Paddle The Ohio River With 2,200 Or So Friends .....

It's coming fast....What is it we dare say? Paddlefest 2013 (June 20-22). This is an amazing event on the Ohio River with literally thousands of paddlers taking out down the river from Coney Island to downtown Cincinnati. In addition to the paddling, there is food, music and even the cardboard boats from New Richmond on the Ohio racing on Lake Como. We encourage you to sign up and participate in the entire weekend of events.



Image from Paddlefest website
 

Everything you need to know about the event can be found at the following link:
http://www.ohioriverpaddlefest.org/paddlefest/

Hope to see you out on the river. Until then, remember, "Get outside and Play!!"

Check Out The Beautiful Lights In The Sky....

Sorta last minute but check out this link to potential beautiful lights in the sky tonight as a result of a solar flare.....
http://www.accuweather.com/en/features/trend/dazzling_northern_lights_antic_1/10107004

Have You Ever Seen The Rain......

As belted out by CCR so many years ago, we too wanna know, "Have you ever seen rain?" Well, if not, here it comes.....

The forecast in the Ohio River Valley at New Richmond/Cincinnati (Ohio) is calling for that wild, spring, river valley weather. Temperatures in the 80's on Wednesday, with lows in the 30's this weekend. With that type of temperature swing also comes the risk for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. Listen to your favorite local weather station for real "breaking news" (not the "non-news" scrolling across screens everyday purporting to be "Breaking News") and keep you and your family safe.

The rain is predicted to start Friday and, with the deluge, starts the metamorphosis of the Ohio River. The National Weather Service is predicting the falling Ohio River to rise again! As noted in the graph on the right, the river is expected to be a good 10 ft over the summer pool stage. The river current will be swift, as will be the falling rain.

For kayakers and small boaters, the quick rising of the Ohio River is not necessarily good news, At these levels, the safety of the river is called into question. In addition to the swift current, the water will be rife with driftwood and other debris. ( A topic for another day is the inordinate number of tires, plastic bottles and other unnatural items that find their way into our beautiful waters......Just sad....)

While a danger to boaters, the driftwood, twisting and rolling in the water, is the physical expression of the rivers gift of art. Last year we shared some of the beautiful driftwood creations we found outside homes, restaurants and other locations along the Ohio River. We will be heading out soon and will inevitably find some of the new creations. We will share again. It's a great day when we get to take an hour or two walking the beach and searching out that perfect piece of nature's art. (More to come on this topic soon) Of course, please feel free to show us some of your driftwood creations.....

How About Another Beer On The Water....

OK, it's hump day and we are so ready for the weekend. When we think of the weekend, we think of fun, music and BEER. While the classics like Bud, Bud Light and Miller are the old stand by brews, there are so many new and cool beers out there and we hope to try them all!!

Craft beers have been a boom business the last few years, and they can be found at bars and pubs around the world. Indeed, the rush of great new beer has even found its way to the shores of  the Ohio River at New Richmond (on the Ohio) While visiting the Green Kayak Market & Eatery a few weeks ago, we discovered, in addition to the amazing Ohio River views, a number of very good craft beers.

Rivertowne: This is a great local Cincinnati-area brewery. We particularly enjoyed the "Hop Bomber" ale. This pale ale is named after the B-24 Liberator Bomber and it packs a great taste. Very high on our list.

Full Sail: Full Sail is another craft beer we tried at the GK. Again, a real quality beer from a small brewery in Oregon. This IPA has a bit more of a citrus taste to it and went down real smooth. Loved it!

Mt Carmel Brewery: What a superb brew and, as we learned, another local favorite from southern Ohio. While Mt. Carmel makes a Pale Ale like the others noted above, we opted for a different approach for beer #3 at the GK. The Nut Brown Ale and, man, it did not fail. This beer has a hazelnut flavor that is so smooth--excellent. We hope to visit the brewery soon (which isn't a far drive from New Richmond on the Ohio)

These are just a few of the many beers on the Green Kayak beer list. The selection of beer at the Kayak is surprisingly good for such a small, local establishment in a sleepy river town. In the summer, we enjoyed several Summer Shandy (Leinenkugel beer) in the Backhouse Beach Club at the Kayak (they even have Leinenkugel (Summer Shandy and later a Vanilla Porter on tap!!!).

The availability of wine looks good too, but we will let that wait to another day! Pl;ease share with us other craft beers that you enjoy and we intend to try some other craft beers during our next visit to the Kayak and other local pubs......PLEASE SHARE

We Heard The Peacock Has Landed....

