Here Comes The River (again.....).....

Here we are on the tail-end of January, coming off 60 degree days along the mighty Ohio...But, my how things change fast. It's in the 20's today and the rain here and upriver is leading to a "swell" in the Ohio River. The river is now projected to crest on Sunday at over 49 feet (a good 20 feet over "pool stage"). Now that's a lot of water!!!

We intend to get down to New Richmond on the Ohio this weekend to see the Denver Young Band at the Green Kayak Market & Eatery. We will share some pictures of the rising river!!

On the music side, we heard Denver Young play recently at the Kayak when Tana Matz last played. This guy can really perform. We encourage you to stop down this weekend to New Richmond on the Ohio (before it becomes New Richmond IN the Ohio).......Hope to see you in the NR at the Kayak....

The Worst Flood Of Ohio River January 26, 1937..

 

Think about 80 ft--- over 50 ft ABOVE pool stage, with the second and third floors of buildings being covered in water.  On January 26, 1937, the Ohio River near New Richmond and Cincinnati,  Ohio rose to just such unprecedented levels. The river wiped out entire buildings and ravaged the lives of so many. This was the worst flood in the city's history and hopefully will never be repeated.

Ironically, just a few month prior to the 1937 flood, President FDR had signed legislation mandating the that the US Corp of Army Engineers create a flood control system on the Ohio River and others. The '37 flood resulted in that project being placed on the fast burner. The plan was that the construction and proper operation of the flood control system would make an event like the 1937 flood highly unlikely in the future.....Let's all hope so......

A Great Night of Music In The Frigid Weather....

What a great night down at the Green Kayak Market and Eatery in frigid New Richmond on the Ohio. While the weather was cold, the music and atmosphere in the Kayak was HOT! The featured act tonight was Tana Matz. This girl is the entire package; voice, guitar, cute and fan friendly. She rocked the house for several hours. She was joined at one point by two members of the Denver Young Band, Denver and Ryan.... These guys  have can play and sing, and even agreed to a feature spot next Friday at the Green Kayak....

The luck just seems to continue for the folks at the Kayak.We certainly do not know why the sudden surge of atmosphere, music and events in New Richmond on the Ohio, but this continues to be a "must stop" locale....Catch us down there soon.

The Flying Fish Have Landed....

Unfortunately, our waterways continue to suffer from invaders from afar. While the spread of the dreaded zebra mussels has been well documented, the recent arrival of the Asian carp ("Flying Fish) in the Ohio River valley poses an enormous risk. Indeed, Senators from Pennsylvania and Ohio, jointly proposed legislation in hopes of better coordinating the effort to limit the spread of this voracious-eating fish in the Ohio River basin. Reports established that the invasive fish was seen as far up the Ohio as Cincinnati. This is a serious problem that truly does need to be addressed.

http://www.wfmj.com/story/20663608/us-senate-bill-targets-asian-carp-in-ohio-river   This is a link to an AP article on the problem. Check out the pic below of this ugly fish

How Cold Is It....??

Here we are a few days after the massive accidents on Cincinnati highways involving over 100 cars. The accidents were caused, according to local meteorologists, by a bizarre weather condition that hit suddenly. The lesson learned (again) is that we cannot mess with mother nature.  The weather today is simply FRIGID!!


15 degrees (< 10 with wind chill)

The Ohio River is rough and looks cold. We certainly are not going to be testing out the river in a kayak today. We'll leave the river to the coal barges traversing up and down river delivering the fuel to create our heat. Please stay warm out there!!

A Pastry To Go With My Outdoor Adventure...

We stopped down to New Richmond yesterday to check out the Ohio River. It appears the raging river has crested and beginning to drop. Good news for all of the riverfront businesses, but the river sure is beautiful kicking by at such a quick pace.

We stopped by our favorite place the Green Kayak, but it was not open. We guess the drop-off of visitors to the Village in the winter creates the need to limit hours. Very understandable. Please make sure to come by the Kayak for a visit Friday and Saturday when they are open for their winter hours. Friday is a Country singer (Tana Matz) and Saturday they have an amazing acoustic duo, The Dishes (MJ and Heather).....We need to support these local businesses!!

The newest news for us was the "Peacock Bakery." We were told that this bakery, located right next to the Green Kayak, will be open. What a great compliment to the New Richmond business district. We peeked in the window and the place looks so cool. We can't wait to visit this place when it opens.....We wonder if this bakery is named after the famous New Richmond Peacock, Jacob. (He even has his own facebook page https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-New-Richmond-Peacock/106020482775439?fref=ts ) We will keep you posted on this bakery. We were told by the guy we found near the Kayak that two women own the bakery and that they are wonderful and amazing bakers....YUMMMMMMMMM!!!!

A Village Full of Music and Fun-- Little New Orleans?

