Ashland to Portsmith

Day 15:  Saturday, August 27, 2016

You can monitor our trip at the link: Second Winds Progress Live

And it was a long night.  But, we did get some sleep between the numerous interruptions.  Because it was that sort on night, we needed a breakfast that would jump start our bodies for the day and sausage gravy on toast fit that bill.

Interestingly, the trash-filled water that lined the dock where we had tied off was completely clear of trash except for a small amount that we had trapped with our boat.  I looked for the trail of trash and it had migrated to the opposite side of the river. It was still there and, for most of the day, we encountered it.  As we moved further down the river the plastic bottles became less common but the floating logs and debris was all still there.  On several occasions, we hit big logs one of which, we had to put the boat in reverse to get off of.

We got under way around 10:00 after completion of some of our obligatory chores.  We had a bit of wind as the river flowed north so we set the sails and motor sailed for probably an hour.  At one point, the wind had increased to the point that we could shut down the engine.  Since this was a following wind, our forward motion made it seem like there was no wind at all and the heat, which was 85 by 11:00, was really oppressive.

The massive AK Steel Plant

At about that time, we passed the town of Ironton.  This is a fairly large town on the Ohio side of the river and we assumed that we would be able to get off the boat and ferret out an ice cream stand but Ironton has no dock so we were unable to stop. They have some murals on their flood wall but they need to be refreshed. 

On the opposite side of the river we passed the massive AK Steel plant.  It showed no signs of activity so I

One of a number of murals on the Ironton food wall

Googled it. It shut down fairly recently, laying off 800 employees.  The state of Kentucky was trying to legislate some incentives to get them to relight their blast furnaces but to date that has not happened. 

We pulled into the Holiday Point Marina that was touted by our guide book as a full service marina that had everything a boater would need.  It was back up a small creek that was somewhat overgrown with trees.  We threaded our way up to the fuel dock and were greeted by a positive energetic hand. Although they had ice, water and fuel, they facility was really run down and in serious need of repair.  However, what they lacked in style points, they made up for in service.

Right next to the Holiday Point Marina is the RiverView Bed and Breakfast. It is  a

Sailing "wung out" or "wing and wing" down wind

beautiful facility. The view from the neat white balcony is quite stunning and we know from experience that their food is outstanding.  On our first trip down the river, our son and daughter-in-law gave us a gift of a night in this facility.  I assumed that Janine deserved another night there after the one we had just encountered but it wasn’t to be.  They had a scheduled a wedding on the lawn this afternoon and the rooms were all booked.

Huge log floating down the river

On down the river a short ways we came upon the Greenup Dam and Lock.  We were able to contact them by radio and even though their small chamber is out of service for maintenance, they fairly quickly opened the gates and locked us through.  Janine pointed out that in some locks, the hands have come out and greeted us and others, like this one, you see no one.  We know that they are watching through their darkly shaded windows.

At the town of Sciotoville, OH, we crossed under the famous railroad bridge which

Sciotoville railroad bridge (Google Image)

was built in 1916 and is still (according to our guide book) an engineering marvel.  Its total length is 1,550 ft. long and stands 236 feet above the low water mark.  It is the largest riveted truss bridge in the US.  Its largest span is 775 feet long. It is called the “Colossus on the Ohio.”

Seven miles down the river, we came to the east end of the town of Portsmouth and the Shawnee Boat Club.  We contacted them regarding transient berths and they were available.  The club promised to have showers and close access to town so we

Heading into Greenup Lock

made a reservation.  Like the last marina we encountered, this one was old and a bit primitive but also like the Holiday Point, they had excellent service.  We were met by Lisa and Jeromy who were the managers of the private club.  They lived in a trailer parked on the levee wall next to the shower trailer.  We inquired about eating establishments and they said that we needed to eat at the famous Scioto Ribbers. They and several others that we met before heading out touted their 16 oz. ribeye steak.  That is the smallest size that they provide and that they would give you an extra plate to share. 

Shawnee Boat Club

guys. 

When we were finally seated, the only table for us was one that would seat 6 people.  There were still many folks standing so I suggested to the waitress that they could seat another couple at the other end of the table.  She was very busy so I went up to a young couple standing near our table and I told them that if they were interested, they could go tell the hostess that we were friends and they would like to join us.  The hostess happily allowed it to happen.

The couple were really great folks.  She was a high school secretary in a small local district and they were parents of 6 children ranging in age from 18 to 6 years. We had a great time with these people but unlike me, I failed to get their names. 

The food was unbelievable.  The huge thick steak was cooked to perfection over a wood fire in huge cookers out back.  Our tablemate ordered ribs and shared one bone with us and it was really great as well.  He also ordered a huge orders of green beans and offered that we had to try them.  These beans were cooked in the meat juices of the steak and were amazing.

After dinner, they offered to drive us back to the marina and we accepted.  Both of them had grown up in the Portsmouth area and were a wealth of information. They made the evening that much more special.

Back at the boat, it was time for bed and so it was there that we went.