Evening Glow of Quaker Oats Over the Quiet Cedar River

Just minutes after sunset, the glow of cereal mill Quaker Oats shines brightly over the placid Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Look closely at the base of the main building - you can see a backhoe doing work. The cereal plant continues to make improvements in their floodwall as the city of Cedar Rapids determines what it needs to protect the homes and businesses along the river from future floods. This June will be 10 years since the great flood that severely impacted the city. Compare this April 2018 photo (above) of the plant with the view found at this link. Quaker Oats is located towards the top of the linked photo. 

A Message from the Late 1800s

There's an old dump adjacent to the Cedar River in Cedar Falls, Iowa. As the sandy soil erodes, a mix of industrial and residential discarded material surfaces. Present in this image are fragments of coal and a large iron I-stake. A few steps away are shards of glass from broken small bottles and various busted ceramic pottery. Its an interesting area but be sure to wear thick footwear. Clues from the marks on the ceramics and other material suggest that the majority of the dump contains items from the late 1800s. About three feet away from this stake is where lucky Noah (see previous post) found the clay pipe bowl.

A Rare Find Along the Cedar River

Meet Noah. He and his buddies were out exploring the river parks in Cedar Falls on Sunday. I was out looking for anything interesting to photograph when Noah and his buddies stopped by. While we were talking about photography Noah happened to look down at his feet. There he picked up two items on the Cedar River shore line. One item was a cattle bone that was cut into a ring or letter "O" shape. Next to that was this bit of history.

Noah picked up a clay pipe bowl without the stem. He handed it to me to examine and I cleaned it of sand. You have a clay pipe fragment from 1850 - 1900 I told him. The bowl is unbroken and in good shape. He offered to give it to me but I declined. I explained that he had found something special and should keep it. We looked up similar pipe fragments on eBay to discover a lot of 16 clay pipe bowls (without stems) are going for $80, so about $5 a piece.

Noah planned to show it to his history teacher today but more importantly he seemed to get real serious about "treasure" hunting especially since he actually found something cool.

Quaker Oats Home of Cap'n Crunch

These two photos could be joined to show the expansiveness of the Pepsico Quaker Oats plant/mill here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The century old plant receives oats and corn from the surrounding agricultural lands and then performs cereal magic.

Somewhere in that complex the site produces kid (and adult) favorite Cap'n Crunch cereal. When the wind is just right and the ingredients are just so, you can smell Crunch Berries being made. Its been that way for years.

The advantage point of this photo is across from the Cedar River. In 2008 the river rose to historic levels and damaged the plant. As the city discussed how to solve long term flooding issues the plant workers installed a metal barrier along the east shore of the river to help in future flood prevention. The wall has not been hard tested since 2008. Good to know that the Cap'n won't let his plant stop production come rain or high water.

Dam

A warning sign expresses either an opinion or a warning near the low head dam at Palisades State Park near Mount Vernon, Iowa.

Rising Cedar River Threatens Cedar Rapids Again

Workers at Penford Products move concrete barriers on top of earthwork levees yesterday along the rising Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Almost five years to the week of the devastating flood of 2008, the Cedar is expected to reach 19.5 feet through downtown. The 2008 historic flood crested at 31 feet. City officials say that at 12 feet the river begins to reach streets and back up sewers.

From the same vantage point as the top two photos, you can see two bridges in the foreground. Behind the bridges is May's Island where the city jail sits along with the Veteran's Memorial Building. Vet's was the site of city government until the 2008 flood. Flood preparations are being executed in and around this area as the river continues to rise and the rains continue to fall.

A Bridge Not Too Far

Along the Cedar River in Cedar Falls, Iowa the walleyes have started to bite. Each Spring the fish swim past this bridge to the nearby roller dam. There they discover a cement wall and travel no further upriver. Some walleye spawn in the bridge area while others retreat downriver. Several anglers tried their luck this day but nothing was biting. 

Spanning the river is a Pratt through truss bridge used by the Canadian National Railway and was built in 1899. 

The walleye angler told me he heard stories of a covered bridge at this location prior to 1899. People complained the bridge's interior smelled from the locomotives' smoke of the day.

That is not the case any more. The truss design is open and the locomotives don't belch too much these days. And by the way, no one is permitted to trespass on the bridge, let alone fish for walleye from the aerial vantage point. Good to know.

Underwater Animal Tracks - Protofossil Factories

Animal tracks can be found around water sources. Such is the case with these Canada geese and deer tracks through backwaters of the Cedar River at Palisades-Kepler State Park near Mount Vernon, Iowa. Given the right weather, geologic conditions and time these now watery tracks could become hardened fossil tracks. However, even in drought times that eastern Iowa has experienced in 2012 it is unlikely that these tracks will survive intact following the next rainfall let alone the eons of time. But somehow fossil tracks do show up in the geologic record. We shall see.

