I keep saying “next year” about things like Christmas and my performance review at work, but no. It’s now THIS year, as my daughter keeps reminding me. The other day she said, “Mom, your brain is crazy.” Thanks, kid.
Anyway, the Ohio River.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t start with that as an informational entry post. And speaking of posts, I want you to keep a few things in mind, dear reader:
You’re learning alongside me. I’m still not sure of the theme of this thing. But I love learning, so if I can help someone else learn a new thing today, that’s enough for me.
I am trying to keep in mind that not all of the readers here are from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, so if I ever am writing in a way that makes no sense unless you live here, let me know! Or, if I’m overcompensating, let me know! If I’m getting on your nerves, let me know! Just kidding. I don’t care.
This shit is likely to be boring for some of you. I expect some “unsubscribes.”
Those of you who subscribed from my first post, THANK YOU! So awesome. Gave me the accountability I need to keep rambling.
I had another bullet point, but I forgot what I was going to write, so you get this uselessness instead. (This is a common theme in my life these days — forgetting why I walked into a room, forgetting what I was going to say, forgetting a word entirely. Getting older is fun. Though I have read that brain fog is a symptom of quitting alcohol!)
Ok, the river. I’m looking at it now and it’s very brown and treacherous-looking. No, not treacherous. Wavy? No. None of these words explain it. Got it. Rippling and windy.
Fun fact: The river is not always brown, wavy and disgusting, contrary to popular belief. I’ve seen it look greenish blue, clear and still like a lake. I’ll snap a shot next time this happens. It’s pretty cool looking.
To give you some context about where I’m located (don’t stalk me). I live on the Ohio River between the Purple People Bridge and the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, also known as the Big Mac Bridge because it’s a giant yellow arch-like shape. Like the McDonald’s logo, except only half of the logo because the two arches are parallel and don’t make an M shape at all. It’s just yellow and arched. Talking this out, I’m realizing that this nickname is stupid as hell. The Taylor Southgate Bridge is a little farther west of the purple bridge. Then even farther is the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge. Then comes the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge. Then, there’s the big kahuna, The Brent Spence Bridge, which every Cincinnatian and Kentuckian loves to talk about because it needs to be fixed, but I guess it has to collapse and kill people before that happens. (I plan to have entries about these bridges at a later date. I know you’ll be anxiously awaiting. The Roebling is particularly interesting and is the precursor to the Brooklyn Bridge.)
Had no idea what I was really going to focus on today, but now I have it: That’s a lot of freaking bridges really close together. Is that a fun fact, Daniele, you ask? It is!
The distance between the Brent Spence Bridge and the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge is roughly 1–1.5 miles. That is six, count it, SIX, bridges to escape from Northern Kentucky into Cincinnati within a very short distance. I kid, I kid.
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky has one of the densest clusters of river bridges in the United States. Pittsburgh is the “City of Bridges,” but we win on closeness, bridge-stacked skyline visibility, multiple state access and, uh, not being in Pittsburgh. I don’t kid.
Each of these bridges is a different structural type. Sorry, but this is freaking cool. The Roebling is a suspension; Daniel Carter Beard is an arch (through-arch, twin); Taylor–Southgate is a truss; Clay Wade Bailey is a cantilever; Brent Spence is an interstate mega-bridge; and the Purple People is pedestrian-only. It’s like a live-action engineering textbook with skyline views.
Ohio River conditions on Jan. 17: ~27–29 feet (flood stage is 40+); flow (water velocity) around 1.7–2.0 mph or about 1.5–2 feet per second (normal for this time of year).
(I have no idea what any of these numbers or stats mean in the grand scheme of river things, but that’s why we’re here together. To learn. I’m coming up with ALL KINDS of content ideas from this one post.)
If you stayed and read to the end of this, you’re crazy.
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