Relaxing at Fort Massac, IL (near Paducah, KY)

We've been here a day and we're enjoying the slow pace of life here.    One detracting sound that seems to come through is that of a salvage yard, loading scrap iron onto a barge nearby.  It is probably a quarter to half mile away, but we hear it very well.

Early this morning, we walked up to the Visitor's Center to register for our stay.  They have built a nice looking Visitor's Center, but I think it's days are numbered.  When we were here 2 or 3 years ago, there were two uniformed park rangers in the old building to answer questions.  I think that with the funding short fall that Illinois is facing, they have replaced the two professionals with one entry level clerk.  They do have many well done displays and posters of the history of the fort.

I did a brief stroll through the restored fort and found it cold!   With the temperature being low, the dark vacant rooms of the fort do not encourage one to linger.   I'm not sure if the fort is to be fully restored, but it is not obvious what they might want to add other than some exterior furnishings.  What it really needs is some static interior displays of uniformed inhabitants in their then daily routine.  We did a long walk around the park and I was very surprised to see that the Ohio River had flooded this spring enough that it was perhaps 6 or 8 feet below the building levels.  Much of the park is still closed and before the grass can be mowed, lots of logs and sticks will have to be removed.

Back at the motorhome, Sandy and I finished up our tax forms.   On one hand I want to complain, but then I probably ought to be happy that there was some profit left for my weary bones.   We signed the papers and Sandy insisted that we seal the envelopes so that they are ready for mailing.   (I wanted to stuff the envelope, but leave it unsealed in case we want to recheck something.   After all, they are not due for another 2 weeks.)

I should mention that highway 45 from Mississippi to Tennessee to Kentucky to Paducah, KY is one fine four lane road to drive on.  With hardly any traffic, it is disgusting to see how nice it is --I'm assuming it was thanks to federal dollars.  We did have an incident somewhere in southern Tennessee.  A car passed us and was perhaps 40 or 50 yards ahead when we took an object in the windshield.  It was a small nick and not in the viewing area, but never the less, it is  a nick.  While I say an object, I really feel that it might have been a pellet from a pellet gun.   But no one was around that we noticed.  Stuff happens!

Tomorrow we're going to visit a state historical site east of here about 20 miles, called "The Kincaid Mounds".  We have read online that the mounds are from an early Indian settlement.  The name came from the white settler who built his house on the biggest mound in 1800.

Gene