Water Logged

Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn made riding the river seem like fun. They rode a raft into all kinds of interesting adventures.

My recent ride was an adventure.  But a different sort of adventure.  Let's say it's the kind of adventure that comes with a lower air conditioned level and a generous buffet of make-your-own deli sandwiches.

Journeying onto the Mighty Mississippi caused the heart to pump a little faster.  The river was calm.  The temperature perfect.  The Captain brave and sure - as we set sail that day for a two hour tour.

Instead of the weather getting rough, our not so tiny tour ship plied its way against the current toward lock and dam #11.  We were close enough to see it, then turned to travel downstream.

Led by the captain mellifluous voice - we had a soundtrack describing the old buildings on shore and how they had been re-purposed in the 21st Century.  There were times during his commentary there were.....      long....   pauses...   between words.  Maybe there was something that caught his attention.  We don't know. We just hoped he hadn't dozed off between phrases.

You could sit or stand on the top open-air deck or stay below in air conditioning.  The first level was the dining room.  It came with assigned seating for guests who made an advanced order for lunch - which meant you didn't have to worry about having a spot when you went below.

I preferred the open air - the gentle breeze generated by the boat's movement feeling quite pleasant.  The Spirit of Dubuque wasn't setting speed records, but judging the speed of a boat that size is difficult.  Speedboats passed us. Mallard ducks did not.

Dubuque is named for the first European settler in the area - Julien Dubuque.  It's the oldest city in Iowa.  A French-Canadian fur trader, he arrived in 1785.  After consulting with the local Chamber of Commerce - he became well acquainted with the Mesquakie (Fox) Indians - eventually getting involved with lead mining.

He has a hotel named for him as well.  I'm pretty sure he didn't build it or have any ownership.

Irish and Germans soon flowed into the area for mining possibilities after the Blackhawk Purchase allowed miners to cross the Mississippi.  Later button making (usually from shells), boat building, and logging employed the town and created currency.

Loras College and Clarke University are two private institutions for post - secondary education affiliated with the Catholic church.

Some of the high points of Dubuque's skyline are steeples that still tower over the rest of the city.

The paddle-wheeler returned us to port two hours after departure.  It has changed a lot since Julien Dubuque first rowed into shore.

Barge traffic carries a huge volume of goods and commodities through the center of the country, but unlike Julien's day - the rest of the boat traffic is recreational as we use four wheels for navigating ribbons of highway instead of water.