Day 185-186 Green Turtle Bay—Paris Landing State Park—

Monday & Tuesday October 20 & 21, 2025

MONDAY

We pulled out of GTB with quite the flotilla! A good number of us were cruising toward Paris Landing, lured by their unbeatable diesel prices — and the fact that it’s a marina run by the Tennessee State Park system. That’s right, another state checked off the list!

As we made our way across the water, we glided past the hauntingly beautiful Cemetery Island — a mysterious little rise that only reveals itself when the lake drops to winter pool or hits a rare low. Right there in the middle of it all, a single weathered headstone stands, still holding its ground after all these years. We could just make it out through the binoculars, ghostly and solemn against the brush. I tried snapping a photo, but let’s just say the lake had other plans — the shot didn’t quite capture the moment.

https://www.fourriversexplorer.com/kentucky-lake-grave/

Hard to tell but if you look at the link above, that is what it looks like through the binoculars! Kind of creepy.

That evening, we were invited aboard Goldilocks for dinner, joined by two other Looper couples we hadn’t met before. The food was fantastic, the company even better, and the stories flowed as easily as the river. A perfect Looper evening!

*Serenity Now, Goldilocks, Island Quest, Sea U Later*

TUESDAY

This morning, we decided a hike in the park was a must before we sketched off toward an anchorage farther down the river. The air was crisp and clean, sitting right at that perfect 60 degrees. The sun was shining, the wind was still, and the whole day had that quiet kind of promise. We followed a beautiful trail that wound its way through the woods and dipped along the river’s edge. The only thing missing was a splash of autumn color — the leaves hadn’t quite turned yet — but even so, it was a stunning walk. We ended up at 4.5 miles which was perfect. Just enough time left to make a quick bite before shoving off.

It’s another beautiful cool day but still a bit windy. We decided to not go too far today and found a small anchorage about 20 miles away—Little Crooked Creek. This gave us enough time to dig into the last cushion that needs to be recovered—the captains bench. Jeff took the seat apart since it’s 6 different pieces so I could see how to remake it.