August 19 - 23, 2018
Clay and I considered last evening’s festivities the
highlight of our Ohio River trip thus far! We joined the gathering group of
party-goers at the Baja Bar and Grill, opting for outdoor seating even though
seats were hard to come by. Soon the band was to begin, and our stomachs were
tuning up right along with the band; it had been awhile since lunch! We joined
a couple at a four-top, striking up an immediate congenial conversation.
Everyone seemed to be in high spirits, enhanced even more so by the band’s
choice of introductory songs. Straight from our generation’s music, top picks
were from artists such as Al Green, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Beatles
and Carpenters. Judging from the outfits we saw, Pittsburgh folks go by the
‘anything goes’ standard. Representative sampling: a yellow sports coat and
spats (older gentleman), a ‘70s pale blue mini skirt and matching vest
(female), an off-the-shoulder long dress accented with plenty of jewelry and
oriental fan in hand (female), shorts with tank top and cowboy boots (female),
athletic attire (male and female) to name a few. Food became incidental with so
much fun to be had—and sights to be seen! Clay and I were amazed we got our
second wind after four locks and seven cruising hours!
We had two days planned in port here at Fox Chapel Yacht
Club, designated as ‘down days.’ After multiple days of travel, we needed a
breather! Sunday was anything but… During our morning hours, Clay and I spent
well over two hours unsuccessfully trouble-shooting our onboard printer.
Following lunch Clay mandated that we relocate SaSea Sally to the gas dock to
self serve pump out our two holding tanks—an hour long process, but a necessary
one. Some down day, eh? Once back in our assigned slip, I escaped the good
captain’s mandates and ventured to the nearby (a 70-minute roundtrip on foot)
shopping complex which housed such shopping opportunities as TJ Maxx,
Marshalls, and Walmart. What woman wouldn’t prefer shopping to cleaning the
boat? Returning empty-handed to a clean swim platform (and only a swim
platform), I realized neither Clay nor I had been very successful in our
endeavors! But we’d each had fun in our own kind of way.
We seem to be a novelty here at Fox Chapel. New
acquaintances Skip, Larry and Pam were quite interested in our Great Loop
experience. Larry, docked across a narrow fairway from us, struck up a late
afternoon flybridge-to-flybridge conversation with Clay (probably why Clay
didn’t get much cleaning done) who related stories and responded to Larry’s
questions about our travels. As we wandered the grounds of Fox Chapel during
our stay, we were often stopped and asked, “Are you the folks who did that
Loop?”; we realized Larry was the man behind the scenes, ever the boating
ambassador and enjoyed having a new topic of conversation—us—with his fellow
boaters. Dockmaster Skip was ready with answers to our various questions. And,
Pam, who seemed ever present to catch our lines, graciously and generously
offered to share her internet with us during our stay!
Now Monday was my kind of day! I forked over what I thought
to be a high price for a pool pass and spent much of the late morning and
entire afternoon at the lap pool while cycling a load of linens at the nearby
laundry room. Luxury (well, not doing laundry per se, but definitely hanging
out at the pool)! I would have done it again in a heartbeat, but Clay had other
ideas for Tuesday…
Tuesday’s forecast was not a pretty one! Intermittent rains
caught us on our morning walk; but the dreaded predictions were for afternoon
(high winds, torrential rain and the possibility of a stray tornado).
Nonetheless, we proceeded with the day’s plan to relocate at an adjacent angle
dock to take on fuel from a diesel delivery truck, followed by a cruise down
the Allegheny and up the Monongahela to South Side Marina. My stress was eased
by the fuel truck’s earlier-than-expected arrival which allowed an
earlier-than-expected departure from Fox Chapel and a early afternoon
relocation to South Side Marina.
