Second Wind on the Great Loop and Beyond

Sunday, September 9. Huck Finn was much on our minds this morning as we continued to be swept down the Mississippi River in light rain. Photos can’t capture the turbulence we saw and felt, but I did snap a picture of the smaller whirlpools. Some of the turbulence is caused by wing dams, the Corps of Engineers’ ongoing attempt to control Mother Nature. These dams are submerged (usually) concrete jetties intended to interfere with the flow of water and keep the water stirred up. In this way silt stays in suspension, and the main channel stays clear – or that’s the theory at least.

Entering the Ohio River at Cairo, we saw a record amount of barge traffic and dredges. This is a busy, industrial area. The Ohio River is much cleaner and calmer than the Mississippi, and we are now going upstream, which seems strange. After the floods north of us, this river level is way down. In fact, many tows with barges couldn’t get through Lock 52 because of the shallow depth. After a wait, the lockmaster told us to go ahead and float through the lock without tying off. Lock 52 on the Ohio is really old and will be replaced eventually. We anchored at a place called Cumberland Towhead Island, just at the mouth of the Cumberland River with Happy Destiny (SeaSea and B and B were there too). The Cowhigs came over for spaghetti on their last night before completing Loop. Lots of laughs, but plenty of nostalgia too!

# posted by Second Wind @ 10:25 PM