Itchy Feet

October is half over and I have just now returned to wandering. Maybe there's a wandering gene since being condemned to wander for forty years doesn't sound bad to me. I do wander more in one day than a nomadic tribe would travel however not far by current standards.

The Corp of Engineers have many campgrounds across the country. Since they are federal, my old-person pass lets me stay for half-price. And since the Mississippi is very managed, the Corp has several camping sites along it. My first stop was at one called Blackhawk Camp in Wisconsin. Its right on the Mississippi River and is nearly deserted; both are appealing.
The park is north of Prairie du Chien and south of La Crosse. This part of the Mississippi is like the area around Red Wing, MN with lots of sloughs, meandering channels and backwaters. I can see where the water has dropped in the last month or so and grasses have started growing at the edges of the islands. Knowing how geese chow down on grasses inside Minneapolis, I see this grass and think prime feeding grounds for migrating birds. In fact, this area is a wildlife refuge. Thousands of acres that are pretty useless for much else are protected.

Even without the signs I can see hunting and fishing are prime recreation. Every 5 miles or so there is a boat launch site; each I've seen had several vehicles in it and the road traffic seems to be either semis or truck and boat. Not all the boats are for fishing, some are decorated for hunting and even plain boats are used for it. The pair of duck hunters who enthusiastically showed me their haul used a normal looking boat. I must have made the correct sounds because I left with a couple of teal for supper. They are very small birds once they are dressed out (it was harder to see just how small while they were feathered) and the hunter told me true, they are very tasty.

Now I've wandered a bit further south to the end of Iowa. I've often traveled through the state however I've rarely taken the time to explore it. Parts along the Mississippi are quite pretty and I really like the bluff area. There is a section of NE Iowa, western Wisconsin, northeast Illinois and Minnesota's bluff area that were untouched by glaciers. No glaciers but heavy glacial run-off left the area fairly rugged and quite hilly, resembling the lower western hill areas leading away from the Appalachians.

River towns are similar to each other no matter where I've seen them. Each has some really old buildings, they are generally two or three streets deep, and they can stretch for miles. The Mississippi has railroad tracks running on either side of it using the same space as the towns. One little Iowa town has tracks running down the center of Main St. Every other intersection is shut off but there are still lots of unguarded crossings. Naturally the trains blow their whistles when approaching though the trains are hard to ignore since the buildings and street vibrate when they pass through.

The towns I've been through seem poorer than those in Minnesota or Wisconsin. However they all are trying to reinvent themselves and some seem to be succeeding. In an effort to keep people handy, lots of towns and counties have campgrounds that are consistently cheaper than Iowa state parks which are several dollars cheaper than Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois or Missouri's state parks.  Reasonable camping fees and pretty scenery will get be back to visit!


Currently I am in a 'historic county' in southern Iowa. I guess that means its old. While old buildings and houses don't particularly interest me, one blurb says it's house was part of the underground railroad. Now I'm going to have to look at Iowa history since I thought this was a free area even when it was a territory. I may even decide to visit that old house.