Motorcycling Iowa

Following the Mississippi is one of my favorite routes on the bike (non-pedal bike) and will grab any excuse to ride though those river towns.  I love the history along the river and usually there are great roads nearby as well.  It was a  roughly planned a four day ride-starting in Augusa, then up and down the coulees north of Alma and then down to the river.  The route followed the river on the Wisconsin side, then across in Winona, and down thru MN to Lansing, IA.  From there up to Decorah.  One of those curvy roads you just want to go down and ride again.  Day two was back to the river and then up to Buena Vista and Ballville IA.  Downtown Dubuque is no fun, so a round about route led us to Clinton, and then the longest "town" in the Midwest-Quad Cities.  Muscatine IA was the 2nd stop.  Crossing the river again and into Illinois and skirting Moline then up to Savannah and a scenic route inland-like a roller coaster in many ways.  Galena was a drive around the downtown on a tourist packed Main St. and an escape to Potosi WI for fresh brew.  Onward to Prarie Du Chien and crossing back into Iowa along the west shore to Lansing again.  The run back into Wisconsin on the final day led to drying roads and clouds overhead, but still discovering new roads to ride and reasons why we have some of the best biking anywhere.

Kirk

So Kirk has been one of my closest friends since college-we met thru curling, when my team played his in Wausau and later in LaCrosse.  A weird story about that first La Crosse Bonspiel, but too long to get into now.  We next met when I transferred to UWL in the fall of '79- we were in the same painting class I believe.  From there, I joined the La Crosse Curling Club, then we became roommates for several years.  Bow hunting, art, motorcycling all were common interests and we just have always been great friends.  Twangfest has been going on for 27 years now and started as a weekend camping bow hunting gathering.  I'm pretty proud that we all still get together for it each November and I think Kirk gets more geeked up than anyone about it-his military costumes and reenactments illustrate it!

Last week I had the chance to get on the river with him and Lynn for a cruise and was able to get some cool eagle and GB heron shots (in an earlier entry here).  Also some of him and a required sunset on the river shot.  You just have to sometimes you know?  Looking forward to the next time we tip a glass and have a good laugh.

On the River

Had a great opportunity to get on the Mississippi River upstream from LaCrecent MN yesterday evening and had been anxious to make some photographs finally.  I'd had all good intentions during the day on my drive down to LaCrosse, but nothing made me pull the camera out.  Until here.  Kirk and Lynn and I worked our way downstream to an eagle nest, high in a cottonwood tree.  Three young eaglets  were there, but no adults.  I really couldn't get a decent picture of them (300mm not long enough and light wasn't there), but a Great Blue Heron did pull up and swung by the boat and I got off a few shots while panning-the end result was some "painterly" images, which I like.  They are pretty cool birds, but shy.....my Grandfather Schultz used to call them "Shy-Pokes" or when the young ones were not around, "Shit-pokes."  Not sure why, but that's the common name I always knew.

Turning around, we headed upstream toward  lock and dam 6 at Trempeleau and saw an adult Bald Eagle in the top of a dead tree.  We moved in closer and he/she didn't seem to mind the attention.  Out of nowhere, a crow started harassing  it, which is pretty common.  Small birds like blackbirds bug crows, robins go after hawks, crows annoy owls and eagles.  It's kinda funny, because this eagle could have taken the crow out with a flip of it's little pinkie (okay, talon) had it wanted to.