Dark clouds with patches of blue patterned the skies over
Pittsburgh all afternoon and early eve, allowing us to explore with umbrellas
in hand. Carson Street, the main thoroughfare through South Side, was renowned
for its bar scene with more than 100 bars in a short multi-block area,
appealing to the university scene of the city. Clay and I quickly decided our
attire was far too wholesome to fit in with the crowd here. The norm seemed to
be tattooed (all over) and pierced (multiple) bodies, brightly colored hair (or
no hair or partially shaved heads), beads, long skirts, and spandex, with
occasional runners, bikers and dog walkers. I sought the familiar, finding both
an Aldis and a Giant Eagle; I can always find something to buy at the grocery
store. There’s comfort in the familiar, and I was left somewhat unsettled by
the street scene.
Clay and I later both noted the contrast between the city
streets beyond the marina and the biking/walking trails riverside where we saw
folks more like ourselves. We enjoyed walks/jogs each of the days we were here,
turning right out of the marina onto the trail Tuesday morning, then turning
left out of the marina Wednesday morning—Clay never repeats the same thing
twice if he has the option, whereas I thrive on routine. Speaking of
Wednesday…we spent the day on a delightful hop-on hop-off tour of the city
during which we saw such sights as: Mount Washington and the Duquesne Incline
(this was a hop-off point for us where we rode the cable car to the top); the
Carnegie Science Center; Heinz Field; the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh; the
Andy Warhol Museum; the Heinz History Center; the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial
Hall and Museum; the University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning; the
Carnegie Museum of Natural History; Duquesne University; Carnegie Mellon; the
Strip District (another hop-off for us where we had a sidewalk lunch at
Roland’s Seafood, but shopping was a disappointment); the Point State Park; PPG
Headquarters and PPG Paints Arena. The 2.5-hour tour was an informative
Pittsburgh history workshop aboard a double-decker bus. Midway through our
tour, winds became quite brisk and ushered in a brief but intense shower; I was
thankful Clay had checked our lines before our morning departure—and that the
rains hit while sheltered at Roland’s during our late lunch.
If you’re looking for a dinner suggestion while in
Pittsburgh, Clay and I can highly recommend The Library. As is predictable,
Clay had perused menus of restaurants in the area, and had pegged the Library
for its wood-fired pizza. We hit the Wednesday night special of half-price
pizza and dined in the camaraderie of college-age students playing pool and
darts.
Thursday was departure day down bound for Paducah covering
territory from which we’d come. Following our morning walk, breakfast,
and engine check, we relocated to the upriver side of the dock (sounds easy but
current is always an issue) to the self pump out. Again, Clay was painfully
aware of the lack of amenities on the Ohio River, and overflowing your holding
tanks is not an option! We had to grab opportunities when present. With a bit
of finesse, we managed to position the boat so as to pump both holding tanks
without having to move the boat—that’s a score in my books!
Traveling down the Monongahela River the short distance to
the Point, we then cruised seamlessly through two Ohio locks to arrive at the
monster Montgomery Lock where barges were stacked up like poker chips. We hoped
for the same luck that we had upbound, but that was not to be had. Darn! We
endured a six-hour wait from 2:00 – 8:00 p.m. during which time we made the
decision to go when called (fearing that we’d otherwise lose our place and have
to start all over the next day). The lockmaster’s call came at 8 p.m.; we
entered the chamber under moonlight, and exited the chamber at 8:41 p.m. (yes,
I was counting) in the dark (we don’t do dark!). We encountered a whole new
meaning to ‘things that go bump in the night!” Thankful for AIS, chart plotter
and all of the other electronics aboard coupled with Clay’s experience and my
calm, we motored onward to find a hidey-hole to park it for the night
(translation: an anchorage well out of the channel and out of the way of these
barges awaiting a lock which operates rain-or-shine, light-or-dark 24/7).
Anchor drop 9:17 p.m., I was ever so thankful for the earlier-in-the-day-anchor
practice so I knew the what, where, when and why in the darkness.
And, so, as I rev up pizza leftovers at 10 p.m. after a
glass (or two) of wine, I bid you farewell, thankful for friends who are
journeying with my words with us on this Ohio River experience.
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