M/V Speedway coming down the Kanawha

I could have gotten a nice photo of the M/V Speedway this morning, but I didn't have my good camera with me, so we'll have to settle for this one taken with my low-end phone.

This is on the Kanawha River. I saw the boat as I was leaving the Capitol, so I went down the boulevard, parked at the first good spot and got off a few shots.

That's the University of Charleston in the background.  The school's president is Dr.  Edwin H. Welch, for whom an Amherst Madison boat -- one of the old Hillman boats -- in named.

Loaded barges and rough water

It sure is wet on the leading edges of those coal barges.

I'm glad I'm not the guy who has to chip the ice away when they do this in winter.

M/V Paula Ruble

Yesterday while I was in Gallipolis, Ohio, I noticed the Crounse Corp. towboat was still tied up at the Amherst Madison fleet area.

Today it came down the river, but deadheading in the tow of another Crounse boat, the M/V Diane B. Siegel.

To the best of my memory, this was the first time I had seen the Siegel.

It was pretty cold and windy up on the bridge getting some of these pictures. I've been colder, but I still don't like it.

M/V Alan P Hall in drydock

M/V Alan P. Hall, formerly the Vernon C. Smith. Length 168 feet, width 40 feet. Built 1965  by Dravo. One of the best-looking designs on the river even  after 50 years.

M/V Lee Synnott passing Lock and Dam 27

An overcast autumn day it was. Warm, but clouds pushed out the last part of direct sunlight before the M/V Lee Synnott passed by.

At least it was pushing 15 loads of coal. A year ago those tows were hard to find around here.