Barkley Lock's Wall of Shame
Happy birthday Bicki!
We're off with the sun but come to a screeching halt, still within sight of our slip, because of Barkley Lock's closed doors. All we hear from the lock master is, "It'll be a few minutes". In lock speak that can mean hours. It's back to the wall of shame for us.
Fortunately, the wait was only 30 minutes.
With a 3 mph current pushing us along it was a fast trip down the Cumberland. We knew when we reached the Ohio as it was much wider and slower moving. What we didn't know was how long the delay would be at today's second lock.
Lots of Sand and Gravel Companies Along the Cumberland
"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."
-- from Lewis Carroll's "The Walrus and the Carpenter"
Carroll missed his chance to discuss wickets but I shall not. The conversation need not be hurried for we've got hours. Four hours thus far with Nellie's anchor down and uncounted more to go.
An Old Friend, the Delta Mariner (Sans I-Beam Bonnet), has Priority and Locks Through 52 Before Us
The last two locks on the Ohio, numbers 52 and 53, are accompanied by wicket dams. Unlike a conventional dam, a wicket dam can be raised and lowered. This short video is worth 1000 words of explanation.
Setting the Wickets (credit: East Liverpool, OH Historical Society)
Unfortunately the wickets went up last week and so here we sit waiting our turn to get through the lock. The good news is that 53's wickets are down and tomorrow we can cruise over them, avoiding that lock altogether.
This wicket discussion isn't complete without mentioning the $2.9B Olmsted Lock and Dam which is replacing 51 and 52. Olmsted is 10 years behind schedule and $2.2B over budget. Ouch. On the other hand, it's completion promises to reduce wait times dramatically.
Today's Cumberland Run (At Least Until Lock 52)
It's 6 PM and we're still waiting for 52. With luck we'll be on the hook tonight at Ohio MM 949, Little Chain Bar (close to Metropolis, IL). That'll make this about a 50 mile day and ups the total to 3,334 miles for the trip. DBH
