July 29, 2010

At the Overlook Café...

P1010147

... you don't have to pay attention to anything you don't want.

P1010140

(Pictures taken yesterday in Wyalusing State Park, in Wisconsin, from cliffs above the Mississippi River. That's Iowa on the other side.)

91 comments:

Opus One Media said...

Wow and you can see Russia too.

Visited the Indian Mounds there maybe 55+ years ago on a family vacation. I don't remember the view you have but the country generally was very very nice...windows down in the old DeSoto...

traditionalguy said...

What a wonderful place. I looked up the Parks history, and it said that the Wisconsin nick name "Badger" came from the early lead miners along the bluffs who also lived in their mines.

KCFleming said...

Iowa is usually best viewed from a distance, or via Grant Wood paintings.

Rialby said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
froggyprager said...

how were the bugs?

Anonymous said...

the Wisconsin nick name "Badger" came from the early lead miners along the bluffs who also lived in their mines

And who consequently had an average life expectancy of 30.

Peter

Bart Hall (Kansas, USA) said...

For those unfamiliar with the region, Wyalusing is at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers, and right in the middle of what is called the Driftless Area, because it was not glaciated (therefore no glacial "drift" or sediment.

We were married in Trempealeau state park, somewhat farther north, but still in the Driftless. That whole region is one of the hidden gems of America.

The Flint Hills here in Kansas fall into the same category. They're the largest extant piece of original prairie in America, if not the world.

Anonymous said...

The Racist In Chief - residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue - has declared that black people are mongrels.

"NEW YORK — President Obama waded into the national race debate in an unlikely setting and with an unusual choice of words: telling daytime talk show hosts that African-Americans are “sort of a mongrel people.”

Obama, it should be noted, is white (his father was black, but his mother was white, making him a white person).

So, Whitey is still THE MAN, and still says black folks is mongrels.

Unknown said...

i love the philosophical and artistic interludes at Althouse ... and though politics dominates, I think it may be more accurate to call the political posts the interludes to an artistic and educational endeavor by the bloggeress.

Roux said...

I'll try to send you some pictures of it here in Baton Rouge. It's much bigger and not very scenic.

garage mahal said...

For those unfamiliar with the region, Wyalusing is at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers, and right in the middle of what is called the Driftless Area, because it was not glaciated (therefore no glacial "drift" or sediment.

I always remember a science teacher of mine would get so excited talking about exactly how glaciers carved through Wisconsin, to the point of tripping over his own words. His favorite was the Kettle Moraine, and how the "kettles" were formed. Good stuff.

chickelit said...

Heroes On Stamps

LoafingOaf said...

Obama said multiple times on The View today that his policies saved us from a depression. Others say his policies deepened to the recession.

Hard to know what's going on. Especially since I live in a city (Cleveland) that has been in deep, dark recession for so long that when the rest of the country started joining us it was just like, "Welcome to the club!"

If we pull out of it soon, Obama will rebound very quickly in the polls. Just like Reagan and Clinton did. It seems that's what he's banking on. We'll see.

Pastafarian said...

Beautiful photos, as always. You're really a great photographer, Althouse. Put together that coffee table book. I know it sort of exists online in your archives, but the resolution on my laptop doesn't do your photos justice.

I'm about 3 margaritas into one of my last vacation days. I'm thinking about having a few more. But I'm out of the good stuff (Patron) and I'm down to my old frenemy, Jose.

Pastafarian said...

Loafing Oaf, as a fellow Ohioan, I feel your pain.

We need to start manufacturing things in this country again. That's one of the things that hammered Cleveland -- it was once a major manufacturing hub.

I think you and I might disagree about exactly how to do that. But at least we can agree on the goal.

LoafingOaf said...

For those who saw The View, do you think Obama was telling the truth that he didn't know who Snooki is? When they asked the question, he laughed as if he knew who it was. But then he said he didn't know who that is. Did he feel like, since he had just admitted he was up on the Lindsey Lohan situation, that he probably shouldn't admit to knowing who Snooki is?


I say obama has heard of Snooki before and he was lying!!!!!

Hagar said...

The DOW peaked in April, and each low or peak since then has been lower than the one before.

And folks are now sitting up and taking notice that the "Bush tax cut's" expiration date is just around the corner, and every day there are more scary things found in the legislation they have passed.

chickelit said...

Loaf said: Obama said multiple times on The View today that his policies saved us from a depression. Others say his policies deepened to the recession.

Worshipers of FDR said the same thing, if not the man himself. Turns out they were wrong. Other policy decisions "BHO" is making may lead to events which could pull us out. Or not.

Hey Loafing Oaf, I lived in Cleveland for a brief time in the 80's. I miss it sometimes.

jungatheart said...

Loafing Oaf, have you seen this Drew Carey/Reason piece on reviving Cleveland?

http://reason.com/blog/2010/03/20/watch-reason-saves-cleveland-w

Fen said...

Wiki-leaks has condmened thousands of Afgan allies to capture and torture and death by Taliban.

http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2010/07/28/murphy-rides-again/#more-9887

And Team Obama has told the perps to avoid US territory or risk arrest.

