First, blog reader Michael D. Blake II provides this photo of the M/V David M. Stegbauer on a recent trip up the Kanawha River. If I'm not mistaken, that's the old stamping plant at South Charleston in the background, and he took this from across the river where the view can be good but access can be a problem.
Now, on to items in the news:
For the past few months I've wanted to spend a day in a few towns along the river in southwestern Ohio. One of those is Ripley. This makes me want to go even more. The easiest thing in the world to do -- other than writing an editorial saying "something must be done" -- is to go to a small town and complain about how it's gone downhill. Or make fun of it for going downhill. That's not my intention. As my wife would say, you don't go visit someone and spend your time there telling them they live in a dump. Different towns have different problems. I want to look at them.
Kayaking 50 miles on the Ohio River in one day? How about two? Here's the first of a two-parter of one guy doing it and how he reconnected with his childhood love of the river in the process.
A new bridge over the Ohio River at Henderson, Kentucky? Why not? It will be years before anything is done, but the process has begun.
The process continues to move to get the Delta Queen back on the Ohio River. It's slow, but it's happening. If I recall correctly, the Delta Queen's last trip down the Ohio was in October 2008. I have several good photos of that event. One of my favorites -- not one of the best, but a favorite -- was the boat passing a spot where two boys were playing beside the river. They ignored the boat as if they did not know the significance of that moment, which they probably didn't.
