Monday, November 21, 2011

Earth, Air, Water and Helicopter

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Helicopter Ride 2011-11-19 13

The Mighty Mississippi from the air. The top picture is just after liftoff, looking south. The pinkish strip down the center is the cobblestone levee, dating from the 19th Century. The river is very low. When the water is up, like in this picture from last May, the street uphill to the right can be completely covered. The highest I've seen it is about two-thirds up the floodwall to the right of the street. That's a lot of water.

The bottom picture is looking north, upriver. The graceful Eads Bridge crosses the river, followed by the prosaic McKinley Bridge. Note all the barges pulled over to the riverbanks behind the bridges. The Mississippi south of St. Louis has such a gentle descent that there are no locks and dams. The first is a few miles to the north of us. It was closed for dredging at the time, stopping all the river traffic.

Helicopter Ride 2011-11-19 14

9 comments:

cieldequimper said...

I knew I'd love this! Keep' em coming!

Olivier said...

belle photo vue d’hélicoptère, cela devait être une ballade très sympathique

s.c said...

Nice shots. I see cars parked on the levee. Must be a little illegal I think. Thanks for showing.

Nathalie said...

Too bad it was a great day but your photos give a fascinating new perspective to my perception of St Louis.

brattcat said...

i second ciel's comment.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

You always wonder what it would be like to have a 'birds eye' view, well now we know. Great shots Bob!

Lynette said...

Thanks for taking us on the ride with y'all. Love these views and your splendid photos of them! Love the Mississippi River!

Jack said...

These are great shots to show us the river.

I have flown in a helicopter only once, and that was enough. I sat in the front seat beside the pilot, and there was clear plexiglass below me. I felt like I was going to fall, so I held on with white knuckles. And, it was so noisy that I couldn't hear, even with ear protection, and it rattled my bones. Yes, I am a wuss . . .

Oakland Daily Photo said...

The mighty Mississippi is so inspiring. I've "collected" several towns where I've crossed the river. Always a thrill.