DAY 1

Hello and welcome to the first entry in my point2point blog! As is usually the case in my various adventures, the first day is different than all the rest. The day actually began yesterday ( Monday) morning when I drove to Pittsburgh with my sailboat, the Wandering Wisp, and launched it at a public boat ramp at the South Shore Park. A young lady asked if she could take pictures as I launched the boat. I told her was was taking it to the South Shore Marina to dock overnight, then come back the next day to begin sailing from the beginning of the Ohio River and continue traveling until reaching the end. She told me she was from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and asked if they could do a story about my trip. I agreed, docked the boat, then drove back home to return the trailer. The following day (today) I got up at 2:30 in the morning and drove back to Pittsburgh in a rental car. The reporter, Bob Batz, who was going to write the story picked me up when I returned the rental car and drove me to the marina. As I prepared my boat Bob interviewed me, then we were joined by the photographer, Emily. The story they are putting together should be available tomorrow and I will provide a link once it becomes available. I finally got started on the Monongahela River a little before 11:00. 

My first stop was to go down the Monongahela to where it meets the Allegheny River. This confluence is the beginning of the Ohio River. Its location is marked by a beautiful fountain at Point Park. I moved in close and touched the point to mark the official beginning of my trip.

Before heading down the Ohio, I went up the Allegheny a little bit to get a river view of the Pittsburgh Pirates ballpark.

As I turned around I saw this BLM mural.

 My first photo on the Ohio River was of Heinz Field, the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I couldn’t pass up a photo of Pittsburgh’s operating incline. You can see one car coming down as another goes up.

During my interview this morning, one of the questions was “How will you determine your trip was a success”. I guess one answer is that I don’t end up like this guy!

I finished up my travels for today by going up Little Beaver Creek at Glasgow Pennsylvania. There is a little park there with kayakers passing me and 4 little kids were jumping off a three story high concrete structure into the river up until nearly 10:00. My total mileage for today was 40 miles.