A Cold, Windy And Flooded day in Muscatine.

Frosty Morning. 

Looks like the river is a little high....

Today was the long run day!   Theoretically.  It was predicted to be cold.  In fact,  it was warned that this would be the "Last  Day of the 2019  Iowa Growing Season."  They were not fibbin!   There was frost on the Subie and the last remaining tomato plant is completely wilted.   I doubt it will recover as tomorrow is projected to be even colder.

Blustery?   Enough to fly a plane....

But that should make for a great day to run long... right?   Well,  as long as it is not too cold... and not gusting with strong wind. ( Blustery?  Is that even a real word?)     But it was.   And for this reason Cheryl was having second thoughts on tackling the long run today.

And then there was the flooding.   Flooding?  In Iowa?  Along the Mississippi?    Well,   after a long hot Summer,  the level of the Mississippi has been rather low.   I would guesstimate around 5-10 feet below the normal water line!  ( Judging from the color of the rocks and the pilings around the docks.)  Well that is all changed over this last week.

Riverview Center is literally  "Right On the Water!"

It looked like it might be ok at first.   At least the trail was open and the sidewalk dry.   Only the very edge of the parking lot was covered in water.  We wondered if braving the cold and wind was going to be cut short by the river.

Well,  it was.   As we neared the "caution area" , the water was right up next to the bike path/sidewalk.  Eventually,  I discovered the "Trail Closed" Sign that had blown over from the wind.   We did not have to go far to realize that the path was impassable.

So,  Cheryl was surprisingly giddy about having to only run 10 miles instead of 17.  What is seven extra miles to a Marathoner, after all?  But,  nature wins in this case and we turned back.  Perhaps tomorrow will  change things and Cheryl will feel motivated to make up for the missing mileage.  We shall see.

Hope everyone is having a great day today.   Stay warm,  drink some flavored coffee, and try not to drive on the highway with a high profile vehicle at unsafe speeds.    That might not matter where you are from, but here in Iowa,   High Profile in High Winds spells: "Tipped Over Semi truck or Camper!"  Best to play it safe and avoid I35 for the next 24 hours....

At least I captured a new Screenshot for my Computer.  I'm hoping we will capture more "Fall Color" before the end of the year, but until then, I will be happy with this one.  Thanks for stopping in.