The Mississippi River in St. Paul Reaches High Water Mark

The Mississippi in St Paul crested today - or maybe tomorrow. Since I've been amusing myself with the consequences of the spectacle of too much river to fit within the banks, I went to the river try to record the high water mark. It was harder than I expected. The St Paul police, in keeping with their duty to protect the public, have blocked off most of the routes to the river with orange plastic fencing. And they have assigned some officers around the area to catch the stragglers and those who don't read signs very well.

I took this picture from the Wabasha Bridge overlooking Raspberry Island. The railroad bridge just down river from Raspberry Island has amassed a clog of tree trunks, branches and various other pieces of junk. The protectors of the bridge decided to clear the clog and sent out the heavy equipment on the tracks. I spent some moments on this pretty day watching guys work on unclogging the Mississippi. I assume they successfully completed their task, but I went on to try and get a picture of the Harriet Island water level.



I managed to find an area where the orange fencing was missing and was able to get to a vantage point where I could see the great lawn of the island and the river beyond. I hurried to take the photo because the St Paul cops (in the photo) were on their way. Shortly after the photo I was accosted by an officer who explained politely that the park is closed and that I should scram. I engaged in some conversation, drawing on my stature as a senior citizen, and asked if I might take a photo or two more. She explained that if she let me do it there would be a crowd of other folk expecting the same privilege. That, of course, is the standard line that is always used on juveniles to shut off the fun. It worked on me, too. No arrest was necessary. I thanked her for her service and walked out to my auto. Then I drove to the lookout near the high bridge for more viewing.



No tennis today, but tomorrow starts my four days in a row. The outdoor courts continue to look inviting, but it's still a little chilly and the wind is also a factor.

Marching On with Soggy Boots

It's getting to be springy. The crocus plants outside my door are relentlessly pushing up through the old growth around them. It's sure nice to have flowers again. Soon there will be tulips and that most relentless of all flowers - dandelions.


The flood down by the river continues to progress. I went down to check out the current state of Harriet Island. The big open lawn where the Taste of Minnesota occurs every July is flooded and Raspberry Island is closed to the public - too dangerous, the signs say. I was at Harriet Island around noon and there were a lot of people using the sidewalks that were still open. The running folk from the businesses in the area were pounding the pavement and gawkers with cameras, me included, were out and about taking photos of the spectacle. The crest, the high point of the flood, has not yet arrived, but will in a day or two. The river is quite wide, but I don't think that any buildings are threatened. That's the river bed, on the other side of the sidewalk in use by strolling citizens. The St Paul Cathedral can be seen in the background, Science Museum to the right in the frame.


I took a photo from up on the hill to show what parts of Harriet Island are flooded. The Wabasha Bridge is on the far right. Unless you live near the floodplain, this flood is pretty much a non-event.

Outdoor tennis is coming soon. I actually have seen some of the St Paul courts in use, but I'm still attached to my indoor schedule.

Ice on the Lakes and Rivers

After tennis at the Fort Snelling Emporium of Geezer Tennis, I went outside and found spring. The thermometer in my car said 64 degrees. That's warm enough to play outside, if only that pesky layer of ice, and below it the muck, would cooperate. When I got home, my son, UH, was outside without shoes or a shirt basking in the heat. I know, this is false spring, but worth celebrating, or at least enjoying. I went down to Crosby Farm Park to see if the ice on Upper Lake had taken its leave. As you can see in the photo, there is some open water, but ice remains. It's too cold to swim. I circumnavigated Upper Lake and walked along the big river for a while. There were plenty of sun worshippers out, but the river is starting to swell and flooding is expected.



Since it was still very nice late in the afternoon, thanks to daylight saving time, I went to Harriet Island further down the river. The river is not covered with ice, but there are ice floes and pretty big chunks of ice flowing down towards New Orleans. The city looks pretty secure, much of it up on the bluff, but the flood plain may very well live up to its name in the weeks ahead.



It was my fourth consecutive day of tennis. By the time we (the other geezers and me) finished with our two sets, I was tired and ready for some food and some leisure activities. The sets were split 4-6, 6-1, but Dr. Bill was the big winner today. He's been playing well lately and is a force to be reckoned with among this group of seniors. I have tomorrow off from the wars.

John, one of the geezers, and a recreational biker, recommended a good biker documentary about the Tour de France in 2003, called "Hell on Wheels" about the German team, Telecom, that that great horse of a man, Jan Ulrich, led in a dual with Lance Armstrong. The movie is more about Eric Zabel than Lance, but seems to catch the spirit of the event, according to John. I'm going to look for it at Blockbuster.

Harriet Island and the High Bridge

The snow is rapidly leaving us, replaced by puddles and the stuff that won't melt. Harriet Island is pretty much deserted on March days like this, but in the early part of July is the home of a large party. The Taste of Minnesota then fills the island with people searching for unique eats and a place to watch fireworks. These benches are unused and just recently freed from their icy bonds. This idea of photographing benches comes from Santini and I must give her credit. The area behind the benches contains a lot of puddles, but in a few weeks it may be completely under the waters of the mighty Mississippi, if the floods come. Spring in Minnesota can be an adventure.


