Dubuque

Nestled between gentle (as opposed to jagged) cliffs and the rushing Mississippi River, I found Dubuque, IA to actually be quite stunning. I didn't anticipate that being the case; Dubuque is not the first place that comes to mind when one hears the word "picturesque." But it is!

I pulled off the highway and visited the city's ghostly downtown first for a late bite of lunch around 2:00 Saturday afternoon. The streets were bereft of people except for a few be-mulleted (as in they had mullets) industrial workers sucking cigarettes outside the corner bar. Some of the shops and eateries looked quaint, however, all but two or three had been closed in anticipation of the New Year.

I ended up at Jitterz Coffee & Cafe on Main Street. After a smoothie and an argument with the GPS lady (she didn't seem to understand one street went over another meaning I couldn't turn onto it), I parked my car by the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium and headed for the Port of Dubuque Riverwalk, a half-mile paved pathway dotted with public art, a casino, a convention center and a brewery-turned-wine-bar.

You can't help but be impressed by the Mississippi River. It's incredible to think of the amount of water rushing between the banks and the distance it travels. Each molecule journeys all the way from the Canadian snows to the Gulf of Mexico. Of course that's just one small leg of its perpetual, inter-matter adventure.

Three lofty bridges span the River within view. Two for cars and one for trains. Apparently the River had long ago been deepened at this juncture due to the farmers' fear of the railroads gaining a monopoly on the transport of grain unless large barges were able to pass through. The project was funded by the federal government. That seems like reasonable use of federal funds. Multiple states on both sides, up and down the Mississippi benefited as did consumers of grain and all the food products it makes possible. Centralized government was able to step in and solve the collective action problem. Negotiating that complex of an arrangement between so many parties would have been nearly impossible in the open market. I am not a libertarian. I will not be supporting Ron Paul.

Along the river, I saw a bald eagle (see photo of distant bird)! It's a rare sight. That was always something that made me proud of Wisconsin: the national bird resided in our state. As apparently it does in Iowa as well.

The Riverwalk is short but the forceful winds make it feel longer. Following the arduous half-mile trek in the howling winds I figured I had no choice but to take shelter at the wine bar, Stone Cliff Winery. Warmed by a glass of cabernet, I visited the final landmark along the banks: the Shot Tower. The 120 foot tall Shot Tower was built in 1853 for the manufacture of lead shot by the U.S. Army. Bullets for muskets were made by pouring molten lead down the center of structure through fans that chopped it up into tiny droplets that plinked into vats of icy water.