Mississippi on the Rise II

[Capn Craig]

How fast stuff changes. Yesterday the river was 3 feet under flood stage and falling. The plan was to finally launch the boat after a horrible protracted delay due to high water and a over loaded schedule dealing with the last flood and the flood before that. I had planned to meet up with River Cruiser last weekend in Muscatine IA for a river front festival. Great plan but Mother Nature had her own plan. I never got to meet up with River Cruiser and never saw a way that was even possible with the river down his way having been over flood stage for a long, long time. I noted that the locks down his way were closed to navigation due to high water. I never contacted him but could tell the party plan was not to materialize. So we were getting back to normal, so I thought up until today. Normal is not to be. the new plan is that the river will crest early next weekend at a level that is easily a top ten record flood. I am responsible for my Dad's riverfront property, tonite it is prepare for the flood day. The house is raised above the record 200 year flood. But the stuff in the ground level basement will have to move. No fun. I have three boats over there as well as two snowmobiles and a floating dock. All have to find higher ground. I live in an area that restricts storage of boats and the like from your yard. The back yard is excepted, so I guess I will have a couple unhappy neighbors for a few days. So it goes. I would kind of like to scream but I know nobody would hear me. YIKES!!!! Now it time to go to work moving and making ready for the water.

 

[markpierce]

Gee, not so long ago, "you all" were complaining about the river's shallowness.

 

[Sceptic]

Gee, not so long ago, "you all" were complaining about the river's shallowness.

That is a thoughtless, callous, and unhelpful remark.

Living along the “big muddy” has never been easy for generations of Americans. My family is from Iowa, and still farm there.

Offer a word of encouragement to a guy in a tough spot, and all is forgiven.

Mike

 

[Capn Craig]

Yeah. Last year there was pretty severe low water particularly below St. Louis. There are no locks and dams down there. It wasn't bad here, since the lock and dams hold the water back. The year before that, 2011, the river was over flood stage all summer. I know that well because I piloted my boat upstream that year. This year we are back to floods. I supposed if you averaged the three years, the water level would be pretty good. Too bad it doesn't work that way.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Septic wrote;

"That is a thoughtless, callous, and unhelpful remark."

I don't agree w that at all. But I am to a great extent an extrovert and learned that not everyone responds to the same thing the same way. I certainly wouldn't have thought of Mark's remark as callous.

 

[River Cruiser]

I'am in Red Wing, Mn. helping a friend work on a boat he bought. Sunday when I left the marina the river was in flood stage by 6" & on its way down, I checked the Louisiana gauge about 24 hours ago & it's on the way back up to 21.6" Sunday, normal is about 12'. This coming weekend was the going to be the dock-hop at the marina, won't be able hop it'll be take a boat or swim. It poured down here today in Red Wing so that's more water heading south, this is starting to look like 2010 when the river in our area was in flood stage all year. Missed the Muscatine event but will be helping bring my friends boat down sometime with in the next 30 days, hope the high water isn't causing you to many problems.

 

[River Cruiser]

Left the marina today the water goes off or on to the sidewalk along the sea wall at 15' & it had just went off. This is the 1st time since spring, it got close once but no cigar, the water was clean no debris when I was out over the weekend. Hope it stays down for the rest of the season.