October 21, 2009 Diversion channel to Ohio mm 945.0

October 21, 2009

Diversion Channel to Ohio mm 945.0

We were up early again this morning, but with bringing the dog to shore (cleaning up Port, me, the kayak and securing it on Grateful) and two anchors, we were not off until 8:45. As we had slept, debris had begun drifting down the channel as well and had collected at the mouth of the channel. We had to push our way through and over the deadheads as we left.

Mark did a masterful job of driving – keeping Grateful in the channel and avoiding tows – while I stayed below and worked on blog entries and prayed. The Mississippi runs fast and bends back on itself in several places through the last 50 miles. Meeting or passing tows was tricky and often too close for comfort.

We made it to the Ohio River at 12:30. The Ohio is wide and busy. Idle barges and tows everywhere – it is hard to tell who is moving or still. After the turn up the Ohio, we did the ceremonial switching of our visual cues to help us keep the red and green buoys on the correct sides. We also lost 4.5 knots in speed – we were moving at approximately 7.0 knots per hour. The new Olmstead Lock & Dam is not finished yet, but it appears to be close. It will be HUGE! It will be replacing both L&D #53 and #52. As we continued up river, we discovered that Lock & Dam #53 was not anywhere to be seen.

Finding an anchorage this evening was frustrating. Our charts mentioned several possibilities, but they often seemed to be too close to the channel or not in a protected area. It also appears that the barges have overtaken most of the shoreline. These areas are used to moor barges and build them for eventually traveling on the river. Finally, we found a place below a RR bridge, upriver from a coal loading facility, across from a power plant and tucked behind a huge high wire stanchion. We felt safe anchored between the stanchion and shore as no tows would be using that area for mooring barges. Our anchor held tight as tows passed steadily through the night.

We had the kayak routine to do with Port, but he knows the drill and we are getting better at it – still a mucky shoreline.