Mississippi River Transportation Role

Many of us look at the Mississippi River as a great source of recreation, we cruise the river in many different ways, some of us use houseboats, others ski-boats and canoes. But the Mississippi River plays a major role in the transportation of goods and services which helps many local economies. It is a gateway to and from world markets, the Mississippi River supplies the region with nearly 250,000 jobs and is one of the cheapest ways to ship goods. There are more than 11,000 miles of navigable water in the Mississippi River and the Upper Mississippi River Valley accounts for 1,300 miles of water. Port of La Crosse alone imports 1.2 tons in commodities valued at $154 million. That's 55 15-barge tows each carrying 22,500 tons. If you was to transport that by truck it would take 49,000 vehicles and span across 600 miles of road. That is a huge amount of goods moving up and down the river. Minnesota transports about 60 percent of its agriculture exports down the river. Port of Winona handles about 18 percent of that. Ports are always looking to increase the use of that navigational system and are always looking for more commodities that can be shipped. Using the Mississippi River as a way to transports goods is cost-effective and safer than other means of transportation. Transporting goods on the Mississippi River is approximately 63 percent cheaper than rail and 94 percent cheaper than truck. A barge can carry more, it's equal to 70 trucks and 16 rail cars, and fuel for a barge goes further too. Statistics show that for every death through water transportation, there are 155 deaths on the road and 22 on the railroad. Port of Winona is now expanding their commercial dock because demand to ship on the Mississippi River is hugely increasing, they plan to have it finished by the end of this year.
As we all enjoy our pleasure crafts on the Mississippi River, we should all take a moment and realize how important the river is, not only for pleasure but also for a productive economy. Let's all do our part to help maintain the integrity of the Mississippi River that we have all come to love.
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Banana Brew Butterflies

The Upper Mississippi River Valley has so many different beautiful things to admire, even some insects. When you are cruising the Mississippi River many times you want to take a break and stop at a sand bar, and while there you notice some beautiful butterflies flying around. We all have seen butterflies of different types but did you know that there is actually a way to lure these butterflies to your houseboat or even your home personal garden. Many houseboaters have plants on their boats and sometimes on the dock in their immediate area. Many of us enjoy everything Mother Nature provides for us and in this case it's butterfies.
We have learned that not only is there certain plants to have around to lure butterflies there is also a concoction called Banana Brew.  Here's how to make it:  Take 10 pounds of over-ripe bananas, 1 pound of dark brown sugar, and one bottle or can of dark beer. You can also use yeast.  Mix the ingredients with a blender and put into buckets or containers to ferment. Be sure to leave room for expansion of the concoction and vent your brew. You might even have butterfies show up while making the brew if done outdoors. You can use the brew right away or store it for later, just be sure to vent the brew. The brew can be poured or brushed onto logs at sandbars or bring a piece of driftwood to your houseboat and brush it on and they will come. This brew was invented by the National Butterfly Center which is located in Texas. The claim is you will see butterflies that you may have never seen before. Butterfly season is rapidly coming to an end here in the Upper Mississippi River Valley but we are giving it a try and will defintely try it next season and we will post our results. We provided a link to their web site for you to get more information on which plants will lure butterflies to your boat or home garden.
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9/11 Remembered

Ten years ago we all experienced a life changing event in the United States. Everyone asks the question, Where were you on that unforgetful day?. We were cruising the Mississippi River here in Port of La Crosse going past Riverside Park when we noticed a large group of people gathering. We discovered local firefighters, police officers, boy scouts, and their families and friends along with a full color guard had organized together to march through Riverside Park and into some of downtown La Crosse to honor those that perished in the 9/11 attacks, It was a great site to witness,as we didn't hear about any such gathering. Here are some photos from the event we took from our boat.
Houseboating Excursions thanks everyone for remembering that day and for all those that put their lives at risk to give us the life we want to have, our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone.
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Float Fishing, Alma WI

