♥ Falls of the Ohio / Louisville Skyline ♥

Yesterday I drove across the Ohio River to Clarksville, Indiana. My destination was the Falls of the Ohio National Conservation Area.

One of the main reasons I love this area is the view it provides of the Louisville skyline! I love the bridges, the buildings standing by the water, the steamboats... It isn't a huge or exceptionally exciting skyline, but it is exciting to me to take a step back and admire my home!

This is the skyline at night. I did not take this photos. Credit goes to this guy. Hopefully one day I'll get over there at night to take a photo. But its pretty, isn't it?!?!

I had to take a photo of this cute little business, which was advertised as both a salon AND an ice cream parlor! How's that for a perfect, relaxing afternoon of self-indulgence, eh?

Some railroad tracks that cross the river.

The first thing I did at the Falls was visit the Interpretive Center onsite. It was a tiny little display, but there was a fairly interesting 15 minute video skimming through the history of life at the Falls. There are fossils dating back millions of years when the area was at the bottom of a prehistoric sea. It was the home of weird giant fish and other sea creatures. During the Ice Age, two of three major glaciers carved out the Ohio River Valley and, as they melted, formed the Ohio River. Later, there were Mastodons and Mammoths that waded through the river back and forth on their migration patterns.

The Falls were comprised of rapids flowing down a slope of 26 feet over the course of 3 miles. It was the only obstacle for nomadic and pioneer travelers along the Ohio River. In 1830, a canal was completed around the Falls to create a safe passage for boats. There is now a Lock around the Falls, so water does not flow rapidly over the rocks as it used to. There are limestone formations that border along the banks of the river. As a visitor to the park, you can climb down and take a walk along the limestone coast, and even wade out to the center of the Falls!

(Arial photo looking towards Clarksville, IN. Shows the Falls in the center enclosed by the lock and bordered to the left by the constructed passage canal. Photo from http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/fallsohio/)

And of course, most people know the story of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark who set out from this spot on their 1803 expedition through the Louisiana Purchase.

The Falls of the Ohio Park is a great place to spend a beautiful day! There are picnic areas and viewpoint stops along the river banks. It is so peaceful and wonderful, and would be an ideal spot to take a book or have a quiet spring picnic along the river!