Riveting Span over Pine Creek

In Iowa terms, 144 years is a long time ago. But that's when a Canton, Ohio bridge company made iron truss spans, rods and rivets for a bridge that was constructed over Pine Creek, northeast of Muscatine, Iowa. That single intersection truss bridge still stands and is now part of Wildcat Den State Park. Today the sun position was just so in illuminating the pitted bridge span surface and its shadow casting rivets. Almost a century and a half's worth of weathering and lichen growth adds rustic charm to the bridge aesthetics. Ultimately, those elements will lead to the bridge's structural demise - hopefully not for another 150 years.

Meet the Best Angler on the Cedar River

A few days ago this colorful heron filled itself with small fish caught from the Cedar River.  The bird looks to be a Great Blue Heron based on its bill colors, head and neck feathers. The water's color is due to the reflection of nearby green foliage and seasonal algae.

The expert angler fished in the afternoon sun, below the low head dam at Palisades Kepler State Park near Mount Vernon, Iowa. Apparently unfazed by my approach, the heron made the choice of catching food versus fleeing. Smart bird.