If you plan to visit the Upper Mississippi River Valley and would like to experience some good fishing in different areas,  getting on a Mississippi River Float is a great idea. One of the many floats is The Great Alma Fishing Float in Alma,WI. You don't need a boat to access these floats they provide transportation for you, in the Alma case you can board the shuttle near the Lock and Dam #4. The Alma Float is open daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and there is a fee for fishing, $16 for adults, $7 for children 12 and younger and $5 for nonfishers. The Alma Float does serve breakfast and lunch. It also has portable restrooms and a fish cleaning room. The float is owned by two brothers and was built in 1948. Alma is one of our many cruise stops and as we pass by the float we notice it's always got lots of people catching lots of fish.  A little history on Alma is that it was named by riverboat pilots for a rock formation in the bluffs above town. It became an official village in 1868. It is built into the bluffs and along the Mississippi River and is several miles long but only two blocks wide. The village features museums, art galleries, gift shops and restaurants. Alma is also the birthplace and area Beth grew up in and many of her family's relatives still live there. I have heard many fishing stories from her father and grandfather, Beth included, about the many trips they took to the Alma Float, if the fish were not biting good, the food sure was.
Boat or no boat the Upper Mississippi River Valley has plenty to offer for everyone and for more information on the Great Alma Fishing Float visit their web site.
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Stale Beer Uses

Many of us have been in a situation where we are cleaning out our refrigerators or our coolers after a fun weekend and discover a can of beer that was forgotten. Beer drinkers know that the breweries now put a date on the bottom of a can of beer telling you how long the beer will stay fresh. There is always that one forgotten one that we find and it's way past it's freshness date. We don't like to waste a good beer so here are some alternatives you can use that beer for:
1. Trap slugs and snails; just place a dish of beer around your garden mainly in the evening and in the morning the slimy critters will have been drawn by the beer's aroma and will have drowned. The beer can be re-used until evaporated.
2. Trap fruit flies; just place a can of beer on the kitchen counter and cover the top with plastic wrap and leave a small opening for the flies to get in and the won't be able to get back out.
3. Distract bees and wasps from your outdoor activities; put some beer in cups around the outskirts of your picnic area and it will attract bees and wasps. It's not a long-term control tactic, it's more like keeping that unwanted guest at the farthest table.
4. Get rid of mice; a humane way of getting rid of mice is to place an inch or so of beer in a bucket and put a ramp to it so the mice can climb in and when they are inebriated you can remove them and place them someplace outside.
5. Cockroach trap; soak a piece of bread in beer and place it in a jar and put Vaseline around the lip of the jar and the roaches are attracted and can get in but not out.
6. Fertilize your gardens; beer has sugars which are loved by your vegetables and flowers, your indoor plants love it too in small amounts.
7. Get rid of brown spots in your lawn; the acids in the beer kill off fungi and pests and the fermented sugars feed the grass.
8. Spruce up wooden furniture; using a soft cloth rub the flat beer onto the furniture and it will help restore some of the polish and color.
9. Clean gold jewelry; just place your gold jewelry in a dish of beer and let it soak awhile and remove, rinse and dry with a soft cloth.
10. Polish brass pots; use a soft cloth and rub beer onto pot and let sit awhile then rinse and dry with another soft cloth, the acids in beer work great on most metals.
11. Loosen rusty bolts; pour the beer on the rust and it may dissolve enough of the rust allowing you to get them loose.
12. Insulation; for all us adventurous types you can use  full unopened cans of beer in construction walls because the beer absorbs the cold and won't freeze due to the alcohol content.
The next time you find that lost beer and hate to just dump it out remember these few tips and you will never have to waste a good beer again. That's called, "BEER ABUSE".  So  if you are the creative and adventurous type give it a try.
Continue to follow Houseboating Excursions in the Mississippi River Valley as we continue to cruise and explore more destinations and provide more adventures, information and resources.