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Ohio River

Monday, August 30, 2010

Warsaw, Kentucky (Mile 528) to Patriot, Indiana (Mile 519)

Navigation Charts 103, 104 and 105

Today marked my first day trip on the Ohio River, the largest body of water I’d ever paddled at about 1,000 miles long.  In this particular area it’s a solid 1/3 mile across.  For some reason, it reminded me of a lake today given the relative tranquility of the water – a 1000 mile long lake!!  At my rate of paddling (8 - 10 mile out-and-backs) it would take me at least a year to paddle the whole thing and document it in this way – not counting any incoming streams.  Was I a little intimidated?  You bet!  This river might well be out of my league, but I had to at least see what it was like to paddle…

The navigation charts for this section are available online, but I didn’t bring copies with me today as I'd done while paddling the Kentucky River.  This being my first trip I simply wanted to get a general feeling for what things might be like and see how far I could get - a kind of reconnaissance mission.  :)  The put in I used is right along the waterfront in Warsaw, Kentucky.  This is a good launch, with very easy access to the water along a very low bank.  There’s room for plenty of cars, and there’s a restroom here too along with at least a couple overhangs for picnics and a little fishing pier.  You’ve got everything you need for a nice day along the river! 

Now, most would probably consider Warsaw to be a “typical” river town, but for me places like this are simply exceptional in that they seem to hearken back to a simpler way of life - a life that makes this one seem waaaaay too cluttered!  They soothe me and calm my nerves, leaving me with a feeling of contentment.  It’s a fantastic feeling!  I felt the same way in Carrollton, Kentucky at the end of my Kentucky River trip.  I also felt the same way when I reached Patriot, Indiana today, and I’m sure I’ll feel the same when I reach the next little town.

Anyway, as I got on the water I found it to be fairly easy to paddle as I began upstream on the Warsaw side in the midst of a slow right curve.  US42 (the road I came in on) runs on the right side in Kentucky for about the first 5 miles up to the Big Sugar Creek at mile 523.  Roughly half of this distance is Warsaw shoreline and about half is farmland interspersed with houses along the right bank, some of which are pretty amazing.  The people in here were nice too!  I met some ladies having lunch along the shoreline and the owner of one of the houses was kind enough to greet me as I passed by.

Meanwhile…  On the left side you’ll start out with forested hills which will slowly recede as you paddle upriver, making way for more and more shoreline dwellings.  Indiana Route 156 runs here the whole way to Patriot, Indiana as well, but here’s the kicker – this river is so wide that you can’t quite make things out over there!  I couldn’t even see a fairly large Bryant’s Creek!  In fact, I never even got to it today – ran out of time! 

At any rate, as I took my first pictures I straight away came to the realization that a basic camera like mine would be poorly inadequate to capture the scope of the views out here.  Many of the long shots were completely out of focus through the sunny haze of the day.  Add to this the fact that it decided to pull an I-pod imitation later and “forget” how to reliably turn on and off, and you’ve got the beginnings of an interesting day.  I hoped that would be the extent of my problems.  A little flock of geese passed over me in this first section, by the way – possibly the same group that went over again at the very end…

A power boat also passed, and this event would normally have been insignificant but for the fact that I’d anticipated it with a fair amount of interest - how would the boat wakes out here affect my kayak on this, the largest river I’d ever paddled?  I didn't think it would be too bad as the boat was all the way over on the other side of the river and it wasn’t that large… 

WRONG!  Did it ever leave a wake!  The water was absolutely crashing against the shoreline, and I really began to wonder what it would be like when a pushboat moving a bunch of barges went by!

Anyway, as I paddled on I also noticed that the shoreline consisted of little pebbles in many places on the right which would have made for very nice beaches had they not been covered with foliage (not that there’s anything wrong with foliage!).  The water looked fairly clear at these spots too, and at one point I got into a little cove about 100 yards.  Someone had a pleasant little fishing set-up on a little dock toward the back.

