This Site's Namesake - Classic Riverbank*

She's a beautiful river, the Ohio. When I was young, I'd ride my scoot down to the river. My excuse was always the same. "I just want to see if it's still there", is what I'd say. I would tell anyone that would listen that one day I'd buy me a boat and I'd run that river. Now I do and it just never gets old. A night on the island will cure what ails you. Or maybe it's just the ale.

Riverboaters are a different breed. There are no attitudes, no hassles and no strangers. If you are on a boat, you are one of them. You never need anything. If you forgot it, someone has one. Whether it's a bandaid or a beer, someone will make sure you have what you need. If you are on the island, you're in. As The Clarks sang, "This is a place you can't get by car".

There are many small docks like the one pictured above. You have to visit every one of them. Each one tells a story. And they are all good stories. There is only one rule about visiting these docks. Leave it better than you found it. And all riverboaters do. That alone should tell you much about the type of people you will find on the mighty Ohio.

*This Classic Riverbank originally ran on 6/29/2006.