Ice In The River

We have had a few mild days but it's back in the freezer next week.  These are barges on the Mississippi, pushing through ice.

Mrs. C's surgery went very well. I'm sure she will be dancing at our son's wedding in June.              

River Traffic

Despite the low water huge barges continue to ply the Mississippi. The most likely cargo is grain or coal. I have no idea how anyone can steer these giants in the river's currents.

Comments on my colleague's blogs may be light over the next few days. Way too many things to do. Then, around Saturday, my world goes completely slack (in the best possible way).         

Low Water On The Mississippi

Going, going... The water level on the Mississippi continues to fall. It's at the lowest level in the many years I've been here. It's hard to get a sense of it in one photo but think of it this way: that rough patch by the river in the foreground is the cobblestone levee. It's steeper than it appears. At normal levels, the water is half or two-thirds of the way up. I was standing on the street at the top of the levee and you can see that my POV is well above the top of the barge. In just a minor flood the street would be under water.

Barge traffic is a key element of the regional economy. It is down to one-way traffic in several areas south of St. Louis. If the water drops any further it will close altogether in the next few weeks. Then we'd really have trouble.    

Life on The Mississippi: M/S Mississippi V

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A short break from the local artists portraits series:

The navigable rivers of America are maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. They are responsible for the channels, dredging and the complex lock and dam system. The Mississippi has 26 of them, from the northern end of St. Louis up to Minneapolis-St. Paul. The river is so flat between here and New Orleans that none are necessary.

This is the Corps' MV Mississippi V, the largest towboat on the river. Check the link for its specs. It held an open house last weekend at Lock and Dam 26 at Alton, Illinois, quite a piece of engineering by itself. When I took the picture at the top, I was standing just beyond where the two black walkways come together in the bottom picture. A crew member told me the boat could push 30 barges. Power.