A New Marina In Mississippi River Valley Proposed

In Port of La Crosse a developer is looking at buying an old, small, falling apart marina on the Black River located on French Island, WI. It's located in a small bay area called Catgut Slough. It's also known as Richmond Bay. It's an ideal habitat area for otters, loons, ducks, and paddlefish. If you don't know what a paddlefish is hit the link it will give you a brief explanation. The existing marina is an 8 acre marina the proposed $1.2 million project is for a marina upgrade to 40 boat slips and a remodel of an existing old diner that would be a nice restaurant and bar. Some of the local residents that live in the area and along the bay are arguing against the marina saying it will disturb the local habitat and bring in pollution from wild boaters. Being life-long boaters we disagree with the assumption of boaters not caring about the habitat and respecting thy neighbor, but like everything there are some exceptions.. We grew up here and have fished and boated this area for over 30 years and we believe this new marina would help the local economic area and provide more boating opportunities. The developer has been in the marina industry for over 30 years and is listening to all the residents concerns and has made adjustments to his plans to accommodate them so there isn't a lot of boat traffic deep in the bay where the residents live. The DNR has 30 days to make a decision and then either side can appeal it within 30 days.  So far the DNR is saying that the developer has gone above and beyond to try to make sure the marina will be nice looking and will cater to the people who respect the river and will come in and enjoy it peacefully and respectfully. The developer also plans to follow specific management practices to become a certified Wisconsin Clean Marina, with sanitation systems to prevent dumping and circulators to mix the waters and add oxygen.
There are concerns about the alcohol and noise but that has been left up to the local municipality to decide and they won't make a decision until after the DNR has made their decision.
We will try to follow this story and let you know what happens.
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Swans of the Mississippi River Valley

With the end of the houseboating season comes some of mother nature's most beautiful birds, The Tundra Swan. These swans start to show up in the Upper Mississippi River Valley in late October, they are most famous for hanging out  in the Alma,WI region. The swans come down from the north and take up refuge in the many different swamp lands all over here in the Upper Mississippi River Valley. They can be found here in Port of La Crosse in the territory we call Goose Island and from an overlook on the Minnesota side in the town of Brownsville,MN. These swans come to our area every year and they have a very unique sound to their call. If you are in the Upper Mississippi River Valley in late October or November you can cruise the River Road and see the beautiful birds with plenty of opportunities for photos. There are some diehard boaters that will take on the colder temperatures and cruise the Mississippi River and get closer views of the swans but either way you choose they are only here for a short time.
 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a plane in which they fly over our area which are considered Pools 7 and just south of us Pool 8. They like to monitor the waterfowl counts in our area to get an idea of how the flocks are doing every year. Here is an article that a local outdoors writer wrote about the search for the Tundra Swan......read more  Courtesy of the La Crosse Tribune.
The Upper Mississippi River Valley has so much to offer during the full 12 months of the year it's a nature lover's paradise.
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Houseboating Excursions Gets Pulled Out

It's that time of year again here in the Upper Mississippi River Valley that all boaters alike dread the most, time to pull out of the water and winterize. Now is the time when even us diehard houseboaters are ready to give in to the colder temperatures and pull our houseboats out and go through the winterizing process. We have been very fortunate this year because the weather has been great giving us some extra time. Even though the season on the water has ended doesn't mean the information, adventures, and resources will end, we will continue to be out there exploring more places to go and plan for more adventures. The Upper Mississippi River Valley has so much to offer all year, but this is a great time to start planning for your next houseboating season's adventures, we never stop planning ahead. The great thing about houseboating is that there are so many different options to choose from such as just cruising up and down the Mississippi River and stopping at sandbars and just parking and relaxing, visiting the many different cruise stops on our list that offer many different adventures, or just create your own adventure because you just never know what exciting experience is around that next curve. Here are some sad photos of Houseboating Excursions in the Mississippi River Valley being pulled out at the end of the 2010 houseboating season giving an idea how some houseboats are launched or pulled out.

