The Honorable James L. Oberstar on the Rouge River

On Saturday, my dad came down.  We were going to go boatwatching but as we were leaving breakfast, the snow was coming down and I wasn't sure if we would see anything.  So we ended up going to see Star Wars.  It wasn't snowing after the movie, so I looked at Marine Traffic and I saw that a ship was heading up the Rouge River.

 The ship in question was the Honorable James L. Oberstar.   She was coming down from Marquette with a load of taconite.  I'm pretty sure she has a couple of runs left in her before she goes into layup.

 I think this is the first time I've caught a ship on the Rouge River in a while.

 And I think that is too bad because the Rouge makes for a good backdrop for ships.  It was cold enough that her scrubber was really steaming.

 She makes the turn for the Dix Avenue Bridge.

 The almost head shot.

 And she approaches the opening of the bridge.  At about this point, the Bridge started to open.

 I kind of like this view.

 And she gets closer.

 Didn't have the crane in this one.

 Her pilothouse.

 The other bridge tender's station.  I don't think they use that one.

 She makes her turn for the dock.

 The Stars and Stripes flapping broadly in the breeze.

 A stern shot.

 One of my favorite shots on the Rouge River.  I would love to be able to get a shot of a ship pulling out.

One more shot.  As I type this post, she is on her way up to Marquette.  I am guessing that she will pick up another load and will be passing this way on Wednesday.  With any luck, I might be able to catch her again on Sunday.