GL: Ohio River cruise

[Dennis Bruckel]

Bill and Maryanne wrote...

We are considering a trip down the Ohio from Pittsburg to Paducah and would
like to hear from anyone who has experienced this adventure. Of special
interest is diesel availability, traffic, locks, places of interest along
the way, marinas and anchorages. If you have publication recommendations,
they are welcomed as well.


Dennis replies...

We did this trip in both directions around 1997, and spent some time on
both the tributaries above and below Pittsburgh as well. It was a wonderful
trip and remarkably different from East Coast ICW cruising. At the time,
the only Guide I knew of was Quimby's, which while mostly in outline
format, was adequate. 

Details on our cruise are logged on the web site in my signature block. We
found the many river towns very friendly and easy to access via town
landings, docks, etc. We mostly anchored out nights, behind island
"towheads", and felt like Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher the whole summer.
Because the Ohio is managed for navigation, rather than flood control, it's
towns are older, more frequent, and historic than those on the Tennessee
and Cumberland Rivers. Also, due this, one should expect to see high and
perhaps dangerous water following heavy summer rains even several hundred
miles upstream.

More recently, Capt. Rick Rhodes has published "The Ohio River, In American
History and Voyaging on Today's River". It is available at
www.heronslandingguides.com. Published in 2007, it is the result of lots of
research both by land and water, and very complete and up-to-date.

Dennis

Dennis Bruckel, Cruising Editor
Waterway Guide
Albin 27  Sadie B
website www.debruckel.com 
cell phone 407 414 0531