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OPINIONS
Diane W. Mufson: Delta Queen trip was a fun learning experience
"What did you do?" "Weren't you bored?" "Who travels on the boat?"
My husband and I have been asked those questions at least a dozen times since we reported that we spent a fantastic week on the Delta Queen riverboat. We, too, had similar thoughts when we signed up to ride portions of the Cumberland and Ohio rivers at 6 to 8 miles per hour.
What we didn't realize is how much we didn't know about rivers in general and this region of the Ohio in particular. Seeing a river in detail is limited unless you have your own boat.
Riding the Delta Queen is both entertaining and educational. Passengers came from at least 20 states and a few foreign countries. Generally, they were "mature," but one couple had their two young children along to experience the river as they themselves had done as children.
Rivers are ever changing and active. A guide pointed out that people on the river come and go and people work to control the river, but rivers have the final say. When they flood or run low, it is obvious that Mother Nature is still in charge.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has done a masterful job of building locks and dams for navigation all along the rivers. There is something amazing about being on a boat that enters a narrow man-made stone channel of water, watching massive doors that keep that river water out close and finding yourself and your vessel on an elevator of water.
The river is a multi-purpose venue. At times, it is tranquil; there is nothing but vegetation and birds. But travel further along the river and you may see a tiny hamlet or a small city that has made its waterfront a people magnet (Owensboro, Ky.) or good-sized cities (Louisville, Cincinnati) that have learned to make the most of the river.
Pockets of industry with belching power towers dot the river. Some industrial areas appear decent. Others are exactly what the folks in the Huntington area fear -- endless numbers of barges, some unbelievably dilapidated, flapping against the shore line.
River traffic is busy. The river is a commercial road for barges laden with heavy materials. But it is also a pleasure boat playground. These two can co-exist, but small boats must know that big and heavy always wins. It takes even a small moving barge at least a mile to come to a stop.
The Delta Queen had a trio of "river educators" -- people who shared information about early river settlers, the Civil War and river development. Sometimes we don't even realize that local residents, such as Jerry Sutphin, one of the speakers, are experts about the Ohio River or the Delta Queen
The Delta Queen, an 82-year-old steamer whose bright red rear paddlewheel glows in the sunset, may not have a bright future because of politics. So please, write, call or e-mail your congressional representative or senators and tell them to save the boat so that many more people can enjoy the experience.
This elegant old boat offers a wonderful way to become knowledgeable about the rivers it plies.
Diane W. Mufson is a licensed psychologist in practice in Huntington. She is a citizen member of The Herald-Dispatch editorial board and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page. Her e-mail is dwmufson@ comcast.net.
