All the Gold

Brandenburg, KY
Tuesday, July 9, 2012

The American Queen was docked in Brandenburg, KY, this morning when we awakened.  It was so nice to step out of our cabin onto the promenade and see the people of Brandenburg at the riverfront to greet our boat. Our tour today took us through Brandenburg and on to Fort Knox and the General George S. Patton Museum of Leadership.  No longer are civilians allowed to tour Fort Knox, and "all the gold" is no longer there. 

This was the highlight tour today for Charlie.  He has always been a student of World War II, and especially General George Patton.  There was so much to see at the museum on Patton's life from his birth to his death. 

Today was much cooler - in the low 80s - so when we returned to the boat for lunch, we ended up sitting outside for a while on the Front Porch of America.  After the boat departed for Louisville, the river was calling us to lazily nap the afternoon away.

Tonight was our last night onboard.  We attended a show by The Rat Pack, two guys we have seen in Las Vegas, who impersonated Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.  Great show and a wonderful way to spend the evening.

Because Brandenburg is only 45 miles from Louisville, the boat pulled into dock around 10:00 pm.  We called it an early night because we are to be off the boat by 8:00 am tomorrow morning.  What a truly relaxing week we've had just cruising the Ohio River.

Blue Moon of Kentucky

July 9, 2012

Another lagniappe stop – Owensboro, KY – on our Ohio River cruise.  Owensboro is the home of bluegrass music.  Our tour this morning took us to the Botanical Gardens, which after a little rain, yesterday, had perked up a bit.  There was a visit to the Museum of Fine Art, where there was a stained glass exhibit, as well as many works of American, European and Asian art displayed. 

Bluegrass is the official State Music of Kentucky, and Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky shares with Stephen Foster’s “My Old Kentucky Home” the honorable distinction of being the office Kentucky State Songs.

Owensboro is the home of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, with was the third stop on our tour.  This museum was established to preserve the global history of bluegrass music.    The home of Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass, is located about 30 minutes away from Owensboro in Rosine, Kentucky.  We saw a new exhibit on his life and influence on bluegrass music.  It was interesting see so many posters and information from the Grand Ole Opry and from Nashville, our hometown.  There is even a Bluegrass Hall of Fame, similar to our Country Music Hall of Fame at the museum.  Some of the more notable names, beside Bill Monroe, include Flatt & Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, Jim & Jesse, Ralph Stanley, Doc Watson, and so many others.

Our friends, Linda and Jim Tidwell are with us.  Because today was an unscheduled stop, we were unable to have guides with us.  So, Jim decided to be our guide.  Jim has done this in the past, and has led us through the “ancient road to Rome” with his fractured Bible stories.  Well, he did it again today, and told tales of Owensboro that, of course, no one had ever heard, especially the folks from this fair city. 

We returned to the boat for the Jazz Brunch and were entertained with a patriotic show this afternoon from the Wulff Brothers.  Now, it’s time for relaxing and just sitting on the Front Porch of America while the scenery leisurely passes us by as we travel to Brandenburg, Fort Knox and the George Patton World War II Museum tomorrow.

Bye, Bye Birdie!!

July 8, 2012

It’s Day 3 of our American Queen journey on the Ohio River.  Today’s stop is at Henderson, KY, a small, sleepy town on the Ohio.  It’s Sunday, so almost everything is closed.  However, we were able to go to the Audubon Home and Museum.  This is an incredible home located on beautifully landscaped grounds.

Things we learned today:

• Audubon would kill the birds he painted so he could pin them in the positions he wanted.
• Sometimes he would have to kill several birds because the buckshot would destroy their wings or body, and he wouldn’t have an anatomically correct bird specimen to paint.
• There were copper plates and some stone lithographic plates that were used to make prints and lithographs.
• One of the stones that the museum owns was, at first, not considered to be authentic by an auction house, but upon further investigation by the curator of the museum, he found it to definitely be original although it was broken and in two pieces.  The second stone that was whole is in a museum in Cincinnati, and was once thought to be the original.

Because everything else was closed today, our tour was short.  As we got back to the boat, we had some rain that cooled the 100 degree temperatures down into the 80s.  Humid, but much more bearable.

The captain of the boat, Greg Brown,  made an announcement that we would have a lagniappe (Cajun for “something extra”) stop tomorrow at Owensboro, KY. 

