Hello and welcome to the blog! On Tuesday good friend Teresa and I took a whirlwind tour all over northeast Iowa’s most beautiful counties. Of course, I brought her home safely but with her shoes soaking wet and her wanting to return to the trout streams… But that was the plan. We gathered some fish and a LOT of pictures.
Our course was a loop, kind of shaped like a lariat. We headed to the Mississippi and followed the river road upstream to the Minnesota / Iowa / Wisconsin border. Then we drove west a county, dropped down through Decorah, and headed back east, returning home with a limit of trout and a few souveniers. Below there will be a bunch of pictures with captions.
Friend Teresa at Buck Creek. She loved this place and it’s serenity.
A pretty tree in Guttenberg, Iowa
The view from Pike’s Peak park near Marquette, Iowa
The Mississippi bridge in Lansing, Iowa
It took me a minute to get the pun! This display was at a residence north of Lansing.
I call this shade tree mechanic the “Pumpkin Butt” He must have been the original “sagger”. At first, Teresa and I both thought it was a real person till a second glance proved otherwise.
I love this city! It’s a second home.
Decorah – Luther College on the left and the Upper Iowa flood levy in the foreground. Photo taken from Phelps Park
The trip did both of us a lot of good. We had a great time and were able to see some gorgeous areas. As much fun as it is to fish alone, it’s all the more enjoyable to share the experience with a good friend, especially the two-footed kind.
So what’s next? The fall camping and trout stocking season is starting to wind down a bit. Nonetheless I’m anxious to have some more outdoor fun. Depending on the work schedule, there might be a little time to slip away to Delaware County and check out another trout stream that I never knew existed. Jenny might come along this time as we explore a different creek and cook up some belly warming grub on a chilly fall night.
Thanks for visiting. Safe and happy travels.
Brad, Jesse, and Jennifer
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How wonderful to have a friend to enjoy a trip with. The area is absolutely gorgeous.
Thanks Jo. So many people think Iowa is boring but there are many beautiful and relaxing places as well. And thanks to a recent frost, we don’t have to worry about bugs. 🙂
Hi Brad, my name is Chris and I’m writing a book about how to live in a van. In my research, I ran across your post “New Hidden Wifi Antenna for Stealthy Surfing.” If it’s okay with you, I’d love to quote you in my book and provide a link back to your website. Please let me know if you’re cool with that. The paragraph currently reads:
The Wi-Fi antenna that I use is made by C. Crane, and it works very well with my Windows laptop computer. Not only does it enable me to use Wi-Fi from farther away from the source, it also picks up Wi-Fi networks that I wouldn’t normally see. Brad from Van Trekker agrees that it works well. Brad says, “I like the way the C. Crane antenna performs. It’s seems to pull in more networks and deliver a stronger signal. It does work well from all directions. Being able to mount the antenna in a stealthy fashion outdoors is a huge plus. It is helpful to be able to park across the street from a business and still get strong wifi while remaining incognito. This antenna is worth the money.”
I realize that people are busy, so if I do not hear from you, I’ll assume you’re okay with it. After all, a link back to your site should drive more traffic your way and I haven’t yet met a blogger who doesn’t want more traffic!
Thanks for your time, and safe travels!
Thanks for the note and feel free to use the quote. I noticed a typo that might need to be corrected… Can you please correct “It’s seems” to “It seems” ? I will make sure I’ve got that fixed on my site, too. Thanks a bunch! — VT
P.S. I am looking forward to reading your book!
“I like the way the C. Crane antenna performs. It’s seems to pull in more networks and deliver a stronger signal. It does work well from all directions. Being able to mount the antenna in a stealthy fashion outdoors is a huge plus. It is helpful to be able to park across the street from a business and still get strong wifi while remaining incognito. This antenna is worth the money.”
high brad ive been reading your blog for a few years now i always wondered why you didnt fish in delaware county much. i live right off highway 38 between delaware and greeley i think im around 4 miles from the trout hatchery. what ever you do dont pay to camp when your up this way you can stay here i have hookups here at my place. fountain springs park is also close by and thats our only county park that doesnt charge to camp ill leave my number would like to meet you when your up this way thanks …. scott (edited by Brad) 563-xxx-xxxx
Hi Scott! Thanks for the note! I haven’t done a whole lot of fishing in Delaware County because Backbone and Bailey’s Ford parks always seemed to get hit pretty hard by campers during the summer months. Until this year, it seemed like I was always getting bigger fish around Decorah but they’ve been smaller everywhere – no use spending all the gas!
Ironically, I’m actually planning to go fishing at Little Turkey tomorrow for the first time. I’ve never been to that stream before but one of the coffee guzzlers at McDonald’s in Anamosa says it’s a very good place. There is plenty of walking a person can do… and that’s often the best way to get some nice fish… walking back in where some of the old timers can’t make it as easily. I’ve got a meeting tomorrow morning and after that will probably go to the Little Turkey around noon (west end parking lot off of Voyager Road, walking upstream)
Thanks for your number. I will give you a call soon. You had made a comment a few years ago as I recall. Thanks for reading along. It’s been a busy, crazy ride the last few years but the one thing that’s been consistent is the love of fishing. As this reply was written, I was eating a plate of smoked trout, pea, and noodle casserole. Jesse was begging for some fish. 🙂 Have a good one and thanks for the note!