DriftlessMode

04/17/2025

THE WIDE AND NARROW - This Iowa DOT aerial view of the east end of the Black Hawk Bridge (shown at right) and new bridge construction (left side of photo) shows very clearly the increase in width that will be gained — nearly double. The new bridge will even have breakdown lanes.

04/15/2025

ZIG-ZAG ROUTING CONCRETE - A sophisticated machine with articulating arms carries concrete to a foundation for the new bridge along the west bank of the Mississippi River at Lansing, Iowa.

04/13/2025

HERE AND GONE - A rainbow popped up in the northeastern sky over the Mississippi River south of Lansing for mere moments this afternoon. Then disappeared. Now back to a grayish sky.

04/12/2025

POOL 9 OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER 93 TONS OF JUNK CLEANER - As the clock approached noon Saturday, boats lined up to unload debris collected from areas throughout Pool 9 of the Mississippi River. Photos are from the Lansing collection site near the VFW building. Friends of Pool 9 volunteers of all ages have collected and removed more than 185,800 pounds (92.9 tons) of debris from the big river and recorded over 10,560 hours of volunteer time over several years. It’s improved the quality of the 31-mile stretch of river and its backwaters between Lock and Dam 8 at Genoa WI and Lock and Dam 9 near Lynxville, Wisconsin. Tasks range from walking various roadways and river banks to riding in a boat to clean islands and sandbars. Trash collection sites were at New Albin, De Soto, Ferryville, Lansing, Genoa/Blackhawk Park and one set up in Decorah by Sue English. —Photos at Lansing show Neil Galema manning the tractor, Bruce Revoir talking with Galema and assisting with unloading boats; Paul Verdon and Kevin Miller in video showing unloading a full boat — “Want a TV?” asked Paul Verdon, pointing to a trashed old TV at the front of the boat.

04/12/2025

HOPPING TO BREAKFAST WITH THE EASTER BUNNY - The DeSoto Area Lions Club sponsored a breakfast Saturday morning at the DeSoto Community Center. As you can see, the Easter Bunny was in attendance. Eggs, sausage, pancakes, coffee, milk and OJ were served (sausage well-done if requested). Also on hand were folks from the Wheatland Fire Department selling raffle tickets.

04/04/2025

THREE DOWN(RIVER), ONE ON THE MOVE - Sure sign spring is on the way when the S&S Rentals covered docks are moved downriver to their seasonal moorings at the south end of Lansing, Iowa.

04/01/2025

BRIDGING THE GAP - Foot by foot, the space over the great Mississippi River at Lansing, iowa, is being spanned by a new bridge replacing the iconic Black Hawk Bridge. One photo shows workmen on the east side (facing west). Other photo looks eastward through the old bridge's archway at a new one built on the Wisconsin side.

03/25/2025

GRAIN LINES - Chutes connecting grain storage bins stand out against a clear blue sky near Churchville in NE Iowa.

03/15/2025

IRISH BUT ‘FOLKSY’ DINNER NIGHT ON THE RIVER - Coffee on the River held a pre-St. Pat’s Day event Friday night in Lansing, Iowa, to the tunes of local musician Amanda Fahey, from New Albin. Amanda strummed and sang familiar and original tunes while diners sipped beverages and enjoyed salad, mashed taters and chef Wendi's version of a patty (paddy?) melt . . . No green beer but plenty of other libations. It was noted by Diana that a few years back Amanda was the first employee hired at this much appreciated restaurant. Diners joined Amanda in song to old favorite — “You Are My Sunshine.” You can hear a few bars here.

03/11/2025

A WOW-ZA NATURE SCENE - Longtime photo friend, Jeff Carney Photography // Midwest Drone Photographer does it again. Sunrise over the Platte River in Nebraska... Brilliant. Those silhouettes of snow geese (dark and light ones) make an otherwise lava-like abstraction become a real nature scene.

UNIQUE WATERFOWL PERSPECTIVE -- Snow geese fly over the Platte River and a large roost of sandhill cranes as the sun starts to rise early Saturday morning. Our small plane kept a safe distance away from the activity. But the skies were crowded.

03/11/2025

BUILDING A NEW BRIDGE, ONE SUPPORT AT A TIME - From certain vantage points, new bridge construction connecting Wisconsin with Iowa over the Mississippi River at Lansing looks like a tangle of steel between cranes and the "retiring" Black Hawk Bridge. Glowing in direct sunlight is one of the completed bridge supports on the Wisconsin side.

03/06/2025

SKIPPING INTO SPRING - At least here in the not-too-upper Midwest. Temps predicted to reach the mid-60s early next week!

03/04/2025

GRAIN STORAGE GLOW - Grain bins and tubular chutes on the Roger/Lynn Ellefson farm near Waterville reflect mostly shadows against a twilight sky.

02/28/2025

SEEMS LIKE ONLY YESTERDAY (at Blackhawk Park near Victory, Wisconsin) - Ice is fast thinning and disappearing on the Mississippi River and its backwaters as temps rise.

02/27/2025

...AND THE BIG THAW BEGINS!

02/26/2025

LOW WINTER SNOWFALL BUT DEEP SOIL FROST DEPTHS AND SPRING RAINS KEYS TO FLOODING - Our trusty contact Jordan Wendt with the National Weather Service recently told WEAU TV (Eau Claire, Wisconsin) in a spring flooding report that one of the ways floods are dangerous is the variety of ways they can happen. “You have your regular river flooding where water starts to exceed its banks and starts overflowing into the land around it. We also have what’s most common in summertime is flash flooding where we have a lot of rain falling down in a short amount of time, and it can’t flow away from the location it fell in time so it starts to collect,” says Wendt. The report added, because there hasn’t been much snowfall, Wendt doesn’t expect as much flooding in the spring, BUT, he says that doesn’t mean nothing will happen. “We do have very deep frost depths in the soil. Any spring rain that does fall before the ground can thaw will likely lead to ponding of water, maybe flooded basements. That water will run off faster into the rivers, leading to higher rises that what you would see in the summertime,” says Wendt. ***As it looks right now in the longer term, Wendt adds, there is no clear signal that would suggest an above-normal spring for precipitation. There is a higher signal for above normal precipitation across the Ohio River Valley (40 to 60% chance), which will be something we will need to monitor if any of the systems that develop along this storm track shift northward. --Photos: Spring snow/ice thaw above a driveway; floodwaters leaving debris around Miss. River dock

02/25/2025

SWEATSHIRT WEATHER (ON ICE) - A trio of fishermen take advantage of the last stretch of good ice fishing weather near Village Creek boat access to the Mississippi River south of Lansing, Iowa.