We’re close to hitting 50 degrees in the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Sandhill cranes, Canada Geese, starlings have all returned. The Mourning Dove is cooing again and the morning is beginning to be vibrant with bird chatter. We’ve heard from the St. Louis area that pelicans are back on their way north. I don’t know that ANYONE appreciates spring like someone who lives up here!
Intensity graph for the New Madrid fault
With all the coverage of the 7.0 magnitude quake in Haiti, interest has shifted to the USA. Could it happen here?
Cover of Volume 3, DISCOVER! America's Great River Road
Ironically, the New Madrid Fault is a major active fault line that runs approximately from Memphis, Tennessee, to St. Louis, Missouri. On Dec. 16, 1811, this area was hit with an estimated 8.6 magnitude quake on the modern-day Richter scale. A second quake on January 23, 1812 is estimated to have been an 8.4. A THIRD shock on February 7, 1812, is estimated to have been the strongest jolt ever to hit the North American continent at somewhere near 8.7 to 8.9.
We pulled some illuminating facts from Volume 3 of DISCOVER! America’s Great River Road… What would an 8.7 magnitude earthquake feel like?
It released energy equal to 150,000,000 tons of TNT. In comparison, the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII equaled 35,000 to 40,000 tons of TNT!!
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Al Stankovitz Photo of Tundra Swan and cignet
From Alan Stankevitz
Since the weather was so-so yesterday, I wasn’t planning on going down to Brownsville to photograph Tundra Swans but there was a break in the clouds so I headed down there for a bit. Upon my arrival it started to cloud over again (par for the course) but since I was there I decided to stick it out for a while and help answer people’s questions at the observation deck.
I was just about to leave when I spotted a banded Tundra Swan swimming amongst the other swans. This isn’t too unusual. I usually see a few banded swans every year. I report them to the USGS banding center and maybe if I am lucky, I get a response about a year later as to the history of the bird. On a whim, I also emailed a USGS employee who works with banding these swans.
Banded Tundra Swan
Within one hour I got a response from him with some rather interesting information regarding this bird. It was banded on July 26th of this year. It’s a male. And it was banded on the Buckland River Delta. Where is the Buckland River Delta? It’s in NW Alaska.
Usually the swans from this region follow the Pacific flyway. This one headed east over the Rockies and Canada. So far it has traveled over 3,000 miles and will more than likely overwinter along the eastern seaboard somewhere between Maryland and North Carolina. This will make its fall migration path close to 4,000 miles!!!
I then asked my contact to trace another swan seen by Dan Jackson on November 6 (photo above).. So far my luck hasn’t run out! T200 was banded on July 29, 2009 on the Colville River Delta on Alaska’s North Slope. It is not so unusual for swans in this area to head to the east coast via the Mississippi River Flyway.
I always think November is doubly beautiful if we get an “indian summer”, the early Tundra swans, AND PELICANS all at the same time. That’s what we have right now. So when you see the “swans” check closely… do they have a long NECK or a long BILL.
Tundra Swans are beginning to trickle into POOL 8
Norton grapes are the signature Missouri wine grape
Cooler weather means fishing is picking up on the upper river. Reports are starting to come in from the Genoa fishing barge. See our fishing reports at www.greatriver.com/fishing/fishreport.htm
This 35 pound catfish was caught on an ultra lite rod!
35 pound catfish!
Riverbuffs watching Ken Burn’s THE NATIONAL PARKS Sunday evening might be interested to know that the Upper River has a tie to Lafayette Bunnell, who named Yosemite Nat’l Park. From DISCOVER! AMERICA’s GREAT RIVER ROAD, Volume 1, p. 78 . . .
“Five miles south of Winona, in the tiny village of HOMER, MINNESOTA, is the historic “Bunnell House.” This gothic gem was the home of Willard Bunnell, the first permanent settler and last Indian trader in the area. Bunnell’s brother, Lafayette, was among the men who discovered and gave the name Yosemite to the National Park in California.”
What a difference a week makes! Just returned from a week near Holcomb, Wisconsin, where all the maples are in full red bloom. When I left La Crosse, it was mid-summer… 80 degrees, bluffs were green and the corn was high.
Upon arriving in Holcomb, just south of Ladysmith, I had the curious experience of viewing fall color, but being taken aback. It took a moment as I absorbed the colorful reflection in the still Chippewa Flowage… “Ah yes! Fall color!”
Upon return to La Crosse, I see the corn leaves have yellowed and there is just a hint of color. Go to our home page, www.greatriver.com to access our FALL COLOR HOTLINE.
With Fall Color about to burst on the Upper Mississippi, I often get inquiries about how to find an overnight cruise on the river now that the steamboats are not operating. I just received an email about a two-day cruise from The TWILIGHT, a boat built by Dennis Trone and operating out of Le Claire, Iowa. Check out their website at www.riverboattwilight.com
“Please join us for our very affordable, 2 -Day Overnight Mississippi River Cruise! Our 2-Day Cruise is only $329 and includes:
All Meals, Snacks, plus complimentary Coffee, Tea & Lemonade
On-Board Entertainment
Overnight Accommodations at the Riverfront Grand Harbor Resort
Admission to the Iowa’s #1 Tourist attraction:
The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
For more information, got to our website at www.riverboattwilight.com. We look forward to seeing you in 2009 and sharing our Mississippi River experience!”
Carrie & Captain Kevin Stier
The smaller boats, like the Twilight, the JBS, or the Spirit of Peoria on the Illinois River, incorporate hotel stays with shore trips and overnight hotel stays. The passenger still enjoys long lazy days on the river. The JBS, unfortunately is not operating this summer.