Ol' Man River

Mark Twain, William Faulkner, and Herman Melville wrote about it, songs have been written about it, history books are filled with stories about it. According to Wikipedia, "it's the fourth longest river in the world, and the tenth most powerful river in the world."

Yes, it's the Mighty Mississippi River, and it has always fascinated me. I love living in Vicksburg, Mississippi, perched high on the bluffs of the river, where not only its beauty, but the sheer power of its churning waters and currents are truly mesmerizing.

There are two bridges that cross the river at Vicksburg -- one is the Interstate 20 bridge and the other one is the old Highway 80 bridge which is now used only as a railroad bridge.

The bridges are probably one of the most photographed scenes in Vicksburg, by tourists and locals alike, and today, I'd like to share a collection of photos I've captured of the bridges and the river.

I love the huge flag that waves from the top of the bridge welcoming visitors traveling from the West to Mississippi. It's a beautiful sight and never fails to evoke a sense of pride when I see its stars and stripes billowing in the wind.

This is one of my favorite pictures I've taken of the bridges. I couldn't believe my luck when I was actually in the right place at the right time to capture a train crossing the bridge at sunset.

This is a view of the bend in the Mississippi, where the Yazoo River Canal joins it ...

Tugboats are a familiar sight on the river, and are fascinating to watch ...

Here's that same picture in sepia ...

One of the things on my "Places I Would Love To See" List is visiting the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca, Minnesota. I've read that the river is less than three feet deep there and you can walk across it on a stone pathway. I would love to do that, and then follow the river on its 2,320-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico. Of course, that's probably not going to ever happen, but perhaps I'll at least have a chance to walk across that stone path someday.

In the meantime, I'll just continue to enjoy the views of the Mighty Mississippi, from here in Vicksburg, as it "just keeps on rollin' along."

The Bridges of Vicksburg

The City of Vicksburg, Mississippi, perched high on the bluffs of the picturesque Mississippi River, is literally a treasure trove of photographs just waiting to be taken. One of the most-photographed scenes in Vicksburg is probably the twin bridges that span the Mississippi River.

I have a modest collection of pictures I've taken of the bridges, and of the river, which I'd like to share today.

Of all the pictures I've taken (of the bridges), this shot of a train crossing the river at sunset is my all-time favorite ...

Sometimes, sepia-toned photographs are more interesting than color ones. I think that is true of the next two pictures.

The Ameristar Casino at Sunset

And this is the sunset a few minutes later ...

Fun with Photoshop ...

Although the following pictures were taken on the Yazoo Diversion Canal, which branches off the Mississippi, they are some of my most treasured ones because they were taken on November 3, 2008, which was the last time the Delta Queen docked at Vicksburg. On that particular day, the American Queen was here, too, and I was disappointed to see that the Delta Queen was partially hidden behind it. But it was still an exciting day and one I'll remember for a long time (especially since it was my birthday, too!).

American Queen

Compared to a lot of pictures taken of the bridges and the river at Vicksburg, mine are, at best, mediocre. If you would like to see a collection of truly breathtaking photographs, you should visit my blogging friend Marty Kittrell's blog. Marty has the extraordinary talent of being able to see God's glory in everything around us, and he captures it beautifully in his photographs.

This is one of Marty's awesome pictures of the bridges.

It was fun going through my pictures again, and it inspired me to revisit the bridges to see if I can get some better shots of them. So many photographs waiting to be taken -- so little time!