MERRY HOLIDAYS and Fair Winds thru 2023

Can you see the newest Erben Renewal?

Leg #2 – Wellsburg with a Stop enroute

 

35 miles & one Lock – New Cumberland

As we continued on downstream the locks spread out and we will never have more than one lock in a day. And, even better, the locks are equipped with floating bollards which make hooking up and floating down much easier. Shorter ropes are adequate and we can control the boat tied to one pin.

Rubber Hose makes it easy to keep a loop for slipping on the pin

We spotted a big dock and sign as we passed Toronto OH and made a u-turn to check it out.  We found the Newburg Landing with a welcoming “Dock and Walk” sign complete with a map of the town’s handy attractions. 

We tied up and met some local boys fishing on the dock who “watched” the boat while we walked in town.  People were very helpful and it was easy to find the BBQ restaurant by the fragrance of its meats which tempted us even though we had already had lunch.  The Sweet Shop, however, did not get a pass. Amazing offerings at very affordable prices. This stop was not in any of our resources, but it sure made a nice mid-afternoon break.

Heading on, we tied up for the night at the courtesy dock in the town of Wellsburg, WV. This spot is next to the Crooked Dock Restaurant where Steve met a group of bikers taking a road trip from Pittsburg. Along the river for the next long stretch heading downstream, Ohio is on our right and West Virginia on our left. Many of the towns, big and small, offer dock space to wanders so we can stroll their towns, partake of their hospitality and shop or eat in their establishments. A great deal for boaters!

In Wellsburg we found a handy St Vincent DePaul thrift store where we scored some serving spoons we needed and a few DVDs. We also found a hardware store for some electrical insulation hose. These errands afforded us an opportunity to walk through town. We also passed the Visitor Center in the local library where we grabbed a few brochures of interest including maps of places down river. Sadly, we were going to miss the annual Yellow Ducky races scheduled for the weekend, but we had to move on.

A Three-Lock Day for “Leg” One

 

38 miles

Heading north from Pittsburgh seems counter intuitive but geology and Mother Nature dictate the river’s path.  Very quickly we encountered the first of three locks for our first day’s route. The crew at Emsworth (mile 6) are accustomed to pleasure boats – referred to as Rec Boats – and quickly had us in the small chamber and on our way.  All three of these first locks require that we hand the operators our lines so we can be secured to the wall for the gentle ride down. Then, they toss our lines down to us and we are on our way. We encountered a slight delay at Dashields lock where they had construction or repairs going on in the small chamber, but just after we dropped the anchor to wait, they cleared us to enter the large chamber. Shortly we continued to Montgomery Island Lock and passed through quickly.  Then, we tucked in behind Phillis Island – a conservation area – for a quiet night. This anchorage is just a short distance downstream from Beaver Valley Nuclear Power station. Fortunately, the island trees blocked our view and we hardly noticed they were there but for a small cloud of steam hanging above the treetops.

Scenes long the river were a study in contrasts. Beautiful homes and rugged walls of forest broken by soaring bridges and massive industrial complexes. These ranged from crusty, rusty almost mangled structures to shiny and pristine modern wonders. Although we were cruising at trawler speed – a stately 6.5 knots – there was much to keep us entertained.

Stunning Pittsburg – the start of our summer adventures

 

Long time no chat, but we have been land-based and trying to sort, unpack and get settled in our JAX, FL house. The same day that we won the bid on the house, we also bought a small “trailerable” trawler – Ranger Tug 27, so all plans to pull the trailer for summer fun, went in the trash and we decided to do a little more floating.

During our loop trips we entered the mouth of the Ohio River but only went about 50+ miles before turning up the Cumberland River to Grand Rivers, KY.  All the remaining 900+ miles of the river remained to be explored, so this summer we are descending the OHIO River, we hope, from Pittsburg, PA to Grand Rivers, KY.

While there is information on the route, it is no way as detailed and current as other trips we have made, so I will try to keep some helpful notes here in addition to any fun adventures we might have. The notes on Active Captain have been mostly dated. Also, we found lots of non-functioning phone numbers there, so will try to add more current info on AC and here.  We did get much help from Allan Lloyd’s Ohio Navigation notes and the Ohio River Guidebook by Jerry M Hay. The Guidebook is excellent with historic details as well as navigational info.  However, he is very comprehensive covering info for small boaters like canoes and kayaks as well as various power boats, as a result it is often not clear if suggestions are suited to our boat’s draft and air-height. A voyage of discovery adds to the adventure.