The high bridge over the Mississippi as seen from Harriet Island is never in any danger of being inundated by flood waters. It has a ghostly look on foggy days, and might serve as a "before" photo in a "before and after" sequence when the flood comes. There is still snow on the ground, but the warmish temps and the rain will soon take care of that.



Tennis. I've played twice in the last 24 hours with mixed results. I split sets last night, playing with the hardcore girls. I hadn't played them for two weeks and it was nice to get back to the action and the competition. I seemed to tire towards the end of our time on court, but was able to rejuvenate myself later with some of that fine Yang's Szechuan cuisine. Although, I must admit that eating spice food that late in the day can be problematic for one with geezer credentials.

This afternoon the geezer gang and I had another set to on the courts at Fort Snelling. It was a very close first set, and I was pleased that my energy level was pretty good for the whole set. We had a lot of closely competed points in the second set, but the score was not reflective of the quality of play. I really like playing these guys. For a bunch of geezers they don't give much quarter, and stay competitive until the end. They get over winning and losing and forget any animosity immediately after the sets are done. They also often forget the score while the match is in progress, which sometimes results in a delay while we, in concert, try to remember the last three or four points. Getting old is not for sissies. [GOINFS].

Greener and Greener

I thought about taking a bike ride. I thought better of it after consulting a couple of weather sites. As it turns out, it might have gone okay. It was windy and threatening rain. And, as predicted, it later rained and the wind increased in exuberance.

Alternate plans were called for. The rabbits in my yard looked to be a threat to my newly planted tomato plants. "Marigolds are the answer," I thought. Highland Nursery has a large selection of various colors of marigolds and now, after a strategic purchase, my tomatoes are protected by a few yellow flowers. It may be a puny plan, but it's my puny plan.

Then I went to look at the big river, down at Harriet Island. The city of St Paul seems to be spending quite a bit of money improving the river banks under its control. I hope the money is federal stimulus money, but I suspect its coming from the increase in property tax levies that are an annual treat in the Capital City. The improvements include a new set of picnic areas in the area where the Jonathon Padelford riverboat is moored when not carrying tourists up and down the river. It's an old style showboat with musicians and other entertainment.


I noticed these lines painted on the side of the ticket office for the Jonathon Padelford. They show why Harriet Island is a park, used for entertainment events, rather than being a residential island. In 1965 and again in 2001 the majority of the island was under water. The Mississippi takes what it wants when it wants it, and it's best to stay out of its way.


I walked along the river for about an hour, enjoying the forest vegetation as it gets greener and greener. Spring is here and is here to stay. I need to tell PP that there is a lot of buckthorn in the area that should be chainsawed to the ground. And I know she can do it.

Time to Watch the TdF

The cool weather the last two days lured me back onto the Trek chained up in the garage. The goal was to go down by the river and get a couple of photos and get in some miles for July. I had just watched stage four of The Tour d' France (TdF) and the idea of a quiet ride appealed to me. It was a little windy, but as SS says, "if you don't ride in the wind, you don't ride" in the wind.

This is taken from the Wabasha Bridge in downtown St Paul. The boats are tied up at a fairly large marina at Harriet Island. A lot of the owners of these boats live in them. Many live there all year around. It seems like a miserable place to be in Minnesota winters, but they insulate the boats and make it through the winter just fine.


I liked this spot at the Science Museum of Minnesota because there is a garden of black-eyed susans. There are a few of them in KS's native grass garden in the yard, but not so many as this. The Science Museum is 100 years old this year, but it hasn't been in this building that long. The Museum spawned a big brood of ceramic dinosaurs (see yesterday's blog), but there weren't any on the Shepherd Road level, at least that I was able to find. They do have a lot of native grass and flower plantings, and they are quite attractive. They also have quite an attractive miniature golf course there that may be associated with the museum, and maybe not. In any case, it also has native plants as part of the landscaping.


It was another night for tennis. We were scheduled for 5:15 pm and at 5:10 the skies opened and it rained mightily for about ten minutes and made the tennis courts at Marie Park into a lake. It may be a case of bad karma. I had my trusty broom - the one that used to belong to Abraham Lincoln, only 10 new handles and 4 new heads - and we swept the courts. This shows Curt of the geezer gang using my broom. We were able to get the courts dry by six o'clock and managed to get in two evenly played sets. Maybe 6-4, 6-4.


Gas was $3.399 at the SuperAmerica on 35E and Highway 13. A possible new high.

I understand that there is a standard for rest room door colors in Michigan parks. Blue and orange are allowed.

Harriet Island and St Paul

It was a beautiful day in St Paul today. A high of 71 degrees required time in the great outdoors. I rode across the Mississippi River on the Smith Avenue bridge and took this photo of downtown St Paul from a vantage point above the river valley. The foreground is Harriet Island. I spent quite a bit of time just roaming around West St Paul, then down Ohio (notice not up Ohio. I have not ever ridden up Ohio) then down Water Street along the river to Lilydale, across the 35E bridge and home (up Benhill Road) - 15 miles.



I also had an hour of hitting those yellow tennis balls at Sibley HS. It was very nice, little wind, and Wilson was comfortable in my grip.

I'm hoping that tomorrow will be as nice. In the meantime I'm getting ready for Roland Garros on May 27 - ten days hence. Allez Serena. (Rusty French, learned in high school from Paul Bouchard 46 years ago.)