The Upper Mississippi River Valley has some of the best fishing, wildlife is everywhere to be seen, spectacular views, education for the whole family, and best of all many different excursions of all types.
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Late Fall Cruise

It's the end of October and the weather is predicted to change for the worse so we took a late Fall cruise on the Mississippi River. The river levels have receded enough now it is safer to cruise the river without having to worry too much about floating debris. The leaves have all changed their colors and are now gone, everything is turning brown waiting to be smothered in beautiful white snow. As we take our cruise we enjoy some unusual warm temperatures and a very quiet river. One of the items we have to perform on our last cruise is to stop at the gas dock and have the septic pumped out for the last time in 2010. We returned to our dock slip and started some preparations for winterizing the houseboat but not too quickly as the weather is too nice not enjoy it as long as possible. We look around the marina and a lot of the smaller boats have already been pulled out and taken to be winterized which gives houseboating a huge advantage as you have the option to freeze them in the water allowing more time. Houseboaters are always the last ones out and the first ones in. Of course even if you freeze the houseboat in the water there is still the winterizing process to go through for the water lines and the engines.  Now we spend the time on our houseboat reminiscing our past adventures and start to plan for our next adventures.

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Football Redneck Style

 Another nice October Fall Day was upon us and it was time for another Green Bay Packer Football game. We set up our TV, antenna(redneck style), chairs, snacks, and umbrella, let the game begin. We were joined by some friends for the game and it was a little cool but sunny making it a comfortable day. We even had some other visitors come and join us for the first time, Woody the Wood Duck and Malfoyd the Mallard.

Woody and Malfoyd

They only stayed long enough for a few chips and then were on their way. They also noted how we had our antenna set up to watch the game. We don't have satellite or cable hookup so we need to use rabbit ear antennas and with the new digital signal it can be difficult to get a strong signal so we need to come up with ways to get a good signal for a specific channel. As you can see in our photo of our football party we had to set up our antenna redneck style.

Green Bay vs. Miami

The instructions for a proper redneck antenna set up are:  Rabbit ears, old plastic bucket, long enough coaxial cable, and a homemade umbrella stand. First put bucket upside down on umbrella stand and then balance rabbit ears on bucket and adjust antenna until you get a strong enough signal to watch and hear the entire game. CAUTION: If you have two dogs like us be always aware that during an exciting play dogs will get excited too and run around causing antenna system to fly everywhere and a fast and precise set up will be needed. After the main game ends and you want to watch another game on another channel arrangements will have to be taken at that time.
After an afternoon of football we retired to the indoors of the houseboat and ordered pizza to be delivered and enjoyed a cool, Fall evening only houseboaters could enjoy.
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October Fall Colors Cruise

We can't ask for any better weather than we are having now here in the Upper Mississippi River Valley with the temperatures ranging in the upper 70s to low 80s. This time of year the average temperatures are in the 50s and 60s. We have been taking full advantage of  the wonderful weather we are having by hanging out, grilling, and watching football. The Mississippi River levels are still high around 10 - 11ft. so a lot of boaters are giving up early and pulling their boats out and starting to winterize them, but not here at Houseboating Excursions in the Mississippi River Valley we are staying till the end. We took a nice cruise on Monday and there was only about a half a dozen boats on the Mississippi River. We cruised down river from Port of La Crosse to Genoa,WI and enjoyed all the beautiful Fall colors. This time of year is a leaf-lookers paradise with the leaves showing their golds, yellows, reds, oranges, and burgundys. We took some great photos for all to see what you can expect when you visit the Upper Mississippi River Valley in October. Port of La Crosse is located in Pool 7, it spans from Lock and Dam #7, La Crescent,MN to Lock and Dam #8, Genoa,WI. This is the area our photos came from on this cruise, but all up and down the Mississippi River Valley the colors everywhere are breathtaking.
            There is so much more to see and viewing it from the river is a great experience the whole family will enjoy. If you can't go by boat a cruise in your favorite vehicle along the Great River Road also known as Hwy 35 in Wisconsin also offers beautiful views of the Upper Mississippi River Valley. The link we provided takes you to a web site that gives more in-depth information about all the towns, cities, and businesses.
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A Beautiful Fall Morning

