We cruisers were bused one hour south to Red Wing where our vessel, American Cruise Lines’ American Melody, and crew were waiting for us. Our arrival coincided beautifully with lunch. We pulled away from the dock at 2:00 and spent the afternoon connecting to the cruise portal, getting on Wi-Fi, unpacking, and attending an orientation.

Before we knew it, it was time to strap on the ole feed back again. In honor of Flag Day, the Army’s 250th birthday, and Rick’s service during the Vietnam War, Dan brought table decorations, treats, and a small gift for Cyd and Rick. Had we known there’d be a WWII vet (97 years old) and his Korean War vet neighbor (93) on board, Dan would have brought a few more flags and gifts.

Dan and I cruised the Lower Mississippi a few years back and are excited to see this section of the second longest river in North America. In most ways I anticipate it to be a total contrast. Where the Upper is forested with rolling hills, bluffs, and clear water, the Southern is flat with bayous, floodplains, swamps, deltas, and consistently murky water. The Upper has four distinct seasons with snowy winters and cool springs while the Southern is hot and humid with mild winters. The Upper was influenced largely by Scandinavians and German-Americans while the Southern has strong African American, Creole, and Cajum cultural influences. The alligators, herons, and catfish of the south will be replaced by river otters, bald eagles, and deer in the north.

The guest lecturer confirmed some of my suspicions during her fabulous lecture this afternoon plus had a load of fun facts about the Mighty Mississippi. For example, we now know folks were here as long as 12,000 years ago. The headwaters of the river are in Minnesota, 230+ miles north of our starting point. There is only one natural fall in the river. Nature spent thousands of years creating the Lower Mississippi. The presenter explained the underwater walls called wingdams that were installed in certain places to self-dredge the river. On and On she went with explanations of all sorts of things from locks to fuel charges to the tributaries feeding this river.

Before calling it a day we had a delicious red snapper dinner, took advantage of an overview of tomorrow’s port, and tapped along to a lively Do-Whopping Along the River performance by a young local duo. Popcorn and ice cream sundaes were offered to tide us all over until breakfast tomorrow.

We headed to bed excited to explore a few stops along our 611-mile journey that will take us past five states and through 24 dams.

... The Mississippi Dams …

The purpose of the dams and locks is to hold back water to maintain a nine foot channel.

There are no locks and dams south of Saint Louis.