It's the Friday before departure tomorrow morning at dawn, and hopefully our preparations for the river cruise are almost complete. We have checked out the systems as best we can, believe we have a working depth finder (essential for lake and river travel, as our boat draws three feet of water), have topped off the fuel tanks and loaded an extra 10 gallons in cans on the deck just in case, and provisioned with food and water.

Our plan is to cruise from dawn until mid-afternoon, then stop at a marina to refuel, shower, have dinner, and sleep on board. A good day tomorrow (Saturday) would get us to Prizer Point or Lake Barkley State Park marina.

Son Daniel will be crewing with me on Saturday and Sunday. David and Amanda will meet us somewhere along the way (Clarksville?) early Monday morning to help bring her in. It will be a great time to share together. Blue Heaven is not quite ready for Sharon to inspect as yet; she'll need a little more polish!

We hope and believe that many good times are ahead with children, grandchildren, extended family, and friends. It wouldn't hurt to say a little prayer that we can get the boat home without any major problems.