We were out of town this weekend but heard the Peacock Pastry Bakery has landed and is open and running next to the Green Kayak. Everything we have heard about this Bakery is positive, and we can't wait to meet the owners; two sisters we are told who are "Oh, so much fun." Even more importantly, we have heard that the baking talents of the sisters are off the charts. We will be sneaking in soon  to taste all the treats ( We grabbed this picture off of the Peacock Pastry Facebook page).

While we cruised through Facebook on the businesses from our great little Village, we came across this cool picture of the "Old Lodge Stage" at the Green Kayak. Again, we missed visiting the Village this weekend, but hope to make it out this upcoming weekend. Both Friday and Saturday nights will have live musical talent gracing the Old Lodge Stage. The river is heading fast to "pool stage", and the near-ready time for outdoor sports fun. Hope to catch you soon at New Richmond on the Ohio or another similar old riverside Village  Let's get outside and play!!

Indian Head Rock (a happy 8 ton rock landmark once protruding out of the Ohio River)....

Indian Head Rock is an approximate 8 ton sandstone boulder that sat in the middle of the Ohio River, near Portsmouth, for centuries. History has it that the stone, which protruded from the water, was a popular landmark used as a carving stone, photo locale and marker for those travelling along the river. The stone is riddled with names, dates and even a fun little "happy face." The origin of the "happy face" etching remains a mystery; Is it an ancient petroglyph carved by a native American? Is it a marking for a treasure sunk below and now long lost? Or is it just graffiti carved on lark? What is not a mystery is the fight that ensued after the boulder was extracted from the river just a few years ago.

In or around 2008, a team from Ohio removed the boulder from the bottom of the Ohio River and housed it over in Portsmouth, Ohio. Remember, it wasn't until the 1920's (or thereabouts) that dams were put in place on the Ohio River. These dams raised the river level and sunk the Rock. The result was increased commerce, but no more swims out to the boulder for photo shoots and carving. The stone spent decades sunken some 15 or so feet below the waters surface. That is, until the "rock rising."

Unfortunately the "rising of the rock" by Ohioans led to a "rising of the feud". Kentucky laid claim to Indian Rock and, as the politicians fought, the leader of the extraction team was indicted by Kentucky County officials for allegedly violating the Kentucky Antiquities Act. The indictment didn't stick and, ultimately, a settlement was reached, but not before years of legislative feuding and "one-up-manship." Indian Head Rock has been returned to Greenup County, Kentucky from its short resting spot on the land in Portsmouth. (Remember, despite the name, most of the Ohio river is owned by Kentucky, with the northern low water mark, as such existed in 1792, creating the boundary. The rock must have been on the "Kentucky side"). We cannot find where Indian Head Rock is on display and wonder whether it still sits in the Greenup County garage (much like the ending of Raiders of the Lost Ark as the government wheels away the Ark for warehouse storage in a plain wooden box)

"OPENING DAY" ON THE OHIO RIVER....

Here we are April fools 2013.....Amidst the pranks and bad jokes, lies the the start of Major League Baseball 2013 along the Ohio River. From Pittsburgh to Cincinnati, the boys of summer will take the field and the announcement of "PLAY BALL" will echo through the river valley. 

The Cincinnati Reds, taking the field since the late 1860's/early 1870's, have a rich heritage in the history of the American past time and now call Great American Ballpark home. The Park, sitting along the shores of the Ohio River, is the summertime home of the Reds. From several vantage points in the park you can see the pleasure boats, kayaks and barges float by as the timeless game moves on. Like the endless stream of water flowing in the River, let's hope the Reds enjoy an endless streak of success with pitching and timely hitting. Go Reds!

Further upriver, along the Allegheny River (which with the Monongahela form the Ohio River), sits the city of Pittsburgh and its major league ball club the Pittsburgh Pirates. While fading at the end of last year, the Pirates enter 2013 with new found hope. The real question (at least in these bloggers minds) is the bullpen. The success of the season will rise and fall in this critical area of the game. We wish our fellow river dwellers success.

The Ohio River area is rife with history of professional sports. While Cincinnati is home to the NFL Bengals, long prior to the Bengals,  Portsmouth, Ohio (between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati) played host to the Portsmouth Spartans. The Spartans joined the NFL in 1930, as the second smallest city to house an NFL Franchise; second only to a team known as the Green Bay Packers. In fact, at the end of the 1932 season, Portsmouth locked up against the Chicago Bears for what many believe to be the first NFL playoff game. Despite the success on the field, the team struggled at the gate and in 1934 was sold and moved to Detroit. Yes, a little Ohio River NFL team is now known as the Detroit Lions. While the Spartans are gone, Portsmouth is a cool river town with a rich history and amazing murals covering its floodwalls. Well worth a boat ride down the Ohio River or drive along Interstate Route  52 (which runs along the Ohio for miles)