Looks a tad boring-located at mile 200.78 of the Upper Mississippi River. |
Resting up for the adventure. |
This was Lillian's 'carrot'. If she was good in the museum, she could play here afterwards. |
The lure of the Mississippi |
Views and ecosystem along the Bluffs |
The US Army Corps of Engineers balance the economic impact of maintaining L&D with the health of the nearby ecosystem.
They work to protect nearby wetlands; future birding trips for me :-) |
If you're lucky, you may be invited to go behind the desk to see the red-eared slider up close!! |
Display to show purpose and function of dikes (?) |
Geoffrey learning the mechanics of and how L&D make river traffic possible. |
Model replica of Horatio G. Wright snag boat, built in 1880. Cleared the rivers of snags, ie-fallen trees, sunken ships. |
A very popular interactive exhibit was the steering of a barge under the Eads Bridge. No one was successful!!!
Concentrating hard ! |
Starting off with a light touch. |
Getting serious now :-) |
Concentrating!! |
The river must be meandering here....if the N is pointed in the right direction :-) |
Here we are on top of the Dam, 80' above the river.
Clark's Bridge seen in the distance. |
Around 75 million tons of goods a year move through these locks. |
Waiting to be at the correct level. |
Now, for Pooh fans; this is the adult version of 'Pooh Sticks'. Everyone is lining up to see the start of the barge's/tugboat's movement on one side of the bridge!
You can almost feel everyone's excitement! |
Time to run to the other side to see it emerge.
Very enjoyable to view it's progress.
Time to go to the other side to see what will still be coming.
The tugboat is the last 'Pooh stick' to watch as it goes under....
and emerges on the other side :-)
Our guide had a hard time keeping on schedule; everyone enjoyed the scenery , 'Pooh sticks', and didn't want to leave until the barge disappeared. |
And off she goes!!
At first staying in the shallower area and close by.
But then she is on the move.....
and so is Grammi Tami, her shoes and camera are still on,though!!
The river bottom starts sloping down and is slippery! |
After slipping and bobbing for a few seconds before Grammi scoops her up and saves her, there is a slight chance she may remember the water safety rules :-)
The shallower area with the waterfall is a perfect area to end the day.
Melvin Price L&D, definitely not a boring place. Looking forward to going again in conjunction with a bird watching at a nearby wetland!
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