The picture above, taken May 5th, shows one of the access points to the multi-use path that follows the Mississippi River Levee in Baton Rouge. I've heard that no one will be allowed on top of the levee starting May 20th.It's one of the things about the weather, and weather related events, in Louisiana - we don't suffer those short, sharp shocks of tornadoes (usually). Instead, we live with the very embodiment of "inexorable" -watching storm fronts move in from the northwest in red, snaking lines or the latest hurricane to enter the Gulf turn and steam toward us in near-obscene satellite-eye high-definition resolution. This time, it's the River.
Seems there's been a lot of rain this spring upriver of Baton Rouge. With nearly a third of the continent drained by the Mississippi and its tributaries, when it rains in Ohio we get little buckeyes streaming by a month later. This time it seems quite a bit of Ohio is in the River, at least, Ohioan topsoil and anything else that washes off in the rain.
That the media, local and national, keeps referencing the Flood of 1927 is one sure sign of the immensity of this latest river rise. It didn't help that the Department of Public Works announced there are a few low spots in the Baton Rouge levee that are about 6 inches lower than the predicted high-water mark.
All this whoo-hah made me think it was a good idea to take a photograph of the batture from the same two spots every day around 6 PM. It has proven interesting so far. I'll have photos up soon.
This high water has affected bicycle touring in the area by closing the St Francisville ferry. The state was going to close that service permanently as soon as the John James Audubon Bridge opened but the River forced the state to act sooner than they had planned. I have to check to see if the rumor that the bridge has a dedicated bicycle lane is true. If not, well, it will make crossing the River more interesting than it used to be, that's for sure.
I wonder if anyone has contacted the Adventure Cycling Association?
