Mississippi River – Wandering Dawgs

Lens-Artists #89: A River Runs Through It

March 28, 2020Posted in PhotographyTagged A River Runs Through It, blogging, Lens-Artists, Mighty Mississippi, Mississippi River, Mississippi River Headwaters, Photo Challenge20 Comments

This week Amy has chosen “A River Runs Through It” as the theme for the Weekly Photo Challenge. When I saw Amy’s challenge I immediately thought of the Mississippi River which runs through ten states in the U.S.

“The Mississippi River will always have it’s own way; no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise” – Mark Twain

The Mighty Mississipi runs from the headwaters in Itasca State Park, Minnesota south to the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana.

” Here 1475 feet above the ocean the mighty Mississippi begins to flow on its winding way 2552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico” ~from the marker at the headwaters

Marker at the Headwaters of the Mississippi River

The Headwaters of the Mississippi River in Itasca State Park, Minnesota

Mississippi River at the headwaters in Itasca State Park, Minnesota

Ordered from north to south, the rest of my images are from several different viewpoints along the Mississippi River.

Potosi, Wisconsin side of the MIssissippi River looking toward Dubuque, Iowa

20090818Hannibal-(56) — View from the middle of the Mississippi River on a paddle boat near Hannibal, Missouri

Gateway Arch Riverboat in St. Louis, Missouri — Gateway Arch Riverboat on the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Missouri

Sunrise over the Mississippi River at Trail of Tears State Park in Jackson, MO

Barge going down the river at sunset — Sunset over the Mississippi River from at Trail of Tears State Park in Jackson, Missouri

20060909Mud-Island-(9) — Mud Island River Park river walk in Memphis, Tennessee is a 5-block long replica of the lower Mississippi river, from Cairo, IL, to New Orleans, LA.

Barge on the Mississippi River at Tom Sawyer RV Park in West Memphis, Arkansas — We sat in our campsite and watched barges on the Mississippi River at Tom Sawyer RV Park in West Memphis, Arkansas

Confluence of St. Francis and Mississippi River in Mississippi River State Park in Marianna, Arkansas

The mighty Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Mississippi

Many thanks to Amy for giving me an opportunity to relive some of our trips along the Mississippi River in this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – A River Runs Through It

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Wisconsin

October 2, 2017October 1, 2017Posted in COE Park, Lighthouse, RVing, Tourist Attractions, Wandering around America, WisconsinTagged America the Beautiful, Door County, Good Old Potosi Beer, Green Bay, Lambeau Field, Mississippi River, snow15 Comments

State 44:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state in my series is

Wisconsin

Wisconsin became the 30th state on May 29, 1848. The Capital is Madison.

On one of our trips through Wisconsin we had truck trouble on Saturday of Easter Weekend. It was too early in the season for the Madison KOA to be officially open but they let us have a site for the weekend while we waited until we could get the truck serviced on Monday morning. The campground was next to a cheese shop that had a little more money in their till after I got finished stocking up on wonderful Wisconsin cheese!

On Easter Sunday our server at the Cracker Barrel was from Georgia and I learned they serve grits even as far north as Wisconsin. After our Easter breakfast we drove around downtown Madison for a look at the state capital. On Monday morning the truck repairs were done early enough to hitch up the fifth wheel and continue north to our next destination.

20070408Madison-(2) — State Capital in Madison, Wisconsin

As we traveled north from Madison the snow started coming down. We arrived at Apple Creek Campground in DePere and set up camp in the snow. They weren’t officially open yet but the owners were great and let us have a site for a couple of nights. Seeing Lambeau Field and the Door County Peninsula were on our Wisconsin bucket list and the campground was close to both.

20070409Snow-in-WI-(13) — We set up our RV in the snow in DePere

Jutting out into Lake Michigan is the Door County Peninsula. Our visit was during the off season and as we drove around the peninsula very few places were open. There was beautiful farmland and several lighthouses to visit.