Cave-In-Rock, IL

Cave-In-Rock, IL

Saturday, July 7, 2012

We woke up this morning and were docked no more than 50 yards from the cave at Cave-in-Rock.  The cave is in the bluffs overlooking the Ohio River, and in the 1800s was  base for outlaws and pirates, particularly those intent on robbing keelboats, flatboats and steamboats of their valuables. 

The unusual geographic features of the cave also hosted its share of bandits and serial killers.  The cave itself is 55 feet wide and was created by wind and water eroding the stone and is now the centerpiece of Cave-In-Rock State Park.

But, in 1790, it was known as the operational base of counterfeiters Philip Alston and John Duff.  By 1797, it had become the haven for river pirates led by Samuel Mason who took the opportunity to expand the cave’s operations into the tavern business, a brothes and gambling den.

The Harpe Brothers were probably the most notable for killing the sole survivor of a pirate raid at Potts Springs.  The site of the atrocity later became Potts Inn which was known as “a human death trap for unsuspecting travelers” who would show up, spend the night and be robbed and then slaughtered.  The two brothers, known as Big Harpe and Little Harpe, were the first serial killers in the U.S.   There is a town a short way down the river from Cave-In-Rock called Harpe’s Head.  These two brothers were so notorious that when Big Harpe was killed, no one believed it until he was decapitated and his head was put on a pole in the nearest town, thus becoming Harpe’s Head. 

Walt Disney used the cave as inspiration for Davy Crockett and the River Pirates, and at Disney World on Tom Sawyer’s Island, riders of the Liberty Belle riverboat are treated to “Cut-Throat Corner” and “Wilson’s Cave Inn”.  MGM went so fare as to film a scene from its How the West Was Won at Cave-In-Rock itself.

The ship sailed at 1:00, and again, the temperatures are over 100, so sitting on the Front Porch is not an option.  We had another great lunch in the J.M. White dining room with outstanding sausage and chicken gumbo and shrimp and grits.  Tonight’s entertainment is a Mark Twain impersonator and we are having dinner with the CEO and the president of American Queen Steamboat Company.  This afternoon is for relaxing and reading in the cool, quiet of our stateroom.  More tomorrow from Henderson, KY

Oh, and to our son-in-law, Jim T., Charlie brought you a rock from Cave-In-Rock.

Steamboat's A'Comin!!

Friday, July 6, 2012 - Steamboatin’

Sleep, glorious sleep!!!  The air-conditioning system on the American Queen is superb.  For the first time ever, we have actually had to turn-up the temperature on the air-conditioning system in our cabin!!  The good news is that we both were able to sleep comfortably through the night.  With temperatures over 100 degrees, and at 10:00 last night in the 90s, we welcome all the coolness we can get.

This morning, we went down to the J. M. White Dining Room for breakfast.  You can either order ala carte from the menu or enjoy a wonderful buffet of great Southern delicacies including some of the most wonderful grits I’ve ever had.  There was everything from eggs, a waffle station, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, fresh fruit and wonderful pastries.  And, did I mention that the coffee all over the ship is Starbuck’s?

Today was a day for relaxing and enjoying the boat.  It was so hot outside that sitting on the Front Porch was like sitting in a sauna with the heat blowing on our faces.  Needless to say, we stayed in a lot.

This morning, we enjoyed a demonstration by a true riverboat gambler.  Bodeen “How Do You Do It”, was a fantastic card shark/magician, and had us all mystified with some of his tricks and prestidigitation.  We were sitting not five feet from him, and couldn’t figure out any of this tricks.

We attended a talk by the riverlorian and learned all about Cave-in-Rock, our first stop on this cruise.  More on that after we visit there.

I had a wonderful massage from Michelle, the masseuse onboard, and was completely relaxed when it was over.

Apparently we had a tailwind last night coming up the Mississippi to the Ohio, and because of this we had an additional port call in Paducah.  We were expecting to arrive in Paducah at 4:00 pm, but due to traffic on the Ohio, we were delayed in getting through the two locks before arriving at Paducah.  The words, “Steamboat’s A-Comin;”, came to life for us this afternoon as we arrived in Paducah.  The local people came down to the dock to see the boat as we were pulling in, and even as late as 9:00, they were driving through, taking pictures and just looking at the magnificence of this beautiful vessel.

