Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Sunday, June 10, 2012

Ole Man River

The Father Of Waters has changed big time. As a boy growing up, in St Paul, on the bluffs overlooking the Missippippi, the view of the river was wonderous indeed. From Daytons Bluff you could see the city skyline, dominated by the 1st National Bank, where my father worked. Directly across the river was the airport and to the left, the river disappeared into the unfathomable distance. Reading the adventures of Tom and Huck only added to the fascination. We played on those bluffs and often visited the river below. Reality set in then, with the smells, the garbage floating by and the sense that we were looking at an open sewer. Later, in the seventies, the passage of the Clean Air and Water Act seemed a hopeless gesture towards something better. It wasn't. Today the river, while by no means perfect, is much cleaner. A few years ago, I had to temporarily give up flyfishing due to a bad knee. Not willing to leave fishing entirely, I bought a fishing boat and began visiting the river again. Discovering the backwaters, I found solitude and good fishing. You could almost forget you were on a vital transportation artery and be reminded of canoe country in the Boundary Waters wilderness.On the main channel we passed the Corps of Engineers operating a dredge. This is neccesary to keep the river open to barge traffic. Huge mountains of muck and sand are sucked out each summer. Recently we went for a pleasure cruise up the length of Lake Pepin. The lake is actually a widening in the river. A fun outing often ends with a picnic or a lunch at one of the many riverside restaurants. Sunset and heading home....

20 comments:

  1. I've always found water to be relaxing and soothing. These photos look exactly that!

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  2. That sounds like a wonderful day!
    xo Catherine

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  3. That does sound wonderful and relaxing! Gorgeous sunset!

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  4. Nice picture of you, I must say. You look happy and that smile tells the tale. Nice sunset picture, too! :-)

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  5. There is a lot of charm on that river,I have been a river rat myself.I have went through a lock in a canoe a few times.

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  6. There is a lot of charm on that river,I have been a river rat myself.I have went through a lock in a canoe a few times.

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  7. Husband grew up in an old house with a picture window facing the River in Lake City. His father enjoyed fishing outings in the various backwaters south of there. I got it on a bit of this myself. Good memories. For the last few years, my daughter lived near the Wis side of the River, so we would enjoy the trip up the Minn side. Beautiful. Now we no longer have anybody in Lake City, so we don't get down that was. :-(

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  8. It is comforting to know that we can correct our screw ups. There is hope for man yet.
    So glad that you can enjoy the new and improved version. May it only get better.

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  9. Nice post about our mighty river.

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  10. Good to hear a positive comeback to the pollutants..I wonder what a chemical analysis would show:(

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  11. Looks so inviting! I grew up near a much smaller river but it powered many paper mills. It always ran thick and foamy and the color varied-bright pink, orange, yellow. Today it actually looks like water!

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  12. What an excellent post, TB! There are two sides to every coin or river. On the one hand we can pat ourselves on the back for making the air and water cleaner. A job well-done, we tell ourselves as we ride off into the sunset. On the other hand we've made it more difficult for young adults in this country to find jobs that will give them the same standard of living we've been able to enjoy.

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  13. Oh my what a fun day that looks like.

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  14. How nice to return to the water even if you can't flyfish. That sunset photo is gorgeous!

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  15. Hope your Mayo trip went well. Take care of yourself.

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  16. Hi TB, Hope you get your new computer up and running soon. Understand your old computer is no longer usable. Waiting to see more posts when you get the new one online.

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  17. Since it's been a while since you posted, I'm expecting something adventurous any day now :-)

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  18. hey TB and Mrs TB, Hope you are both doing okay..the heat has been a bugger up here. Hope you are staying cool:)

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  19. It's been a month since you posted and I hope the respite is for good reasons and not bad. Thinking of you both in this miserable weather and hope all is well.

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  20. I love being on the water. That restaurant looks enticing.

    Denise

    http://pichetsinparis.blogspot.com

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