October 24, 2022

This is yesterday's sunrise — October 23rd, at 7:33 and 7:36 — from a vantage point in La Crescent, Minnesota, looking out at La Crosse, Wisconsin, over the Mississippi River.

IMG_3585D

IMG_3591D

My phone company had me in "low data" mode, so I couldn't post at the end of the day, in my usual fashion. But we're home now, and I hope putting these 2 pictures here, they'll have some continuity with yesterday, and I'll have today's sunrise at the end of today, in the familiar location. We spent yesterday roaming around the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa, so I have a few extra pictures to show you, but right now, what I want to do is move on to all the exciting Monday morning news, so stand by for normal blogging.

37 comments:

MadTownGuy said...

Heh...we were eastbound about that time, headed for Middleton for a visit with our daughter.

tastid212 said...

Could you see if water levels in the upper Mississippi River are abnormally low - like they are further south?

chickelit said...

Driftless hiking recommendation for you and Meade: Baxter’s Hollow in the hills across 12 from the old Badger Ordance. Charles Van Hise called the most interesting geological site in Wisconsin. I was there two weekends ago.

MadTownGuy said...

I've received a barrage of emails from people connected with Democratic campaigns in our home state of PA:

"John Fetterman here.

I’m back on the road for another long weekend of events + rallies all across PA and thought we could have a little fun. 😁

So we’re throwing a contest!

If you chip in *any* amount to this email, you’ll be automatically entered to win this signed placard from our rallies in York + Bucks County last weekend:

A picture of the signed placard
So what do you say? Will you add a donation of any amount to be automatically entered to win this rally placard signed by yours truly?

Donate Now »

Rallies all across PA — in York, Scranton, Pittsburgh, Delco, and everywhere in between — have been some of my favorite memories from this campaign.

I’m glad I get to share them with you,

– John
" (via ActBlue)

_-------------------------

Hi *******, it’s Martin Sheen.

As President Bartlet in The West Wing, I learned that life — and politics — is full of tough choices. What to do, who to support… and often those choices have real-life consequences.

But today, I’m reaching out to ask you to make a choice that shouldn’t be tough at all: Will you join me in supporting John Fetterman’s grassroots campaign for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania?

As mayor and lieutenant governor, John has honorably served his community. He’s stood up for the rights extremist Republicans are determined to strip away from the American people, like reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ equality, and so much more.

John has faced every tough decision head-on. But that hasn’t stopped his Republican opponent, celebrity TV scam artist Dr. Oz, and the MAGA Super PACs behind him from spending millions on nasty attack ads meant to drag John through the mud.

Their unprecedented spending has put this race in a dead heat. Just recently, an election expert downgraded John’s chance of winning Pennsylvania from Leans Democrat to TOSS UP.

We can’t afford to let another dangerous celebrity buy Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat and jeopardize our Democratic majority. There is a huge difference between celebrity and credibility. That’s why I need you to join me in supporting John Fetterman today.

Will you add a donation of any amount to John’s campaign today so he can fight back against the flood of GOP money in Pennsylvania and flip this Senate seat on November 8?

Donate Now »

There’s too much at stake this year to sit on the sidelines. It’s time to come together, elect real leaders like John Fetterman, and finally make some real progress in this country.

Thanks for hearing me out,

Martin Sheen
"

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

I've also received many emails regarding NV Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, though I haven't a clue why.


Creola Soul said...

The US is facing an economic perfect storm.
1. Low water levels in the Mississippi River is threatening to curtail some shipments of goods.
2. The railroad unions have rejected the latest offer, thus setting up a shutdown.
But we’ll be able to ship by truck, right?
3. Maybe. But the Biden policies have driven diesel into shortages so the price, which has already doubled since he took office, will rise further making all transported goods even more expensive.
A recession is the result.

Jay Vogt said...


Ex midwestern here, very early this month, I spent a week in that area - just as autumn was rolling in. I ended up in in WI, MN and IA. For, odd reasons, I needed to spend a day in Calendonia, MN -which is about as far southeast in Minnesota as you can get.

Unlike a lot of the rest of the "Upper Midwest", it takes a while to get from point A to point B. I suppose because of that, I got my first speeding ticket in a decade or so. Truthfully at 78 in a 65 zone - and I was all by myself! I would have given me a warning and let it go! Pretty sure the officer didn't like my out-of-state plates and license.

That said, it is a unique and pretty part of the country

MadTownGuy said...

astid212 said...

