Traveling the Great Loop

Join us as we travel North America's rivers, waterways, and canals; visit U.S. and Canadian cities, historical landmarks, national parks and river towns. We may even take you to the Bahamas.

After 460 Miles, We Say Goodbye to the Ohio River


Ohio River barges travel at approx. 6 MPH (9.5km).  Depending whether loaded or empty, they can draught up to 10 feet/3.5m. They are confined to the shipping lane when underway although most of the Ohio River is not marked with buoys due to its deep nature. A line marked on navigation charts indicates where the channel is and this is what they, ( and we) follow to stay inside it.  Why do we stay inside the channel when the river runs wide and deep?  Deadheads such as entire trees, can get lodged on the bottom and cause damage to the propeller.   
Tows and their barges do a good job of keeping the channel free of dangerous debris.
One train of barges, can carry the equivalent of 16 jumbo rail freight cars, or 70 highway truckloads of cargo totaling 1500 tons of cargo, making barge  delivery an efficient choice.  Steel,iron, potash, coal, gravel, crude oil, petroleum products, chemicals, and fertilizer are common cargo.   Barges move 60% of the country’s grains within the U.S.
100-ton floating cranes and 8000Ib fork lifts load and unload the freight.
117gbl's avatar

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117gbl

5 responses to “After 460 Miles, We Say Goodbye to the Ohio River”

  1. Leslie avatar
    Leslie

    Fascinating to see how these mighty rivers truly move the life blood of the inner nation. They are an essential component in many ways to the economy of the nation and must be protected.

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    1. 117gbl avatar
      117gbl

      Thank you for joining us on our travels. Your comments are appreciated.

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  2. phlbrwn avatar
    phlbrwn

    Love the photos! We don’t see let alone understand a bit of what happens on the Mississippi. Thanks for making the trip visible to us.

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    1. Pattie Brennan avatar
      Pattie Brennan

      Donna and Mike,

      So interesting! We feel like we are really on this trip with you two!

      Pattie

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  3. golfandski avatar
    golfandski

    great pics , really show the journey

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