"Going upstream" Morgantown Travelogue by grandmaR

Spotting tower on the beach

Although when we came in yesterday, I could see the Governor Nice Bridge and the Morgantown PEPCO plant with the binoculars, it was a little foggy or misty this morning, and we couldn't quite see the bridge.

I did wonder what the little stands along the water were for - they looked like watch towers. At first I thought they were lifeguard stands, but later I found that they were spotting towers for Dahlgren Proving Grounds. We also saw the yellow markers which were for the range boat stations.

Bridge through the morning mist

After an hour we could see the bridge and there was a barge with a crane under it. With the binoculars I could see that traffic across the main span was only one way.

Green #33 spider

We passed by the green 33 spider downstream of the bridge and also Dahlgren. On the other side of the bridge, the markers start the numbers over again from #1.

The barge (which had a tug next to it and another one standing by) had the spuds up, and apparently this is the Albemarle Barge Boat Station. As we went up to the barge (which was not really under the bridge) it hissed at me several times - a compressor I guess.

Mathias Point spider

Going under the bridge was interesting but not stressful. We passed Aqua Land on the other side the Mathias Point green 5 spider. By 11:30 we could see the big antennas at Indian Head.

Godspeed passes us

The wind was on the nose - so much for the predictions - it is just funneling down the river. When the river went around a turn, Bob put up the staysail, but the wind then died to nothing, so he took it down again. We were passed by a tall ship which we later found out was Godspeed from Jamestown on the way to Alexandria. They had no sails up and the passed us like we were standing still - two huge diesels power that boat.

Shadow of the sail and one of the butterflies

The Potomac has a Cedar Point, a Smith Point, a Maryland Point, and a Sandy Point, just like the Chesapeake. Two little butterflies kept pace with the boat for awhile. Mattawoman Creek was guarded by a flotilla of crab pots.

Mallows Bay barge

A barge came down river pushed by a tug. Soon we could see the burnt out hulk of a barge on our starboard in Mallows Bay.

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