Leftovers Part 1: Photos Without Towboats

In going through some photos I've taken in the past couple of months, I found several that could have been put on the blog but weren't for some reason. So over the next few days, I'll post them and see how they work. Today's theme is "Photos Without Towboats," chosen because it's too easy to rely on riverboats for a decent Ohio River photo.

This is the Frank "Gunner" Gatski Memorial Bridge between Proctorville, Ohio, on the left and Huntington, W.Va., on the right. I don't like that name. I really don't like that name. So, I use the local, generic name of the East End bridge. This was taken around daybreak on a Sunday morning.

One night while driving home from Point Pleasant, W.Va., traffic was stopped on state Route 2 in Cabell County, W.Va. There was no way around except to take a long back road that led to Interstate 64 about 20 miles east of where I wanted to be. So I and other folks sat there for about an hour while emergency crews cleared the scene. The only way I could tell what was going on was to stick my camera out the car window, shoot and magnify.

I don't know what caused this wreck. There were some odd-looking skid marks on the pavement. This accident confirmed my suspicion that too many people drive Route 2 as though it were I-64. It's a wonder there aren't more accidents. I've witnessed one accident and several near-accidents.

And this is the Ohio River flowing over the roller closest to the Ohio shore at the Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam.

This was taken at one of the more popular fishing spots in the area. Because of its 1930s roller design, the Byrd dam can allow water to flow over or under the rollers. Over the rollers produces a nice waterfall effect in sight, sound and mist.