The Pearl Button Docked at Muscatine, Iowa

The Pearl Button is a modern day, old-time looking excursion boat located in Muscatine, Iowa. When visiting southeast Iowa I am on the lookout for the paddlewheeler cruising on the Mississippi River. While the boat seems to be always present at its dock, I did see a crew member preparing the boat with supplies for an excursion a few years ago. The Pearl Button's website indicates that the boat is available for river cruises but has no set schedule. For scheduled cruises, boats like the Riverboat Twilight can be accessed in LeClaire, Iowa, home of the History Channel's American Pickers on the Mississippi River. And for even longer cruises you can jump onboard other lines at St. Paul, St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans and other ports on the great river.

The Pearl Button is docked at Muscatine's city dock landing. Attached to a floating dock which is anchored by three huge poles, gives the Pearl Button plenty of room to stay put should (and when) the river floods. On this day the Pearl Button remained docked while the Riverboat Twilight, sport boats and barges passed by on Old Man River.

A 160 Year Old Grand Old Flag

This 34 star US flag flew during opening ceremonies of the first railroad bridge in Davenport, Iowa. The date was April 21, 1856 - 160 years ago today. See it at Davenport's Putnum Museum.

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.

Angel in Amana

An angel does exists in Amana, Iowa. Made of cement and molded as a figure it stands watch over a flower garden with wings pointed east and west.

Air Traffic Over Iowa City

Air traffic over Iowa City is always busy with scores of transcontinental flights. A Variable Omni Range transmitter is located in nearby Hills, Iowa that helps navigate air traffic over what the media calls "fly over" country. On cold air days people who live near the 42N latitude just a few miles north of Iowa City can look to the south and see this kind of traffic. And with apps like FlightAware you can easily identify those aircraft bound from NYC to LA.

A Bit More of King Tut at Davenport's Putnum Museum

A few more photos of the King Tut replica exhibition at the Putnum Museum in Davenport, Iowa. This statue is one of several roughly two foot travelers that helped make the journey to the other side a bit less stressful for the boy king.

We often see the famous golden mask of Tut from a straight on front view. Here is a view from the right side. While this mask is a replica, the craftsmanship and attention to detail in reproducing the original is extraordinary. The sands of time are shifting. You have until the first week in September 2016 to see the full display and experience what it was like to discover King Tut and the unexpected burial chamber treasures.

King Tut's Treasure at the Putnum Museum

Between now and the first week in September 2016 the treasures of King Tut's tomb discovery are on display at the Putnum Museum in Davenport, Iowa. While these replicas carefully show minute detail of the originals, the story telling graphics and videos really make the exhibit experience both educational and entertaining. Besides how can you not take a great photo of the golden mask?

Within the burial vault you can see how the original orientation of objects appeared when Howard Carter and others first opened the tomb in the 1920s. The narration tells the story of what each piece meant and how it was laid out in the vault. Further into the exhibit visitors can get close-up to the famous golden mask and sarcophagus to study the accurately reproduced detail. 

While it may be years before the original tomb items make the trip to Iowa, this was a great chance to see what is generally regarded as iconic, historical and artistic. More photos will be part of another posting soon.

A Bit of Bix

Bix Beiderbecke was a jazz trumpet player who played mostly in the 1920s. His cornet is on display at the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa where Bix hailed from. As cool as that is, read the statement from trumpet legend Louis Armstrong just above Bix's cornet - can't get a better accolade than that.

February Afternoon at Central City's Roller Dam

In Central City, Iowa the small town is bisected by the Wapsipinicon River. Once part of the town's electrical generation, a roller dam was constructed decades ago which serves to impound the waterway for a few miles upstream. During a late afternoon stop on an early February day the river at the dam is clear of ice and runs nearly transparent. In the Spring the river will turn brown from organic matter of the growing season.

Just a few feet from the churn of the water over the dam, the river resumes its journey downstream. Since fish tend to collect at the base of the roller dam it is naturally a good spot to try your luck at angling. Look closely at the photo above to see fishing tackle entangled in the power line on the right hand portion of the ground just below the street.

Chilicothe's Old Canal Smoke House - BBQ Ohio Style

Found this BBQ place in Chillicothe, Ohio in October 2008. Liked it so much the 42N team went back a year later to the Old Canal Smoke House. A gap in time, an unconformity if you will then occurred. Returning on New Years day 2016, the team arrived yet again but at a different time of day and from the opposite direction. While the restaurant was closed early in the morning a few outward changes had occurred since we were last there seven years ago.

A bright pink pig car complete with Old Canal Smoke House advertising parked on the side street adjacent to East Water Street. Ok I get it - pig - pork - cute.

Besides the ribs, building and front door, I seem to remember this sign from the late Aughts. On both nights outward bound seven and eight years ago the Saturday night arrival guaranteed a full house, great Big Ten football on huge televisions and of course regionally famous BBQ. Check out the historic downtown if you come here to sample the ribs. Also there's a national or state park nearby that is focused on the ultimately cool Ohio River Mound Builders who were active in this area way back when.

Topping off the Tank at 2000 Gallons

A fuel gauge on a General Electric locomotive tops off at 2,000 imperial gallons which equals about 2,400 US gallons. Diesel is the fuel of choice for these massive machines. On this day two color contrasting locomotives are joined together on a tracks in Clinton, Iowa, just feet from the Mississippi River. The blue color Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern (DME) engine, called the "City of Wall" was built in 1966 per railpictures.net. The red Canadian Pacific locomotive also travels the Midwest from the US to Canada according to that website's tracking of CP 3081.

Daniel Sampson - Union Soldier

Old cemeteries are fascinating – especially small country cemeteries. Such is the case for Hazel Knoll Cemetery in Jones County, Iowa. The bulk of this property is a hillside dotted with various stone monuments and traditional grave markers. There are several Civil War era soldiers buried here. However one grave stands out. Near the top of the hill and off to the side is a metal grave marker for soldier Daniel Sampson. His marker states that he was part of the Iowa 6th Cavalry,Company K. Internet research turned up that Daniel enlisted in the Army on Oct. 21, 1862. This regiment was mustered out at Sioux City. Nov. 17, 1865. He was listed as a wagoner.

Bubble People in a B-29

Where would you ride if given a chance inside a World War II B-29? In the unique nose seat of course. As an inspiration for Star Wars' Millennium Falcon window, the highly prized seat often rents for thousands of dollars for a 30 minute flight. While the price is a bit steep, it is an opportunity to have the front window B-29 ride experience which is probably like no other.



Another fantastic place to sightsee is from the waist gunner position on the B-29. From this location you can see much of the plane's wing, two engines and the world below.