Early this May, Steve and I had the good fortune to visit a couple spots along our St. Francois Mountains the day after a front brought about three inches of rain to the area. One of these spots was the Einstein Dam at Silvermines Recreation Area (St. Francis N.A.). The power of the water surging through the breaks in the dam was mesmerizing. A sense of near vertigo became apparent as I stared into the sheet of water that dropped nearly ten feet downstream. I knew Steve would have almost no chance if he slipped into this torrent, but my photo needed some scale! So I asked him to have a seat on the edge.
We arrived with little light left, but tried to take it all in while I made a few images. We had visited the previous autumn when the water was much lower
Imagine dropping into this in your kayak? We pondered if this would be advisable or not. If you think it doesn’t look all that bad from this photo, be sure to watch this.
Water moving in every conceivable direction!
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 
The first shot did you use a Neutral density filter? I’ve tried shooting long exposures in the day but they always get washed out
“Asked to have a seat on the edge”? Somewhat euphemistic for assault at gunpoint, wouldn’t you say? I felt my life was in danger either way.
What careless parents let their 12-year-old stand unattended in the black and white? Brave lad!
The rocks in the foreground of your “water was much lower” link lend better understanding to the turbulence of the waves we saw, don’t they? Remember the veteran kayaker who hypothetically advised rolling into a ball and letting the current wash you down and eventually back up further downstream? Makes me wonder how survivable even that would have been. A nasty bump, indeed, would seem inevitable.
Love the motion in these pictures, especially the first one. Great shot!