Taking it slow, (i.e. four nights on the road) Steve drove the truck and trailered boat from JAX to Pittsburgh. The boat is about the same size and weight as our travel trailer and is also easy to “camp” in while we were trailering it. We did get a few odd looks and puzzled head shakes from some of our Harvest Hosts and RV park neighbors, but it worked just fine.

When we got to Pittsburgh, we launched at the public ramp under the Birmingham Bridge on the southside of the Monongahela River. This ramp is in the Riverside Park that has been carved along the river here providing foot paths and bike trails to enjoy the views. It is also a short walk to the South Side Marina run by Fox Chapel Marine and able dockmaster Ed (412 7207013). This was handy since we had to leave the trailer at the ramp until we could move it to storage. The transient docks are at the end of the marina furthest from the ramp but easy to access as it is a long finger pier with great power and convenient side tie mooring. (Pump out facilities are located here as well.) The marina facilities are in tiptop shape with multiple unisex toilette/shower rooms and a small laundry room ($1.75 to wash and $1.50 to dry). Also, super WIFI – everything a boater wants to see.   

Transient Dock - we fit INSIDE

Club House with restrooms

ramp to elevator to parking lot

heading out to the transient dock

The marina is a in great location just a couple blocks off East Carson Street with a multitude of bars and eateries. One of our favorites is the Bakery at Bartram House on the corner of 26^th and E. Carson. Besides the great pastries, they serve wow food for breakfast – Eggs Benedict Florentine or on Crab Cakes, plus super sandwich or salad options for lunch – not to mention the great coffee.  

 Also, a Hofbrau house and Cheesecake Factory are just steps from the transient dock as well.  There is a True Value Hardware store a few blocks down Carson beyond the Birmingham bridge and off 20^th St. a Giant Eagle grocery store easily accessed on foot or by bike using the pedestrian path under the bridge. An Albi is even closer. One of the best things about the location is stop #1 of the Pittsburgh Tour Company who run a hop on hop off city tour on double decker red buses. We enjoyed this overview of all Pittsburgh has to offer, and we found there was much more than we could fit into our short visit and will have to come back for more time in the city.

With a one-way trip planned, we needed to drop the truck and trailer at our haul out point which is about a 10-hour drive from where we dropped the boat in. However, we were fortunate to have friends with space to store the truck and trailer for us between Pittsburgh and Grand Rivers.  We rented a car and convoyed the rig to this storage location and returned to the boat in Pittsburgh.  Fortunately, we were also able to spend a few days with these wonderful friends, Greg and Mary Claire, and even enjoy their grandchildren on this visit. The plan is to retrieve the rig in the same way at the end of the trip, but sooner if we run into trouble 😊

Our river journey begins in Pittsburgh since it is where the Monongahela and Alleghany Rivers meet to form the Ohio. This co-mingling occurs at “the point” just a short distance down river from the South Side Marina. Casting off from the marina we will shortly be entering the Ohio proper – a historic river system which played a prominent role in the early exploration and development of the U.S. interior.

 

Teddy adjusting to boating again

a stop for the famous SANDWICH

Stunning PGH - Strip District

nostalgic stop for Colombian Coffee

OHHHHH Oregon

 

OHHHHH Oregon

Time flies in Eastern Oregon – and documentation lags with the spotty cell and WIFI!  At least that is my excuse – A little catch up is in order – sorry for the long silence:

Leaving Nevada, we headed for the Steen Mountains with a mandatory stop at Fields Station for a milk shake. The shake – the size of a typical coffee can – was thick and creamy and lasted me a few days.  Thankfully we have a good freezer. Steve managed to make his disappear as we continued on to our destination – Paige Springs Campground just outside French Glen. This is a BLM campground with no hook ups but a great price for us old folks, $10/day.  Not only is it a great deal, it is one of the most beautiful parks we have visited.  The sites are well spaced and grassy amongst cliffs and beside the Blitzen River.  It was necessary to depart Nevada early to ensure an early arrival since this park is “first come first get”. Luck was with us and the host guided us to a premier spot along the river where we stayed for 9 nights. This was our base to explore the area and a nearly perfect spot.  Many thanks to Howard for his expert advice directing us to this campground.  Perfect for many folks as every day after our arrival the campground filled up as we managed to time our stay with the migratory birds that draw crowds to this area.  The resident long horned owl, Bullocks Orioles and deer just outside our windows added to the charm ….not to mention the hikes along the river or on the cliffs above us.