Meanwhile, as you finish this first little right curve in the Ohio, the river will next straighten out a bit to then begin veering left from mile 524 to about mile 521.  Memorable here was the sight that greeted my eyes as I first started making this curve.  There looks to be a massive southern-style plantation here, complete with a white fence that seems to run nearly as long as the river runs wide.

You’ll also notice by this point that those forested hillsides you started out with on the left will have receded almost all the way back to let in what could be one or two huge farms on the inside of this curve.  Meanwhile, on the outside (the right side) of the curve there are 2 streams that come in – the Big and the Little Sugar Creeks.  Big Sugar comes first and it has the US42/127 Bridge going over it's mouth.  Then, just inside the creek, you'll find the Sugar Creek Marina and Restaurant on the right along with a public ramp receded a bit on the left.  It looks like the ramp can be accessed right off 42/127 on the east side of the bridge. 

As for the stream itself, I got back a solid ½ mile, finding the view at the back to be exceptional.  There appear to be 3 dry streams and you can look directly up the one in the middle…

As for the Little Sugar, it had a very sharp left curve at the entrance where there were quite a few boats visible so I decided to pass on paddling in.  I did notice from the charts however, that it looks like I would have made it about the same distance I’d made it into the Big Sugar – roughly ½ mile.  (You’d have seen this stream from the road, by the way, if you’d driven in the same way I did - on US42/127.)

Meanwhile, back on the Ohio and as you look upstream from this point, you’ll see the last part of the curve and a portion of the ensuing straightaway.  There were many more dwellings on the right side in this stretch while the farmland continued on the left.  I found one of the homes particularly interesting.  It actually had a “driveway” which extended down from a garage door in the back of the house to the shoreline.  I’d never seen one like this before.

Anyway, by the time I’d reached the “plantation” I'd noticed a set of barges approaching up ahead.  These were being pushed downriver toward me by the Marge McFarlin of Ingram Barge, a company based in Nashville.  Ingram appears to run 130+ of these vessels as per the website, yet it was here that I  really began to wonder...  What would the wake from this vessel be like???  Surely it would be much more powerful and produce much greater waves than the power boat had.  I braced myself...

Almost nonexistent.   I couldn't believe it!  Either the captain was especially cautious, especially considerate, or a combination of both - or I was simply waaaay too concerned!  Now, of course I’m not going to paddle right up to a load of barges – I was all the way over on the bank - but I had no problem whatsoever.  Guess what, though?  Completely unheard, another set of barges was coming at me from the opposite direction!  I’d been warned about how sneaky these could be, having read Eddy Harris’ book called Mississippi Solo, a great read on one man's solo canoe journey down the Mississippi River.  Amazing how something so powerful can be so quiet!  No way would I ever want to paddle across this river after dark! 

Anyway, this particular set of barges was being pushed upriver by the Raymond Grant Eckstein.  Built in 1981, this vessel is owned and operated by the Marquette Transportation Company based in Paducah, Kentucky. As per the web link, Marquette operates a fleet of more than 50 vessels and 700 barges.  It also looks like they’ll haul just about anything. 

Meanwhile, you'll find that the Paint Lick Creek enters the Ohio River half way between mile 522 and 521 on the right side at a really nice spot.  This stream curves to the right past the mouth where the Little Sugar Creek had curved to the left, with the combination forming a kind of “pinch” of water just behind the plantation house.  Paint Lick, by the way, might have been the largest incoming stream that I paddled today, had I not passed on paddling in due to a leaking boat on the way back.  However, judging from how far I got into the Big Sugar (1/2 mile) and then looking at the map, I’d guesstimate that you could probably paddle about a mile back into this one.  It really opens up after that first curve and begins to take on more of a lake feel.