Injured Canada Goose Rests at Palisades State Park

This canada goose experienced some mobility issues but seemed to be enjoying the bright sun and warmer temperatures along the Cedar River at Palisades-Kepler State Park in eastern Iowa. The park ranger was informed of the injured bird by several people including myself. Since the bird did not flee I was able to get within six feet and take a few photos with the zoom lens. The bird kept an eye on me while looking at its surroundings including the river. Hopefully all will be well for the goose.

This year the river is extremely low as the effects of the draught continue. Just four years ago the flood of June 2008 sent river levels to the 500 year mark throughout this region. Downed trees along the bank are a remnant of that flood. 

Low Water Fishing at Iowa's Palisades State Park

Late season fishing on the Cedar River within the Palisades State Park means fewer crowds, fewer bugs and sometimes lower water levels. These two anglers came up empty while I was visiting the sand bar.

A lower river level at the park means that the exposed dolomite walls can be more readily explored - if you can get across the river. Not many people can traverse the water from this vantage point so these small caves tend to be less disturbed.

On this day the progression of the Cedar's lowering water can be observed in a series of braided pebble debris and sand lines. Despite the lower water level rock hunters can find all sorts of chert, coral fossils, and glacial debris on the ever changing sand bars. Know that.

The Final Days of the Palisades Hotel

Its hard to imagine the century-old Palisades Hotel, also known as Upper Palisades Hotel, Biderman Hotel, Cedar Springs Hotel, and the Old Dutch Inn will not be around long after Thursday, November 12th. That is the day when this digger will demolish the landmark structure which was substantially destroyed by the 2008 flood of the Cedar River. Hotel debris will be loaded and carried away to a local landfill by this dump truck.

A FEMA director told the 42N blogger that the paperwork is in order for Thursday's demolition. Following months of completing forms, contacting property owners and getting the necessary approvals, all parties recently received the green light to clean the area. The hotel is located near Palisades - Kepler State Park, just west of Mt. Vernon, Iowa (41.92N, 91.41W.)

An archaeologist is documenting the scene before and after the work of the crews as they tear down cabins and the hotel this week. He noted that the geological nature of the setting diminishes the potential for finding Indian relics. He said that the land sits on an alluvial deposit that tends to wash away with seasonal floods. Additionally the former quarry owners who originally built the Cedar Springs Hotel in the 1880s probably had the area plowed to make room for the railroad that moved rock out and later brought guests to the hotel.

When heavy machinery is not operating, just the sounds of the Cedar River and wind blowing through the nearly leafless trees is all that can be heard. It's not hard to imagine why this place attracted thousands of people every season including town folks from nearby Mt. Vernon, Lisbon and Cedar Rapids. The setting also welcomed celebrities such as the vaudevillian Cherry Sisters and poet, Carl Sandburg plus many others. Know that.

Update: The Palisades Hotel was demolished on May 5, 2010 when weather conditions and paperwork were all in order. See post from that date.

Rippling Sand But No Arrow Heads

The shifting river bed of the Cedar River at the Palisades - Kepler State Park is especially revealing when water levels change. Recently the river has risen and fallen with snow melt and spring rains leaving this undulating sand pattern visible. The river bed is great place to collect rocks including shell and coral fossils, and all the major rock types. Today also yielded a few glass bottle fragments and a tea cup handle. While all the raw materials are present in the river bed for their production we were not able to find any spear points. The search continues. Anybody know a good place to find arrow heads around here? Still, it was just the right way to end a warm weekend. Know that.

Sykora Bakery Construction Continues

Iconic Sykora Bakery in Czech Village, Cedar Rapids, Iowa continues towards opening its doors soon. Amish carpenters recently finished installing the two-story façade and other gingerbread details to the front of the store. Construction progresses within the building on the bakery production area and on the retail area for over the counter purchases and snack areas. Other Czech Village businesses continue to recover. Yesterday (St. Valentine’s Day) the antique store across the street from Sykora opened for the first time since the June 2008 flood. Another nearby restaurant is expected to open soon too, joining a small, yet growing number of post-flood businesses returning to Cedar Rapids. Soon the smell of kolaches and bread will fill the neighborhood atmosphere. Know that.

Red Lion - Don't Cry for Cedar Rapids

The 2008 Cedar Rapids post flood era continues to be expressed in many ways throughout the community. Situated on the 16th Avenue bridge over the Cedar River is the progression of symbolic czech lions which now includes one teary-eyed red stained cat. Know that.