| This activity
ended in 1996. For information only.
|
The Mississippi Queen
Far in the hills of West Virginia, not far from the
friendly city of Wheeling, lies a place almost hidden in the enclosing lush,
green forests. Here one can take a stroll through magnificent gardens full
of the most beautifully colored flowers that smell heavenly even though
Oglebay, owned by the City of Wheeling, is now gearing up for the greatest
festival of the year; presently, this so-called "Festival of Lights" attracts
hundreds of thousands of people each year. The glowing lights sparkle
as if they were the very stars in the sky.
Over the years, the hills have become more rolling and flat than
actual jagged peaked mountains so that they look like giant scoops of
sherbet dazzled with brilliant hues of scarlet, bronze, cinnamon, and
chestnut. As one stands on top of one of the many majestic hills, he can
smell the sweet clean pine fragrance as the wind blows gently through
his hair. In the evening, the hills seem to struggle to rise over the gleaming
sunset as the sky becomes filled with the assortments of red, orange,
yellow, and blue. In the valley , as a person looks across the river, he
can see the neighboring state, Ohio; moreover, the shorelines and
hillsides are dotted with many different sized, shaped, and colored houses.
The Ohio River is the borderline between West Virginia and Ohio;
therefore, it is used for many industrial and recreational activities. In
fact, our river is like a glass of sparkling champaign when the sun's rays
shine upon it. Most importantly, when someone enter's the magnificent city
of Wheeling, he notices the enormous lovely Ohio River that meanders like
a snake through the hills of wild, wonderful West Virginia. Because our
river is so useful, various boats travel up and down this river. A few cruise
boats, such as the Mississippi Queen, rides along this river.
As we excitedly walked down the incline toward the breath-takingly
beautiful ship, the Mississippi Queen, we felt as though we were headed
for a luxurious journey. While walking through the floating mansion, we
approached the main stair case which consisted of marble stairs covered
with beautiful red and gold carpet; likewise, the handrail were made of pure
brass. Meanwhile, above the stair case was a magnificent mural because
the mural was so heavenly, it makes a human feel as though they were in
heaven. We then heard and earsplitting sound which drew us near. As we
approached the sun deck, we saw a gargantous calliope; moreover, the
calliope looked like 40 different train whistles erecting out of the ship.
As we walked to the front of the ship, we saw the sparkling water of the
Ohio River. In front of us, lies the huge river, as we looked down it we
saw a trudging tugboat pushing mammoth loads of coal on barges; hence,
the coal looked like it was mounds of black snow. The closer we got to the
bulging heaps of black snow the more it grew.
Annie & Kristen Student Recorders
Miss Vail's Class
Warwood Middle School
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