October 24, 2022

Sunrise — in the rain on the road near Dodgeville, Wisconsin at 7:29.

IMG_3651X

We were returning from our excursion through the Driftless Area — after spending the night in Wyalusing State Park. This is the view not from some special overlook but from our personal campsite. That's how scenic it is at Wyalusing. That's the Mississippi River and, on the other side, Iowa. It was 6:05, and the sun was setting:

IMG_3632X

36 comments:

paminwi said...

Beautiful.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Meet the new UK Prime Minister.

link to audio

I want that face.

Original Mike said...

50 million years from now, there's going to be a lot of sand- and mudstone in what was that valley. Unless something else comes along to disrupt it.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Nice.
Look how cute Galena, IL is.

madAsHell said...

The photo with the sunrise on the highway.

That’s a Johnny Cash song!

Nice said...

Camping, did I hear correct? Camping, not glamping at this time of the year. No lodge, Not even a heated cabin, and I could be wrong, but some of those hikes looked like heavy back-country.

It's funny how the idea of rugged, wild excursions, campsites, would have never occurred to me when I was younger. More and more, I'm thinking it may be better to age, not gracefully, but adventurously.



gadfly said...

CBS reports that 51 million tons of plastic waste were generated by U.S. households in 2021, and only 2.4 million tons were recycled, or around five percent. After peaking in 2014 at 10 percent, the trend has been decreasing, especially since China stopped accepting the West's plastic waste in 2018.

Meanwhile, recycling programs throughout the country continue as if nothing has changed and recycling cans continue to be filled by our many friends of the environment by garbage companies that bury the mixed plastic in landfills.

As for recycling, no program or government interference is needed for perhaps the oldest industry in the world. If recycling is profitable, private enterprises will find ways to reuse waste.

But there is a better answer- burn it. Plastic is made from oil and gas, and it creates a lot of heat when it's burned.

We have perhaps a hundred idled coal-fired generating plants complete with filtration units that could be altered to accept plastic so it makes sense to restart these electrical stations. Some of our existing 200 operating electrical stations could be converted to dual fuel as well.

Or we could build incinerators designed to burn plastic to generate heat for many purposes, heat buildings, fire industrial processes, and whatever comes to mind that will return some benefit from 100% plastic disposal.

And if anyone is worried, we have hundreds upon hundreds of square miles of landfills that can be mined for even more plastic to burn in place of the direct use of fossil fuels.

Howard said...

If burning plastic for energy was profitable, someone would be doing it. Gia knows enough college students have studied it and several companies have tried

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Nightmare scenario for Trump. He negotiate something the democrats say they can live with and once he does it they break their word and try to screw him.

Scott Patton said...

Pizzazz, like personality, goes a long way.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Jan6 amounts to a Rashomon effect clusterfuck that doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.

tim in vermont said...

Yesterday was one of those sunsets on the lake that even get the locals to slow down. Perfectly windstill, the lake was like a polished mirror, and with the sun at your back, it lit the mountains and the clouds and they were perfectly reflecting on the water. The har horizon of the water was a sharp edge due to lack of waves, softened by a very light haze of fog, and a sailboat moored and doubled by the lake looked like it was floating in the air, brightly lit by the last rays of the setting sun.

wendybar said...

Oh look. Another white supremacist school shooting. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/10/shooter-identified-st-louis-school-shooting-deshawn-harris-posted-threat-social-media-numerous-photos-guns/

Clyde said...

I was driving to a doctor's appointment early yesterday morning and went past the big pine tree with the eagle's nest in North Fort Myers. The eagles have rebuilt their nest over the past month after Ian damaged it. There was a woman with a camera with a huge zoom lens taking a picture of one of the eagles, who was posing for her with the early morning sunlight illuminating him. It was a beautiful view, and I could feel her elation over capturing the perfect shot.

Ralph L said...

I thought you were describing the top picture and "camping" in the road, like the song says.

It's weird to think the water way up there flows unvexed to the Gulf of Mexico when the Great Lakes are so much closer.

MadTownGuy said...

We stayed at Galena's De Soto House hotel around ten years ago and found it charming. Lots of shops and restaurants in town.

More recently, we drove from Salina, KS to Dodge City and were surprised by the hilly land between the two places. You don't see much of that on I-70 westbound, but it made the drive on the state highways more interesting. We have an altimeter app in our car and as we continued west to our destination in Las Vegas, NM, the gradual change in elevation, imperceptible as it was just looking out the windshield, kind of amazed me.

Humperdink said...

National math and reading test scores continue the circle the drain. On the bright side, elementary students have shown great proficiency in memorizing the 57 genders. They are now experts identifying genitalia of the opposite sex on the new eye chart. The rise in teacher salaries continues unabated. To top it off, the president of national teachers union Randi Weingarten has returned safely from the Ukraine. Always a silver lining!

rhhardin said...

Listening to a robot read various philosophical works, I understand pronouncing "Kant" and "can't," but not "affirm" as "affrim," consistently, so not a typo dealt with.

Humperdink said...