Traitors all.

Opus One Media said...

Very special photography needs some very special "muszak"...


and the endless trolls on here can find another vantage point for a while...please.

Pastafarian said...

Fen -- have you heard or read about whether we're planning on relocating any of these Afghan informants (and their families) over to the US before they're murdered?

LoafingOaf said...

I knew he was lying!

Politico: Snooki-gate

Unknown said...

I hope you drove up there.

HDHouse said...

Wow and you can see Russia too.

Him and Tina Fey.

YA BETCHA!!

LoafingOaf said...

Obama said multiple times on The View today that his policies saved us from a depression. Others say his policies deepened to the recession.

Ask anybody that's been out of work a while. If this has been a recovery, it's cost more jobs than it created.

Hard to know what's going on. Especially since I live in a city (Cleveland) that has been in deep, dark recession for so long that when the rest of the country started joining us it was just like, "Welcome to the club!"

Cleveland, run by Democrats who are run by the unions, is the poorest big city in the country. It was that way long before this current mess.

LoafingOaf said...

deborah: Yeah, I've seen Drew Carey's thing on helping Cleveland. There's some good ideas there.

But we also have the problem that the city and the county it is located in are run mostly by crooks. Literally. The FBI's been conducting an intense probe on the whole Cuyahoga County government for years, raiding the offices of county commissioners, judges, the county auditor, and on and on. Apparently some of these people will be arrested soon, but we'll see. Our sheriff had to resign in disgrace and was just convicted of felonies. The guy barely even showed up to work (he "worked" half the time out of his vacation pad in Florida!) and was robbing us blind for decades, but he always got re-elected because we have single-party rule here.

It's hard to have much hope when you feel like your city and county are run by organized criminals.

Cleveland likes to try these big projects downtown to "save" us. It never works. Now they think something called a "Medical Mart" and a casino will save us, like they used to think a new ballpark and a rock hall of fame would. The neighborhoods are not fit to live in and the schools are so bad it is child abuse to send a kid to them.

Kris said...

I love Wyalusing. I hope that the trails to the Sand Cave were open for you. It's a bit of a hike, but the caves & little waterfalls are well worth it.

HT said...

At the overlook cafe, I am reading one terrific book: Good Calories, Bad Calories.

chickelit said...

Loaf wrote: Cleveland likes to try these big projects downtown to "save" us. It never works.

Cleveland should give heavy and chemical industries another shot-maybe with a little more oversight this time. You guys were good at that once.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Damn Althouse posts a really nice scenic pic [I can almost see Tom Sawyer in it] of one of her adventures and HdHouse has to make it political. New Ham then follows his lead.

Can either of you ever look out the window and just enjoy the summer breeze for once?

Joe said...

Well Loafing, Detroit, SanFran, Cleveland all have one thing in common, Liberal Democratic machines...when next you're railing about Conservatives ro Republicans, you might think on that...that YOUR ideology, when implemented leads to Cleveland or Detroit, even SanFran has issues.

Kucinich drove you into bankruptcy, IIRC.

I am sorry about your big downtown projects, THAT aspect of city revitalization is a non-partisan boondoggle. Cities, for some reason, just LOVE big projects...I guess the mayor and council feel that all that concrete being poured MUST have some tangible benefit.

chickelit said...

Joe said: ...leads to Cleveland or Detroit, even SanFran has issues.


Would be ironic if SanFran selectively slumped too under Pelosi.

Trooper York said...

That's the problem with one party rule Loafing Oaf. Exactly as you put it. We have the same problem in New York City. The City didn't turn around until Guliani came in. Then Bloomberg bought his way in. God only knows how messed up it is going to get.

It is no good wether it is Democrats or Republicans by the way. There has to be some competition.

Trooper York said...

By the way, since you guys are into water sports, you should teach Meade about the man in the canoe.

Oh never mind. I bet he knows all about it.

I'm Full of Soup said...

I read the Reason mag article on fixing Cleveland. It had all the obvious ixes but was pretty blah IMO.

I have not watched the Drew Carey video yet- I bet it's good.

Trooper - Dems think they and their programs can save everyone and you just can't save everyone.

Freeman Hunt said...

I didn't know who Snooki was.

Wisconsin looks like Arkansas.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Snooki Snooki ..
Give me some nooki.

You never heard that before Freeman?

chickelit said...

Wisconsin looks like Arkansas.

Deciduously so!

Opus One Media said...

Freeman Hunt said...
"I didn't know who Snooki was.
Wisconsin looks like Arkansas."


Well there was a Snooki Lanson on Hit Parade about 1955 and the states may look alike because of the River..just a hunch but not at all like Mississippi or Louisiana so that theory is full of water.

Trooper York said...

Snookie is nookie you get from schmucks.

So if you had sex with Chuck Schumer you had snookie.

Trooper York said...

Jeez. Sex with Charles Schumer. That's enough to gag a maggot.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I Got a message from Tea Party Patriots I want to pass along..

