ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT OHIO

RIVER RECREATION TRAIL ENTHUSI-

ASTS ENTER THE MARKLAND LOCKS
AND DAM (ABOVE) BEFORE THEIR
FINAL LEG TO LOUISVILLE, GUIDED
BY A RAINBOW (PREVIOUS SPREAD).

halfway) that’s accessible by canoe, kayak,

stand-up paddleboard, and motorboat, as
well as road bike, motorcycle, and car.
What they need now is to drum up inter-
est—get people’s attention and support and
also become more familiar themselves with
the proposed trail’s opportunities and chal-
lenges. What better way than paddling the
whole thing in a little over a week? The group
had access to three river-worthy Voyageur
canoes, and they just needed to fill them.
They invited anyone with the guts to go until
every seat was taken.
Locks like the Markland completely
changed the Ohio River. When Lewis and
Clark took the Ohio River to start their ex-
pedition west, they dragged their boats at
times through shallow water. The first locks
system, installed between
1885 and 1929, raised water
CLOSE YOUR
levels for easier navigation. EYES AND
Dozens of smaller locks LISTEN, AND
were replaced with larger
ones like Markland in the
YOU CAN
1950s—raising water levels FIND THE
to improve flood protection RHYTHM.
and allow materials like coal
and salt to be transported on
REST WHEN
large barges. YOUR ARMS
We paddle away from GET TIRED.
the dam, which continues
churning out hydroelectric
power, and look toward a wooded scene.
It’s midday Friday, and we’re back in a
synchronized groove. Close your eyes and
listen, and you can find the rhythm and
keep paddling. Rest a little
when your arms get tired,
and then start going again.
“To think,” says Tracy, the
boatmate who passed out
the blow-up toys, “our
friends are sitting at their
desks at work.”
At the end of the 32-mile
day we pull up to Vevay, In-
diana, where later we’ll ban-
dage blisters on our hands
and rub muscle cream on
sore shoulders before sleep-
ing on the ground in tents. A man wearing a
red “Make Vevay Great Again” hat greets us
with a box of homemade cookies. “Come on
up,” he says. “Let’s get you out of the rain.”

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