Day 6 - Ft. Massac State Park - Metropolis, IL

Yes, we're still in the same place. There was some hope we might move in the night but of course that didn't happen. There is constant grumbling and whispering about what is really going on. No one has told us what is happening. Some say the lock is broken and has been broken since last Sunday. The official story is that the water is just not low enough to go into the lock. There is an "Official Town Meeting" at 1p. Hopefully we will learn some facts. 

The Chief of Police Car - Metropolis

Can you see the Superman Emblem on the car? 
There is a statue of Superman in the town! 

Meanwhile, we get back on the HO-HO to go back into Paducah to see the Floodwall/River Walk and the Quilt Museum. Both were small but interesting. We would have been docked steps away from the Floodwall if things had gone as they were supposed to. Some of the murals were really outstanding. For some reason we were told to be back on the boat by 11:30a. Again, with the drive into Paducah being at least 30 minutes, it really doesn't give us much time. All the early bus tickets were taken quite quickly last night. We were fortunate to get the last 4 tickets for the 9:40a time. Today we have no guide on the bus so we don't know what we are looking anyway. We saw a few things and then walked to a less crowded bus stop since the one at the Quilt Museum had enough people waiting to fill at least 2 buses. 

One Mural Along the Floodwall Walk

Chickasaw Indians as Lewis & Clark Passed through.

 They were not concerned. 

Little did they know what the future would hold. 

Back onboard for lunch. As we are eating we see we have begun to move, but AWAY from the lock we need to pass, not toward it. Following lunch we have the much anticipated meeting. The captain says we are reversing our course. We are heading to a tributary of some sort and our destination for tomorrow will be Hickman, KY. He laughs when he says he really doesn't know what's there and how we are going to get in and out of there but we need more fuel and more water than the fire trucks in Metropolis can provide for us. I guess part of it is a joke. Half the crowd laughs as well but I wonder if they even understand what he is saying? Certainly, we cannot fault him for the water not receding but if we are not being told the truth, it is troubling. With yesterday's guide telling us it was a lock problem, another guide said the lock has been closed since Sunday, some staff saying we knew we would not get beyond this point, some staff saying this happens a lot, etc. Whatever the situation is, we would like to know the truth. It's frustrating. I suspect IF they said they knew about the lock on Sunday there would be a lot of unhappy people wanting a partial refund.

Work Along the River

For sure it was coal, maybe grain in one

Anyway, we are on our way to Hickman, KY. After refueling there and spending the day, we will head back to Paducah. We hope to go through the lock on Oct 15, by 10:30a. IF we do, we will be able to make it to Clarksville (Nashville) close to our appointed time for disembarkation. If not, it will depend on IF/WHEN we get through the lock - when and where we will disembark. We could go on a bus to Nashville from either Metropolis, Paducah, or Dover (the stop we are missing). No one seems to really know. If we don't make it through the lock, it will definitely be Metropolis. I feel sad for Rod and Sharon because they don't travel much. They have wanted to do this "Musical" riverboat tour for 14 years! She is very disappointed. 

Time for dinner, which was delicious. I will say they have top-notch food!

Short Ribs

Scallops

Dessert - Peach Cobbler

We skipped the shows this evening. The singer is from Fresno and we heard her before. She was okay. We are up against the shore right now. I hope that is on purpose... We are supposed to get fuel and water at the Economy Boat Store and I think we are in line for that. We shall see what tomorrow brings!