This is a picture of my eventful trip on the Mississippi River. We toured the three major grain elevators. In this picture, I am captivated by the size of the Bunge Grain Elevator. This elevator is rather new, because it went under a large renovation after a ship crashed into it and collapsed it. Although it seems unlikely that the Mississippi's current could carry a ship like that, it happens roughly once a year. Typically the way this happens is that a cable attaching the ship to a barge will snap, and the ship will be taken by the current. Apparently the survival rate of a person who falls into the river is almost 0%, due to the fact that the current does not move in one direction. A combination of the gulf water mixing with the river water, and the bends in the river cause many different currents that suck a person under the water, and makes in nearly impossible to track where they will resurface. Even after informing my boss that I was a member of the Saint Martin's Swim Team, I was still told that I would almost certainly die if I fell in. This was my favorite excursion because not only was it informative, but it was also very fun. If the school has a chance to take a field trip like this, I highly recommend it.
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