This ain't no flyover country

Houston (house-ton), MN is home to the international owl center and festival, which I had the opportunity to attend a few years ago. They rehabilitate injured and orphaned owls and they have several teaching owls who can’t be released back to the wild, including a great horned, a snowy and a barred owl. Unfortunately, the center was not open either day I was there. However, I was also attracted to this area for biking a rail to trail and kayaking the Root River. I set out to

Today was a just under four hour drive day, so I was not totally destination driven. The plan was to take US 61 to US 52 with a short jog on US20. This is the heartland of the Midwest where those giant tractors I saw at the John Deere Pavillion show what they are made of on massive farms. The wind was again ever present. I pulled over for a rest, gas, and coffee after less than two hours. My daughter Amy had called me from France for help navigating her summer job plans whe

Truth be told there are five cities, but they go by the quad. Davenport and Bettendorf, IA, Rock Island, Moline and East Moline, IL. All built on the Mississippi River, it’s a hub for river barges and railroads. I started the day with a visit to the welcome center in Davenport. I got some brochures and then headed out on my bike. I saw migrating pelicans, and the Rock Island Arsenal from a distance and rode over the I74 bridge. But the most interesting part of the ride was ge