2070410-2Door-County-(2) — Door County Peninsula

20070410-1Sherwood-Point-(1) — Sherwood Point Lighthouse, Door County Peninsula

20070410-3Eagle-Bluff — Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, Door County Peninsula

20070410-5Cana-Island-Light-(8) — Cana Island

20070410-5Cana-Island-Light-(5) — Cana Island Light

20070410-6Baileys-Harbor-Lower-Range-Light-(3) — Baileys Harbor Lower Range Light is no longer in use

20070410-4lunch — Blondie got to put her feet in Lake Michigan

On the way back to the campground we stopped in Green Bay to see Lambau Field, the home field of the NFL Green Bay Packers.

20070410-7Lambau-Field-(1) — The fans love their Green Bay Packers

20070410-7Lambau-Field-(9) — Inside the Lambeau Field Atrium

On another of our trips we camped beside the Mississippi River at Grant River Corps of Engineers in Potosi, Wisconsin, population 711 in 2009. While we were enjoying lunch in the outdoor beer garden at the Potosi Brewery we watched as the town was preparing for their first annual Brewfest. The National Brewer’s Museum is located at the brewery. Also nearby was an interesting Grotto in Dickyville.

20090820Grant-River-COE-(5) — We looked across at Iowa from the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River

20090820Grant-River-COE-(25) — Grant River COE on the Mississippi River

20090820Grant-River-COE-(19) — Sunset over the Mississippi River at Grant River COE

20090820Grant-River-COE-(23) — Our campsite was very close to the train tracks

20090822Potosi-(16) — Good Old Potosi Beer

20090822Potosi-(7) — Springs at the Potosi Brewery

20090821Field-of-Dreams-(55) — Grotto in Dickeyville, Wisconsin

20090821Field-of-Dreams-(34) — Grotto in Dickeyville, Wisconsin

While camping at Viking Village RV Park near Stoughton we bought more wonderful Wisconsin cheese. I counted nine little Thirteen Lined Ground Squirrels running around behind our RV. There were also some Sandhill Cranes running across a field but they were too far away for a picture.

20100619Ground-Squirrels-(3) — Thirteen lined ground squirrel – mama with baby

20100619Ground-Squirrels-(10) — Thirteen lined ground squirrels

20100619Ground-Squirrels-(18) — Thirteen lined ground squirrel

To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Washington West Virginia

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Missouri

May 12, 2017September 29, 2017Posted in Historic Sites, Missouri, RVing, Tourist Attractions, Wandering around AmericaTagged Cape Giradeau, Gateway Arch, Hannibal, Harry Truman Lake, Lake of the Ozarks, Mark Twain, Mississippi River, St. Louis, Trail of Tears State Park10 Comments

State 23:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is

Missouri

Missouri became the 24th state on August 10, 1821. The capital is Jefferson City.

From the Mississippi River to the Lake of the Ozarks and many places in between, we had great adventures while in Missouri.

High on our bucket list of things to see in Missouri was the Gateway Arch at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis. Henry rode the elevator up to the top of the arch while I strolled along outside. We hopped on the MetroLink to explore some of the other sights in the city.

Gateway Arch

Looking up at the Gateway Arch

Gateway Arch as seen from across the river in Illinois

Old Courthouse in St. Louis

St. Louis Union Station

St. Louis Cardinals Busch Stadium

Gateway Arch Riverboat on the mighty Mississippi River

St. Louis Cardinal baseball stadium during a home game as seen from the top of the Gateway Arch

What fun it was to explore Hannibal and see so many places where Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer had their adventures.

Tom and Huck Statue at the foot of Cardiff Hill

Mark Twain’s boyhood home and Tom Sawyer’s Fence

Lover’s Leap on the Mississippi in Hannibal, Missouri

We took a ride up the Mississippi River on the Mark Twain Riverboat

Mark Twain Cave

We climbed 244 steps up Cardiff Hill to the Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse

Harry Truman State Park was a great place for camping and taking a walk on a nature trail.

Great Blue Heron on Harry Truman Lake

On the Western Wildflower Train in Harry Truman State Park

Our home base for visiting Branson was Table Rock State Park.

Rocky Bluff near Table Rock Dam

Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede

Lake Taneycomo near Branson, MO

One fall we planned a trip to Missouri to attend a football game at the University of Missouri in Columbia. In addition to enjoying a football weekend we also camped beside the Mississippi River at Trail of Tears State Park, enjoyed the spectacular fall colors at Lake of the Ozarks and went shopping at the first Bass Pro Shop in Springfield.

