10347 - Hexa

Numbers. 10347, boil it down to 15 or 6. Or subtract first from last. Hexa as the greeks called it.

Union Pacific Rolls Through Belle Plaine

Seems like every 30 minutes or so a train zips through east central Iowa's Belle Plaine. On this day Union Pacific's 6589 pulls cars filled with Wyoming coal eastward. Behind the train is Belle Plaine's former depot building used for years when trains stopped and unloaded people and freight. The building has been closed for a number of years (if not decades) and its future remains unclear. Belle Plaine's history is comprised rail traffic on these lines and is celebrated at the town's museum. The town is also known for being along the Lincoln Highway and for 1886's runaway Jumbo artesian well. These rails run parallel to the former Lincoln Highway route (one block away) and seven blocks from 8th Avenue and 8th Street were a concrete stopper tamed Jumbo.

Single Seagull Gliding Over Lock and Dam 11

Spring has come to the 42N latitude. That means the Mississippi River is open to boat traffic, which also means waterway birds are back in numbers. Yesterday a single seagull glided over the empty lock enclosure at Lock & Dam 11, Dubuque, Iowa. Those of you in the know already guessed that the first four words of this blog posting title are from Paul McCartney's underrated classic song, Single Pigeon. Watch this animated video.

US Grant Watches Traffic from Cuba City

Take a ride to southwestern Wisconsin and you'll drive through Cuba City. Many of the streets are named after US presidents including a president from the next door county in Illinois, US Grant. His portrait is painted on a the south facing side of a caboose overlooking main street.The rail car is actually a city museum and an information center for the area. The city's former rail depot is located across the street from this display but is difficult to recognize with all of its structural modifications.