Harvest Host is the best service to turn to on a weekend, particularly a holiday weekend, to get us closer to our next park when campgrounds are full. The Blue Heron Winery is a beautiful property that overlooks the Ohio River. There are several decks with tables and chairs to relax and enjoy some wine while watching the barge traffic on the river below. The property is very peaceful and garden-like. They also have two cottages tucked into the property for rent as well as parking spots for HH guests.

Our hosts, Gary and Lynn were attentive and worried about the storms that night. Lynn had us move our van so we would be close to the winery building but not have trees or power lines above us and have easy access to the Irish Pub Cellar for safety. We got the cat carrier out and had a to-go bag of stuff ready in case we needed to run to the cellar. There was a line of red storms on RADAR, but it mostly went south of us. There was a downpour with some small hail and lots of lightning. We felt very lucky.

Lynn said in really wet years the river will flood the road down below the winery and block their exit. A neighbor has a boat and makes sure everyone can get to town if needed. She mentioned 2011 and 2018 saying that it was over two weeks in 2018 before they could drive out. The Army Corps of Engineers has several dams on the Ohio, but they are strictly for commercial transportation not flood control. The corps maintains at least a nine-foot deep channel for the barges to transport materials up and down the Ohio. I watched several in action. The Cannelton dam now has a hydroelectric plant on it with a lock on the side for the barges to step down stream or up.

The Polyphemus Moth pictured above, like the Luna Moth in the same family, does not eat as an adult so only lives a few days. This one was struggling to fly; it was probably close to its energy limit. Its large size made Catnip back up a bit as it flew in her face, then it moved out of her reach. Poor kitty can’t be a good hunter with a human anchor on one end of her leash; thank goodness.

We didn’t get a picture with the large Celtic Cross – guess we have to go back:)