Tuesday, October 20, 2020

The Cuyahoga on the Saginaw River

 So it was the moment I was waiting for.  I couldn't check for the Cuyahoga on my normal AIS but the boatnerd AIS was showing where she was and I saw that she was close.  At any rate, I'd rather get there too early than too late.

The Cuyahoga rounded the bend near the park I was at.  In this picture, she looks like she ready to pounce on something.
As I said in the previous post, there was a walleye tournament going on.  For the most part, the river was clear when I got there but I think it was filling up as the day went on.
A nice fall shot.
She continues around the bend.
I kind of like this one with the trees in the background.  It's a shame I didn't get it a week sooner.
There was still quite a bit of color though.
My almost bow shot.
And my bow shot.
She moves closer to me.
And closer.  It was a nice sunny day but it was a little on the cold side.
I just wish the water were calmer.  I've seen pictures on the Saginaw River where the reflection is almost perfect.
I could see somewhat of a reflection.
Just love the sky.
A shot of her pilothouse.
And her flags.  The flag with the Blackhawk on it is the company flag not a flag for the team.
Her stack.
And she continues down the river.
So I headed over to a park by the Independence Bridge.  I wanted to get my drone a little bit of a work out.  It was a little bit on the windy side but not too bad.
The Independence Bridge opened in 1976 and connects Trumbull Street to Wilder Road.  It replaced the Belinda Street Bridge (which I never saw) which was a swing bridge like the one that connects Grosse Ile.
It's been smacked by a ship at least one.  In 1986, there was heavy flooding in Bay City and a ship got wedged against the Bridge.  Not sure how much damage was done in those instances but it couldn't help.
I think the bridge was sold to another company.  I'm not sure if they are going to replace it but I heard that they were going to start charging a toll to get across.  I'm not sure how well that will work for them since there are four bridges that cross the Saginaw River in Bay City.  Two of them are state highways, so I'm not sure a toll can be charged on those.
At any rate, it was nice get a chance to get some different angles of the Cuyahoga because she was moving slow enough for me.
She passes the Wirt Stone dock before continuing down the River.
I headed to another spot to catch her as she was leaving the Veterans Bridge.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get the right angle to catch her as she was passing through the bridge.
I'm not sure how much longer the Cuyahoga will be in service but she is looking pretty rough.
Even though you can't see it very well, the Veterans Bridge opened in 1957 (the same year as the Mackinac Bridge).  Like the Independence Bridge, it is a bascule bridge.  It was also Bay City's first four lane.  It is the continuation of M-25 until I-75.
I don't know if there were any incidents with this bridge but Veteran's Memorial Park behind it used to be one of the top party spots in the late 70's.
So I went for my drone again.  This time I was going to keep it at a higher angle to get more of an overhead view.
I kind of like this view.
I didn't want to put my drone directly overhead though.
If you look between the shore and the Cuyahoga, you can see another fishing boat.
And she continues on.
Even though this is mostly a stern shot, I like it.
And she moves on.
I decided to head to one more spot before moving on.  I figured I could get it again.
I kind of liked the light better here.  I also liked that it was mostly trees in the background.
I think it was duck season because every so often it would sound like London during the Blitz.
Almost a headshot.
And the headshot.  I like this one a little bit better because the light is more even on it.
And she starts to pass.
I decided to switch to my drone again.  This time I was trying for a lower angle.
I think I like this angle a little better than the higher angle.  I still get a decent shot of the deck but it looks more like what I'm used to.
The river was a little calmer here.  I could see the reflection better.
The almost beam shot.
And she continues one.
She was heading to a dock in Saginaw.  I assume she was delivering stone.  At any rate, it was nice to catch a ship on the Saginaw River.


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