"Could you see if water levels in the upper Mississippi River are abnormally low - like they are further south?"

When we crossed the Mississippi yesterday near La Crosse, it looked about the same as ever, but that's just based on what we could see from the bridge. We crossed the Missouri a couple of weeks ago, westbound, and it looked low to us, with more sand bars and exposed shorelines.

Lloyd W. Robertson said...

I remember La Crosse from our drives to and from Minnesota. Views of three states. It was in a bar there that I shook hands with Senator Proxmire. 1988? He was looking for Wisconsin voters--Badgers of course. I was a Canadian on the way to Minnesota--a "gopher"--and there was at least one other gopher. He was good-humored but perhaps a bit frustrated. The funny thing was he supposedly hadn't decided whether to run again, and then he decided not to. Can you imagine working all these bars, coffee shops and shopping malls while you make up your mind?

Original Mike said...

Standing by…

iowan2 said...

We picked last weekend to drive the 'driftless' area. Had an enjoyable time, as we always do, in the area. You guys won the weather lottery. We were 25 degrees colder than this weekend. Leaves are not as showy as some years, apples are extremely good. The orchard owners say yields are good and quality outstanding.

hawkeyedjb said...

I think Mother Nature also has the Mississippi River in "low data" mode, from what I hear....

Wa St Blogger said...

The silence had me worried. Glad it was only a technical issue.

wendybar said...

“We’re all familiar with the fact that the press has historically leaned to the left. That’s not what we’re looking at now. We’re looking at something very, very different. We’re looking at the press as being a part of the intelligence community. They are the ones who is putting these operations out there.”

"The New York Times and Politico are the public relations firms for Main Justice, the DOJ and FBI. The Washington Post handles the needs of the Intelligence Community (IC) and the Central Intelligence Agency. Meanwhile CNN is managed by the needs of the U.S. State Dept. These direct relationships have been discussed here for several years."


https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/10/23/lee-smith-nails-a-key-point-the-fourth-branch-of-government-and-media-operate-together/?

Humperdink said...

Now the environmentalist wackos are throwing soup at famous paintings. Reminded me of Pittsburgh's own Andy Warhol and his Campbell's Soup collection of "art". Maybe these soup Nazi's (ha) are on to something. Capitalists at heart? In 2014, some of Warhol's art went for over $500 mil at auction.

As an aside, some years ago a local politician whose last name was Campbell used a depiction of the Campbell soup can in his yard signs. Thanks to his opponent alerting the aforementioned soup company, a cease and desist letter soon arrived. The voting public was made aware of the snitch. Campbell won in a landslide.

Paul Kramer said...

Perhaps invest in a real camera. that way you don't have worry about "low data"

West TX Intermediate Crude said...

Put yourself in the unfortunate shoes of the person responsible for maintaining public order in St. Louis, Minneapolis, NYC, or any other D-run hellhole on election night, 15 days from now.
The returns are coming in; R landslide as predicted.
Handmaid's Tale, N@zi rule, blacks in chains, women barefoot and pregnant, all the things, starting immediately (just like 2017-18).
Do you let the hooligans run wild, give them Space to Destroy, thereby proving the voters correct?
Or do you do your job, let the LEOs maintain order even if it means cracking a few heads, even at the cost of your career, and, more importantly, your cred with the anointed?
Glad it's not my job.

Narr said...

Yeah, it's good to have another Meadehouse Mystery cleared up. Sounds like an interesting place, and a good trip.

It's almost 10am here and I am still blessedly ignorant of the latest fiascos, except for the hints provided by other commenters.



Jay Vogt said...

Whenever I'm in that part of the country (especially the WI side), I think that's where Greg LeMond trained for the Tour de France. Smart guy, great roads.

Oh, and I think about Old Style beer.

Christopher B said...

My son's mother (ex-wife) got me interested in fall trips to the Driftless area in WI. Loved visiting the apple orchards. The old Northwest area of Illinois (Galena) is similar. A bit more touristy due to Chicago money but nice to visit. He and I still continue the tradition by making a visit to a similar operation outside Columbus now.

Ann Althouse said...

"Perhaps invest in a real camera. that way you don't have worry about "low data""

You're misconceiving of the location of the transfer of data. To blog, I need to upload data from my device onto the internet. And I have to write a blog post and upload it. When I'm not within WiFi, I need to use my phone as the connection to the internet.

