I started out this morning at 6:30, which is 20 minutes sooner than the past two days. About an hour later I saw this view as I entered Wheeling West, Virginia.
This was my view as I passed WesBanco Arena. The big news on the radio around here is that Elton John is playing there in a couple weeks. A little past this point I stopped at the same Lowe's as in my two previous trips. This time I remembered to close my rear hatch. For those who followed my progress last year, you may remember this is where my hull was filling with water, as I was trying to figure out why I the kayak was slowing lower into the river before capsizing.
Nothing special here; just a bunch of geese.
OK.....you can make out the legs of a guy standing on a safety device at the top of the bridge. This crew was actually the ones putting up the safety device, before the other folks come in to make repairs.
Whooh......a paddle wheel. The waves from this baby rocked my kayak!
This is the second time I've stopped at the Powhatan's Riverside Bar and Restaurant. They have a dock to tie up to and an entrance in back for boaters, as well as in front for street traffic. It doesn't look like much happens in this little town, but the bar & grill is pretty cool!
There are a lot of coal mines here. This one is on the Ohio Side. You can see an empty barge on the right, and one nearly loaded on the left. When loaded, the twelve foot tall barges sink into the river about ten feet.
I wish I could have caught a picture of the next two things I saw.
1st: I was in a pretty unsettled area with a large tow boat pushing fifteen barges,when all of a sudden a two passenger plane dropped down and cleared the bridge of the tow boat by about two feet. The tow boat captain laid on his horn for a long time. I don't know if they knew each other, or if the plane pilot was crazy.
2nd: Here again, I was in what appeared to be pretty secluded area, when I started hearing calliope music. then I hear several sirens, which continued for quite a while. Pretty soon I figured out it was a small town parade. I got out my binoculars and was able to watch the whole thing from the river.
I started out at Pike Lock & Dam and finished up at The Hannibal Lock. In both locks, the drop was about 24 feet.
The is right past the Hannibal lock, in the city of New Martinsville, WV. Just as two years ago, I tied up at the Magnolia Welcome Dock. This is where people rent dock space by the foot, but the owner, Dean Frye, allows people like myself to tie up for free. He even let me take a shower in his basement and two years ago he took me to a laundry mat. The picture above was taken from Dean's back yard without a flash. As you can see, the locks are very well lit at night and operate around the clock.
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Just down river from New Martinsville on the Ohio side is the tiny town of Sardis, Ohio. You can get water from the water pump in the little shelter in the middle of the only intersection in town. It's just up from the river.
Deb and Terry
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