The Mighty Mississip'

Y'all may have heard that the Mississippi River is flooding. Rain and snow melt have swollen the river until it spreads from levee to levee. Being the science and weather hounds that we are, and always being ready for a field trip, we hopped into the mini-van and hooked up with Aussie Kim and her crew to check it out.

First we drove over the river to the Arkansas side.

The weather didn't look good. (It's been raining since we got back from vacation, but that's another post.)

Now, when I say we drove over to the Arkansas side, what I really mean is Aussie Kim's Man-of-the-House drove over to the other side. Kim and I were freezing everyone out, hanging our heads out of the windows and snapping photos like a couple of loons. The man has patience. Here is a photo taken well before the bridge. There should not be water there.

We drove to the levee on the Arkansas side. Aussie Kim said there was a board walk and park you could go to within the levee. We saw the signs for the park...

but we couldn't get to it. The sign says, "No Off Road Vehicles In The Park!" The bad news - this was the road...

The good news - apparently the catfish were biting. I wonder if the Off Road Vehicle ban included boats.

We drove back to the Mississippi side of the river and rode the levee toward the spot we visited last August. We couldn't quite make it there.

If you follow the road down and take the curve through the trees, you should come to a beach.

Now, some of you may not have ever seen a levee before. They are large (usually) earthen barriers that run the length of both sides of the river. Most of them are wide enough to drive on. In Mississippi, they come with livestock.

I wish I'd gotten a picture of the mules.

Comments

[Aussie Kim]

For a picture of the mules go to http://www.homeschoolersavvy.typepad.com!

[Lou]

Hi, Might I suggest reading RISING TIDE by John M. Barry, if you haven't yet. It is a good read for grown ups. I enjoy reading your blog. (it's a good read for grown ups too).

[Aussie Kim]

Another on the Mississippi River (grownups only) is: "When the Mississippi Ran Backwards : Empire, Intrigue, Murder, and the New Madrid Earthquakes" by Jay Feldman. Who said living next to a fault line wasn't exciting?

[Activities Coordinator]

Thanks, Lou!

And when we moved here, people said, "I bet you're glad to get away from all those hurricanes."

Now we have hail, tornadoes and earthquakes. Give me a good hurricane any day.

[Giga]

These are great photos. Many thanks. Giga

[Hayley]

Hey,levees come with cows in Louisiana, too.

[Activities Coordinator]

Shh! Don't tell!