The Falls at Sioux Falls -- with LOTS of water

We had to cut our midwest tour a bit short after we learned that Orinda will need some surgery, so we returned to Sioux Falls. It turns out that the area has had quite a bit of rain over the last few weeks and when we went to Falls Park, we were amazed at the level of the water pouring over the falls.

Falls Park is a beautiful place very close to downtown and is very popular with residents and visitors alike. Across this bridge is a cafe and deck to enjoy a coffee while watching the falls.

The Falls runs through red granite that is beautiful in its own right, and usually the water level is much lower than this, especially in the summer. Now, there is a great roar as the water cascades down.

While the water level is high here, last night, after this picture was taken, we had some hard rain, so dropped by again this morning to see the difference (below).

Wow- what a difference a day (and a couple inches of rain) make! Orinda is standing in about the same location as the upper shot and you can tell that the water level is much higher -- I would guess about 12" more. We thought the water was impressive before the rain -- well it was, but this higher level was amazing!

Here is another comparison between the high water and the REALLY high water. The water is now completely covering many of the rocks seen in the shot above. This water is really moving as it streaks through the rock walls.