Sunrise Port of La Crosse

It's a beautiful October fall morning as we write this blog, the sun is rising over the Port of La Crosse which is the beginning of another great day here in the Upper Mississippi River Valley.  Our early morning wake up call came in the form of a helicopter flying overhead going to a local hospital and nearby duck hunters firing at flying ducks it sounded like the United States was under attack and all we had on the houseboat to defend ourselves was a fishing pole and a can of worms. With the high water the duck hunters are able to get to places they never could before bringing them close to the Port of La Crosse, under normal conditions the river levels are very low and in the years past you would only hear distant pops.
The Fall colors are now at their peak and it is one of the best times of the year to visit the Upper Mississippi River Valley and cruise the river because the views are breathtaking. Here is an early morning photo of a commercial barge in the distance coming up the Mississippi River at 7:00amToday we have a Green Bay Packer Football Party planned on the houseboat with the weather forcasting temps in the 70s to 80s. The skies are perfectly blue and the sun is warm making this day perfect. On Monday Houseboating Excursions will take a Fall cruise on the Mississippi River and bring you breathtaking photos of what you can see when you come to the Upper Mississippi River Valley.
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Port of La Crosse Under Water

It's been one of the wettest summers on record here in the Upper Mississippi River Valley and the Fall season is following the same path. Last week the Upper Mississippi River Valley experienced some strong thunderstorms that dropped rain amounts ranging from 3 inches to as much as 10 inches in some locations. The creeks and rivers are all overflowing their banks and flooding some small towns and creating devastation everywhere. All these smaller rivers empty out into the Mississippi River causing it now to exceed flood stages in our area from Red Wing,MN to Prairie Du Chein,WI. River stages are expected to range from 13ft. to 20ft.  In Port of La Crosse the flood stage is 12ft. and the Mississippi River is suppose to reach 13.5ft. by Wednesday and crest Thursday which means the Mississippi River levels should start to go down. The weather forecast is predicting dry weather for several days so that should help the lowering process and give residents a chance to start to clean up.
Here at Port of La Crosse Houseboating Excursions is unable to reach our houseboat. All boating residences had to be evacuated because  the Mississippi River levels are getting so high it flooded the access road to the marina and all the surrounding land. Check out our photos we took when we left and the Mississippi River is suppose to go 1.5ft. higher than these photos show.

Also in these photos you see how people are getting around to clear out and the Harbormaster and his crew cruise the area continually clearing the the marina of large floating debris to prevent damage to boats and docks, they are also checking to make sure everything is secure and safe. The Pettibone Campground is also under water and residents were forced to evacuate and move their campers to high ground and some have set up camp in nearby parking lots.  The Mississippi River is very dangerous to cruise at this time even the commercial barges are forced to stay at port because navigating is very difficult. The US Army Corps of Engineers is asking everyone to stay off the Mississippi River until levels fall below flood stage and if you must go cruise the Mississippi River a mandatory NO WAKE is in force until water levels fall below 10ft. With all the debris floating in the river right now you will be running the risk of hitting something you can't see just under the surface and possibly destroying your boat and motor. If you must venture out on The Mississippi River please do so safely and cautiously.
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Oktoberfest 2010

It's that time of the year again when the entire city if La Crosse,WI gets ready for its giant fall festival called Oktoberfest. Every year La Crosse has a huge fest which starts out on a Friday with a Festmaster's parade and the tapping of the Golden Keg at the Southside Fest Grounds. The fest runs for about 9 days and features a 3 hour parade known as The Maple Leaf Parade which is on Saturday and there are 2 fest grounds, one on the southside of La Crosse at the Southside Fest Grounds and one on the Northside of La Crosse at Copeland Park. The fest features rides and games for all to enjoy, beer tents at both grounds and special events like local bands and other talent, this year there is a special attraction to the Southside Fest Grounds featuring Bret Michaels from the 80s group Poison. His concert is sold out.
If you come to La Crosse,WI by houseboat for the fest we would recommend staying at the Pettibone Boat Club as it is the closest marina to the action. If you prepare yourself correctly you can walk from the marina to the parade route and to the Southside Fest Grounds but it is a long walk, about a mile, but, a cab ride to the area would only cost you about $5.00 to $10.00 and worth it. There are other marinas at Port of La Crosse to stay at: Municipal Boat Harbor, North Bay Marina, and South Bay Marina but you will need to cab ride from these marinas. If you plan to come to this festival plan months in advance because this Fest draws thousands of people from all over the area.
Check out the link we provided to Oktoberfest 2010 and you can see all the events and schedules to give you an idea of what the fest is all about so you can plan to attend in the future.
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Football Season at Houseboat

