Pics from chilo lock and dam showing summer river levels

Suasana's guest house.

So I walked out of Suasana's guest house.  The wonderful place I stayed while I was in New Richmond.  Which I am missing very much right now.  I saw the unofficial mascot of the town, Jacob, the resident peacock. 

Cardboard Boat Museum

OK, so this had to be one of the funniest, coolest little things about New Richmond.  They have a Cardboard Boat Museum.  You may ask, why would someone build a cardboard boat.  To race of course.  Every year on Aug 20th in New Richmond there is a cardboard boat race.  There are strict rules to the construction of a cardboard boat.  They must only be made out of cardboard, tape and paint.  The addition of anything else will get you disqualified.  There is also another class, the paddle wheel class which encompasses metal components.  The race is a distance race to see how far a cardboard boat can be paddled before it eventually sinks.  Yes, they all sink eventually.  The record holder to date is 8.5 miles held by the yellow boat below.  It was paddled by four men, and I met one of them.  He was easily 220 and built.  Looking at that cardboard boat, I still can't imagine four grown men floating, let alone paddling for over 8 miles.  If I am done by Aug 20th, I will have to come back and see this race.

Abolitionist doctor

Dr. John Rogers helped support and protect the first abolitionist paper west of the Allegheny.  He practiced for 60 years in New Richmond during which time he delivered U.S. Grant. On this trip, I have been constantly reminded of the depth of the history along the Ohio.  The history runs deep from the times before records when the Indians, the mound builders, inhabited this land.  To the frontiersman that came through charting and exploring, to the settlers and all the weird and interesting beliefs that they brought.  The abolitionist history and the underground railroad (Clermont County has more nationally recognized historical sites than any other in the US).  Also the civil war history that I feel will continue to play an important part of my trip.  The Ohio river's importance to or national history is only now starting to become clear.  I  am finally starting to appreciate American history as I never did before.  

Ulysses S. Grants birthplace

Interesting facts.  Ulysses S. Grants birthplace, a one room house, was cut up and shipped all across the country for viewing.  He was so popular 1.5 million people went to his funeral in NYC.

The man in the picture is Greg Roberts, a wonderful man and amateur historian that showed me around the area and filled me in on some of the local history.  Actually, he gave me a lot of the local history.   He is so interested in local history, he purchased a part of it.  Greg lives in the Clermont Academy (not in picture) which was a private school started in the mid 1830s.  It was on a short list of schools at the time that taught, in the same class room, all children no matter of sex or race.  I found it interesting that many of the slave owners from Kentucky would bring their bi-racial children across the river to study in the Clermont Academy, as slavery was legal in Kentucky and illegal in Ohio.  Traveling down the river, I can see how the river would have been a great divider of the land and culture.  Though I was reminded by Greg of how that was always not the case.  Traveling down the river seeing how large it is, I sometimes forget that it's size and stability is mostly a man made creation.  During the height of summer back before the dams you could walk across the river, as it would mostly only be a couple of feet deep.  Looking across the water I find it hard to imagine this river being untamed, wild. 

Greg is standing in front of the house that I stayed in during my stay in New Richmond.  The house is one of the two homes that David VornHolt runs as a bed and breakfast.  My stay here in New Richmond has to be the most relaxing to date.  The kindness that both David and the manager (Rick) of the B&B has shown me make it extremely difficult to drag myself back into my boat, especially because of the plushness of my accommodations.  The room was huge, the bed was comfortable, the water was hot and I was dry and clean.  Something that doesn't happen to much these days.  Though time to move on, I have Louisville in my sights.

Riverside diners

On this stretch of river, I have been finding a riverside bar and restaurant every 20-30 miles.  It has been very nice.  I generally stop and get a burger and coke and move on my way.  I finally decided to take a picture at the last one, Fatboy's Dream.  What a wonderful name for a diner.