The Voyage Begins

DAY 4 - Mile Marker 4.6 on the Ohio River. Davis Island Camp

Lite rain this morning and cleared this afternoon.
Mac made dinner. A can of salmon, wheat bread with condiments from the casino we visited today. I looked in the bowl and could see bones, spinal bones, and what looked to be an eye. I said Where did you get this salmon Mac? Was it free? Mac said Man it's wild Alaska pink Salmon. Then he said Wait minute as he read the can. Hey man this is My Little Kitty Alaska Salmon.
Day 5 - Mile Marker 18  Harmony, Landing PA
Two locks today. Camped near aliquippa, PA sunny and cool. Wind at our backs. Fish jumping. Took baths in the river. Cold but clean. Hot coffee and a little food. No eyesocket salmon. We should make the furthermost northern point of the river. Then turn due south for the long reach. River life is good. Considering New Orleans.
Day 6 - Mile Marker 34  Industry, Ohio
Day 7 - Mile Marker 44 Liverpool, Ohio
Day 8 - Mile Marker 57 New Cumberland
Just put thru at Statton Ohio and then crossed over to the WVA side to camp. Some rain and very high winds kept us on shore until noon. Russell, an old riverman, was going to give us a lift to a motel when the river calmed enough to shove off. Rather than get warm and clean we decided to push on. Made 11 miles from noon until about 6:00pm. Cool tonight but good weather predicted for next 4 or 5 days. Thanks Russell from East Liverpool
Day 9 - Mile Marker 75 Wellsburg on Buffalo Creek West Virginia
We made 20 miles in less than friendly weather. But we pushed through. We are on Buffalo Creek below wellsburg WVa. Went to grocery for supplies. I wanted ribeye. Mac insisted on also having smoked oysters. I can't explain it. We are headed to leyland marina to tomorrow. We need to launder clothes and our bodies.
Day 10 - Mile Marker 81 Rayland, Ohio
We are at Rayland Marina. The guests of Captain Gary Morton and his wife Marilyn. Hot showers. Laundry. Elec. Firewood. Fresh water. Everything we desire of a good day. Good dinner and conversation. Invited to breakfst before we launch for Wheeling. We are speaking at the Rotary Club. And lunch. A Tv station in Huntington is trying to reach us for a story. We are using up all our 15 minutes of fame. But we sure are enjoying the trip.
Day 11 - Mile Marker 102 Moundsville, West Virginia
We had a great breakfast prepared by Marilyn Morton and Captain Gary explained how the world works. It was a wonderful stop. Locked down thru Pine Island Dam and pushed hard to Wheeling. Made the Rotary Club meeting and Mac spoke. We ate all the food they let us and considered stealing a pie...but we didn't.
We left Wheeling, traveled about 2 miles below town and had to stop for a nap...old men do that. We think that's were Mac left his life vest. Because of saftey Mac ran along the shore until we reached Moundsville 12 miles down river. We made over 20 miles even with the
Rotary lunch. We are camped below town on a sandbar under Jakes Bar and Grill. This
could be interesting.
Day 12 - Mile Marker 120 Natrium, West Virginia
Leaving camp 12 at Big Grave Creek at The Devils Bend. Due to crew pressure the Captain has relinquished the helm to Doctor Brown. God help us all.
Day 13 - Mile Marker 138 Sistersville, West Virginia
Well after almost 2 weeks on the river, it was time to go to a wedding. We are finding ways to simplify our daily routine. It takes about 2 hrs each morning to have coffee and then break camp and load the boat. We can now paddle longer and stronger as it becomes second nature. We have Tunes and that helps alot. We have met the nicest people and have lots of wavers on
the shore line. They can't believe we are going to Louisville. Some of the tugs are recognizings us and give harty toots as they pass. They all wish us "Good Luck and God speed. " So far He is on board. We have had very little really bad weather. The industries sitting empty are like stoic monuments to our industral past. They are huge and many are empty. We have met with coal miners,barge people,boat builders,layed off steel workers.