Not only are electricity prices going sky high in New England, heating oil prices are following suit. In addition to fuel oil being rationed in New England, the price of it has gone up 40%. The cost to fill the typical fuel oil tank is $1100, which lasts about two months. These are all blue states (muffled laughter).

BUMBLE BEE said...

Looks like a great place for a gigawatt wind farm!

Heartless Aztec said...

One of my hobbies is rambling around the North American continent on two lane roads. Used to do it in Westfalias back in my hippie days - now in in a converted Ford Transit. Upper Wisconsin along the Mississippi is one of the most beautiful and scenic parts of the U.S. I'm partial to the limestone cliffs along the river in the LaCrosse area. Never seen it in the winter, but in July it's a happening drive through and camp out. American State Parks are one of the best under the radar things ever.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Florida: Radical left-wing Nazi Violence - inspired by the hack-D press, The View, MSNBC, CNN and PBS' lies -

Has turned into real violence.

Last night one of our canvassers wearing my T-shirt and a Desantis hat was brutally attacked by 4 animals who told him Republicans weren’t allowed in their neighborhood in #Hialeah #Florida

He suffered internal bleeding, a broken jaw & will need facial reconstructive surgery


Gadfly, Kristol, Crook Biden,
Maddow, Andrea Mitchell, Drudge, Romney, Cheney, Pelosi, Hunter, PBS "news", Joy Behar... all approve.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Merrick and KKKamala Approve, too.

MadTownGuy said...

wendybar said...

"Oh look. Another white supremacist school shooting. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/10/shooter-identified-st-louis-school-shooting-deshawn-harris-posted-threat-social-media-numerous-photos-guns/"

Makes me wonder if Federal LEOs intentionally delay action so a case can be made for banning guns.

Humperdink said...

I read the story of the Rubio canvasser getting his face smashed in and it made my blood boil.

> BLM committed violence with impunity. In fact, Kalamity Harris raised bail money for the few that were arrested.

> AG Garland directs the FBI to go after parents at school board meetings.

> Pro-life clinics vandalized with no arrests.

> Pro-life protestors facing 11 years in the pokey for protesting at abortion mills.

> Protesters at Penn State (my alma mater) get A Proud Boys event cancelled. I wouldn't know a Proud Boy from a soy boy, but one thing is certain, free speech is D-E-A-D.

I am glad I am beyond 3 score and 10 in age.

Humperdink said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Big Mike said...

Not quite three weeks ago Joe Biden announced a blanket pardon for U.S. citizens (or legal permanent residents) convicted of simple marijuana possession under the Controlled Substances Act. At the time, a number of Althouse commentators opined that few, if any, prisoners would actually be released from custody.

Well, congratulations to all of you! The actual number of prisoners released is exactly zero. Zero point zero zero. As in absolutely none.

Another empty “accomplishment” of the Biden administration.

Big Mike said...

In addition to fuel oil being rationed in New England, the price of it has gone up 40%. The cost to fill the typical fuel oil tank is $1100, which lasts about two months.

@Humperdink, luckily for the Democrats only three Democrat senators are up for re-election in the entirety of New England. And the people of Vermont being at most 3/4 sane, Leahy’s seat should be pretty safe. I see that Hassan in New Hampshire has gone from shoo-in to being in trouble, and Blumenthal in Connecticut is having to work to stay in office. New Englanders don’t like freezing to death in the dark — or, more likely, telling their kids that there’s not going to be much under the Christmas tree because the money is going to heat the house and put food on the table. If the only people affected were the sanctimonious greenies, that would be one thing, but there are a lot of working class people who are going to pay dearly for the affectations of rich knuckleheads whose money shields them from the consequences of their virtue signaling.

MadTownGuy said...

John Fetterman's wife has to get into the fray with a bunch of emails:

"From Gisele Barreto Fetterman:

Hi *****, Gisele here! ❤️

I just wanted to check in with you — after all, Election Day is only 18 days away.

João and I are feeling so inspired by all the incredible support we’ve seen across the state. As parents, we’re doing our best to allow the kids to join in on all the excitement too, while protecting them from the icky side of politics (like all of the attack ads and lies from Oz + the GOP super PACs).

Which is what inspired me to share the #1 thing I want everyone to know about my husband’s campaign as this race heats up, *****.

We do NOT accept donations from gross corporate PACs or fossil fuel money.

We're running a clean + honest Democratic campaign that earns the support (and contributions!) of real people all across PA and the country. We fund our campaign this way because we believe it’s the only right way. Because when we say we're people-powered, we really mean it.

That’s why today, I’m excited to announce our next goal: Receiving 75,000 unique grassroots donations before John takes the debate stage Tuesday night. I need your help to show John that we have his back!

Donate Now »

I know that Oz will spend the whole debate lying — either about his extremist views (he said all abortion is “murder”) or about my husband. I would even bet that he’ll attack João’s health, something a real doctor would never do.

It’s another example of the dirty, icky side of politics, ***. That’s why we’re launching this new goal — to help cancel out the bad side of politics with the amazing power of grassroots supporters.

And if you can’t donate, remember that even just reading this email makes you a part of this team! I would be so appreciative if you forwarded this email to your friends, family, and neighbors!

