Canada Geese On Flooded Missouri

These Canada Geese are at home on the flooded Missouri.




John 16:33
"These things I have spoken to you,
that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you have tribulation,
but take courage; I have overcome the world."

Hike Before Thunderstorm

A cloudy front came through from the north with force. My dog Molly and I got out and instead of heading for the woods we went to a hill overlooking the sky to the north.

The strong wind blew from the north for about 5 minutes then calmed down.

We had hiked up through uncut grass about knee high. Molly walked through it with her head held high.




Here are a couple of photos showing the storm approaching.


After the wind died down we inspected a row of trees along a gully. We then hiked back up a hill towards this hackberry tree. The tree provided shelter to jot down some notes. Soon after I got to the tree the thunder claps started to roll one after the another.

Wind through the trees and grass makes a soothing background sound to thunder in the sky. At this point an occasional raindrop hits me. Then the wind picks up again with a little more rain. The sky is starting to get darker. As I look to the east I can see a break in the clouds along the horizon but all above shows storms.

We headed back to the car as the rain started to fall faster. We went over to a row of trees that sheltered us from the north wind and rain as we walked. Finally at the bottom of the hill we were in a deluge. Se we ran up a steep embankment to the car.

The hike was exhilarating.


Proverbs 25:13
"Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters."

Summer Woods Obstacles

Why do I like to hike in the woods in the heat of the summer? I have to put up with these stick tites though the seeds have not come out yet. When they do my pants are covered with them.

Other things that would keep people from going into the woods in the summer are:
Sweat from the humidity and heat.
Cobwebs in my face.
Spiders getting on my neck.
Mud.
Ticks
Poison ivy (it has not bothered me, but I stay clear when I can)
mosquitos
snakes
thorns
thirst (the water I carry is warm when I drink it)
When I was climbing out of a creek I reached up on a bank and my hands burned from the poison of a weed I touched.
Obstructed view.
Logs hidden under weeds that present a tripping hazard.
Ants that bite when I sit down to rest.


Here is my dog below me, getting some needed water. This shows the steepness of what I hike in.

In spite of all this I still hike in the summer woods. Why? Because I love it. I don't notice these problems much because I am focused on other things.

Jesus asks us to follow Him and this sometimes will entail some problems. If we love Him we will overlook the problems to be a help to other people.

2 Timothy 1:8
". . . but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God."

Survive Flooding

Black willow (most likely) in its element. High water and flooding.


Reading a report that listed trees that can survive flooding of more than one year.

These trees came from a study in the Missouri river and lower Mississippi river after the 1993 flood.

Water hickory
Pecan
Button brush
Swamp privet
Green ash
Water locust
Deciduous holly
Water elm
Overcup oak
Nuttall oak
Black willow
Bald cypress.

Job 27:18-20
" He has built his house like the spider’s web,
Or as a hut which the watchman has made.
He lies down rich, but never again;
He opens his eyes, and it is no longer.
Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night. "

Yahoo

I got my camera back from the shop.

Missouri River is Down

From what I can tell there is a 7 foot drop from the high water to the current Missouri river level.

Public Works had just finished cleaning up the area when I got there. You can still see the high water mark on the pavement and the dead grass above.



Psalm 3:1,2,3
"Many are rising up against me,
Many are saying of my soul,
There is no deliverance for him in God.
But You O Lord are a shield about me."

Indian Mound

Here is an Indian burial mound in Kansas City. My family took a trip through Iowa and saw many burial mounds through the state.

Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa

Mud Covered Turttle

During this flood season I came across this mud covered turtle. Notice you can't see the pattern on its back. This may mean the turtle has been through some flooded areas to get here. I am not far from the Missouri river which is about 20' above normal. The river is about 5 feet below the elevation of where I am standing.

Floods are never nice and they are not clean. Nothing is built by floods only devastation. But floods are predictable. They happen during times of rain. And they happen near rivers.

Do we protect ourselves against devastation? Or do we ignore the warnings and go full speed ahead?

Jesus has given us many words to live by in the Bible. I pray I don't completely ignore them.

Matthew 7:26,27
"Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and floods came, and winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell-and great was its fall."

Flood

Iowa has much more flooding but there are some signs of flooding along the Missouri river.
The boat ramp is to the left of the solar powered pole.

The brush out in the river marks the normal bank before flooding.