We are off the river until Monday. 
We are in Maysville Ky attending my lovely niece happy day. She is marrying her life-long love Stu Lax.
Yesterday we met Dave Dronsfield in Friendly WVa. A friend of Mac's put us in touch with him. Dave is known locally as Mountain Man. He took us up to his mountain farm. What a wonderful place. I will write more about it. Dave came down to the river. Picked us up with all our gear and canoe. Cooked us dinner and then loaned us a car drive over to Maysville. What a gracious man. He is living life to it's fullest and sharing with everyone who come to know him. We have a new friend.
It has been a little over two weeks since the adventure began. 
We took a little break this past weekend to attend Stewart's niece's wedding in Maysville. We planned to call Enterprise and have them pick us up along the river.We are next to buoy 879 on the West Va. side.
So far we camped at 14 different sites. We start looking around 4pm and most time one appears. We are doing camps on shore lines, creek beds, backyards of helpful people, marinas, next to steel mills, railroad yards and islands We are so tired that we could sleep through a train wreck. The water is quite clean. We don't drink it but it's filled with jumping bass, herons, osprey, hawks and the occasional fisherman.
The people along the river are also amazing. They have the river in their blood. We met Gary who made his own paddle wheeler and lives on it with his wife on the boat full time. Met Jim who drove me to get a life vest at Wal-Mart after I left it on the beach during a break. Met Gracie, who let us fill up with water and camp in her yard. Met the Wheeling, Brownsville and Prospect Rotary clubs with more in the future. Met Scary Larry, who was drunk, lost, and running from the cops.. that is another story. We went to condition YELLOW that evening.
We are raising awareness for the Rotary's Polio Plus program. The press has been following and giving us great feedback. I met a young man at the wedding that said that I was an inspiration for him. He wanted to bike across the US and he thought that if two 60 plus guys could canoe 700 miles, he could do it too. I shook his hand and said. Do it soon. you won't regret it.
We have been called adventurers, pioneers, explores and crazy. One woman shouted,,,"Where are you going?(we were in PA) I answered KENTUCKY. She replies. IN THAT? Industry is written all over the river. In a way, it is like looking at an old yearbook with photos of days gone by. Rusted steel mills stand testimony to our industrial past. Coal and more coal ride the river. The barges are 3x5 which equals 15x1500 tons each load. Do the math. Trains that are over a mile long. One barge load will equal 2.5 train loads of coal. or 875 trucks on the highway Now the people. It has reassured my belief in the goodness of man kind. An old college friend of mine, Glen , who was a dentist in Cincy, helped coach the wrestling team, had a kid who's grandfather had a place in Friendly, WV. Mountain Man. is his name. What a beautiful setting and home overlooking the river. After serving us a gourmet dinner he offers his vehicle to drive to KY. Returning the Chevy Avalanche in most perfect condition, he has a party for us with his dear neighbors. We met a 72 yr. old woman who migrated here 30 yrs. ago and was on the fire department in Sistersville. She told stories that made us cry with laughter. Her friends and neighbors were super.
So here I sit, with wifi, warm , out of the rain, dinner in the oven, our gear ready to be packed for the morning, bags organized and ready to roll for the next 400 miles. The pace will pick up. Don't worry, We aren't.
Day 14 - Mile Marker 186  Blennerhassett Island
Day 15 - Mile Marker 226
Two hard days to get here but worth the effort. Delayed at Belleville lock for 3hours and camped just below the dam after they finally locked us through.
Raccoons got into the food supplies on Blennerhassett Island. Carried off the sugar. ate the fruit out of Mac's pillowcase full of instant oatmeal. Chewed up the end of our pound of bacon. Almost all the loaf of bread. If I had thought fast enough I could have chunked the cans
of My Little Kitty Salmon over the bank and blamed the coons. But I blew the chance and it's still in our food bag. I must be more alert for opportunities.
Day 16 - Mile Marker 253 Middleport Ohio