Mississippi River

A blast from the past here - 3 years ago! My family comes from the land of the Mississippi River. My mom from Arkansas, my dad from Illinois. Every summer we went to go visit family and that always meant a trip over the Mississippi River. My parents would always make sure I was awake for the crossing. Some of the bridges are beautiful!

Three years ago we extended the family trip to Branson, MO. It was mostly for my grandmother; she loves the shows. We took an afternoon cruise on a riverboat. It was styled like the ones from the heyday of the Mississippi. The paddlewheel turned but it was just for show, there were motors for propulsion. It was pretty cool to see the refurbished boat. It was quite extravagant!

Of the many times we've crossed the Mississippi, the most memorable was leaving Quincy, IL in 1993. We crossed the last morning the bridge was opened out of town before it was closed before the big flood. I remember driving down the road and seeing the water seeping through the sand bags. I was too young to realize what was going on but I remember the rising waters.

The last time I was by the Mississippi, it was also out of its banks. Not to flood stage though. We were in St. Louis this spring and staying at a hotel on the Mississippi. None of the residents seemed concerned at the rushing waters outside of their banks but it was shocking to watch the big logs fly down the river towards boats and piers and such. But for the millions of residents that live near the Mississippi, I guess the rushing brown water is something you get used to!