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Ohio River

Pomeroy-Mason or US33 Bridge (Mile 251.5) to Syracuse, Ohio (Mile 245.5)

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Paddlers beware:  In 2023 my life was nearly taken at the bottom of the Mason boat ramp by a commercial vessel heading downstream directly along the West Virginia shoreline.

I began the day intending to put in at Pomeroy, Ohio.  It was a town that I’d driven through before and really wanted to see a little more of, but when I got to the ramp right in the center of the downtown area I found that they had nothing but metered parking.  Besides being a pet peeve of mine, I simply can’t afford to spend money on things like this if I can avoid it.  I moved on...  Please don’t get me wrong.  I love Pomeroy!  Besides having a very unique McDonalds with a boat dock, the community is also very picturesque as you’ll see.

Anyway, I knew from the navigation charts that there was a put-in in a little further upriver in Syracuse, Ohio but I hadn’t put enough research into it.  Thus, when I passed through town I had to stop and ask for directions at the local post office.  Some nice folks outside helped me out.  The town ramp, it turns out, is almost right in the center of this community amid a park behind the Village Office and Hall.  Here they have a baseball field, some tennis courts - the whole nine yards.  There’s also a good amount of parking.  I put in here and paddled on down to the Pomeroy-Mason Bridge to technically “begin” this section.

I think the best picture I took of the bridge is below.  That’s American Electric Power's towboat Robert W. Keeney passing under.  You’ll notice that quite a bit of rock on the Ohio side must have been cut through to make the construction of this span possible.  I also noticed from driving in that there’s a protective wall up there on the Ohio side (presumably to hold back rockslides) and upon this wall you’ll find some very nice murals featuring local scenes (I have a photo at the end of this journal).

Anyway, it was just under this wall that I had my first encounter with a groundhog (or woodchuck) down at the water's edge!  I thought it might have been a beaver at first but I didn’t see the telltale tail!  Looking it up, I found this critter.  Groundhogs are typically prone to residing in forests, but they’re also known to be great burrowers.  A river bank would thus seem to be a good habitat for them.

It was also at this point that I took the picture below (looking upriver from under the bridge).  Downtown Pomeroy looks awesome in the distance doesn’t it?  Please also note the McDonalds sign on the far left and the greenhouses on the right in West Virginia.  This greenhouse space apparently comprises the headquarters of a company called Bob’s Market and Greenhouses, Inc.  According to their website the Barnitz family started Bob's in the community of Letart Falls, Ohio operating as W.O. Barnitz (Letart Falls is not too much further upriver).  Later their son and his wife incorporated the business.  What started as a roadside stand is now a company with 5 branches. 

As for the McDonalds, it lies almost directly across the water from Bob’s.  In fact, I’m composing this journal from the very spot!  They’ve got some great 2-seater tables here overlooking the river which are perfect for either watching the water or for writing about it.  The best picture I think I got of the restaurant was when that same tow boat passed – the Roger W. Keeney of AEP.

Anyway, right upriver from this – and just before you reach downtown Pomeroy - you'll find another restaurant called the Wild Horse Café.  If you’re looking for dining which is a little more upscale this is a good spot.  You can check out their menu online and they, too, have a dock.  NOTE:  Sadly, this restaurant was badly burned in 2020.

Next you’ve got downtown Pomeroy at mile 250.5 with its classic-looking waterfront wall, ramp and gazebo.  With a mountain-like background to restrict its spread, Pomeroy stretches all along the bank of the Ohio with the result being that the whole town is pretty much laid bare.  Here you could stop and get all manner of supplies or just simply walk around and check out the antique shops.  Some history of the town can be found here and there’s a nice community web page here.  Also of interest is the building with the golden dome that you’ll see in the center of town.  That’s the Meigs County Courthouse as Pomeroy is the seat of Meigs County.  The building is notable for the fact that you can access it from three different levels.  Below are some photos with the vessel in the second picture being the Tennessee Merchant of ACL (American Commercial Lines).  I have another photo at the end of this journal that shows what it looks like as you look down at the river from downtown Pomeroy.

