Down to the River

Today was unseasonably warm, and my family decided to go for a drive. My parents and I picked up my sister, who lives just two minutes away, and we drove out to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, which is located near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers - in the bottom lands.

(Here's the official website.)

It was really gorgeous out - sun shining, blue sky... I started out wearing a sweatshirt but ended up in just a T-shirt by the time we were done.

The whole area is a flood plain, but it was fairly dry this time around, and the road was clear. There's a whole series of wetlands, alternating with cultivated fields. The old cornstalks, cattails and other plants were really glowing golden in the sun!

We stopped first at the boat ramp, and almost as soon as we got out of the car my sister Joanne spotted a bald eagle flying! We had two pairs of binoculars so we all got a good look, even though it wasn't close enough to get a picture. It stayed in sight almost the whole time we were there, gradually making its way down the river.

We walked down the ramp to the river's edge. I found a couple of beaver sticks - evidence of wildlife, even if I didn't see the actual animal! The river was brown as always, but with the clear blue sky there were some bright patches reflected in the water as well. The brown of the river, the gray-brown of the trees, the golden-brown of the plants on the bank... the blue of the sky, the blue-brown of the reflections... it was quite a complex color palette, once you really started looking.

Looking across. 

Looking downstream. 

From there we drove out to see the confluence. It's just a short walk on a paved path to a very nice overlook.

More gold! I'm not sure what this brushy stuff was, but it really caught the sunlight!

Close up - that's a lot of little seeds!

And here's the confluence. This is the brown Missouri River on the lower left, with the blue Mississippi River flowing down to join it from the upper left, behind that spit of land.

Even downstream from that point the line was still quite distinct. It's the Missouri River that is the "Big Muddy!"

Looking upstream along the Missouri - this angle caught a lot more blue in the river.

Looking downstream along the Mississippi. These are two wing dikes, with a big sandbar beyond. There were a lot of seagulls (river gulls... whatever...) out on the sandbar.

Joanne and I followed a trail upstream for just a short while. I ended up getting another view of the confluence. I don't think I've ever seen the line so sharp!

On our way back from the confluence, we stopped at another area to walk out on a short boardwalk over a slough. This is a seasonal wetland - I've seen it with so much water the road was flooded. Today it was dry. No wildlife, although we did see a tree that had been cut down by beavers - and this gorgeous mosaic displayed at the trailhead.

We also heard, then saw, a big flock of snow geese flying far overhead. Their honking really carries a long way! They don't make such a sharp "V" when flying, and they are mostly white, so they are harder to spot against the sky if you don't know where to look.

The sky was so blue and clear I just had to get a few pictures. No geese, just the gray and silver tree trunks.

On our way out of the park, we stopped at the Nature Center. The garden outside had some nice colors...

And some wildlife! It was so warm out that insects were stirring - a few flies, a lady bug, some box elder bugs... and a few wasps. There was a wasp on the wall, and then we spotted a nest that had fallen in the garden.

So pretty! But I wouldn't want to make it angry!

It's supposed to stay warm for another day or two, and then the weather will remember that it's only February. Still, it was nice to get a break! A little preview of spring. I can't wait for the real thing.