Monday, April 16, 2007

Spring Has Sprung on The River


I LOVE SPRING!!!

The birds are back singing until their little beaks ache. The drab browns and grays of crushed vegetation are yielding to lush green fields. And, the Mississippi River is running hard past our floating office. Best of all the Riverboat Season is underway.

Over the winter we installed a new bottom on the riverbarge Betsey Northrup. You won’t see the difference, but your feet won’t get wet either. And, we added a new sewage tank to the Betsey. You won’t see that either, but I guarantee that every passenger definitely will appreciate it.

You definitely will see the changes on the Jonathan Padelford. The crew worked all winter grinding, cutting, welding and now painting. They ripped all the railings off the second deck, ground 37 years of old paint off the decks and bulkheads (walls for you land lubbers) and completely remodeled the women’s head (water closet, bathroom, toilet, lu, potty, whatever). The pride of the Padelford fleet is undergoing a rebirth in 2007 and you’re going love it.

Speaking of birds, the Bald Eagles are back and our neighbor Anne Hunt reports that they are rebuilding their nest on the north side of the river in Crosby Park just east of the 35E Bridge (aka Lexington Ave. Bridge). She also spotted several pair of eagles at Pig’s Eye Lake. The big birds have been regular guests at Harriet Island all winter and are seen almost daily on our cruises up river through the Great River National Park.

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