Pittsburgh—and the Mon.
We left Point Pleasant after a most enjoyable stay; heading north—or east, or west, or even south as the river twists and winds its way home to Pittsburgh.
We stopped at Sistersville, a cute little town with a small war memorial. A stone for each of 12 wars with the number of killed in action for each. WAAAaaaayy too many, but I’ll not editorialize. We walked on to the Dairy Queen---first time in a very long time! ‘Twas great.
Next stop was Moundsville where there was a Kroger’s grocery store in easy walking distance, and a fine lumberyard on the way there. We needed 2x4’s you see. And we got them---2/$3. Sue and Paul Graham, friends from the GH Trawler ODDYSEY came to visit. Sue grew up in Moundsville and encouraged me to go and see the Grave Creek Mound, for which the city is named.
The Mound is the largest Native American prehistoric (+/-2000 years old) burial ground in the country, and when you visit, you see, well, a mound. Grass covered. Excavations have revealed that multiple burials took place over the centuries.
I didn’t climb to the top, as the tour of the Penitentiary across the street had used up my allotted time. The WVA Pen (an active prison facility from 1875-1995) was interesting and depressing. Prisoners there were described as ‘the worst of the bad’.
Some interesting (to me, at least) factoids:
· Prison personnel performed more than 100 executions—either by hanging (the gallows trap door remains in the ‘death house’) or via the electric chair, still on display.
· Many ‘unauthorized executions’ took place within the walls. The guide described several in gory detail.
· A group of greenhouse tenders (inmates who were trusted) tunneled 8 feet down under the stonewall surrounding this massive, Gothic-style building. They built a 4’high tunnel, apparently designed for a mass escape. Unfortunately (for them) they were noticed by people in houses across the street …It took 5 truckloads of cement to fill the tunnel.
Enough Prison. Uffda.
Two days after Moundsville, we were at the Beaver River Yacht Club. The Beaver is a delightful, no-wake river slightly north and west of Pittsburgh. We spent two days there and Fred gave on-the- water training to 2 members of a local Power Squadron. Fun
On Tuesday we arrived at The Point in downtown Pittsburgh where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers join to form the Ohio. Joe and Punk (CAROLYN ANN) awaited us at the Station Square Marina on the Monongahela River, or the ‘Mon’ as we locals call it.
About 12 years ago, Fred ‘discovered’ the Monongahela River, and the fact that West Virginia can be reached by boat. Never mind that about 300 miles of the Ohio River is ‘owned by” and therefore a part of WVA, or that we’ve stopped at many a WVA location. Going to WVA for this trip means crossing the state line from PA. And that is what we will do on the Mon. And so will LAZY DOLPHIN and CAROLYN ANN.
Commercial traffic on the inland waterways is the main revenue source for keeping the locks open and maintained. In recent years, the number of towboats moving along the Mon (and the Allegheny, and I’m sure, many other tributaries across the country) has diminished, with the result that locks are closing. That means recreational boaters are limited as well. Barb, on LAZY DOLPHIN was in communication with Don, a member of a group committed to keeping the locks on the upper Mon open. LAZY DOLPHIN was a day ahead of CAROLYN ANN and us on the way to Morgantown. That meant Barb and Randy missed the delightful surprise marina-to-be where we spent the night ½ way to Morgantown. The owner, Bob Ventura, visited briefly while we were having dinner, so we were able to tell him how much we enjoyed the solid dock and the picnic table.
At Morgantown, the Save the Locks group called a press conference to advertise that these three [funny-looking] recreational boats were using the river and the locks. Saturday’s paper had an article with photo of LAZY DOLPHIN, and on Monday the other two boats went further up the Mon to the highest point in North America that can be reached by boat.
While in Morgantown, Fred used those 2x4’s to repair the rail that was bent by the freak storm back in the Tenn-Tom. Don’t ask me how he did it; I’ve no clue. In fact, I was off sight seeing, and didn’t even get a photo. Rail looks great, though.
Fred and I returned to Pittsburgh, and tied up at Fox Chapel Marina about 9 miles up the Allegheny. What a great spot! We had dinner Tuesday with Bob and Jane Brandenstein, friends from the USPS. Wednesday we spent in Latrobe, PA with Fred’s cousin Clark, who just returned from Machu Piccu in Peru. Had dinner at the Latrobe Country Club. Arnold Palmer graduated from Latrobe HS a year before Clark’s wife, Peggy, and owns the CC. Could almost say we had dinner with Arnold, as he and a group of friends were at the next table.
In 1958, about 6 weeks after Fred left the Navy, his best friend, Lt. Bill Thompson, with whom he’d served on the USS Cutlass for two years, was lost at sea. Bill’s hometown was Sharon, PA, a short rental car ride north of Pittsburgh, and we spent Thursday, as well as Friday morning there, looking for family and/or memorials to Bill. Happily, we found both. Bill’s nephew, Bill Dunsmore met us for dinner, and then graciously spent Friday morning with us as well; remembering. He also pointed out that the steeple on the church the Thompson family still attends is dedicated to Bill’s memory.
A funny “as the world turns” story, is that prior to attending the Naval Academy, Bill Thompson was an avid golfer. Sharon and Latrobe, PA had competitive golf tourneys, and when they were high school seniors, Bill Thompson defeated Arnold Palmer. Too bad we didn’t know that on Wednesday!
After saying that our destination was Pittsburgh, or WVA since last April, we now are heading down river. First stop was again the Beaver River, this time at Water's Edge Pub and Marina, a short way from the Ohio. It was Regatta weekend, and the place was jumping! We had great visits with the folks there, and ring-side seats for the boat parade at the end of the evening. Especially enjoyed the sailboat with fireworks!
Craig, one of our new friends, suggested that our next stop be at his home yacht club in Martin’s Ferry . We did stop there, and enjoyed the hospitality immensely. Commodore Brad was able to set up a fuel delivery for us this afternoon, and we sneaked through sorta shallow water behind Wheeling Island to meet a diesel truck. Price was $3.78/gal. with no added delivery charge! Hooray. A whole lot better than the $4.85/gal. we passed up on the Allegheny!
Short day today. We slipped out from behind the Island, and are now tied up at the Wheeling, WVA public dock. Will update as we move south…
Be well, and remember to breathe!
