The Mon

Our weekend working trip to Elizabeth, Pa., made me want to see more of the Monongahela River, also known as the Mon.

The dams and the bridges interest me, as do the power plants and the factories.

According to the navigation charts, there are 128.7 miles of the Mon with a navigable channel. You have to subtract the upper 26.7 miles because the Hildebrand and Opekiska locks and dams are closed to lockages from lack of commercial traffic. You would pretty much have to start at Morgantown and work your way down.

There appear to be some interesting bridges and industrial sites, but I could be wrong.

This is Locks and Dam 3 as seen from downstream on a day with occasional sprinkles and a couple of thunderstorms. That's the M/V Tom G. of Campbell Transportation in the river. I don't know what factory or power plant that is in the background. The dam has a lift of only five feet or eight feet at normal pool. The online navigation charts say it could be either.

Or maybe it's not worth the trip. It's not likely we'd ever make it anyway. Still, it's one of those things about the Ohio and its tributaries that I will wonder about from time to time.