ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS
Rex Burress
A different kind of river has come into our midst during the “pineapple express-beginning” of new year 2017 around Oroville! Only this time it is called an “atmospheric river” of rain, much needed in the parched state...until it turns into an “earthly flood!”
The 'atmospheric river of water in the sky,' as the unexpected drenching of drought-afflicted California has been dubbed by forecasters, is South Sea water and wind wrung from the mysterious depths of nature. Somehow the forces got together to move past the invisible “high-ridge” and deliver a game-changer! Some things are still wild and free...or affected by rain-dances and prayer!
Actually, there is plenty of mentally pleasant atmosphere along the Feather River in all seasons if you consider 'atmosphere' to also be 'the overall aesthetic effect of a work of art or emotional atmosphere'. Of course, the major meaning is the whole mass of air surrounding the earth. Key to atmospheric rivers is wind; “air in natural motion horizontally.”
Consider the peace and beauty you find along the river in normal times, as the flow offers a tranquil stream of life to those who pass that way and experience its moods. You might find a morning filled with bird song or aquatic wonders in the constant current. The atmosphere is quite enhanced during mist and fog of autumn and winter when trees and trails are shrouded in the magic of moisture. There is also room for the fisherman and the floater!
William Cullen Bryant had it right when he wrote “Green River.” He portrayed “the stream with waters of green” in an aesthetic light not noticed by everyone, but the poem is really one of the great descriptions of a river from the portals of the past. “...And forest, and meadow, and slope of hill,/Around thee are lonely, lovely, and still,/Lonely save when, by thy rippling tides,/From rapid to rapid the angler glides,/Or haply, some idle dreamer, like me,/To wander, and muse, and gaze on thee...”
My river romance started at Grand River near Trenton, Missouri. Actually, it was the Thompson branch of the sprawling Grand River system, fed also by creeks like my nearby No Creek, but there was definitely river atmosphere on early morning fishing trips when chilled, misty air clung to the lowlands, spiced with muddy aromas from nearby swamps, and the slow swirl of water indicated life and a direction. You could shiver while waiting for a giant catfish to take the bait, as they're alleged to do before sunrise-- as they're supposed to do, although that plan usually didn't pan out!
But you could sit there and watch the wonders of weather and woods, maybe hear the early birds singing, perhaps even see the blue jay announcing the dawn of a new day...as you can do on any river if you get there in time. On Missouri rivers, you might even be blessed to hear the assertive clear notes of the decidedly red cardinal! Something is always stirring wherever you are-- whether in an atmospheric river out west, or along a mud-lined Missouri grand river...if you watch...and wait.
“This is a beautiful country. Each of us has a favorite river, a mountain, just a patch of blue sky for some of us. I want to use the law to make sure that the waters, the land, and the skies of this nation are protected.” --Janet Reno
“In rivers, the water that you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which comes; so it is with present time.” --Leonardo da Vinci