Life On The San Pedro

Down here, if down is to mean south as far as the United States will take you, there is a river that runs in opposition to the Mississippi, that is, north. This river has a Spanish name, Spanish likely because centuries ago Spain took control of this area and brought the language here; it is the San Pedro (Saint Peter). Saint Peter is the fellow said to stand at the pearly gates of Heaven and take a head count. The Mississippi, on the other hand, is the Algonquin word for, believe it or not, "big river" and is the subject of spelling difficulties of many a young child subjected to such memorization before double consonants need be force-fed into the brain. The Algonquin people, mind you, were on the receiving end of the control taking business and these days speak English. The San Pedro, at times, is no wider than the length of the noxious bullfrogs who sit on its banks; the Mississippi, by contrast, is far wider than either a frog or a bull...or, for that matter, the two laid end to end. The San Pedro is the subject of local concern as to its ability to remain a river, that is, a river with water in it. The Mississippi often floods and has brought great engineering projects to occur and is unlikely to run dry anytime soon.

In past years, I crossed both rivers. The Mississippi by long steel bridge, the San Pedro by bridge...and by a well-timed and well-executed leap. I find rivers intriguing to watch while moving over them in a perpendicular fashion. The water that was under me as I set out from one shore is far downstream by the time I reach the other bank. It seems a pity that I'm not headed in the direction of the flow as I could then take advantage of the current and save myself a great deal of effort and eventually drift to one side of the river or the other without too much difficulty. Using an inner tube, the floating idea would take but one tire whereas the bridge option usually takes four.