It was such a nice day out on Sunday, that we decided to go for a drive. Our first stop was for dinner at a restaurant on the Mississippi riverfront. We stopped in Guttenburg and ate in a really an old building. Our food was good and we laughed when we saw how big the onion rings were at a table near us. We were glad that we didn’t order them, but I’m thinking that if we’re there again, I’d order them if I was hungry. Then off to the Lock #10 on the river. It was right by us, so it wasn’t any problem finding it. The dam was in operation since 1937 and is 763 feet long. There were some barges also on the river, but when we were there we didn’t see anyone going through the locks.
Daryl checking it out
Of course you can’t drive around with a farmer in your car and not talk about everyone’s crops as you drive by them. When we saw a couple of fields on the drive, we decided that it just could be the worst crops that we’ve seen all year. It looked like they might have gotten some high winds and then some hail. The leaves on the bean fields looked they they were stripped and that usually means that there was a storm. The only thing that we could say about those fields were that they were a mess. I was wondering how (or if?) they would combine them. Daryl said that they would just have to go slow and only go one way in the field. They looked really bad and my pictures don’t even do it justice.
Wind and drought damaged corn
Where next? We went down to check out the Cassville Ferry. We knew that we were on a time schedule and probably wouldn’t be able to ride it today, but still we wanted to check it out. I read that the first ferry was a rowboat in 1833 and then in 1890 it was powered by horses! Wouldn’t that have been something to see. Then in 1918 the one that they use now was put into use. It’s a 25-ton steel hulled boat that holds 6 cars. There were some people waiting to drive on it o the Iowa side when we got there and it was still loading on the Wisconsin side when we left. I would have loved to see it come up the river and ride on it, so I’m hoping to get back there sometime to do that. It was only about 1 1/2 hours from our farm, so that wasn’t too bad.
Loading the ferry on the Wisconsin side
Mississippi River overlook
Info on the river
Quick picture
The reason that we were on a time schedule was because Daryl was singing with the group Fusion in the park in a town near us. The weather was perfect for an outside concert and when they were all done singing, the group came to our farm for pizza’s and drinks. The Roadhouse once again worked out perfect for this. With music playing, food, and friends just hanging out, it was a great way to end the weekend.
Fusion singing in the park