Across the Mississippi © 2010 Bo Mackison

Once I cross the Mississippi, I know it’s true.

It’s time for another trip to the land I love to visit – the western and southwestern regions of the United States. We crossed the Mississippi just after sunrise, and the sunlight made that Minnesota shore sparkle like gold.

That’s Lock and Dam #5 – located on Mississippi River about ten miles northwest of Winona, Minnesota. It was built in 1935 and underwent major renovation in 1987-98. The locks and dams control the flow of the Mississippi.

From its origin to St. Louis, the Mississippi is controlled by 43 dams. Fourteen of these dams are located above Minneapolis in the headwaters region and generate electrical power and provide a great recreational resource. The other 29 dams start in downtown Minneapolis and contain locks which were constructed to permit commercial navigation of the upper river.

These 43 dams shape the geography of this huge river, the largest river system in the United States. The length of the Mississippi, from its origin in Lake Itasca, Minnesota to where it flows into the Gulf of Mexico 50 miles south of New Orleans is about 2,320 miles.

I lived in a river city on the Mississippi for the first 18 years of my life, and I’ve always lived in a state that borders the river, so I consider the Mississippi “my” river.