On the Upper Mississippi, there’s a 420-foot drop in water level between St. Anthony Falls, Minnesota and Granite City, Illinois. In 1930, the locks and dams were built to help control all that flowing water, making it navigable for river traffic, including barges transporting goods up and down the waterway. The dams divide the upper river into pools of different elevations and the locks work like water elevators, lifting and lowering boats and barges to the level of the next pool. They sure are an engineering marvel! Other than opening and closing the huge metal doors, every process is powered by Mother Nature’s laws of physics.
Paddling up to one of the 29 gargantuan locks on the Mississippi River can be awe-inspiring, if not intimidating. My reaction was most often one of awe. As Gene and I approached each one of the 26 locks we traveled through, we gaped in awe at the huge walls and metal gate, pulled the cord to signify our presence, and waited eagerly for the ride.
As fascinating as it can be, I’ll to warn you: going through a lock can have its eery moments. Come along with us. You’ll see what I mean! The gates open, inviting us in. It’s an easy paddle. The water level inside the lock is the same as our upstream pool. Once inside, we see the exit gates to the lower pool far ahead. The size of the enclosure is typical: 600 feet long and 110 feet wide. At 20 feet long and only 30 inches wide, our kayak is dwarfed. We glide close to the wall. The lock and dam operator leans over and throws us each a line. I hold mine loosely in one hand, the other bracing a paddle against the wall to keep us from scratching the side of our wooden boat.
"Somewhere deep below, a valve opens,
drains our super-sized tub, baring water-dyed walls.
Damp line slides through my fingers, inch by inch.
Foot by foot, we descend further into darkness."
- Excerpt from "Locking Through" in my chapbook, Mississippi Meanderings
This drop is about 16 feet, much less than our largest drop of 38 feet at Lock #19, near Keokuk, Iowa. In the shadow of the damp wall, I feel, rather than see, the goosebumps appearing on my arms. A minute later, I hear the blare of an airhorn and the gates open to the downstream pool, freeing us to paddle into the warm sunlight again. As we head out into our new pool, I hear Gene say, “That was a lot easier than a portage!” I remember carrying and sometimes wheeling our kayak and our gear up hills, along trails, and on the side of the road to avoid dams or dangerous rapids up in the headwaters. Yes indeed, locks are easier, by far!
Thanks for showing up to sample another of my poems from the new chapbook. If you’ve ordered a copy during the presale period, thank you! If you’d like to, you can get it here at http://www.finishinglinepress.com. Books will be sent out the week of my launch date, July 26th.
If you haven’t heard the tale of the little city on the Mississippi named Muscatine and how it came to be known as the Pearl Button Capital of the World, you’re in for a treat. Stop back next week, for a story and a snippet of the poem, “Pearl Buttons!” Best wishes always, Barb
Author Barb Geiger 