We are ready to kick off the 2010 NFL Green Bay Packers and the Wisconsin Badgers football season here at Houseboating Excursions. The boat is prepared with chairs, umbrellas to shade the sun, and our television. We start out the season on Saturday  with the Wisconsin Badgers. The weather here in Port of La Crosse is a cool day with the temperatures only in the 50s to low 60s but we have our furry blankets to keep us warm to watch the game. Today on Sunday the weather is nice and sunny but still cool but we are set up for friends to come to the boat and enjoy the game, even our houseboating neighbors are into the game they painted their boat Packer colors. The television might be small but the atmosphere is perfect for football and fun.
The weather people are predicting the weather will remain fall like being that fall starts Monday and it is one of the best times of the year to go out and cruise the Upper Mississippi River Valley as the river clears of all algae and weeds and the colors on the trees start to change. The fishing has been slow around the docks but should start to get better as fall is also one of the best times to catch fish here on the Mississippi River. You can still enjoy the sandbars and have a warm campfire and the experience is always one to remember.
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Growler Refill Trip

Gowler

After we enjoyed our time at Marquette,IA we cruised further south only a couple of miles to McGregor,IA to visit one of our favorite restaurants Old Man River Restaurant and Brewery. McGregor,IA has plenty of boat parking to offer and everything in town is only a short walk. As we blogged earlier we experienced some of the unique micro beers they have to offer so this time we decided to try a couple of other flavors. One flavor was named Pils which is a light golden lager with distinctive hops but to us it has a strong, heavy taste so it didn't qualify for a growler purchase. The other flavor we tried was the Marzen which is a German amber colored, malty flavored with a spicy finish and to us it was good, you could taste the bitterness to it along with a hint of spicy but again just didn't qualify this time for a growler purchase. So after we had dinner we refilled our original growlers with our favorites, Dunkel and Weizen,  but we will return again to try the Helles flavor and their own unique Old Man River Root Beer, these are very popular flavors because each time we have visited the brewery has been sold out. After dinner we walked the town and checked out some of their shops for some unique gifts and to see if we could find some antiques for our home.
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Eagles Landing Winery, Marquette,IA

We took a cruise down the Mississippi River to one of our favorite areas to visit and it landed us at Marquette,IA. Everyone knows that Marquette,IA is most famous for their pink elephant.

I know its really for the river boat casino Isle of Capri, but we like the elephant. The casino has a nice large dock to park at and it has electricity. We went there specifically to visit an Award Winning winery called the Eagles Landing Winery. It is only a short walk from the dock you park at to town where the winery is located. The winery is a family owned business that was started on the family farm in 1999. It has a 3 acre vineyard and grows ten varieties of red and white grapes and also gets honey locally from a place called the Yellow River Apiary and some quality fruits which allows the winery to make as many as 24 different wines from dry to dessert wines.

We were unfortunately too late to witness the harvest so we just visited their gift shop which also has a gazebo with tables for outdoor seating if you wish to purchase a bottle and want to enjoy it immediately and relax. The winery gift shop has a tasting room that seats up to 50 people and is free of charge. Each person gets a list of their wines and you can choose up to 5 different varieties to taste, being that there was 2 of us we got to try 10 different wines. We started with the dry and worked our way down to the dessert flavors and I will tell you one thing for sure we got a fast understanding as to why these are award winning wines, they are great. We are not fans of dry wines or very sweet wines so we mainly stayed in the semi-sweet area, and we chose 3 different types: Plumtastic(Beth's favorite), Mrs. Sippi(Troy's favorite), and Summer Crush.