From here the left side of the Ohio is predominantly composed of forested hills once more, with Indiana Route 156 again becoming visible.  It was in heere at mile 521 thaat I found an interesting sight.  I’m not really sure what it was, but it looked like a spot that used to be public but is now private.  An old ramp extended a short distance to the water and there was also quite a bit of stone work that had been done.  Then, just upstream from mile 520, there was an incoming stream on the left which ran under one of the Indiana Route 156 bridges.  Unnamed as far as I know, it was in this stream that I encountered a MASSIVE fish.  I’ll say 4 feet long just to be safe but it might have been larger.  I’m not sure what kind it was, but when I first noticed it I thought it was simply a log in the water bobbing up and down with the waves on the shallow, muddy shoreline... 

But wait… 

There weren’t any waves!!!  It swam off in a rush of water!  I could see it's large silhouette, the size of which I’d compare to a seal.  Of course, having been unprepared, I didn’t have time to get a picture, yet when I emerged from this stream I did get a consolation prize - perhaps my best farmland shot of the day…

Over on the right side of the river from here (looking upstream, of course) there’s a long line of mud bank which forms a good deal of the next right curve from about mile 521 to 519.  This bank was so uniform in height and in hue that from a distance I actually thought it might be some kind of barrier along the shoreline. 

Very soon Patriot, Indiana will become visible on the left side.  At first the dwellings appear in the midst of little forest clearings, but later the hills begin to recede to let in the city itself.  This sure looks like an endearing little town!  It’s quite inviting too, with a little sign on the shoreline that beckons boats to come dock at their pier and come ashore for some pizza (there used to be a pizza place right at the shoreline with a nice outdoor deck but it's no longer here as of 2021)!  The also advertise a grocery, a liquor store, a park and 2 Baptist churches.  What’s the population?  202!  Nice!!!

I began heading back at this point, but I later noticed on the charts that there was a public ramp just a little bit further upriver from where I’d made my turn.  Oh well – I’ll check it out next time!  And get some pizza!

Some other interesting sights on the way back?  A junk yard along the bank with some absolutely classic cars…

...and speaking of classic, or maybe just plain classy, check out Fred and Barney having a great time out here!  You've just gotta love the Flintstones!  How incredibly cool is this!?!  Hope these guys don't mind me putting this picture up...  :)

At another point I saw some raccoons.  You know you’re up against it when you see these guys!  It’s starting to get late!  I needed to cross back over the river soon, but not just now…

Another set of barges had emerged in the distance, you see, just visible over the surface of the water and just visible through the shadows cast by the setting sun.  Can you spot it in the picture below?

Needless to say, you’ve got to be real careful out here!  At any rate, this set of barges was being escorted upriver by the Captain Butch Bowman below, a push boat originally built in 1953 according to a website I found (here).  Owned by the Excell Marine Corporation (a division of McNational, Inc. which also has McGinness Inc. under it's umbrella of companies), this vessel was moving veeeeery slowly – it must have had quite a load.  Hopefully things like this bode well for our economy!

Anyway, by this point I had quite a bit of extra "cargo" – water in my boat, that is!  It wasn’t enough to prove evidence of a major leak, but it was a leak.  Therefore, before I began my crossing (and after the barges had passed, of course!) I wrung as much water out as I could in order to better my speed, and when I arrived back at the ramp it was nearly nightfall.  I found the area to be just as pleasant as when I’d first arrived though! Someone was enjoying one of the picnic canopies, and a woman and her son had also come down to the water to take in the atmosphere with their dog.  I’ll get a good picture of Warsaw from across the river on another trip, but as I departed I did so by going directly through Warsaw on KY35.  This town has some fantastic old farm houses! 

DIRECTIONS:

I took the Verona exit off of I71 and headed north on KY14 until it dead-ended at a combined US42/127.  Then, taking a left here I simply kept following the US42 signs until I reached Warsaw, Kentucky (don’t worry – you’ll know when you’ve arrived).  After taking a right on 1^st Street toward the river I eventually spotted the ramp right down by the water.

Alternative:

You can take the KY35 exit off I71 and head north right into downtown Warsaw.  Then, if you just keep going north toward the water you’ll wind up at the ramp and park.