We hope being a part of this campaign makes you proud.

With love,

Gisele ❤️

Gisele Barreto Fetterman
Second Lady of Pennsylvania (SLoP)

P.S. Our digital and TV ads are working overtime to try and cancel out all of the lies being spread about João. Can you make a donation today to help us get more ads (and the truth) in front of voters?

----------------

Hi *****, it’s Gisele. I’m emailing because tonight is a really big night for all of us.

Tonight, John will take the debate stage with Dr. Oz. And it’s going to be televised live, meaning LOTS of folks are going to hear what he has to say, maybe even for the first time. (Also I’m *definitely* making him wear a suit tonight!)

John doesn't act like a typical politician. He’s kind and he’s honest. He speaks his mind and he's always stood firm on the values he believes in. He’s stood the right side of history, even when he's had to stand there alone. His compassion for the issues doesn't fluctuate with how they poll, *****.

And did I mention he absolutely HATES wearing suits? 😂

Seriously, I couldn’t be more proud of João, *****. That’s why I wanted to see if we could do something big:

We’re trying to hit a goal of 75,000 contributions before John takes the stage tonight and we’re running just a little short. This is such a big moment for our campaign — will you be one of the folks we’re counting on to chip in today, *****?

Contribute

People like you have helped us build the kind of clean and honest Democratic campaign we’ve been running since Day 1. Thank you for making it all possible, and I hope you tune in tonight!

With love,

Gisele ❤️

Gisele Barreto Fetterman
SLOP
Second Lady of Pennsylvania
"

--------

Michael McNeil said...

It's weird to think the water way up there [the northern Mississippi] flows unvexed to the Gulf of Mexico when the Great Lakes are so much closer.

It is, isn't it? But, like so many seemingly weird or improbable things in both the physical and human worlds, the answer is history: in this case, the Ice Age(s). The Great Lakes themselves are the end product of the most recent Ice Age, while the Ice Ages' heyday(s) forced the Mississippi (together with the Missouri, a far longer river) to flow south. In Montana, where I'm most familiar with the process, prior to this last Ice Age the Missouri River flowed north of the Bearpaw Mountains of Central Montana. But the great Laurentian Ice Sheet blocked that path, whereupon the river carved the gorge now known as the “White Cliffs” to their south. Now all the occupies the former broad valley of the Missouri north of the Bearpaws is the relatively minuscule Milk River.

wildswan said...

I loved going from LaCrosse to Praire du Chien (near Wayalusing) on the Great River Road and looking out at the Mississippi. The picture captures what I loved. I've even been along that road in winter. It is spectacularly beautiful on each side with ice-covered trees flashing in the sun or mist-shrouded hills and the Father of the Waters always rolling along. A person like myself is well able to forget the emotions generated by the narrow, ice-covered, mist-shrouded blacktop traversed in a regular sedan and remember looking at the alternating drifting mists and the shining ice. Though I haven't done it again.

wendybar said...


Sunny McSunnyface
@sunnyright
How is this not a parody of media coverage

The New York Times
@nytimes
·
23h
Tom Brady, who's been the subject of public affection from Donald Trump for years, is now said to be on texting terms with Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida. https://nyti.ms/3N2qdeh
12:33 PM · Oct 24, 2022

And then they wonder why people laugh at them??? THIS is journalism?? If Obama was texting Brady, the left would be swooning.

Michael McNeil said...

As the late Austrian astrophysicist Thomas Gold put it: “Things are as they are because they were as they were.”

Rusty said...

Jesus,gadly. If I had your life I'd stick my head in the oven and turn on the gas.
It must totally suck living your life in anger and fear.
So in light of that here's an oldie but a goodie.
What's the difference between pussy and parsley?

Nobody eats parsley.
With that in mind. When you morons finally get the nuclear war you so desperately want. I'm gonna find a nice young blonde girl and stick my head between her legs.

Laughing Fox said...

Lovely Wyalusing photo. But that is the Wisconsin River in the center of the picture, with Prairie du Chien in the background, and the Mississippi over to the left almost hidden by trees.

gadfly said...

Kashyap “Kash” Patel, yapped:

“In October of 2020, President Trump put out for the world to see a sweeping declassification order,” Patel told Life, Liberty & Levin host Mark Levin on Aug. 21, 2022. “And he did it via social media.”

“And then in December and January on the way out, I witnessed him declassify whole sets of documents,” Patel said later on.

According to The New York Times, citing “a person briefed on the matter,” Patel appeared before a grand jury earlier this month but repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when asked about the former president’s documents case.

In response, prosecutors asked a top federal judge in Washington to force Mr. Patel to testify — a move fought by Mr. Patel’s lawyers, who are concerned the government wants to use Mr. Patel’s own statements to incriminate him.

“It looks like they’re closing in directly on Donald Trump,” Ryan Goodman, an attorney and former special counsel for the U.S. Department of Defense, told CNN after the Times report was released. “To be trying to pressure or put these folks in the situation where they will testify and kinds of evidence that they have point directly to Donald Trump.”