Moon rising over the Mississippi River at Trail of Tears State Park

There are 24 different Mississippi River Tales Murals on the floodwall in Cape Giradeau

University of Missouri Logo in the grass at the Mizzou Stadium

Fall Colors at Lake of the Ozarks — Fall colors at Lake of the Ozarks

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Mississippi

April 29, 2017November 29, 2017Posted in Mississippi, National Parks, RVing, Wandering around AmericaTagged America the Beautiful, beach, Buccaneer State Park, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi River, Oxford, tamales, Vicksburg, Waveland13 Comments

State 22:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is

Mississippi

Mississippi became the 20th state on December 10, 1817. The capital is Jackson.

Our travels have taken us through Mississippi on two interstates and numerous state roads. Driving along the state roads we passed by the Jim Henson museum in his birthplace of Leland, B.B. King’s birthplace in Itta Bena, Tennessee Williams birthplace in Columbus, and many historic places along the Blues Trail,

Our wandering has taken us to Vicksburg twice. Both times we camped at the Ameristar Casino RV Park across the street from the Mississippi River. We enjoyed touring Vicksburg National Military Park and seeing the views of the Mississippi River.

Vicksburg National Military Park

Cairo Museum at Vicksburg National Military Park

Barge on the Mississippi River in Vicksburg

Another one of our trips took us along I-10 through Mississippi. Buccaneer State Park was a great overnight stop. You can read more about our stay at A night on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Walking along the beach in Waveland, Mississippi

Majestic oaks in the campground — Majestic oaks in Buccaneer State Park

While staying in a campground across the Mississippi River in Arkansas we made a day trip to Greenville, Mississippi for some Tamales at Doe’s Eat Place. They were so delicious we made a return trip a couple of years later. More about the tamales at BBQ, Pie and Tamales.

Doe's Eat Place in Greenville, Mississippi — Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville, Mississippi

Three dozen Mississippi Delta hot tamales

We traveled to Oxford in the fall of 2016 for a football weekend at Ole Miss. Friday afternoon downtown and tailgating at the Grove were fun, the game not so much. I posted about our stay here.

Tailgating Tents as far as the eye could see — Tailgaters in The Grove before a football game

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Arkansas

January 10, 2017July 11, 2017Posted in Arkansas, Historic Sites, National Parks, RVing, Wandering around AmericaTagged America the Beautiful, Fort Smith, Hot Springs National Park, Lake Chicot, Little Rock, Maumelle Campground, Mississippi River, Mississippi River State Park, Tom Sawyer RV Park13 Comments

State 4:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride! I will be featuring the states alphabetically and next up is

Arkansas

Arkansas became the 28th state on June 15, 1836. The capital is Little Rock.

When I was in elementary school my family lived on an Air Force base in northeastern Arkansas for four years. I remember there were cotton fields as far as the eye could see outside of the base.

Henry and I have traveled through Arkansas on several of our cross country trips and we have have made it a destination more than once. The Ozark Mountains, Hot Springs National Park, Little Rock, and several places on or near the Mississippi River were some of the places we enjoyed visiting.

We strolled along Bath House Row and the Grand Promenade at Hot Springs National Park. A relaxing day in one of the original bath houses was a real treat for me.

Hot Springs

The Grand Promenade in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

Fordyce Bath House on Bath House Row in Hot Springs

Quapaw Baths on Bath House Row in Hot Springs

The magnolias were blooming in Hot Springs

At Fort Smith National Historic Site we toured the federal courthouse used by Judge Isaac C. Parker in the late 1800’s.

Fort Smith National Historic Site

Federal Courthousue at Fort Smith National Historic Site

The Gallows at Fort Smith National Historic Site

We loved watching the barges going by on the Mississippi River from our campsite at Tom Sawyer RV Park in West Memphis, Arkansas.

Sunrise over the Mississippi River at Tom Sawyer RV Park

We watched the barges go down the Mississippi River from our site at Tom Sawyer RV Park

Some of the barges were small

Another small barge on the Mississippi

Maumelle Campground on the Arkansas River was a great home base for attending a Georgia – Arkansas football game in Little Rock and for taking a day trip to Petit Jean Sate Park.