The winery markets their wine under the label "Marquette Maid". The winery chose this name because it symbolizes Emma Big Bear who was the last Native American that was living an Indian life in the Marquette area and her home is preserved by Eagles Landing Winery and she is shown on every label as the face on the glass. There is also an Emma Big Bear Foundation that is a non-profit organization that promotes the memory of one of Marquette's most famous citizens. We provided a link to Emma Big Bear to learn about her life's history. We were also invited for a tour of their winery production area and it was a great experience.

We also learned that there is a wine trail called the Great River Road Wine Trail, it features 10 different wineries from the north you start at Cannon Falls,MN and work your way south to Marquette,IA. The only winery you can get to by boat is the Eagles Landing Winery but if you like wine and want to see all the different wineries here along the beautiful Upper Mississippi River Valley you can see a detailed map by clicking the link we provided and you can cruise by vehicle of your choosing and you will love the scenery as we do and get a full understanding as to why visiting the Upper Mississippi River Valley should be on everyone's vacation list. Be sure to check the open dates for all the wineries because not all wineries are open all year long. When you visit your first winery you get a brochure with all the wineries on it and each time you visit one you get a stamp on the brochure and when you collect all 10 you get a Great River Road Wine Trail glass. No purchase necessary.
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A Floating City of River Condos

We visited a a floating condominium parked here in Port of La Crosse. The name of the condos is River Cities Floating Condominiums. A developer from St. Paul,MN has come up with the idea of having a floating city of condominiums which are built on a barge style hull and would travel on the many different waterways here in the United States. The name of the first city is called the Marquette, it will contain approximately 180 condominiums from studios to 2 bedroom units ranging from 528 square feet to 924 square feet. They have many different types of ownership choices to choose from, 2 months to all year, with prices ranging from $55,000 to $1,800,000.
The waterways they travel are maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers so they have no worries of hitting obstructions in the rivers. The route is an annual cruise route of about 10,700 miles with 155 different overnight stops in 18 states.
The River Cities also offers restaurants, lounges, deli and grocery stores, spas, fitness gym, satellite, 18 hole golf course and some small pets are welcome.

Here are a few photos of an example condominium that we took on our visit but be sure to visit their web site for more information using our link to their site, it is a very interesting way to visit the Upper Mississippi River Valley and other river valleys too.
This could be your adventure of a lifetime you are looking for, make the river your home or vacation getaway as you follow the seasons to your next adventure and when you are back here in the Upper Mississippi River Valley you will be able to check our web site for adventures to do while in our area.
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Cooling Off at a Sandbar

It was a warm and humid day here in the Upper Mississippi River Valley giving the phrase "Dog Days of Summer" it's proper credit. We decided to take the boys to a large sandbar to cool off, with the Mississippi River starting to clear of its weeds and algae,  we just sat around and relaxed. The dogs, Koal and George, didn't have a problem figuring out how to do a great job staying cool. Here  Koal shows his way of doing it.  Of course George was not going to be out done by his brother so he too had to put on a demonstration of how to stay cool on these warm, humid days.  They were having so much fun that others stopped by and joined the fun.

  We also were able to enjoy views of other boats cruising up and down the Mississippi River along with a paddle wheel boat The La Crosse Queen. The Upper Mississippi River Valley has so many options of activities for all to do that it is almost impossible to ever get bored, everyday is a new adventure from just hanging out, to just going out and cruising around, and cruising to one of our favorite destinations.
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Sunset Bay Marina, Trempealeau,WI

Sunset Bay Marina located in Trempealeau,WI has reopened for business. They were closed for a couple of weeks due to heavy vegetation growth in the marina. The marina was saying it was due to a drawdown of the pool by the US Army Corps of Engineers but they are saying it was due to large amounts of rain and other factors. The important thing is that the Sunset Bay Marina located just north of Lock and Dam #6 is now open for business and their customers can now get their boats out and all of us other boaters can go there and use their facilities. It is a perfect place to park your boat of any size and be able to access the businesses in the Town of Trempealeau,WI, like one of our favorite cruise stops the Trempealeau Hotel.
For the Labor Day Weekend the Sunset Bay Marina is having live music Friday and Saturday nights starting at 8:00pm until midnight. If you plan to go by boat get there a little early they will probably fill up fast.
This article is resourced courtesy of Newschannel WXOW 19.....read more.
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National Eagle Center, Wabasha,MN