The little Ohio River of New Richmond is getting a reputation. The reputation is that of fun, great live music, top notch food and wine and excellent service. We stopped down to the Green Kayak Market to see Jim Comodeca play. We saw Jim and a string of other amazing musicians who just stopped by to join a few sets. Roy Basham and members of his band Kentucky 31 (mandolin/bass)took the stage, as did Ryan Paul Wilson and a young local guy, Denver Young. What a night. Spontaneous music is what the Kayak is all about. They even leave a guitar on stage all the time for anyone to come in and play...So cool.

We stopped by again Saturday evening and there was a woman playing and she was great. While we did not catch her name, we were told by one of the Kayak servers that she and her friend just came in for a late lunch and she decided to play....The "resting" guitar was put to work for hours.



****The Green Kayak also had the return of Comedy on the River.....The comics were incredibly funny and very interactive with the crowd. The lineup was set again by Loraine Braun and the two featured performers were Dennis Piper and Tim Collins. Good old Milton (front row center stage) at 70+ years old enjoyed his "part" of the show...What a great sport!! We should all hope to be as energetic, good-natured and happy as Milton..We also learned from Dennis that we better watch for late night bicycle riders in Oxford-- great story, and Tim's "Irish Catholic" raising has led to so many hilarious stories (some with way toooo much information). We don't know where Loraine finds all these folks but they (and her) sure are top notch. They will come back to the Kayak in February (Friday, February 15/ 7:30 pm) for the return of Comedy on the River.

 

 

 

This little Village rocks.....We encourage you to spend some time in New Richmond, Ohio, watch the rising Ohio River rip by and stop by the shops/restaurants like the Green Kayak Market & Eatery....This Village on the verge of busting out....

Beautiful January Day on the Ohio River...

What a great day down here on the rising and raging Ohio River. The sun is shining and the temperature is moderate. We took the dog out for a run and dodged the flooded backwaters of the Ohio that are encroaching the road and backwood paths. We love days like this. Check out this picture of the river at near 45 ft. There are two sets of stairs that go down the riverbank that are completely underwater in this picture.

 

Here is another picture of the Flood Gauge in New Richmond, Ohio at about 45 ft (remember that "pool" is around 25 ft). The river is really ripping by....

 

And the River Keeps Coming...

January 16, 2012 prediction @9am

The "living waters" of the Ohio River continue to rise. The NOAA website now predicts that the river will crest at over 41ft; not a huge problem but pretty amazing to see. What amazes us is the sheer volume of additional water passing by.  When you go from the 25 foot pool level to its level now near 39 feet (across the entire width of the river), that's a lot of water. (We're sure someone with all the numbers could calculate the additional volume of water.....)What we would like to understand better is the methodology used by the Corp to move the water through the lock systems. It sure seems like they, at times, hold way too much water in the section of the river at Cincinnati. Just our opinion- however, the results of such decisions can be very costly. For folks in New Richmond, Ohio area, the 58 ft level is when things begin to get real dicey....

We will be heading down to the New Richmond area this weekend to check out the river and enjoy some of the entertainment, including acoustic guitar performances at the Green Kayak and Front Street and "Comedy on the River2" on Saturday night......Float on by!

UPDATE:  As an example on how things change fast on the River, the image below is the NOAA latest status on the crest stage of the Ohio River showing the crest a few feet higher than predicted a few short hours ago.....

UPDATE for January 17 shows the river cresting even higher this weekend. Come on out to New Richmond and check out the waters along the flood wall....

 

UPDATE FOR EARLY MORNING JANUARY 19, 2013:

 

Flood crest looks like it will occur tomorrow at 45ft....The river is really moving very fast, yet the barges keep moving.....

 

  

Here Comes The Rain (and the river)....

January 13, 2013 Projection

 Here we go again!! With the rain the past few days, the river continues to rise and is projected to get near what is called "action stage"- 40 ft (the base or "pool level" is 25.4 ft).  Flood stage is set at 52 ft, with the real action beginning at about 40-42 ft. The NOAA website explains the early flooding as follows:

48

Flooding in California Ohio spreads further up Eldorado street...and flooding worsens along Kellogg Avenue near near Coney Island and Riverbend Music Theater.

