9-20-24
We were up early and left Clifton Marina surprisingly easily, pulling onto Kentucky lake under a clear sky. Unfortunately, within about a mile we ran into an impenetrable fog bank, which persisted for several hours and many miles southbound. We talked about turning around but approaching the narrow channel into Clifton Marina, perhaps in the fog was not an attractive option. We did call back and warn Resonance to delay their departure because of the fog. Even with the fog as we proceeded south the surrounding scenery was spectacular. The fog cleared midmorning just outside the Pickwick lock where Resonance caught up with us. We transited the lot together and proceeded to Aqua Yacht Marina for a side tie on the pier. I had been anticipating arriving at Aqua Yacht because of its longtime reputation, particularly for service. However, it has recently undergone a change of ownership and is now part of a marina chain. Management is disappointing as was the entire experience at this marina. We waited a consider time for docking help which was offhand and somewhat rude. Once again, we found that the Marina restaurant was permanently closed, related to "plumbing issues." One bright spot was the availability of courtesy cars, of which we availed ourselves to go out and rent a car so that we might go to the Shiloh battlefield for a day. We had passed the battlefield earlier in the day as we proceeded down, the river.
Iuka, MS is a small town with not much to do. We did go out to a barbecue restaurant with George & Christine from Resonance. We also enjoyed a nice docktails on the transient dock soon after arriving. We found a little tourist hotspot with a re-created series of country stores, which was actually quite entertaining.
The highlight of the stay, however, was clearly the trip to Shiloh Battlefield where we spent the entire day. The battlefield is very well preserved and restored. The interpretive center did a very good job of explaining the battle, and we took a self directed tour which further emphasize the key points. The setting itself is beautiful and we ended up at the end of the day alongside the river, where we toured, the veterans cemetery. Most of the gravesites are occupied by union veterans of the Shiloh campaign.
