mv. Pennsylvania

A month ago I lamented how three old Ohio River Co. boats -- the Ohio, the Indiana and the Pennsylvania -- were tied up along the banks of the Kanawha River. Recently the Pennsylvania and the Indiana have been out on the river. Here is the Pennsylvania approaching the Gallipolis Locks and Dam this afternoon.

Since it was repowered, it doesn't sound the way it once did, but it's still nice to see her out and about.

Silver arches

On the way down the river today, I stopped at the Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam (nee Gallipolis Locks and Dam) to see if there was anything interesting. Nope. As I was leaving, I saw the bridge connecting the dam piers in my rear view mirror and decided to get a couple of snaps -- one straight and one artsy. Here they are.

I've always liked the design of this dam, and not because I grew up close to it. The art deco (?) design goes beyond the more utilitarian design of modern dams.

Herons

Some things I notice because they've changed, but sometimes I wonder if it's just something that's always been the same but I've just never noticed it before. Thus it is with the great blue heron. In the past couple of years, I've seen several of these birds along this part of the Ohio River. I'm pretty sure they're new to the area, as I can't recall seeing many of them in the 1970s or 1980s.

Or maybe it's the same bird that gets around well.

It's hard to get a good shot of them when your longest lens is 150 mm. Still, I got this one about a year ago while I was at old Lock and Dam 27 waiting for the Delta Queen to pass by on its last trip down the Ohio. I have another photo in my collection of this bird on this wall with the DQ in the background.