42

Flooding begins east of the city near California...with some flooding near Coney Island and Riverbend Music Theater. Stay tuned for updates from down on the river.......Rain, rain, go away.... ***************** Here is the latest projection from the National Weather Services website,  for Monday, January 14, 2013, regarding the flood status. This projection does not change the what is projected as the flood "crest," but shows the overnight rise in the river

January 14, 2013 Ohio River Level  Projection

Major Flood Stage:	65
Moderate Flood Stage:	56
Flood Stage:	52
Action Stage:	40

Major Flood Stage:

65

Moderate Flood Stage:

56

Flood Stage:

52

Action Stage:

40

981 Miles of Adventure Waiting For You....

 

You want to travel the entire Ohio River?? Many folks have done it and the feedback is amazing. With its islands, locks, dams and abundant wildlife, the Ohio River is a 981 mile adventure of a lifetime. Here is a link to a great Ohio River Guidebook, including excerpts of notes from paddlers who have experienced the fun.  http://www.riverlorian.com/ohioriver.htm  There are ample places to camp, launch, visit and discover. We recommend checking out many of our blog posts to for ideas on just a few of the unique spots to visit along the Ohio River, including a huge abandoned ocean-going ship near Cincinnati, an underground church in Utopia, the World's Only Cardboard Boat Museum in New Richmond, music of the Green Kayak Market and Eatery and so much more.....So fun!! Maybe you'll catch us out on the river as you pass through the New Richmond and Cincinnati areas.....

Wine Is The Answer....What Is The Question???

 

An American Viticultural Area is a designated  wine grape-growing region in the United States and we've got one here!! The Ohio River area is the second largest wine appellation area in the US and widely regarded as the birthplace of American Viticulture. Since 1823, when Nicholas Longworth first planted grapes in the rich soil along the Ohio River near Cincinnati, the Ohio River and the surrounding land has played a significant role in the development of the American wine trade. While the industry was decimated by Prohibition, the rich history, fertile soil and tenacity of local growers has resulted in an amazing variety of quality local and regional wines....

We encourage you to stop by a local winery, like Harmony Hill or Kinkead Ridge, and enjoy a bottle. You can even find local wines gracing the shelves of  large stores like Kroger and quaint family-owned businesses like the Green Kayak Market and Eatery in New Richmond.....CHEERS!!

A Visit To The Indian River In Forida......



Our friends recently left the cold waters of the Ohio River for a quick visit to Florida and the Indian River and told us all about it. What a gorgeous location, just south of Daytona Beach in New Smyrna Beach. While they didn't have time to kayak, they did get out in the water to gather oysters and clams.....what an amazing adventure!!    They also participated in the surprise 70th birthday party for Captain Bill at a small rustic "Yacht Club" cobbled together from what appears to be driftwood and other river/ocean leftovers from the Indian River. As they told us, "You will never meet better people then Captain Bill and his friends...."



Captain Bill the Song- Not Just a Pretty Face

Our friends at the Green Kayak told us that they so enjoyed the visit to the Indian River at New Smyrna Beach Florida for Captain Bill's 70th birthday....Great weather, great party and even better friends and family....They even explained that Jim had the chance to compose and play a short song for the legendary Captain Bill, chock full of his famous sayings and favorite pasttime. Give it a listen....

(as performed by Bill Rostock, Rowdy Carlton and Jim Comodeca)

And The Music From the River Rolls On....

We just found out that the two women known as The Dishes are returning to the Green Kayak Market & Eatery in New Richmond on Saturday night. We heard them play in the past and they are amazing. Great acoustic guitar and even better harmonies....The sound level at the Green Kayak is great and we heard one patron state, "It's like being in a hip 1960's coffee house."  If you can make it out, we strongly recommend a short trip to enjoy the amazing harmonies of  The Dishes and the stunning views of the Ohio River along Front Street......

Back For Another Year Of Progress On The Ohio River....

 

 

Back for another year; although its hard to get in the groove....The weather outside is just so cold, but the Ohio River keeps moving on by. The river had risen over the last few weeks getting close to 40 ft, from the "base level" of around 25 ft---that's a lot of extra water sliding by. It's hard to believe that before all the lock/dam systems were put in place the river level at Cincinnati, in the late 1800's, dropped to just around 2 ft.

Progress is amazing and clearly has allowed for substantial economic development of our region, and monuments still exist to the early wood wicket dams that boosted commercial river traffic. These wooden dams were made possible by the passage by Congress of the Rivers and Harbors of Act of 1910. The goal was to make the Ohio River a more consistent and better navigable waterway for commercial traffic. The results were overwhelmingly positive from an economic perspective.

It's worth checking out some of the old structures at Chilo, Ohio or California, Kentucky. The structure located in California, Kentucky currently features a Biology Station owned and operated by Thomas More College. The Thomas More Biology Field Center is at the location of the former US Corp of Engineer Lock and Dam 35 location, an old wicket dam built in the early 1900's. The site provides invaluable monitoring of the river quality, fish population and so much more. You can even check it out online at:  http://www.thomasmore.edu/fieldstation/  

We would appreciate hearing more about the Ohio River, and all its attributes, from folks posting on our blog or reaching out to us at ohiokayak@gmail.com.  Please also share our blog with others as we continue to strive to build readership.