After getting a motel room, we drove toward the river and the old city of Paducah, Kentucky. John probably knew we’d see railroad tracks and the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio rivers. His geographic and choo-choo antennae are always up. He didn’t sense a barrier wall, and that’s what we found. I took a photo of John standing before the wall at a mural depicting a steam engine. To the right was the Ohio River.
A few steps down was a mural welcoming visitors to the wall depicting Paducah in the past. There were scenes of Indians, early settlers, historic events, important people, and cultural buildings. Before each mural was a brass plaque explaining the scene. What a marvelous history walk it was!
We found out the city had three devastating floods. To prevent it happening again, they erected this barrier wall. The highest flood was 11 feet higher than the pavement we were standing on. John stood at one of the gates where a large concrete slab would rise to close the gap.
To our surprise, the steam engine in the mural was sitting around the curve. It had an odd collection of cars behind it, making it look like a train. John said the cars were ones that would have been used in that area, but not necessarily together.
We walked behind the wall, near the water. Evidently, the river draws people there to stroll, ride bikes, and enjoy the cool breezes. Some drove their cars, watched the water for a while, and drove away. It seemed such an old-fashioned, low-tech pastime. Good for you, Paducans!
Mehrling Muse 
That looks like a great place to spend some time!
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That looks like an interesting place! Our Iowa capitol of Des Moines also has flood gates like the ones in Paducah. Though they are not quite as interesting and ornate!
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John definitely has choo-choo antennae. 😀
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Paducah’s a nice town, and from your pix it looks like the floodwall’s working. Metropolis, across the river in Illinois, has had significant flooding this year. When I was going south on I-24 to Atlanta back in the 1990s, I used to drive like a bat out of #$%! till I got to a Waffle House in Paducah. There I’d stop, whatever time of day it was, and get some scrambled eggs, patty sausage and grits. It was like the first outpost of civilization!
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I’d better clarify: “Hogfiddle” is me. — Pete
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I know you as Hogfiddle, Pete. Thanks for the clarification, though it was not needed this time.
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The river was high the day we were there, but there was not any real flooding.
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John must have been in his element when he found the train was there as well as the picture on the barrier.I hope the motel room was nice Anne.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
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I laughed, thinking about the motel room. We go to medium-priced chain motels and are usually satisfied. That night the air conditioner could not cool the stuffy room. The motel was being renovated, and we got a room that had not been inspected. There were no outlets or USB ports for charging cell phones. Also, there was no chair in the room. The front desk suggested John pick up a chair from the breakfast room and take it upstairs. He did, and I was able to do email and the Reader.
One day later we are in a lower-rated motel, and it is delightful.
xxx Picture Perfect Hugs xxx
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Cool!
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We were there a few years back, it’s a beautiful place. I love that John has a choo-choo antennae 😊
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John loves trains — past, present, and future. Several times we have flown together on a clear day. He can tell you where we are over the US based on the railroad tracks he can see. I doubt there are many others in this country who can do that.
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Rivers do draw people to them, don’t they? I love walking (and running) on a path along the river. We have one close to our house along the Susquehanna. Paducah looks like a wonderful place to visit. Hope you and John are enjoying your trip!
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We’re having a great trip, thank you. We used to cross the Susquehanna going between NY and NC. It’s beautiful.
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I didn’t know there were such quaint old towns in the US any more- what a treasure of a town. And the murals, I love them. How surprising to see the actual engine of the train behind the mural? I wish I could see the “different cars”. How old was that train ? Who painted those murals? Is Kentucky hot or cold?
Susie
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I didn’t take a picture of the train, because we have hundreds of such photos that most people don’t want to see. The engine was built about 1910 and was used until 1960. The cars date from the 1920’s.
The murals were designed and painted by Robert Dafford. Each one was signed and dated. Here is a link: https://www.paducah.travel/things-to-do/history/wall-to-wall-murals/
Kentucky is hot in the summer. We were walking near the river late in the day when there was a cool breeze. I wouldn’t want to walk there in the middle of the day.
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I went to the link to read about the mural artist and his works. Is Paducah on the way to the places you wanted to go to in Colorado? Why did you stop there?
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Paducah happened to be in the route we took.
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What a fun trip. They are ‘lucky’ to be missing the floods.
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Looks like this trip has been lots of fun and right up John’s alley!
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I’m content to go with him on these trips. He does the planning, and I go along to troubleshoot the electronics. There are massive perks like eating out once a day and no cleaning! We usually have a free breakfast at the motel, eat a main meal in the middle of the day, and buy fruit and a dessert to have in the room at night.
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Wow – John was lucky to see all the train memorabilia and those murals to stop the water were amazing. Too pretty to do such a noble deed.
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We didn’t know about the river wall before we happened on it. This trip is fairly loose. We have reservations only in the town where we’re going to the wedding.
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That was a lucky surprise then …
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