NEW MATAMORAS, OH TO MARIETTA, OH

Thurs, June 26th to Sunday, June 29th, 2014

Day 22-25
Miles Traveled on Thursday: 30
Total Miles Traveled: 529


  Thursday morning we said goodbye to new friends Jim and Cathy.  We had a fabulous stay with this great couple.  

Jim and Cathy on Merried With Her

  Thursday was not a long travel day and we were glad for this as the current was high and there was a fair amount of debris in the river due to the previous days rain and storms.  On a good note, we broke 500 total miles traveled. It doesn't seem like we have traveled over 500 miles and 3 weeks.  As the saying goes - "Time flies when you are having fun!"
  
  We went to the Marietta Brewing Company for dinner.  We had eaten there on our first stop at Marietta, and the burgers were so good we had to go back.  After dinner, we were walking around town and began to hear music.  We found a two person band, The TuneSmiths, playing in Muskingum Park.  During the summer every Thursday night there is live music in the park.  They were singing a lot of old country songs and hymns.

The TuneSmiths at Muskingum Park

  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we relaxed in Marietta.  We found this town to be interesting and fun, so that helps explain why we stayed so long (both times).  This time we took the Marietta Historic Homes Walking Tour.  To read more about this tour go to: http://www.mariettaohio.org/tours/138-things-to-see-and-do/tours/walking-tours/428-marietta-historic-homes-walking-tour
Below is a picture of one of the homes - The Cotton House.  It was built in 1853 for Dr. Joshiah D. Cotton, a physician and Civil War surgeon.  It still is a private residence today.  Many of these historic homes are private residences and the owners do a great job keeping the homes well maintained and appropriate to the period they were built. 

The Cotton House

   Other highlights of our walks were Mound Cemetery and Muskingum Park.  Mound Cemetery has more Revolutionary War veterans buried there than in any other cemetery.  In the center of the cemetery is Conus Mound (30 feet high and 150 feet in diameter).  Different cultures have their own legends and theories on the origins of these types of mounds.  Dan theory was that it was built by aliens from another planet.

View of part of Mound Cemetery from the top of Conus Mound

Muskingum Park has a river walk along the Muskingum River, a gazebo, lots of benches, and several monuments and memorials.  The most impressive memorial was "A Nation Moving Westward".  This sculpture was made by Gutzon Borglum.  Trivia time!!  Who is Gutzon Borglum?  He is also the sculptor that carved the four presidents on Mount Rushmore.

"A Nation Moving Westward" Memorial

  Another entry for "You Never Know What You are Going to See on the River"

MFD water cannon testing

  On a dock up from us, the Marietta Fire Department decided to test their boat's water cannons.  Looks like they are working very well.  Was fun to watch! 












  Now for a memory test!  What was the nice lady's name that gave us a ride back to the marina from the Giant Eagle store on our last stop in Marietta?  As luck would have it, we ran into her again while taking one of our walks around town.  Sometimes it is a small world.  Anyone remember her name?  It was listed in a previous post.  Her name was Cheryl.


    No stop would be complete without some crisis/challenge.  This was no exception.  Upon arrival at Marietta on Thursday, Dan dropped his wireless two way radio communicator in the river.  Oops!!.  New one has been put on order for arrival when we return to home port.  We will be doing a lot of screaming (over the engine noise) at locking and docking for the remainder of the trip.  They are called "Marriage Savers" for a reason.  Then part of a zipper for the flybridge enclosure came unsewn.  Dan says "duck tape will fix anything".  We may have to try this if we get into a lot of rain.  As the saying goes, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger".  We should be bench pressing with the best of them before this "Shake Down" Cruise is over.  Hopefully, we are getting all "the kinks" worked out before leaving in August for "the big cruise". 



  Overall, our stays at Marietta, OH have been fabulous.  We look forward to coming back again sometime.  Thank You! to the staff at Marietta Harbor !!  They are a great group of people, very helpful and friendly.