For lunch we skipped the museum snack shop and walked to the nearby Ice Harbor Restaurant because IT WAS ON A BOAT!
This turned out to sound a great deal more exciting than it was. The dining room was tiny and crowded. The one waitress was over-busy and not very competent. And the food was mediocre and over-priced.
But we had a nice time chatting and gazing into each others’ eyes while we planned the rest of our day. Which turned out to involve a ride on the Spirit of Dubuque, a stern-wheeled paddle boat. We were told about thirty times that this is the only paddle-driven excursion boat on the Mississippi or Missouri Rivers. I don’t know about that, but I do know we’ve taken rides before this on “paddle wheel” boats that had wheels for decoration only. This boat had a diesel engine, and the wheels actually turned and moved the boat.
Which was kinda funny because all the people who thought they’d scored great seats on the rear deck scrambled for cover when the boat backed out of its birth and the wheels threw water all over them. In fact, everyone, us included, were soon looking for seats near the front of the boat to escape the diesel fumes.
The Dubuque Rail Bridge that crosses from Dubuque to East Dubuque, Illinois. Shortly after the tracks cross the bridge, they enter a tunnel on the Illinois side. The tower on the Iowa side, visible in the photo below, is a shot tower where lead was dropped into water to create shot for ammunition.
We sailed north first, with Iowa on our left and Illinois, and then Wisconsin on our right. The state line is marked by a tiny sign on the shore, just barely visible in the photo below.
Our furthest point north, with Eagle Point and Lock and Dam 11 in the distance.
This guy was paddling around in the river on a surfboard. When our boat passed, he quick paddled over and rode the wake for a bit. It looked like it might be fun for a few moments, but probably not worth the effort.
The Dubuque-Wisconsin Bridge that carries Route 151 across the river.
The Dennis Ross, pushing two petroleum barges upstream.
Our pilot gave a running explanation of a lot of what we passed, including the details on the towboats we saw. He must have had a book handy in which he could look up the details. His delivery was so halting and dry, however, that it took a great deal of concentration to summon up the energy it took to listen to him.
The large brown mass in the tree with the split trunk is an active Bald Eagle nest. I spotted two eagles perched in riverside trees. I tried to point one of them out to a guy at the next table, but he only spoke German and replied with I don’t know what. I think I got my point across to him, but he didn’t seem overly impressed.
The Julien Dubuque Bridge that carries Route 20 across the river. It was opened in 1943 and painted gray to disguise it in case of enemy air attack. The towboat is the Aaron F. Barrett.
We sailed past Dubuque and headed south for a while. The riverbank here was less developed.
As we returned to Ice Harbor, from which we’d come an hour and a half earlier, we noticed two wedding parties on the levy having their photos taken. Here, and later when we walked along the river, we saw a total of five.
An assortment of small craft lined the entrance to Ice Harbor (so called because ice used to be harvested in the inlet).
