Today I went with a bunch of kids on the first Channel Cat ride of the season. This one went through Lock and Dam #16. Now, I probably have some of you going…

😕??What??

All across the world, the larger rivers use of locks and dams to help move products up and down our rivers. The bigger the lock, the bigger the cargo/ship it can move. Since my background was in engineering/quality control, I wanted to see how these actually worked, I knew the principles but I wanted to see it. So over the next few days, I will be sharing the pictures I took of the river, the beautiful homes, and some of the history I enjoyed from this 2 hour excursion.

This is one of several water taxis we have in this area called Channel Cats. They are used for tours, like today, or during summer celebrations to take people to various places of fun.

This was our guide. He is a civil engineer specializing in the care and construction of the locks and dams in our area. This picture was taken while we waited inside the lock for it to fill with water as we headed back toward the dock.

The design of lock and dam structures by civil and mechanical engineers has significantly improved river navigation and, consequently, riverside economies. These engineers must thoroughly understand the fundamental concepts of Pascal’s law, water pressure and gravity in order to design functional and reliable systems.

Now that you have some basics, lets start our trip. The Mississippi River is divided into two parts, the upper Mississippi and the lower. Not really sure why since it is the same river but there you go. Where I live, Quad Cities area, is a metro area including Davenport Iowa, Bettendorf Iowa, Rock Island Illinois, and Moline Illinois and this is part of the Upper Mississippi River. This is also where the crook of the river flows east-west, instead of the normal north-south as it goes around the nose of the man. For many of us, as taught in school, Iowa is part of the man’s head that stands in the middle of our country. I have seen the weather do some interesting thing as it intersects the curve of the man’s nose of the river.

The lower Mississippi starts in St Louis, Missouri, and flows out into the Gulf of Mexico.

As we pull away from the dock, we pass by the dock for the Celebration Belle, a paddlewheel boat that also does river tours.

The Mississippi River really is a beautiful river reminding me if the much smaller rivers I grew up on in Florida.

I hope I have interested you in the things I saw today and will come back tomorrow for more pictures. Now that I have covered the basics, tomorrow I will show you some of the amazing homes along the river. It is too much to cover in one post.

And as we close, I remind you again of the power of kindness. One small ripple will carry many waves to others in need.

Always Be Kind