Lock And Dam 1

Panoramic shot taken while on the Ford Parkway Bridge, which cross the Mississippi River. In the distance is Lock and Dam 1 originally constructed in 1917, then reconstructed in 1929 [though I'm reading conflicting dates, but I'll go with these] to allow for hydro power to be developed. The structure is 574 feet, the locks are 56 feet wide, 400 feet long.

The Doors Of Steel

In May of 2007, I had stopped by the Lock and Dam Number 2 in Hastings, wanting to get some shots of what the insides of the locks look like. I was greeted with a big fence and a warning sign stating that this was as closes as you'll get to the dam. It became protected after the Twin Towers attack on September 11. If you'd like to read the sign, I have a photo of it here.

This afternoon, another co-worker of mine, Dave J, forwarded me a photo of him traveling inside of the lock and damn while on his boat. The photo was taken with the camera on his cell phone. I've been inside of the locks a couple of times and it is a strange feeling when the lock doors close and your encased in steel walls, while holding onto a rope to keep your boat next to the side of the wall. The water rises or lowers slowly, and before you know it, you venture on your way. Thank you for the contribution.

Pipes, Tubes and Water

The lock and damn in hastings. Just showing a little bit of the mechanics of the damn.

Far And Wide

I want to expand a bit off of yesterday's photo about the Lock and Damn number 2. It's a very interesting place to visit, I'm a short distance from the dam for this shot. The bad news, if you read the sign on the closed entrance gate in yesterdays photo, the dam is closed for visitors. So, that is about as close as one can get to the dam and the observation platform. It does have to do with the terrorist attacks on September 11.

Read the expanded warning message about why the dams are closed for the moment.

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Dam It Is Closed

Payed a visit to Lock and Dam Number 2 which is located near the Hastings border on the Mississippi River. This is the entrance to the observation area which obviously leads to the area where you can watch the boats rise and fall, depending on which way they are headed.

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