gone on the river
This is the confluence of the Des Moines river with the Mississippi, looking up the Des Moines.
I was especially interested in this particular confluence because I am now, for the first time on this trip so far, connected by water to my mom and sister and aunt and uncle all the way up in Estherville, Iowa. The river that flows through their town, and the town my mom grew up in (Emmetsburg, Iowa) is now part of the Mississippi.
My grandmother lived almost her entire life in the Des Moines watershed. She grew up near a small creek they called "Jack Crick," which flows into the Des Moines, and eventually into the Mississippi. She died in May, just a mile or so from the Des Moines.
I'm not sure what it is about this connection that feels so magical to me, but it's there. I had to call mom and Abbey to let them know.
Starting in Itasca, I was connected to a relatively small area by water. With every confluence, the area increases.