Anyway, it was whilst I was taking all these photos that I happened to glance at a downed tree on the West Virginia side.  It seems I was being watched! 

By the way, there is another ramp across the river from Pomeroy in Mason, West Virginia.  It looks like another great place to put-in in the midst of a park with plenty of parking…

It was here that I nearly lost my life in 2023.  I was passing the boat ramp above when I heard something that made me turn.  A barge over my shoulder?!?  It's amazing how quiet they can be even when they're headed right towards you!   I almost always leave 80-90% of the channel on one side as I paddle along a shoreline in order that any vessels that might overtake me have more than enough room.  Of course this also gives a wide margin of safety as well.  In addition, I regularly glance behind me to note any boats that might be coming my way in case I can't hear them.

Well, a train passing through Mason had incredulously sounded it's horn more than 50 times this particular day, yet this vessel sounded no such warning.  Not only that, but it was coming from a direction that I could never have expected - downstream and so close to the West Virginia shoreline that I can't believe the vessel and it's cargo didn't run aground!  If I'd been turning to head toward this Mason ramp instead of passing it by there's no way this guy could have avoided hitting or capsizing me.  I was dumbfounded.  I'd done nothing to deserve someone taking chances with my life!  In fact, I'd seen this vessel on other days.  Why the hatred?  I took the photo below after regaining my composure and paddling away from the boat a little more.  Such acts of unprovoked contempt convince me of 3 things...

God exists.  This world is perfectly imperfect.  It had to have been planned that way.

Satan exists.  Darkness can reach you anywhere - even in the pursuit of peace and beauty.

Steering wheels are the greatest underappreciated source of darkness in our world.  They sap our hearts and our minds, leaving us empty vessels for Satan to use.

Once past Pomeroy I couldn’t help but take some more pictures from this point of view.  It was in here that the “Mr. King” of McGinness (a division of McNational, Inc.) passed me.  I watched as the vessel headed upriver with the mountains behind as a nice backdrop. 

The river is making a pretty strong right curve here, by the way.  In fact, this entire stretch is one solid right curve which ends just before the ramp in Syracuse.  Ohio Route 124 (the way you might have come in) will be well visible on your left side while a railroad track will be with you on your right.  It was in here that I found that the barge traffic was getting thicker as two towboats passed me going downstream in quick succession.  First came the Jincy of Crounse Corportation followed by the Texas City of Marathon Oil.  As far as incoming streams in this stretch, I didn’t really see much of the Permonkey and Carleton Creeks in Ohio but the Sliding Hill Creek in West Virginia at mile 247 was visible.  I couldn’t get in due to a deadfall right past the mouth, though.  Later I encountered quite a colorful little shoal on the West Virginia side…

Soon – and about the time you’ll note the LETS Dock and Campground in Ohio - you’ll find that the river starts to straighten out from its right curve to begin a left one at mile 246.  The ramp comes right afterward.  It sure is beautiful out here!

Finally, here are some last pictures of Pomeroy taken on a separate trip...

DIRECTIONS:

Google Maps makes directions so easy and you actually have 3 options here. 

Option 1:  To put in where I did, simply look up Syracuse, Ohio and drill down on the Syracuse Volunteer Fire Department.  You'll find the ramp in the midst of Syracuse Municipal Park at the end of a very short lane called Marina Street.  There's not a ton of parking, but a good enough amount in a paved lot.

Option 2:  You can put in from the downtown Pomeroy, Ohio riverfront if you don't mind paying to park (they had meters when I came).  There's a nice ramp to use.

Option 3:  Mason, West Virginia has a nice ramp too and they're directly across the river from Pomeroy.  Just search for "Mason City Park" on Google Maps for more detailed directions.