I went down to the South Riverfront bright and early on Saturday and cut through the flood wall. The sun was shining across the Mississippi River.

The water level is still low, but I think it has been rising a bit since the last time I looked.

I had come to see if I could spot the wreckage of the USS Inaugural, and I found it to the north; I couldn’t get any closer because the floodgate that allows access was closed. But it is still there, and does not show any evidence of further despoliation. I’ve visited the wreck twice, once in December of 2012, and the other time in February of 2013.

I’ve always been interested in the rusting and collapsing piers left along the river, too.

The giant mounds of earth up against the floodwall are slowly turning brown.

Silt and sand are piled up and are revealed along the paths.

Large numbers of barges are moored along the banks, waiting for their next assignments.

One of my favorite bridges, the MacArthur, is off in the distance.

The sun was shining brightly, only hours before the sky became overcast.

The old Cahokia Power Station looms over the river.