Dose Eagles-- Part 2: On to Decorah, Iowa

JANUARY 22ND, THURSDAY

We drove out to Lock and Dam 10 in Dubuque, Iowa and didn't see any eagles by it, but did see three eagles across the river from the park.  Then drove an unbelievably beautiful stretch of scenery to Balltown and ate at the oldest continually operating restaurant in Iowa, dating to 1852, Breitbach's.

Then drove to Guttenberg, Iowa and saw two more bald eagles at Lock and Dam #11 and two others in a field by a small pond.

The main objective of the whole trip was to see the famed Decorah Bald Eagles which we have been watching on the internet the last several years.  The eggs haven't been laid yet and they are working on the nest and not often there, but we saw both of them.

--RoadDog


WITTY OBSERVATIONS:  Always keep several get well cards around.  So, if unexpected guests arrive, they'll think you've been sick and unable to clean.

Dose Eagles-- Part 1

We just got back from our annual trip out to the Mississippi River to see the bald eagles.  Winter time is a great time to see these magnificent birds.  We didn't get to go last year because of that horrible winter, but managed to slip four days in this year.

We had planned on leaving on Tuesday, but the leak in the basement, which we had fixed on friday, came back, so postponed leaving for a day.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21ST:  Left home at 1 p.m. and drove state highways 120, 47, 176, 23 and U.S.-20 to Galena.  Stopped at the great Freeport-Stephenson County welcome center as usual.  Arrived in Galena and had a coupla-two at the VFW and ate at The Log Cabin on Main Street.  This is always a favorite of ours as this is where we ate the day after our wedding back in 1973.

The place hasn't changed a bit, except for the prices, which are considerably higher.  They feature meat from Chicago's Allen Brothers.  I had the Greecian chicken and Liz the cod dinner.  Talked with another couple who were 1971, NIU graduates and had retired to Galena.  Liz and I graduated from there in 1973.

Drove into Dubuque, Iowa, and got a room at the Super 8 and then went over to the nearby Champ's Sports Bar and watched the Blackhawks win their game on a huge screen.

--RoadDog


WITTY OBSERVATIONS:  A clear conscious is a sign of a fuzzy memory.

JSS: Christmas Decorations-- Coast-to-Coast Super Bowl-- Bald Eagles

JSS--  Just Some Stuff

1.  CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS--  I took advantage of the 40 degree temps and took down the outside Christmas lights, garland and wreaths on Saturday. Always better to do it when it is a little bit warmer.  Five degrees and blustery wind make for a very unpleasant chore.

2.  COAST-TO-COAST SUPER BOWL--  We went to Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes yesterday and watched the Seahawk-Packer NFC Championship game.  The place was packed and we even had an obnoxious Seattle fan.  But, the Pack was playing well all game until those last horrible five and a half minutes.  What in the world happened?

The Seahawk fan got so noisy we were considering getting the duct tape out.

It was an exciting game , though, and a WHOLE lot more than that Patriot-Colt game.

I had hoped it would be a Midwest Super Bowl with Indianapolis playing Green Bay.  But now it will be a Coast-to-Coast one.  Go Seahawks!!

3.  BALD EAGLES--  We've been enjoying watching the eaglets in southwest Florida and now, the eggs at Berry College in Georgia.  The eagles in Decorah, Iowa, are working on their nest.  We're hoping to get out to Decorah soon to see them.

--RoadDog

JSS: Dog Drive-- Corn High-- Jewel Tailgating-- Death of D-18

JSS--  Just Some Stuff

1.  DOG DRIVE--  We have three pooches we like to keep tabs on whenever we drive to Spring grove for shopping along US-12.  Nearest us is a husky dog named Zoe, who is one of the prettiest and laziest dogs ever.  Of course, with us being bug NIU Huskies fans, we like huskies.

Then, farther down the hill, we have a pair of clowns.  We don't know their names, but one is a JKack Russel and the other has the biggest ears we've ever seen on such a small dog.  We call them Jack and Ears.

2.  CORN HIGH--  If there is any meaning to corn being knee-high by the 4th of July, ours was already chest high with all the rain and cool temps.  Looks like a bumper crop.

3.  JEWEL TAILGATING--  Today, after being "attacked" by Ears and Jack (well, seriously barked at), I sent to our local Jewel and saw six guys tailgating in the parking lot and seeming to really enjoy themselves.  I had to ask them where the football game was.  They just laughed.

4.  DEATH OF D-18--  Sad to find out that one of the Decorah bald head eaglets was electrocuted yesterday when he landed on uninsulated high wire power lines.  They (there were three of them) had a rough eaglethood after being laid in really cold weather, having it really cold when first hatched and then bothered so badly by gnats they all left the nest too early, one of them breaking a wing in the process.

Just Some Stuff.  --RoadDog

NOT YOUR USUAL FLIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTSl:  As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Ronald Reagan Airport, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!!"

No Eagles (Well Maybe), But Two Deer

15.1 degrees here. A HEAT WAVE!!! //// We just got back from drives around the McHenry Dam and Morraine Hills state parks south of the City of McHenry, Illinois. We were looking for bald eagles, which we have heard are along the Fox River. We figured the dam would be a good place to start. We did see a dark object off in the distance on the other side of the river that may or may not have been an eagle. It was too far away. //// We then drove to nearby Morraine Hills State Park (formed by glaciers) and didn't see any eagles there, but we did see a pair of deer who also espied us, so we had a stareoff. They won. //// --RoadDog

JSS: 1973-- Cooler Corn-- Eagles Gone-- Rotten Cubs

JSS--  Just Some Stuff

1.  1973--  At 10 AM CDST, Bob Stroud does his Ten at Ten on the year 1973, a very eventful one for me.  It streams on http://www.wdrv.com/.  It has a repeat at 10 PM.


