Mississippi River – Singin' One's Journeys

July 25, 2023 by traveler 0

Gateway Arch NP-Backtracking

I *knew* I had taken pictures during my 2010 trip to the Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, Missouri. I found the ones posted here on my Facebook page. I’m still hopeful that I will find the rest on the camera I used or the computer to which I uploaded them. Unfortunately, the only things I can say about the visit are that I had also hoped to go on a riverboat tour on the Mississippi, but the river was flooded. None of the riverboats were offering trips to tourists. Also, there was an air show during my visit. The newstory about the show helped me place the date of my visit as July 4th. I got some photos of the show from inside the Arch–as well as of downtown St. Louis–and some from the ground. I hope that I will get a chance to go again at the…

An Iowa Quickie

I had new tires placed on the Silver Bullet this past Friday morning and, on impulse, decided I needed a short test drive before putting her on the road for a more extended trip. So I decided to do a quickie trip to Le Claire, Iowa, a 130-mile trip that is almost a straight drive down I-80 East. My destination was for my third trip on the Riverboat Twilight, a 1 1/2-hour excursion up the Mississippi River. I admit that, as my anticipated departure nears, I am looking for last opportunities to see parts of the state that has been home for the last eighteen years. From the Le Claire exit, there’s a good view of the bridge that crosses the Mississippi River connecting Iowa to Illinois. The river isn’t quite so mighty this far north, but there still seems to be something special one can sense about it even…

Three Days in Dubuque–Day Three

Busy day started with a stop at the : //dubuquearboretum.net" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. It seems that I missed much of the gardens, but the trees, shrubs and various decorations were enjoyable to view along the way.

[gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="588,576,577,578,579,580,581,582,583,584,585,586,587"] Back uptown, I found the Shot Tower a little bit off the beaten path. The building's original purpose was literally to make shot during the 1800's. [gallery size="large" columns="2" type="slideshow" ids="589,593,592,591,590"] Going back across town, I found the Mathias Ham House. It was closed, so I got a few pictures before heading back towards the river. [gallery size="medium" ids="594,601,600,599,598,597,596,595"] I eventually ended up at the Mississippi River Museum. I still didn't go inside, however, but I did take a few pictures of the riverboat paddles that graced the exterior. Then, I walked along the river bank a short distance just because. [gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="603,604,605,606,608,609,610"] Grabbed some lunch and finally headed back to home base. Traffic was definitely getting heavy and, unfortunately, there was a pretty bad car accident on the other side of the highway outside of Cedar Rapids. Still, the ride was otherwise uneventful, and I am thankful back in town, along with RB and Trek Bear. Now, I've got to get ready for work in the morning.

: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2016-09-05-15.29.46-1-300x200.jpg" alt="2016-09-05 15.29.46-1" width="482" height="321" />

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September 5, 2016 by traveler 0

Dubuque-Labor Day Weekend 2016, Iowa Trips

Three Days in Dubuque–Day One

: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Grin2Dubuq.gif" alt="Grin2Dubuq" width="414" height="265" />On Thursday morning, it suddenly hit me that the Labor Day weekend was approaching, and I REALLY didn't want to spend it in Grinnell. The answer: a one-tank trip. Relatively inexpensive and not too far away.

I decided on Dubuque because my previous visits there had all been for conferences with no time to play tourist and because it was only 2.5 hours away in RB.

: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2016-09-03-11.40.29-300x225.jpg" alt="2016-09-03 11.40.29" width="329" height="247" />Got up early Saturday (well, early for me, anyway) and took care of some Star Trek party business--including picking up the party guest-of-honor and my new navigator, Trek Bear, before hitting the road around 11 a.m. Unfortunately, I didn't know that Iowa had a football game scheduled for that afternoon and, thus, I got caught up in it. I suspected it would only get worse as we got closer to Iowa City, so I got off in Williamsburg and got a manicure/pedicure. By the time my nails were dry, the traffic was back to Saturday normal, so the rest of my drive was uneventful.

My first stop in Dubuque was : //www.minesofspain.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Mines of Spain--a recreation park with several miles of easy to challenging trails for hiking and waterways for canoeing. A couple had just gotten married in a shelter near the interpretative center. Fortunately, the Julien Dubuque Memorial sets in view of the Mississippi at the end of one of the easy, short trails, so I walked down and got some pics.

I drove through the rest of the park and enjoyed the fields of wild flowers. The park was fairly quiet considering it was a holiday weekend Saturday, but I'd bet it gets far more active over the rest of the 3-day holiday. [gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="518,522,521,520,519,524,525,526,527,528,529,531"]

It was then too late to really spend time in the museums on my list of places to visit, so I next drove to the : //www.cityofdubuque.org/573/Eagle-Point-Park#!" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Eagle Point Park. The website describes it as: "one of the most outstanding parks in the midwest. One hundred and sixty-four acres overlook the Mississippi River and Lock and Dam #11, providing a spectacular tri-state view of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin." For once, I didn't think that type of comment was an overstatement. Loads of both outdoor--many with views of the river--and interior space for gatherings, plus an outdoor band shell. Only $1.00 charge to enter with RB. Watching all those folks eat suddenly made me hungry, so I quickly finished my tour and sought out a local eatery.

[gallery size="medium" columns="2" ids="533,536,535,534"]

: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2016-09-03-19.57.03-e1473124821236-200x300.jpg" alt="2016-09-03 19.57.03" width="276" height="415" />I ended up at Catfish Charlie's, which specializes in,... well, I think it's obvious. And the enormous and wonderfully prepared plate of catfish that was set before me provided more than adequate proof of the restaurateur's skill.

Wish my evening had ended so well. Let me just say that the motel where I settled for the night left much to be desired and let it go with that. Looking forward to seeing more of the city on Sunday.

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April 17, 2016 by traveler 0

Effigy Mounds, Iowa Trips

A Little Effigy Goes a Long Way

I rolled over in the hotel bed this morning and muttered a word inappropriate for this PG-13 blog. They say that payback is a b—-, well my body was demanding payback for all the dancing and late night celebration of the night before. After I finally dragged myself to a seated position, I gave very serious thought to taking the straightest route back to Grinnell. It was a close decision, but I opted to head up to Effigy Mounds National Monument in upstate Iowa as originally planned. Since I didn’t get onto the road until after 10 a.m., I did the drive-through breakfast thing and headed back across the Mississippi into Iowa. The river doesn’t look like all that much size-wise this far north, but it still has it majestic moments. I stopped at a scenic view along the road and got these shots: Effigy Mounds is a bit off…