We depart Green Turtle Bay Marina on Lake Barkley and head through the canal to Kentucky Lake, so it makes sense that this area is called ‘The Land Between the Lakes’ (or The LBL). The lakes were created in 1959 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction of Barkley Dam on the Cumberland River (and later constructed the Kentucky Dam). These lakes are one of the world’s largest man-made bodies of water, thus creating the largest inland peninsula in the U.S., the LBL. We head south on Kentucky Lake to Paris Landing Marina, Buchanan, TN (42NM). It is such a nice day that we immediately put the tender in the water and run across the lake to check out a few of the local watering holes…it being a Saturday and the last day of summer. We get a ‘like home’ kind of feeling as the water is the same color as the San Francisco Bay and the hills look very similar to our Bay hills as well. We move on downriver to Pebble Isle Marina, New Johnsonville, TN (25NM) which has a shallow and narrow entrance of 16 to 9 feet and an even more shallow dockside depth of 5 and change (at least the bottom is mud). We move on toward Clifton Marina, Clifton, TN (62NM) officially leaving Kentucky Lake and now cruising on the Tennessee River. This is truly the prettiest scenery we have seen in a few weeks. It is still green and clean along the river banks with beautiful limestone cliffs and sandy beaches. The river is wide with just a little current, a few gentle turns and little to no traffic. The entrance to Clifton Marina is not for the faint of heart, however, as it is very narrow and Larry has to work the current and wind as he moves the boat through the skinny and shallow (7 ft.) entrance. We have a nice walk around this little town and then meet four other looper-couples for dinner at the marina. We get moving early the next day and get to Pickwick Lock and Dam in about six hours. We have a 40 minute wait to up-lock the 57 feet and then enter Pickwick Lake. Right before the marina there is a location on the lake where, geographically, you are in three states at once; Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. We spend three nights at the Grand Harbor Marina, Counce, TN (58NM) as the Jamie Whitten Lock and Dam (downstream) is just clearing the backlog of commercial traffic due to an oil spill inside the lock 3 weeks ago. We take advantage of the time and the marina’s loaner car (thank you Neeley, you’re the best Harbor Master!) to visit the Shiloh National Military Park. If you are in the area and have the time it is well worth the visit. Start at the visitor’s center and watch the re-enactment film then drive the battlefield tour. The land is so beautiful and peaceful now that it is difficult to imagine the carnage of the two day battle resulting in 24,000 casualties. Tomorrow we hope to begin our travels on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (Tenn-Tom). The Tenn-Tom is a 234 mile man-made waterway that will take us from Pickwick Lake/Tennessee River to the junction of the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River system near Demopolis, Alabama and through a series of 10 locks.