s something I want to ask about.  I know what you’re going to say, but I don’t think it is because of the Penitentiary...we are at least 6 miles south.

One afternoon this week two gentlemen, out fishing, decided to pay us a visit.  They had questions about our boat and our travels, and wanted to know how we ended up in Mammoth Furnace Bay.  One of them happened to be a local, Mark, who regaled us with the history of this location.  Apparently, in the 1800s this location became a prime spot for smelting iron from local iron ore.  A total of 8 furnaces were built in this area, for this purpose.  We happened to be anchored very near the old Mammoth furnace, which was now mostly underwater due to the creation of this lake.  

Mark also told us that the process produced a slag byproduct that was used to make road beds around the furnace.  Interestingly, the slag is blue.  He pointed out two local spots where we would have the best chance of finding some. Fantastic, now we have a mission...research this furnace, and find some slag!

Marks’s location hint was right on the money.  You can see that the beach is covered with rocks and gravel.  There are a few blue rocks behind me that we didn’t see...can you find them?  Keith and I started out in different directions and met back in the middle with our treasure!  Don’t worry, we didn’t keep these blue beauties.  Our research indicated that these rocks are viewed as ‘historical artifacts’ and removing them from this area is prohibited.  We scattered them back along the beach for others to enjoy.

Very cool, especially when you realize they were made by manmade processes, and have been on this ground for almost 150 years.  If you are interested in learning more about the furnaces in this area, visit https://www.fourriversexplorer.com/center-furnace/ for additional information...spoiler alert...part of this process was an environmental nightmare!

We Googled Mammoth Furnace and found a map with the approximate location, and a description that simply said “some of the rocks are visible just above the water line”. 

Look at this strange pile of rocks in the cove.  We believe this to be the old Mammoth Furnace.  

We scanned the water’s surface looking for a pile of rocks, but didn’t see anything that matched our mental picture.  We cruised around the cove in the Whaler looking for a pile of rocks...nothing.  Oh, wait a minute...why are those trees growing out of the water? Upon closer inspection we saw the rocks and bricks...this has to be it!  This picture might make you think we are blind, but picture land to the left and the deeper water of the cove to the right.  The rocks really weren’t visible until we circled around behind.

One of our constant joys is watching wildlife, and this Baltimore Orioles butterfly was happy to wait for his/her picture.

We have a new friend who visits us by plane.

When he opened the door he yelled, “This is how we do it in Kentucky!”  

What a hoot😁