It is strange how little has been written about the Upper Mississippi. The river below St. Louis has been described time and again, and it is the least interesting part. One can sit on the pilot-house for a few hours and watch the low shores, the ungainly trees and the democratic buzzards, and then one … Read more
Piloting on the Mississippi River was not work to me; it was play — delightful play, vigorous play, adventurous play — and I loved it… Mark Twain in Erupti
Muscatine Iowa is an old river town. I appreciate it more now than I used to…maybe due to age (and hopefully some more wisdom) I can see how it’s past is rich with history of life and development along the Mississippi River. Life here is pretty quiet compared to the big cities…and I’m alright with … Read more
Some seasons just end up with a theme to them. This summer was for the riverboats. They started cruising the Mississippi again, and for many, I think they were a welcome sight. It turned out to be hard to get the type of photograph I wanted…this one is pretty close, but I wish the sky … Read more
After a rainy day, the clouds lined up pretty good for a shot of the Mississippi Mist fountain display in downtown Muscatine. It’s a cool fountain and I mean that in every sense of the word. Its ornamentally designed to mimic the old steamboat smoke stacks and is a terrific spot to cool off on … Read more
August 6th, 2021 was kind of a big day around here. Three historic paddle wheel boats…which are now used for touring up and down the Mississippi River…would converge on my area all at once. In this image the Queen Of The Mississippi approaches the lock just north of town, while the American Duchess follows behind. … Read more