M/V Jackie Englert et al (updated)

This morning Adam and I did something we haven't been able to do for a while. We chased a towboat up the Ohio River. We left home looking for one boat, but we ended up chasing three.

I noticed on Vessel Locations that the Crounse boat Jackie Englert was in the area. We'd never seen it, although we had seen its twins -- the Paula Ruble, the Linda Reed and the Janis R. Brewer. We found the Englert at South Point, Ohio, but not until we noticed it was a little ahead of the Linda Reed and the Nancy Sturgis, which were traveling together while pushing a tow of 15 barges.

We got our best views from up on Huntington's 6th Street Bridge.

First the Englert, with the Sam M. Fleming downbound.

I guess someone has to souge the boat.

The Sam M. Fleming ...

And the Reed and the Sturgis together, both pushing.

There are more Crounse boats Adam and I need to see. Someday, maybe.

UPDATE: It was fun to be out there on the river again, checking times boats go through locks and calculating where they are and where the best place would be to see them. The weather was okay, but I miss doing this in 90-degree summer heat with green trees and blue water.

Top pictures of 2011, part 4

There come special occasions that you remember, like when you were 11 years old and a guy offers to let you steer his boat in a sternwheeler parade. What, that didn't happen to you when you were 11? Well it did with Adam this year. Our thanks to Steve Hutchison of the Port Explorer  who let Adam steer his boat, and to Jack Fowler of the Point Pleasant River Museum for arranging it.

I couldn't select just one photo from that day, so I chose my five best. Here they are.

Top pictures of 2011, part 3

The countdown continues ...

Number 4 is from Gallia County, Ohio, at about Mile 286.5, where you can see flood water from the Ohio River covering part of normally busy Route 7.

The next day and across the river a half mile up, the double yellow line of Route 2 disappears at Glenwood in Number 3. This is where the river normally covers a major road first in this area.

Number 2, after a day of open house and giving tours, the crew of the M/V Charleston of AmherstMadison goes back to work.

Next up, 1-1-1-1-1.

Top pictures of 2011, part 2

I didn't realize until I was reviewing my photos from 2011 that I didn't make it very far down the Ohio River this year, but I did make a couple trips to the upper Ohio.

Back to the countdown ...

Number 8, the M/V William E. Porter at about Mile 302 on a nice afternoon in late fall.

Number 7, a stern view of the M/V Kentucky as it made a 180 at the mouth of the Big Sandy  River during a July 4th excursion for VIPs.

Number 6, the M/V D.A. Grimm making tow on a January day.

Number 5.5 (because it was several miles up the Kanawha River), the John Amos power plant on an October day.

Number 5, the M/V Hoosier State leaving the Kanawha River and preparing to head down the Ohio at sunset. I also put this photo on Flicker, and AEP linked to it on its Facebook page, getting me a lot of views.

Next up, 4-3-2.