Grand Tower Anchorage to Lock and Dam #53, Ohio River

We completed our 218 mile journey on the Mississippi and began swimming upstream on the Ohio, well really motoring upstream. Down the Mississippi we could do 13 mph while up the Ohio that dropped frequently to 6.5 mph. We have shifted from knots to mph because the river system is all in statute miles and I am tired of computing knots X 1.15 to get mph.

Anchored barges in waiting

The junction of the Ohio and Upper Mississippi Rivers is a train yard for barges. Staging barges are permanently anchored in the river and tows are built by attaching them to the anchored barges. There are about 10 stationary barges and tows are always being built. The size of the tows varies by the river and destination. Upper Mississippi tows are generally 3 barges wide and up to 5 long. On the lower Mississippi they are much larger up to 5 wide by 7 long. Lots of tugs in the area moving barges to their designated location.

Tugs to shuttle barges

We departed Chicago on September 5^th, completed the Illinois River on September 11^th, and the Mississippi River today. Several long days of travel and on the Mississippi only a few places to stop creating two back to back 80+ mile days. This pace should ease in the next couple of days.

And you think you have problems!!

Lock and Dam Construction

Bridges from a different angle

Not many safe places to stop on the river system due to low water conditions fairly common in the fall. Many of the islands are not surrounded by water and the anchorages have silted in. Higher water will change all that. So many phone calls seeking local recent knowledge and then an hour of searching for an adequate spot. But here we are anchored on the Kentucky side of the river across from the new lock construction project about a mile from the old lock and dam. Wait times have been extraordinary on the Ohio, we have two locks here 23 miles apart a boat that recently traversed down bound waited 16 hours at lock 53 and 9 hours at lock 52. We hope to move through lock 52 early tomorrow morning.

Sights and Scene

Rainy this morning overcast all day temperature in the high 60’s low 70’s a good travel day.