It was another great weekend to cruise the Upper Mississippi River Valley and this time we cruised to Wabasha,MN and stopped at the National Eagle Center. We have mentioned this place in our previous blogs but never actually took the tour. They have a nice dock to park at making it easy to walk up to the building. There is a small admission fee to get in. The first thing we did was to go see the live eagles they have on display.

The first one we visited was named Was'aka, he was their first male eagle and was found in Jacksonville, Florida. He had a tumor on his left eye which has been removed but leaving him blind. His original name was "Ari" but was changed by voting visitors to Was'aka which means "strength" in Dakota Indian language.

The next one we visited was named Donald, he was hit by a car in California and his wing was broken in two places and couldn't be properly mended so he became a member of the Eagle Center. He was named for the Donald Weesner Foundation which paid for his transportation to the Eagle Center. The next eagle was named Harriet, she was hit by a car in Wisconsin and had several surgeries to repair her heavily damaged left side, some of her wing had to be removed and she has arthritis and muscle damage which is why she is at the Eagle Center. She was named by a first grader.

The next eagle we visited was named Angel, she was a fledgling that was hanging out on the ground and broke a bone in her wing and had severe muscle damage, she survived by living off fish scraps dropped by nearby heron nests. She had surgery to try to repair her wing but the muscle damage was too much so she came to the Eagle Center and was named by a fourth grader.
Houseboating Excursions and friends got the pleasure on having our photo taken with an eagle named Angel. The size and beauty of these birds up close is truly amazing. The grip of their talons is more than 400psi, the machine they have to compare Troy's grip registered at 80psi, we will just say Hi when greeting an eagle no need to shake hand-to-talon.

On display was an eagle mask which is influenced by Native American sculpture from the Pacific Northwest and carved from a large white cedar log. The top of the eagle's head is painted in the form of Mississippi River channels with symbols of local flora and fauna. The white cedar is considered a spiritual wood and the smoke is seen favorable to the heavens and the eagle is the messenger of the spirit world.

This photo of a golden eagle sat on top of an unknown steamboat but is a symbol of pride, protection, and bringer of good fortune.

The silver eagle represents a Bicentennial Eagle sculpted by an artist, A. Giannelli, and donated by a couple that loved to visit  the Eagle Center.

The photo of the two eagles represents courtship and not fighting, the male and female grab their talons together and cartwheel down to almost hitting the ground and then fly up and do it again building a strong bond and engage in playful flirtation.

The photo of the circle cage represents the size of an average eagle nest. The Bald Eagle holds the world record of the biggest nest ever built, 20ft. deep, 9.5ft. wide. and weighing 3 tons.

For all you Harley-Davidson riders they also are offering a chance to win one of America's pride and joy motorcycle.

There is also a large balcony outside to view the Mississippi River and watch a commercial barge come up river and if you use their supplied telescopes you can even see some wild eagles hanging out in the area. There is so many more things to see and information classes to sit in on, that the National Eagle Center is a must see for the entire family when visiting the Upper Mississippi River Valley, you will not be disappointed.
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Sunset Bay Marina Closed