Anyway, I do have a few "real" cameras, but I don't want to take them on runs and hikes. That's not what this project is.

But I just "bought" my cameras. I didn't "invest" in them. If I'd invested in them, I would sure like to sell them at a profit, because I'm not using them anymore.

Ann Althouse said...

"Could you see if water levels in the upper Mississippi River are abnormally low - like they are further south?"

I don't have a point of comparison. There's all sorts of crazy landforms in the river up around here. I did notice that the water looked static, more like a lake than Lake Mendota (which seems to flow like a river, west to east).

veni vidi vici said...

The top photo especially looks great. Fraught with possibilities.

Both pics pair well with "White Room" by Cream.

Ann Althouse said...

"The silence had me worried. Glad it was only a technical issue."

Yeah, one day, it will be the BIG silence. I don't like causing people to worry today's the day, but sometimes I'm not well connected to the internet.

Ann Althouse said...

"We picked last weekend to drive the 'driftless' area. Had an enjoyable time, as we always do, in the area. You guys won the weather lottery...."

Last night, we were in the camper — at Wyalusing State Park — and the rain was really loud.

The night before we stayed at Perrot State Park.

2 great state parks.

On the Iowa side, we loved Pikes Peak State Park, where we hiked to Bridal Veil Falls.

We also enjoyed the town of Decorah — hiked to Dunning's Spring.

Driving home this morning, we had a close call with a deer leaping into the road. How close? As close as you can possibly get without hitting it! I really don't know how we didn't hit it. It was down beyond the hood with just its head and antlers in view. I got a clear look at its face as it had to think it was curtains. Totally expressionless.

Howard said...

Double Plus Spectacular

Original Mike said...

Deer are a huge problem; constant road hazard up north where we summer. I wish we could cut their numbers by half or more.

Andrew said...

@Christopher B,
Could you name the orchard outside of Columbus? I live in the area. TY.

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

I have family in Chicago and they are in love with Galena IL.

Were you near there?

MadTownGuy said...

Ann Althouse said...

...

"You're misconceiving of the location of the transfer of data. To blog, I need to upload data from my device onto the internet. And I have to write a blog post and upload it. When I'm not within WiFi, I need to use my phone as the connection to the internet."

I have a high-end point-and-shoot camera (a contradiction in terms of ever there was one) that connects to my phone by WiFi. Even with an older camera, there are SDHC cards that can connect by WiFi. But these days, a phone is a real camera.

The WiFi connection came in handy while we were watching our daughter in at the Special Olympics State Games in Waukesha. We were able to get good closeups from the stands and send them in real time on our phones.

tim in vermont said...

Joe Bided sure pulled the rug out from under any moderates in China with his reckless talk on Taiwan.

wendybar said...

Nothing to see here...just more election meddling by the FBI and DOJ 2 weeks before the midterms. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/10/developing-us-attorney-general-merrick-garland-hold-press-conference-significant-national-security-cases-two-weeks-midterm-elections/

Paul Kramer said...

Ok. I understand now. Wasn’t trying to be a smart ass. But many people consider a good digital camera an investment because of the cost

Christopher B said...

@Andrew ... Lynd's in Pataskala

chickelit said...

“The night before we stayed at Perrot State Park.”
Did you hike Brady’s Bluff and see the mountain that steeps in the water?

chickelit said...

Twain mentioned Trempealeau in “Life on the Mississippi.”

MadTownGuy said...

Early Voting and Mail Ballot Turnout Trends Point to 2020 Replay (Epoch Times)

"Nationwide early voting and vote-by-mail turnout trends for the 2022 midterm election reflect a pattern similar to that of the pandemic-skewered 2020 election.

As a result, it may take several days after polls close on Nov. 8 for results to be confirmed in several key battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

In-person early voting periods and vote-by-mail have grown increasingly popular over the last two decades. They became mainstream during the 2020 election when more than 101 million Americans cast early in-person votes or vote-by-mail ballots.

The 2022 early vote and vote-by-mail turnout is expected to easily eclipse the record for midterm elections set in 2018, when more than 5 million voters cast early in-person ballots and 30.4 million voted by mail. The totals this year may come close to matching the number of ballots cast before Election Day in 2020.

According to the University of Florida’s United States Elections Project, as of Oct. 23, more than 7.46 million Americans have already cast their midterm ballots.
"

Andrew said...

@Christopher B,
If you see this, thank you!