Party Boats......

I cross a dammed up area that has a road built over it, when I travel to the old house.  The secondary dam keeps the Lake Saylorville from interfering with the water level of a smaller lake north of it, Big Creek.  That main dam holds back water when the Des Moines River overfills the big lake and the water can raise ten feet or more. The main dam to the left of the photo, has the spillway which sometimes can't dump it fast enough. This artificial lake created a cove like this which became a place for boats to dock or be anchored out in the water. There are some nice sailboats at the docks in the background but these boats really are mostly pontoons, used as party boats. When I cross in early morning the sun is reflecting off of the boats making it look more impressive than it probably really is. As I drive on from here, pass this area, I will end up driving over a mile long bridge connecting two sides of the lake. The whole area originally was built around the Des Moine River and now the enlarged river turned lake controls and limits traffic all over the area. There is no straight route for me to travel to get to the old house.