At the time this is being written the Sunset Bay Marina in Trempealeau,WI is closed temporarily for business due to heavy aquatic vegetation. The marina is located on the north side of Lock and Dam #6 in a small bay and is swamped with aquatic vegetation that is more than a foot thick, along with debris and dead fish creating a terrible odor. There are a lot of boats stuck in the slime and can't get out. The owner is saying that it all came in to the marina when the Lock and Dams did a drawdown in Pool 6. A drawdown is done by the US Army Corps of Engineers that manage the Mississippi River levels using the Lock and Dams, and with all the rain this area has gotten this summer drawdowns are becoming more frequent then normal. The US Army Corps of Engineers wanted to drawdown the river level in Pool 6 by a foot which exposes the river bottom to sunlight and oxygen and this aids in the production of emergent vegetation or plants that are above water and it builds habitat for fish and other wildlife. The marina sits in a low point on the river and becomes a catch basin because there is no outlet. The owner blames the drawdown for creating the excess vegetation to become loose and that the water level in the marina dropped by about 3 feet causing everything to come down river and into the marina, but the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Natural Resources from Wisconsin and Minnesota all tracked the drawdown from Lock and Dam #5 which is further north and said they could not prove anything if the drawdown hurt or helped so there was no effect. They are saying that the vegetation in the marina is not from the drawdowns. The owner has hired a weed harvesting company to come in and remove the vegetation but it is going to be a long and slow process.
Unfortunately for all of us houseboaters and boaters in general without the access to the marina there is no way to get to places in Trempealeau by boat like one of our favorite cruise stops the Trempealeau Hotel or any of the other restaurants in town. The bar and grill Hungry Point in Trempealeau is located south of Lock and Dam #6 and is not affected by vegetation build up so it is still accessible by boat. We will keep you informed about when the marina reopens this year so we can all go in and enjoy what Trempealeau,WI has to offer.
Resource for this article is courtesy of La Crosse Tribune....read more
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Sands on the Riverfront 2010

             Sands on the Riverfront is a weekend festival held at Riverside Park in La Crosse,WI. Its an annual event that is a friendly competition of sand sculpting and it benefits people with disabilities at a organization called Riverfront. This organization helps over 2,300 individuals with disabilities by giving them the support they need to find jobs and earn paychecks to live independently and to make friends and enjoy recreational activities. While your are walking around looking at the sand sculptures there are people roaming around selling sand dollars which is a form of currency that you use to vote for your favorite sand sculptures, play a game, in a game tent they have set up, and ride a Big E train provided by the" The Big e!" The Big Event Company. All the proceeds go to helping out the people of Riverfront. This year's theme was called: Adventure in Candyland, as you notice all the scupltures look like candy objects. The sand sculpting always starts on a Friday about 8:30am and ends at 4:00pm and you can vote on which one you like the best and they tag each sculpture with a winner of separate categories at 5:00pm. On Saturday this year they also featured a car show, NASP archery shoot, and Rollover Convincer. Riverside Park has a permanent stage that features different activities throughout the weekend. There were 5 artists with each having over 20 years of sculpting experience and they travel all over the world competing in sand and snow sculpting. The festival is sponsored by several local businesses in La Crosse,WI. This year the sculptures got hit with a strong storm about midway through but were able to save their work and it was a great show.
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Lock and Dams on Mississippi River

As we continue to cruise up and down the Mississippi River we have to lock through many different Lock and Dams. We all know that they are all equipped with a signal rope to alert them of your approach and we know they monitor channel 14 on the CB radio. With the invention of the cell phone we have noticed it is easier to call the Lock and Dam and notify them of your approach being that not everyone has a CB radio and it can be difficult to get a boat up close to a concrete wall and pull their signal rope. These two methods are still preferred , but here are phone numbers for the Lock and Dams you will most likely go through when cruising from Red Wing,MN to Prairie Du Chien,WI:

• Lock and Dam #3 Red Wing,MN: 651-388-5794
• Lock and Dam #4 Alma,WI: 608-685-4421
• Lock and Dam #5  Minnesota City,MN: 507-689-2101
• Lock and Dam #5a Fountain City,WI:507-452-2789
• Lock and Dam #6 Trempealeau,WI: 608-534-6424
• Lock and Dam #7 La Crescent,MN: 507-895-2170
• Lock and Dam #8 Genoa,WI: 608-689-2625
• Lock and Dam #9 Lynxville,WI: 608-874-4311

If you are cruising outside our home range toward Minneapolis,MN or down to Guttenburg,IA  here are their phone numbers to help assist you in locking through these dams:

• Upper St. Anthony Falls, Minneapolis,MN: 612-333-5336
• Lower St. Anthony Falls, Minneapolis,MN: 612-332-3660
• Lock and Dam #1 Minneapolis,MN: 612-724-2971
• Lock and Dam #2 Hastings,MN: 651-437-3150
• Lock and Dam #10 Guttenburg,IA: 563-252-1261