Job 27:20
" Terrors overtake him like a flood; A tempest steals him away in the night.

Missouri River Flood Projections

Here is a link to the Missouri river watershed flood projections.

Flooding

What causes flooding?
Obviously excess of rain will cause flooding. Rain over a period of time will cause the ground to be saturated. Then when more rain comes the ground can't soak up any moisture so the new rain runs off.

Building in the flood plain will cause flooding of course. People don't realize that the river won't always be at its normal low level. The river has different stages of flow. Drought, normal rain heavy rain excessive rain.

One thing to consider is how much is it raining upstream. All the rain in the watershed will come down the river at some point. Except for lakes and evaporation.

Building upstream will decrease the ability of the land to absorb water. Each parking lot, driveway and house was taken from the available acreage to absorb water. The water then that would have been held by the soil will now run off into the areas drainage system.

So a creek that at first, seemed like a peaceful creek and handled heavy rain easily will now be a raging tyrant in a slightly heavy rain because of the development upstream. People that have built houses by this picturesque stream now have a house next to an ugly monster during heavy rainfall.

Levies will hold flooding back. It will also allow the lowlands to be used. The problem with levies is they don't allow the low ground to store water to keep the flood manageable. Now when levies are in place the water that would have sat [stored] in low ground continues on down stream putting more pressure by increasing the flood potential down stream.

So it seems that flood protection works in moderate flood conditions but is counterproductive in high flood conditions. Now with levies, a 100 year flood event will occur more often then 100 years.

Instead of trying to protect against floods it is better to understand flooding as a part of life and not build in the flood plain. The flood plain should be used for nature and low cost recreational activities. Then after a flood these areas could be rebuilt such as ball diamonds, trails etc.

Swirled American Sycamore

This is an interesting Sycamore tree. The branch that has taken off seems to put down roots in the bowl of the tree.


John 15:5
I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

Bur Oak

Stately Bur oak.


John 15:4
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

Swayed American Sycamore

Swayed American sycamore shows early obsticle to light. But tree got back on course.


John 15:3
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

Here were some habatat holes. As I crossed this log I came across another one.






John 15:2
Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.

Swamp

Swamp in woods encountered I also saw a wood duck that but failed to get a photo.

John 15:1

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

Ferns in May

Psalm 69:14
"Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink;
May I be delivered from my foes and from the deep waters."

July 2007 Flowers

Snail

Psalm 103:8
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

Busy As Beavers

Photo take at a different time then the article was written.

Busy As Beavers "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." 2 Cor. 3:17 Beavers are prevalent along the Missouri River. We found this to be the case during a family outing. A number of Cotton wood trees had been girdled and dropped. Later I went back to see if I could find other signs of beaver activity. I did not see any at first. About one quarter mile into the woods I came upon a brush pile that had a lot of one inch saplings piled neatly in the creek. Also there was mud piled along the bottom of the pile. At first I thought that this might have been dumped there in a flood, but all the sticks were neatly piled there. All seemed to be cut by beavers. There wasn't any other brush in the creek so the pile couldn't have been put there in a flood. This pile was definitely a beaver home. I returned to this area two years later to see if there were any changes. A flood had left a pile of sand two feet thick in some places. No effort had been made to clean up the sand. The hiking trail was now covered by sand piled in different thicknesses. Did the beavers survive the flood? I found new evidence that beavers still lived in the area. The trees the beavers had gnawed, had been knocked down by the flood, so the little woodsman were still active. The beaver lives mainly on the bark of hardwood trees. They build dams to hide the entrance to their hutches under water. They are sociable animals and usually have a number of beavers living in the same dammed area. Each family has its own lodge. The lodge is constructed by piling sticks and mud into a cone shape and then chewing their way in by cutting tunnels and passageways. The beavers' teeth are unique. The incisors grow continuously and are shaped so that the beavers' gnawing sharpens their teeth. The tail is flat and is used for sitting as it chews and gnaws. It is also used to signal danger to other beavers by slapping it in the water. Beavers are known for being busy. God has asked us to be busy as well. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58). A proverb that I like says, "In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty" (Prov. 14:23). If we have this attitude we will be fruitful for God. "So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10). As we work for the Lord we can be assured that what we do for Him will not be in vain. Even if we give a glass of water, we will receive a reward.