Rivers of My Life

RDP Saturday: RIVER

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I was born in Colorado. Water is precious there, and I remember the irrigation ditches that were common in every neighborhood on the Western Slope. I also remember the Colorado River that rushed past as we drove in the opposite direction. It always seemed we were within inches of falling in 🙂

The river is quite peaceful here. Other places, not so much.

Image result for Colorado River near Grand Junction

Then we moved to Minnesota, and the Mighty Mississippi colored the landscape. It started as a trickle up north in Itasca, and broadened quickly to accommodate transportation and industry.

This is Minnehaha Falls on the Mississippi:

Image result for Mississippi River in Minneapolis

Minnehaha means laughing waters; Mississippi means Big River.

Then we moved to Portland Oregon, which I absolutely loved. No mosquitoes. And the mighty Columbia River met with the Willamette there. Some of the most gorgeous scenery imaginable. The Willamette is actually a tributary of the Columbia, and they meet rather gently in this photo at Kelly Point Park:

Image result for meeting of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers in Oregon

Now we’re in Pennsylvania, where there are lots of rivers and creeks, but very few lakes. Most of the lakes are man-made, which still seems strange to me after all these years living here. Growing up in the Land of 10,000 lakes gets a person used to always having a lake nearby.

The most well-known river in our part of the state is the Schuylkill, which is always busy with water sports and industrial commerce.