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