We opted not to go ashore, and instead, stayed on the boat and attended a show by “Blend”, an acapella group that sings 50s and 60s music.  These four young men were wonderful singers and entertainers.  Dinner was at 7:45 and again, was excellent. 

                                                                                                            

This has truly been an exceptionally relaxing cruise for both of us. 

Cruising America's Waterways

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Charlie and I have been on more cruises than we can count – all of them either ocean-going cruises or river cruises in Europe.  Until today, we have never been on an honest-to-goodness steamboat in the United States.

Our journey began early on this morning, July 5^th, as we flew from Nashville to St. Louis to embark on the American Queen, a step back to the days when riverboats were the mode of transportation on the rivers of the U.S.  We arrived late-morning, and went straight to the Downtown St. Louis Hilton within walking distance of Cardinals’ stadium.  July 5^th happened to be the hottest day on record in St. Louis at 106 degrees, which was 3 degrees cooler than Nashville’s hottest day the previous Friday.

After checking in at the American Queen Steamboat Company’s desk, we had lunch and at 3:00 departed on the “Steamcoach” for the boat.  It’s been really difficult for me to call the vessel a boat because all other vessels we have sailed on have been called ships.  This boat was built in 1995 by the Delta Queen Steamboat Company.  There are 222 staterooms and suites on the boat, and she holds 436 passengers.  There is a crew of 172.

Here's some things that distinguish the American Queen from other cruises we've been on:

• She is the only authentic overnight paddlewheel steamboat in America
• The acclaimed cuisine of famed American chef, Regina Charbonneau from Vicksburg, MS
• She is the only steamboat with multiple specialty dining options, all at no additional charge.
• Complimentary specialty coffees, cappuccino, espresso, soft drinks and bottled water throughout the voyage
• Complimetary wine and beer at dinner
• Southern hospitality style service from a professionally trained all-American staff
• Casual attire throughout the cruise = no formal wear reuired
• Daily lectures by a Riverlorian, an onboard river historian
• Professional showboat-style entertainment and dancing nightly
• Calliope concerts and a opportunity for guests to play.
• Complimentary shore excursions
• All-inclusive packages that include an overnight stay in a select luxury hotel in the city in which the cruise originates, plus transfers to the boat

We opted not to take the pre-cruise hotel night, and boarded the boat the day we arrived in St. Louis.  At the hotel, we met the shore excursion manager, the maitre’d, the boat’s ambassador, and others, all who made us feel welcome and special. 

Our cabin was a Category B stateroom.  It was approximately 175 square feet.  The wallpaper, furniture, and other décor are all reminiscent of the 1800s, when paddlewheelers cruised these rivers.  The bathroom was black and white tiled, but surprisingly, had a full-size bathtub.  The sink was a pedestal sink, like those that I remember from my grandmother’s house when I was a child.  We enter our cabin from the promenade deck, rather than from a hallway.

We met our friends, Linda and Jim Tidwell, who are cruising with us after we got to our cabins and immediately went to the Front Porch of America at the bow of the boat where there we could have soft-served ice cream, coffee, soft drinks, hot dogs and popcorn!!  How American is that?  All of this is included in the cost of the cruise.  And, this is open 24 hours a day!!  Can’t sleep?  Just go down to the Front Porch, and sit in one of the rocking chairs or porch swings, and enjoy cruising down the river.

Dinner tonight was open seating and was a buffet that was wonderful!!  From now on, we will have assigned seating at one of two dinner times – 5:15 or 7:45.  We opted for the later seating and will have a table of eight.  Linda, Jim, Charlie and I will meet four new folks who will be cruising with us.

Because we have late seating, we are able to attend the earlier show each night.  Tonight’s performance was called “ Showboat Jubilee”, and four very talented singers entertained us with music from the musical, “Showboat”, from Stephen Foster, and taking us to present day ending with “Proud Mary”. 

Our cruise is scheduled to stop at Cave-in-Rock, IL, Henderson and Brandenburg, KY.  We will end in Louisville and will have travelled 586 miles on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.

After dinner, we sat on the Front Porch and rocked ourselves almost to sleep.  We have a day of cruising the Mississippi and Ohio tomorrow and are scheduled to arrive Cave-in-Rock on Saturday morning.