From Paige springs we made many excursions – one day we drove over to Hart Mountain the National Antelope Refuge where we didn’t see any antelope although we glimpsed a few long-horned sheep.  We also spent a few hours hunting for Oregon Sunstones in the BLM land a little further to the west. Another day we hiked and drove through the Diamond Crater area and learned about the violent past of this territory.  Our visit to the historic Round Barn included a resident long-horned owl on her nest at the top of this unique structure. We drove up the Steen loop road to watch the wild horses and hike a little beyond the closed road.  Sadly, the entire loop will not open until late summer – it winds up to the 9000 foot level so was still snowed in for our visit in May.

                                               looking down on Paige Springs Campground

                         

                         

We did drive the entire lower circuit. Of course, that required another stop in Fields Station for a refill on the milkshakes. Steve also had to test his new wheels on the Alvord Desert. Shades of Saudi off-road driving for sure. The mountain views are dramatically different from the east and west sides.

One of the highlights of our stay was the bird life in the wetlands and at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. We saw flocks of white-faced Ibis in a roadside field, a bald eagle pair on their nest, cedar wax wings feasting in the trees at P ranch among others. The refuge headquarters was a bird magnet and well worth several visits.  For this reason, we finally moved a little closer and spent a few days at The Narrows in an RV park.  Hoping for good WIFI, we were disappointed.  In the Paige Springs park we had reasonable cell service although there were major dead spots as we traveled about.  (The poor service just fed my procrastination with blog posting!)

After resupplying in Burns we stopped at Chickahominy Reservoir - a lake that is drying up in the current drought, so fishing there has no limits.  Steve enjoyed the challenge but found the fish not worth keeping. Catch and release was fun anyway.  This desert spot was also a BLM campground and another kind of bird magnet offering a drink to migrating birds.

From there we headed to the Bend area where we hung out for several weeks wandering between Tumalo State Park, to Sisters Creek Campground, up to Prineville Reservoir and Skull Hollow, back to La Pine State Park, then Diamond Lake and finally Cove Palisades State Park. We lingered about a month from May 19^th to June 18^th . While we enjoyed the variety of campgrounds – and the lovely Central Oregon State Parks, they – so far – have been devoid of WIFI service and very skimpy with cell coverage.  (It was not difficult to procrastinate. We had to drive out from our camp to find a signal just for cell or text – forget web surfing. Such a break is not all bad.)

Nevertheless, we kept busy.  Good friends, Bill and Suzy Plank, from our Saudi Aramco days live in Bend and they generously entertained us, joined us for lunches and hikes and introduced us to their friends for more hikes as we crisscrossed the area. As a major bonus just before we finally headed north, we had a six-hour lunch which included their daughter Lisa and the Slatterys, Keith and Marty, also Aramco friends. A mini time travel back to the late 1970s and 80s.

Another highlight was spending a few days camping next to Kathy, Steve’s sister, and Howard Jones. They kindly traveled from Corvallis to meet us outside Prineville, OR. We hiked, talked, hiked, talked some more, and even managed a few thriftstore stops. Steve’s birthday was celebrated a little late with Kathy’s pie. But, then all the mail they brought us was kind of a birthday/Christmas as well!

Sister’s OR is a cute place with one of the best button collections I have ever seen in the antique store on the main street. Only a few fell into my stash, but it was impressive and required some serious self-discipline. While antique shop visits were not much exercise, we did drive up to Suttle Lake for walk one morning. A hidden gem just off the highway and with campgrounds to be explored on another trip.

                                

                                 

At La Pine we enjoyed several hikes right at the park since both the Deschutes River runs through the campground and the Fall River is a short hike away. From here we also met up with Bill and Suzy’s friends Rick and Jill for a walk along the Fall River. Jill, a botanist, was a wealth of knowledge about the flowering plants we saw along the river as she is compiling a book on the subject. The most original Covid project we have encountered.  Now, we are trying to pay more attention to the flowers around us and not just the birds. Another highpoint of our stay at La Pine was a visit to the High Desert Museum on the south side of Bend. Four hours evaporated and if they weren’t locking the doors, we could have stayed longer.  The close up visit to the big birds – all captive because they were injured – was a highlight. Although we also enjoyed the beaver display, the early pioneer history and the Indian artistry exhibited in the beadwork artifacts.

 

                                                      BIG TREE at La Pine State Park

FALLs on Fall River

Walking with the flower expert!

