Delta Queen Sails Final Voyages

It appears that a revered travel institution, the Delta Queen riverboat, has not mustered enough political support to keep her afloat.

The Delta Queen is an aging cruise paddle wheeler plying the Mississippi and tributary rivers.  I have been on the ship.  At a certain hour near sunset,  especially with a glass of wine in hand, I believe I have seen Mark Twain on this ship.  Of course, possibly I was just seeing a Mark Twain impersonator.

The problem with the Delta Queen is that she is getting old and she is made of wood.  There are some risks to passengers.  Since the 1960s she has been grand-mothered in, as powerful political forces have united to preserve this icon of American travel.

But her next exemption, now scheduled for decision, will probably not occur.  A congressman from Minnesota is the gatekeeper.  He is not sympathetic.  Certain unions who have been excluded from the operation by the current owners are no longer part of the support group, and possibly they have mentioned this to the congressman.

Keeping this living legacy afloat, actually and fiscally, is not easy in the best of times.  So maybe we just have to let go of the Delta Queen in our minds.  Fortunately, there are sister ships, much younger sisters, who have a steely gaze, and are still in the game.  They are the Mississippi Queen and the American Queen.  I have been aboard them also, and they are grand.

Possibly Mark Twain can be envisioned on their decks also, but maybe a second glass of wine would be required.