All these Lock and Dams offer free tours of their facilities throughout the year, it is recommended to call that specific Lock and Dam you are interested in and set up an appointment for a tour because there are times when the Lock and Dam might be doing maintenance and no tours will be allowed.  If there is a festival or a community activity is going on in which the Lock and Dam is located they will offer a free Open House to tour their facility. All these Lock and Dams mentioned here are monitored by the St.Paul,MN District Army Corps of Engineers, here is a link to their web site to help with more information you may want to know.
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Cruise to Old Man River, McGregor,IA

It was another beautiful day here in the Upper Mississippi River Valley to cruise to one of our favorite bar and grills. We cruised the river to one of our cruise stops, McGregor,IA. There is a nice marina here that offers parking for just about any size boat. If you come in a boat under 30 feet you can park in their free docks and it is a short walk to town. If your boat is over 30 feet long then pull up to the main gas dock and they will direct you to a boat slip for a small fee. Today we went to our favorite bar and grill called Old Man River Restaurant and Brewery. It is only a couple of blocks from the marina. The atmosphere is wonderful and they also offer screened-in outdoor seating. They are also a micro brewery and offer some very delicious micro beers. Some of the unique flavors are called: Helles, Pils, Marzen, Dunkel, Weizen, and their own Old Man River Root Beer. You can check their web site from the link we provided to see what the beers are made of. They do offer a sampler tray for $3.50 to try them all.

Today Troy had their  Weizen and Dunkel beers. The Weizen was a wheat beer that was a little sweet and extremely good even a non-beer drinker like  Beth liked it. The Dunkel was a dark beer and was extremely good, not too bitter and very smooth. They offer the opportunity to take these beers with you in the form of a jug called the Growler, it's about a 1/2 gallon,  or you can get a 5 gallon keg.

The Growlers are $13.00 and refills are only $10.00. We bought a Growler of both Weizen and Dunkel, Troy couldn't decide which one he wanted so we got both. With other flavors to try yet,  we will definitely be back to enjoy those and we will keep everyone informed. You can also join their mug club for $25.00 and you get a $1.00 off each beer purchased with your mug.

The mug remains at the bar.

For dinner Troy had their Ribeye steak special, it was smothered in green and yellow peppers, mushrooms, onion,and provolone cheese, with sides of hashbrowns and fresh green beans, Troy was in heaven it was very delicious and mouth watering good. Beth had the Grilled Chicken Focaccia with a salad and it was very delicious. After stuffing ourselves we walked back to the marina with a growler in each hand and enjoyed the sun set into the Mississippi River Valley. A couple of glasses from the growlers a--n--d GOODNIGHT.

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Short Cruise to Hungry Point, Trempealeau,WI

It was a beautiful afternoon but the forecast was calling for hot, humid and strong storms. So we decided to take a short adventure to one of our favorite bar and grills, Hungry Point in Trempealeau. The river activity was quiet when we started out heading north, we were the only one's to lock through the Lock and Dam #7. Hungry Point has some great sandwiches to offer for lunch and they are unique in having their own sweet potato fries. They have plenty of outdoor tables with umbrellas and a screened in porch giving you a perfect view of the Mississippi River Valley. Today we opted to eat indoors in air conditioning because of the high humidity and no breeze at all. Their indoor dining has large windows so you can still enjoy the view of the river. After a wonderful lunch we cruised back south through Lock and Dam #7 and headed down the Mississippi River toward Genoa,WI which is where Lock and Dam #8 is located.The great thing about the Mississippi River Valley there is always something going on, as we passed Crater Island the inlet was full of all kinds of boats, from houseboats to ski boats to flat-bottom fishing boats. A little further south we came upon a group of Pelicans sitting on a wingdam and you could hear the echo throughout the river valley as the fought over a fish( mine,mine,mine,mine).

Continue to follow Houseboating Excursions in the Mississippi River Valley as we cruise and explore more destinations and provide more information, adventures, and resources. Please Don't Move Firewood and Help Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers.