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. 

Iceberg Right Ahead on Indian Creek

Ice breakup is such a bizarre scene but one that usually occurs during the end of winter on my section of Indian Creek.  Recent rain and warm temperatures help melt snow and fill creek beds. If winter is still present, the rise in water causes ice to break and float downstream. As the water recedes, the mini icebergs rest haphazardly.

Here's a wider view of the ice field. A few days later the frozen masses were all but gone. Fortunately none of these ice chunks struck any vessels, however someone should still stay on watch. The Carpathia is standing by...

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.

Golden Indian Creek

A block away from 42N HQ is Indian Creek. The city of Cedar Rapids built a clay and dirt dike a year ago to help prevent the creek's annual flooding in the Sun Valley neighborhood. So far so good.

Late afternoon yesterday I re-visited the creek and shot a half dozen images of the cloud filtered sunlight on the fast moving water. Without any photo editing this image was the result. Quite spectacular I think - and it is only footsteps away.

Fall Harvest Color on the Volga River

Tons of ice leveled ground during the last glaciation period over most of Iowa. Fortunately the northeast part of the state was spared from these ice mountains, leaving some of the most scenic lands around. And of course, at this time of year, colors from tree-lined valleys are always spectacular.

This is the Volga River which runs near the small,unincorporated town of Littleport, Iowa. Spring fed flows become even more clear in the fall since most water-borne algae have died away. Now, colorful fallen leaves dot the water from below the surface before yielding to sediment coverage.

In 1999 the Volga flooded to a historic level. Most people abandoned the town once the water receded, leaving only a few structures. Some people still live in the area and get to enjoy this scene daily.

Demon's Hole in 42N Country

Though not quite an ossuary annex, this fixture located at the heart of 42N country certainly holds one of its Renaissance church counterpart's features - stench. A year ago this fixture was covered by a historic river flood. Now the likely manhole cover is visited by more than one Angels and Demons clue finders. But unlike the movie where the demon's hole held a victim branded with "Earth," this oculus holds no more than water - another of the infamous four brands. Know that.