M/V Savage Destiny

I got to see the M/V Savage Destiny today. I didn't have my good camera with me, so I had to go up on the bridge and shoot with my phone.

FWIW, Huntington, W.Va., is on the right bank as seen here looking upstream and Chesapeake, Ohio, is on the left.

M/V Speedway

Seen heading up the Ohio River.

Photos taken at old Lock and Dam 27, a nice, quiet place with a good background for shooting.

Five boats at South Point

Late this afternoon, just before the rain started, I went down to South Point, Ohio. South Point bills itself as the southernmost point in Ohio, and it's right across the Ohio River from the mouth of the Big Sandy River, so from the park you can stand in one state and see two others.

I was there to get photos of the AEP Mariner as it came down the river, but it turns out that I got photos of four more, more or less.

First, the M/V Morgan Leigh of Superior Marine.

Then, coming down the river ahead of the AEP Mariner was the Louise S of Campbell Barge Line.

Then the AEP Mariner arrived. The rain began with a light drizzle, and I was able to find a small shelter down by the river so my digital camera wouldn't get too wet.

The Louise S stopped at South Point. As it eased over toward the Ohio bank, some people who were fishing there got a look at it.

Here we zoomed in on the part of the photo with the Louise S and you can see two boats over at the Marathon dock at Catlettsburg, Ky. I believe that's the M/V Miss Kathy on the left and the M/V Cincinnati on the right. I could be wrong on either of both of them.

Did I say five boats? How about six?

That's the M/V O. Nelson Jones over at the former Merdie Boggs Landing.

Llet's make it seven by noting the presence of the M/V MAP Runner at the Marathon fleeting area at South Point.

That's probably enough for one entry.

Maysville bridge

When this lockdown or lockout period is over, I'll be taking a day trip to Maysville, Ky., and that area to see and photograph things in daylight and dark. There is some pretty scenery down there. A lot of it, really.

Realistically, I won't be able to go until mid-May. As luck has it, that's when the old bridge at Maysville will re-open to traffic after several months of repairs. That alone will be worth an extended blog entry with lots of photos.

Here's a teaser: The horizontal clearance between the river piers is about 1,000 feet. Unless I missed something on the navigation charts, that's the wider than any bridge upstream of the old bridge, and it's about the same if not a little less than that of the newer cablestay bridge a few miles down the river.

I'll need to find information on the bridge's construction, but the wide clearance is probably one reason it was built as a suspension bridge instead of a steel truss bridge. Again, more on that later.

M/V Paula Ruble, 4/15/20

After two or three days of sitting mostly at a computer doing work for pay or training for other things, my legs needed some attention. So this afternoon, after performing my duties at an essential business, I went to Harris Riverfront Park so I could take a walk and wait for the M/V Paula Ruble to show up. Which she did.

It was a lovely sight after three days of staring at a computer screen.

Maneuvering boat needs a new home

The most recent issue of the Waterways Journal came in today's mail, and it carried an article near and dear to my heart. No, I didn't write it.

The Louisville District of the Corps of Engineers is looking for a new home for the maneuver boat that once raised and lowered wickets at Locks and Dam 52. The boat was made redundant about 18 months ago when the Olmsted Locks and Dam raised its pool. Olmsted replaced dams 52 and 53.

The maneuver boat for 53 was scrapped long ago, but the one from 52 is available if you have a place for it and can remove it from Corps property.

This is of interest here for two reasons. One is that I am a fan of the old wicket dams. I got here too late in the game to have memories of them other than three trips to the lower Ohio. The other is that on July 2, 1986, I got to go out on the boat. The dam was up and the boat was tied to the shore or the lock or something, but I was allowed to step on board. I felt the heat of the boilers, and that was something.

I was there as part of a trip exploring parts of the Ohio River I hadn't seen. I had previously established a working relationship with the Public Affairs Office of the Louisville District, so when I arrived at Dam 52 I was allowed the run of the place and photograph whatever I wanted, even on the esplanade. Those were the good old days before 9/11.

I got to see the boat again on July 25, 2018, thanks to a trip arranged by the Waterways Council Inc. While I was at Olmsted, I asked District Engineer Antoinette Gant if I could visit and photograph Dam 52, and she approved. Some of what I saw that day is here, here and here. For safety reasons I was not allowed down by the river at the lock or anywhere near the boat. As a Baptist minister of my acquaintance would say, ding dang it.

So now it's time to play PowerBall and see if I can win enough money to have the boat towed to a good home. Yeah, like that's going to happen. I do hope it can find a place in a museum and be put on display similar to the one up on the Ohio side of the Hannibal Locks and Dam.

Somehow we need to save what little is left of those old dams. We've managed to save some, but this is a part of river history that needs to be rescued.

Stuck at home still

The coronavirus shutdown has me spending more time at home lately. It's not just because I'm trying to be a good citizen and prevent the spread of the disease. It's also because (a) I don't want to deal with Ohio and/or Kentucky police if I go to my usual shooting spots and (b) I didn't get a lot of hours in at work during my previous pay period and I need to conserve cash.

So while I'm spending more time at home, I figured I would play with some of my old photos to see how they would look. Here is one from September 2018.

I've met a guy who was a mate on this boat, but I haven't seen him in years. I don't think I've seen this boat in a while, either.

Latest column

Here's my latest column in the Huntington WV paper. It's about how it was a great time for new boats on my part of the Ohio about a decade ago.

Enjoy.