                                                         checking out the Newberry Flow

 

Our stop at Diamond Lake was to try for a view of Crater Lake – since mid-June is still early to visit this national park, we were hoping that at least one of our days there we would be lucky with good weather.  Well, after a day of 100% rain the sky cleared and we headed up to Crater Lake.  The mists were still hanging about as we approached the northern viewpoints but as we watched they lifted and drifted making this spectacular scene sharpen and reveal itself. Only the western rim road was open but we toddled along with a few short hikes down to the Rim Village enjoying the ever-crisper views of the lake with its vivid blue waters. On this early season visit we were shocked at the crowds making us wonder if a high season visit would even be enjoyable. The lake was impressive, the crowds not so much.

Diamond Lake itself can be circumnavigated on a super paved bike path – a test of my new 5^th gear, but I didn’t have to walk any of it. On another day we visited several of the nearby waterfalls along the route between the lake and Roseburg. The short up, up hike to Watson Falls rewarded us with a lush fern encrusted environment – quite a contrast to the days spent in the dry high desert of central Oregon.

Cove Palisades was our last stop before heading north. This is a most dramatic spot in a canyon where three rivers have been dammed to form Lake Billy Chinook. A five mile drop on a windy road down, across the Crooked River and back up take one to the Deschutes campground between two rivers. Most of the campsites encircle open grassy spaces where families – especially of young children – play. The campground includes some serious play structures, a laundry, fish cleaning station and even a basketball hoop, but the big attraction is the lake and boat launch. The campground has its own boat and boat trailer parking areas. Before the weekend we thought the day use parking lots were full but saw what full really was on the weekend!  This is one popular spot, spectacular scenery and resort amenities in a state park. The park also includes a trail to the top of the escarpment so we hiked up early one morning to take in the view. (900 feet in just over a mile – was a good effort for my old knees) We also took a drive to the third river, the Metolius and a short walk to view the hanging rocks. These curious structures reminded us of Cappadocia.

On our last day we took the short path over to the petroglyph that was preserved when the dam was built.  This stone with its unique artwork was repositioned to protect it from the elements and located so visitors could easily view it. We kind of appreciated the easy access after all the more arduous hikes to see such rocks we have made in the last few months.

Just to keep things honest, we also spent time doing laundry, shopping for groceries, refilling propane (Steve’s job) washing the trailer and truck and generally keeping house and home together. Like the with the boat, there is always something that needs attending to, so we keep busy if unconnected. Teddy, the trailer trash cat, also seems to have adjusted well although he is ever more vocal especially when the sun pokes up so early here in the north. We need to get him some sleeping eye shades.

Teddy has a fancy new box to replace his AMAZON Prime box that was an eyesore

                                                                          chilling
                                          

             aptly named LOOP TRAIL - follows this loopy old road - WA across from our campsite

The next stop was along the Columbia River at a Corp of Engineers Park where the John Day River meets the Big River.  It is behind a dam, so the area is really more like a big lake than a couple of rivers. We hit this area just as the record-breaking heat wave arrived. Although we had power and water there was no WIFI and precious little shade, so we headed to higher ground in La Grande, OR. Steve’s mom is currently living in an assisted living home there and two of his aunts also live in the area.  

                                                    Grandma Nancy and her bear

We enjoyed several days with them before heading further up to Wallowa Lake State Park to meet up with a host of Outdoors RV owners.  The annual rendezvous was canceled but maybe 35 owners still gathered to enjoy the area and swap tips and stories. It was also cooler up there during the height of the heat wave so we stayed an extra day. This gave us time to drive up to Hat Point – a nail biting cliff hanging road to a dramatic overlook above Hell’s Canyon on the Snake River. We enjoyed the company of John and Sherry, fellow ORV owners who, lucky for us, were camped next to us in the park. Given the arid environment, it was amazing to find the lush flowers and grass up at the Hat Point Park, plus spectacular views well worth the climb up the old fire lookout tower. The ride up to the summit of Mt. Howard on the tram was less exciting but nearly as scenic. And, the added elevation kept it cool. We rounded out our stay with another walk to a waterfall and a climb up the glacial moraine that was left when the lake was formed. We also managed a few trips into the cute town of Joseph to visit their museum in an old bank building. Visitors there are entertained by the audio recording of the story of a robbery that occurred at the bank. More interesting to me was the display of vast variety of brands used by the local cattle ranchers. “Wallowa Beef can’t be Beat!” was their slogan. Sadly, we didn’t get a chance to sample the beef produced these days.

Success with the POLE

From Wallowa Lake, we finally headed further north into Washington.