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.

Once Upon Somebody's Home

On the road from Central City, Iowa take the road southeast to Waubeek. Here you will discover this framed farm house circa 1880s. Looks like the current landowners stay next door in a brick home but preserve this structure, although barely.

The north facing porch vaguely resembles the home that Iowa native Grant Wood painted in the American Gothic scene. That famous home is located in southeast Iowa some eighty miles away near Eldon.

Still, you can imagine that this rural Central City house was once brand new over a hundred years ago, perhaps occupied by a farm family and flourished for many generations. It was once somebody's home. Know that.

Linn County Tornado Siren Signals Severe Weather Season

Living in 42N country means coexisting with seasonal threats of tornadoes. This F1 rated tornado ripped the landscape between Center Point and Central City, Iowa on April 26, 2009 (photo courtesy of kcrg.com.) Part of the warning system for the county is the blaring of outdoor sirens placed in cities and rural areas. These sirens are activated by county officials and coordinated with the National Weather Service (generally from the Quad Cities) for the immediate 42N area.

If you live outside the Midwest here is what these sirens sound like once activated. This three minute recording was done in conjunction with the storm system that produced the tornado above last Sunday afternoon. While the pitch of the siren seems to change, it is due to the rotating horns that travel 360 degrees around the Y axis. A cool audio feature of the siren is the power down phase around 2:18 in the recording. Another more beneficial feature of the siren power down is an audible confirmation that the immediate threat is over.

5/6/2009 Update: In Linn County the sirens are controlled by risk managers associated with the Duane Arnold Power Plant (nuclear). The activation of the sirens can signal a variety of emergencies such as tornadoes, blizzards, nuclear, chemical, biological, or other severe weather. Once heard the listener should connect to local radio or television media to get the latest warning advice. Know that.