Flood On The Hooch

I set out today to write a post about something entirely different but my search for writing inspiration got me sidetracked.  You see, when my mind gets all blocked up I can’t make words line up like good little soldiers to form orderly platoons…er…I mean coherent sentences regardless of how I whip them and beat them.  I often find it helps to go for a walk.  This bit self-knowledge served as motivation today to get up off the oh-so-comfy love seat at Judy Bug’s Books and head down the sidewalk for a stroll under a canopy of trees just beginning to bud in the warmth of Spring.

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I moseyed down Broadway through the Historic District, taking a right on 5th Street to pass Founder’s Park on the corner of 5th and Front Streets.  I trip-trapped along like a Little Billy Goat Gruff snapping a picture here and there — a crocus, a picturesque piece of yard art, the gingerbread trim on an 1800′s house — making my way toward The Hooch.  Following the zig-zagging ramp down towards the water, I began to suspect it quite possible that perhaps I might find myself unable to return UpTown by following the Riverwalk.

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Though the sky was brilliant blue, the collected rainfall of the morning and the previous night had filled our portion of the Chattahoochee to the brim.  Muddy water was lapping high upon the bank, covering the boat landing adjacent to the Historic Columbus Ironworks.  A few short yards later, I found my way blocked by waves lapping upon the brickwork pathway. I turned around and headed back for the courtyard and fountains beside The Ironworks.  Before I headed on up the sidewalk back towards the bookstore, I decided to venture out onto the Dillingham Bridge to get a better view of the river and it’s city.

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From my perch above the cocoa-colored rapids I had a clear view up to the Eagle and Phenix Dam.  The Riverwalk was completely submerged.  Even the handrailings were covered by the rushing water.

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I moved to Columbus in the middle of a three-year drought.  My first summer here the trees just below the E&P Dam were sitting on a rather large and sandy island.  The water level was so low that one could practically wade across the Chattahoochee and pay a visit to Alabama — if one were so inclined that is.  These same trees are now up to their necks in river water(or possibly even shoulders or chins — it’s hard to tell with trees).

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This isn’t the first flood on The Riverwalk.  It’s been known to happen before.  Alek at Judy Bug’s explained to me today that this marvelous recreational addition to the Columbus Waterfront is not merely an aesthetically pleasing bit of architecture.  The Riverwalk is actually designed to flood, serving as part of our fair city’s drainage system.  Who knew?

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Most important to me in all of this is the surety that if the blue skies stick around the waters of The Hooch will drain away on down to Florida and my beloved Riverwalk will remain intact for years more of strolling and biking and gazing and otherwise recreational enjoyment.  I like knowing that life goes on.  It sets me at ease.  With a bit more practice, maybe someday I can maintain a sense of calm as unruffled as a statue.  Till then I will walk, and write, and watch the water roll on by.