Beautiful weather and I’m stuck sitting in a classroom for eight hours a day. This in itself is what makes Bridge the Gap an evil, evil program. Spring break and I’ll spend more time in a class room in two days than I normally spend in a week. All the while the sun is shining for almost the first time this year and I want nothing more than to get outside.

Today after Geoff picked me up, I insisted that we had to spend the remaining hour of sunlight outside. Somewhere, anywhere. So he drove us down to the dam end of Riverfront Park and we walked out to the overlook, watching the water spill over the top of the dam while Geoffrey explained the purpose of this to me.

After a while, one of the park rangers came down with some people offering a tour of the fish ladder. Ok, sure, why not? He takes us around to the gated off area and lets us walk down the fish ladder. You can see under the grate where the fish can climb up a foot of water and then take a break in the protected areas. He also shows us the window all the fish swim by so that the local biologist can count them (and also how the window is marked off in boxes so no fish stories will result from the counting…”I saw a fish this big…”).

“This is where the catfish wait,” our guide tells us, pointing to one step in the ladder, “and gobble up the shad as they pass. And behind you, that rock is where the snakes sit with their heads out of water while they feast. And of course there are gulls and herons and other birds that feed off the fish trying to come up the dam.”

Geoffrey and I walk past the NO FISHING sign at the end of the dam.

“So basically, every animal in the park except humans can fish here. Feast off the fish buffet as the fish are neatly channeled through for the eating pleasure of the snapping turtles, the snakes, the bigger fish, the birds and whatever other hungry fish-eating wildlife there might be.” Geoffrey agrees and then starts explaining how hydro-electric dams work. I’m still trying to decide whether the fish ladder is an improvement for the fish or not. Maybe they can get higher up in the river, but the odds are pretty bad.