Day 28 - Friday, October 17, 2003 - Thursday afternoon the crew of the Abby Normal waited 4 hours at the entrance to the Kentucky Lock, then had one of their most harrowing experiences of the trip when inside the lock their support lines broke loose. They had quite a few tense minutes as the small craft and crew was tossed about in the choppy waters inside the giant lock. This lock was quite high and long, with a lift of 50 ft. from the low part of the river to the high side of the dam located here. From here to the Gulf of Mexico, the Abby Normal and its intrepid crew will be traveling uphill and up river through a series of locks, since the Tennessee River increases in elevation about 500 ft. as they travel south from here. - Select Chart 15 to see their location on the interactive map at the right.

Day 30 - Monday, October 20, 2003 - After some scary travel through thick fog on Saturday, our crew emerged into a picturesque wide section of the Tennessee River today known as Kentucky Lake. The breathtaking fall colors along the shoreline of this serene lake set in the hills of Murray, Kentucky was a welcome respite from the many dangers the ship and crew had experienced over the past few days. They spent a warm, romantic night in Panther Bay on this beautiful lake. - Select Chart 16 to see their location on the interactive map at the right.

Day 32 - Wednesday, October 22, 2003 - Some mechanical improvements were made yesterday by Walt on the boat's water system that increased the water pressure. Travel has been good, but the pace of travel has been slower the past couple days. The Abby Normal stayed last nite at the lovely Perryville Marina in Perryville, TN and tonite they expect to spend the night camped along the river. - Select Chart 17 to see their location on the interactive map at the right.

These maps will help you monitor our progress, learn about the geography and diversity of American life in the communities along the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, TomBigbee, and Mobile Rivers. We hope you enjoy experiencing this fantastic journey on your local PBS television station!

Click on the numbers to your right for more detailed maps of our journey.