Sunday, August 8, 2010

Touchdown? Splashdown? Whatever.



Day marks


I don't know when or why it happened, but a few years ago the Coast Guard or whoever moved most of the green (right side, descending) daymarks and lights along the Ohio River from the top of the river bank to down near the water's edge. This one, near Addison, Ohio, remains up high.

As I understand things, pilots and others can use these signs and lights to navigate. You point your boat at the green one until you see the red one, then you turn left and point it at the red one until you see a green one, or something like that.

For the curious, those are Norfolk Southern railroad tracks in the background. They're part of the line that runs from Charleston north along the Kanawha River until they cross the Ohio River at Point Pleasant. Then the follow the Ohio River to Pomeroy before heading north to Columbus. NS acquired the tracks when it and CSX bought and divided Conrail several years ago.