On the Mississippi in Dubuque, Iowa

On Day 2 of our Fall adventure, we took a sail on the Spirit of Dubuque.  It left its slip at 10:00 am for a 4 hour cruise and lunch on the Mississippi.  We had a full boat.  Again, we had a gorgeous day, little cool in the morning but still bright and beautiful.

Our ship for the tour.

Sorry, I can't remember this lookout.  It is not far from when the harbor.  What a view this would be.

Cormorants along the Mississippi.

We met another paddle wheeler.  It is the newest, only a year old.  The Queen of the Mississippi  This is one you can stay on and travel for several days up and down the river.

You never know what you will find along the river. This table and chairs was set up down by the river to watch the traffic.

Another paddle wheeler.

I kept hoping to see some white pelicans in migration, but all I got was seagulls.

Did see an eagle enjoying lunch.

The barges are waiting to be filled.  You can tell that the ones on the left are full and ready to go, where the ones on right are ready and waiting.

One our way back to the harbor. at about noon time we were all called down to the dining room for a buffet lunch.  We had coleslaw, mashed potatoes, chicken breast and ham, and green beans for lunch.  It was great. The views and sights along the Mississippi was beautiful.  But, no fall colors!

The Town Clock in downtown Dubuque.

On our way out of town, found this cute little quilt shop. This was an unplanned stop.

We stopped in Schullsburg,Wisconsin, to get cheese!  Wisconsin is known for its wonderful, award winning cheese.

On our way to Madison, Wisconsin where we were going to stay the night we came upon this structure.  It is called "Grandview" and is just outside Hollendale, Wisconsin.  This is one building on the grounds.

It started out by Nick Engelbert constructing an arched porch on his house made of concrete with shards of china, glass, beads, buttons and sea shells.  Over several years he continued to build various structures using the same elements.  It is open to the public, free of charge, and is maintained by a local organization.

Here is the peacock and eagle.  It sure did look interesting. You just never know what you will find along the highways and byways.  We had another gorgeous day.  We were on our way to Madison to stay the night.