The Mighty Mississippi

Crossing into Minnesota I crossed the Mississippi River in a car (as opposed to a plane) for the first time ever.  So it was really my first sighting of it.  I even drove out of my way so I could drive along it for a little while.  I didn't know Minnesota and Wisconsin has such beautiful landscapes.  Rock bluffs - yellow-warm colors, blocky (I've no idea the stone - Becca Fenwick, could you weigh in please?).  And as I was driving next to the Mighty Mississippi (which is indeed mightier than the Ohio River - and those of us who grew up in Cincinnati always felt that the Ohio did not get her due - and now I kind of understand why), a train came chugging down the track between me and the river - a long, long, long train, and then a barge pushing coal (I think) came chugging down - and I thought of Mark Twain and all of American literature and how we have channeled and diverted and irrigated our rivers here in America so that we are completely disconnected from them and don't even know they are the life-blood of our land and without them America wouldn't exist.  It seems like about half of America ultimately drains into the Mississippi River.  And we are trying to strangle our rivers, except they won't be strangled.  They get revenge.  Ask a survivor of Hurricane Katrina.