2.  COOLER CORN--  Friend Lulu sent an article about making perfect corn on the cob by putting boiling water into your cooler, closing the lid and waiting 30 minutes. Never thought of that before.


3.  EAGLES GONE--  The last month, I've been watching the eagle cam out in Decorah, Iowa, as three bald eagle chicks grew up.  To paraphrase Hawk harrelson, "They gone!!"  Our bald eafle babies here on the Chain of Lakes are gone now as well.


4.  ROTTEN CUBS--  Our Chicago World Series continues today after the Cubs beat the Sox last night 2-1.  We watched it at Tommy's here in Spring Grove, Il. and I knew it would be a loss for the Sox when they had bases loaded in the second inning and just one out and failed to score.  That is always a whammy.

We don't even want to talk about Monday's shellacking.

Just Some Stuff.  --RoadDog

Off to See the Eagles: Day 2, February 28th: Dem Eagles

We weren't sure how successful we'd be on our annual trip out to the Mississippi River to see the bald eagles because of the lateness of the winter and the wonderful winter we are having this year, finally.

Perhaps the eagles didn't need to come down this far south to feed and since there probably wasn't any ice on the river, they wouldn't be congregating by the lock and dams as much.

Not so, though.

We found bald eagles right away at our first stop at he Dubuque, Iowa, lock and dam. At least we wouldn't be shut out. We finally found a bald eagle in the tree by the park by the Bellevue lock and dam. We hadn't seen one there in the last five or so years. This is where we first got a real close up look at one on our first eagle trip way back when.

By the end of the day, we had counted a total of 62 bald eagles, including one floating downriver on a log in Clinton.

Stayed at the LaQuinta in Davenport, had drinks at Applebees, Miller Time and Kelly's and grazed at the Golden Corral. Came back and enjoyed the pool.

A Good Day for Seeing Eagles. --RoadDog

Celebrating Liz's 57th Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Liz hits the big 5-7, 57 years old.

We're planning on getting together with Kora and Frank and driving up to Lake Geneva, Wi., and eating at Popeye's right on the lake.

Then we'll check out the damage to Gary's old house and see if the barn was hit, see entry below, if we can see it.

Then a stop for complimentary champagne at Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes, a true taste of Florida in the north woods, and a stop at Mar's Trading Post Inn, dating back to the 1840s, in Wilmot.

Also, thinking of going out to the Mississippi River to see the eagles if they're still around after all this warm weather we've had the last few days.

WE Have to Show the OLD Lady a Good Time, You Know. --RoadDog

Road Trip- 34th Anniversary- Part 2 Floods, Elizabeth, Dubuque, East Dubuque

We left this past Wednesday and encountered water over the road on Queen Anne Road as we were trying to bypass Woodstock. A short time later, there was another fording situation on Illinois Highway 176 east of Marengo.

We got on US-20 at Marengo and took it the rest of the way to Dubuque, Iowa. US-20 is one of my favorite highways, along with US-12, US-66, the National Road, and US-50. We stopped at a new visitors center east of Freeport. This is a very good one with lots of info and a good place to stretch.

US-20 is one of the most beautiful drives in the US between Stockton and Dubuque. If you think of Illinois as being flat, this will surely change your mind. The road follows the ridge line with great vistas off to the sides.

Elizabeth is a quaint little town. Then there's Galena, the town that history forgot. We went on past it as we'll be there tomorrow. The rains that have assaulted the Midwest caught up with us here and the twenty mile drive to Dubuque was done in a nearly blinding torrential downpour, just what we really needed.

In Dubuque, we went to the west end and played NTN at BW3 and then went to Paul's Tavern with all those stuffed animal heads.

We went to East Dubuque and checked into the Swiss Inn, a mom and pop place with rooms at around $50. They have food, but the oven was broken, so we drove to downtown East Dubuque and had one of the best roast beef sandwiches I've ever had at George and Dale's.

Day Two- Thursday- We took a ride out to the Lock and Dam in Dubuque. We go here every winter to see the bald eagles. None around here today, but the Mississippi was high and full of algae. Drove up to Eagle Point Park which has magnificent views of the Mississippi.

Spent $10 apiece to go into the National Mississippi Museum and Aquarium at Ice Harbor, and it was worth every bit of it. We particularly enjoyed watching the river otters and turtles. If there is any animal on earth that has more fun than an otter, I'd sure like to know.

Drove to the Ramada Inn west of Galena and checked in. This is on the site of the old Palace Motel, where we went on our honeymoon. We then went downtown in Galena and checked out some stores and had cocktails at the American Legion before dinner at the Log Cabin, dating from 1935. We ate here on the Sunday after we were married, and it has been a tradition ever since.

Stopped at the Keg and Cask and bought a bottle of Blue Nun wine. Liz's dad, Ambrose, gave us a small bottle to drink once we got out to Galena, and that has been a tradition all these 34 years. We had it out on the Ramada's deck and watched a toad going after the many crickets. OK, so we were hard up for entertainment.

To Be Continued. --RoadDog