Inland Sea Kayakers

October 27, 2007 Annual Mississippi Locks Trip

Despite the collapse of the 35W bridge; the Annual ISK Locks Trip on the Mississippi was held on Saturday October 27. The Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard opened the river to traffic a couple of weeks before the trip. We met at Boom Island Park on cool, crisp autumn morning. The temperature was 40 degrees as the sun rose over the treetops. We launched about 10 AM. About half the people on the trip were first time locks trippers. There is something really special about taking people who have not paddled this stretch of river the locks and the gorge.

Late fall can have variable weather; we lucked out this year. The wind was at our back, the sun was warm and the river was high but not too high. The foam at Lower St. Anthony was incredible. It looked like a giant cappuccino, too big to drink but amazing to paddle through as we enter the lock.

We talked some about the bridge collapse, among ourselves and with the lockmaster as Lower St. Anthony. The lock had some damage. It was hard to tell a bridge once crossed the river. The bridge site is now an empty and quiet construction site. Despite the high water the standing waves, clapotis, below the lock was gentler than it has been in other years. It was as if the river wanted us to leave that place.

Downstream and around the bend from the lock pieces of the bridge steel structure are placed on the west river flats. From the water the steel beams look like modern sculpture, graceful curves ending in ragged cuts and tears.

We stopped on the East bank for a snack, a spot of tea and a bit of conversation, then we paddled on, over the remnants of the original Lock 1 to the Ford Dam. Below the Ford Dam we stopped to play in the eddies. The island below the dam was almost inundated by the river waters. Several people paddled up to the dam through the west side channel between the lock and the island. As we played in the eddies we had a swimmer and an opportunity to perform a rescue, a real rescue. The paddler tried several times to roll up, he tried and missed and tried again until he twisted out of his boat. Two rescuers were there immediately and the rescue went like it was a planned part of the event.

The finale was lunch at Cecil's Deli. Great food, and great conversation to end the day.