... While we received this to late to actually mobilize and set up an event, we encourage you to show your support for Arizona today and in the coming days as Governor Brewer appeals the court's decision.

You can find email / contact info for Governor Brewer here: http://www.janbrewer.com/contact/

Let her know you support her. and also contact people that we may know in AZ and encourage them we are supporting their support.

The full mailing address is:
The Honorable Jan Brewer
Governor of Arizona
1700 West Washington
Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Telephone (602) 542-4331
Toll Free 1-(800) 253-0883 (within Arizona only)
Fax (602) 542-1381

If you decide to call or fax, remember Arizona is Mountain Standard Time. Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time, so there is a 3 hour time difference
.

Quaestor said...

What camera/lens did you use, Ann? Perhaps UV haze filter could improve the view?

chickelit said...

I just noticed that only POTUS takes more vacations than Meadehouse.

*jealous*

Trooper York said...

Yeah. I for one would love to see Meade on "The View."

I'm Full of Soup said...

Anyone notice Obama got four hugs on the View but only a handshake from Hasslebeck?

I bet Meade, a conservative, would get the opposite - a hug from Hassleback but only a handshake from the four liberals on The View.

Trooper York said...

No way. Barbara Walters would give him tongue.

Old sandpapery dry sticky tongue.

garage mahal said...

Yuck.

I'm Full of Soup said...

I agree with Garage! Who'd of thunk that?

Opus One Media said...

Trooper York said...
Yeah. I for one would love to see Meade on "The View."


I'll refrain from joining in your enthusiasm.

Anonymous said...

Sitting here at Newark airport, waiting for the flight out of this godforsaken country. Drinking a Tijuana coffee-- double tequila and Red Bull... gonna wash it down with some Xanax just before the flight boards. Meanwhile I'm paying $0.19 per minute to check e-mail (thx Townhall for more spam about the "Radical Homosexual Agenda") and of course surf Althouse... but the quality of Althouse's posts are not worth it! But perhaps it is not the quality of the commentary, as much as the quality of what's going on in the country.

I've always been a huge fan of overlooks. Deep in the human psyche is the notion of coming out of the nature and seeing the world spread out in front of you...

That my $2 comment. Or $1.90 to be precise. HELP ME I'M SURROUNDED BY GERMANS AT THE LUFTANSA GATE!

AllenS said...

Where are the two of them going to show up? Wyoming? Montana? Nevada?

jr565 said...

REDRUM! REDRUM!

Oh wait, this is the Overlook cafe not the hotel. Still, if there are either grass animals or a maze out front I'd RUN!

Fen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fen said...

Fen -- have you heard or read about whether we're planning on relocating any of these Afghan informants (and their families) over to the US before they're murdered?

No. What I've read so far indicates that Team Obama is more concerned with warning the leakers to stay out of US jurisdiction.

Can't say I'm surprised.

Opus One Media said...

Watermelon martinis, bowtie pasta with yellow tomatos and basil with cheese of course, salmon on a cedar plank, fresh strawberry and spinach salad...thank you Lord.

You all enjoy your early evening.

If you didn't know the time or east from west..it could be dawn or dusk...

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Here is something to do..

If you go to the original size (4000 x 3000) of the picture second from the top, and look between farm grain tanks and the bridge.. there is what appears to be a 'house' with decks or balconies.

The 'house' is at 4 o clock from the tanks.

I'd imagine it must be nice to live there.

mesquito said...

The summer light is softer and prettier up north.

Opus One Media said...

at LEM

that is really nice. thank you for sharing that.

knox said...

The View.

The peeeeeww is more like it.

knox said...

REDRUM! REDRUM!

That was my first thought. Can't see the word "Overlook" w/o thinking of that movie. >>shudder<<

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

You are welcome HD..

That salmon looked mighty tasty too.

thank you for sharing that.

I prefer salmon as opposed to some meats that you have to chew forever to help the system digest it.

JAL said...

Isn't the Lincoln Company (welders) located in Cleveland?

There was something on ... mmm .. Nightline? ... about them a week or so ago. They sound like a really unique company. Especially fro what you all say about Cleveland :-(

Even though the downturn affects them too, they cut back on hours but do not lay their employees off.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Does anybody have any recommendations for a supplement to Itunes?

Lots of times I cant get what I want on Itunes.

Example.. Major Tom - Peter Schilling..

Itunes is ridiculous.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Hey.. I was reading about Rangel not making a deal and I was wondering is he toast?

HT said...

Ok, for all you washingtonians and former washingtonians, NOW ON A&E, if you wanna go back to the terrorist times of Oct 2002. Confessions of the dc sniper.

jungatheart said...

"It's hard to have much hope when you feel like your city and county are run by organized criminals."

Sounds like Chicago. If they grant casinos, it's all over. Jeeze.

Mark said...

Beautiful view on a beautiful day. Fall when the leaves are turning is another wonderful time. Did you make it to the Iowa side of the river? The view from Pikes Peak State Park is also gorgeous. (And yes, this park is named after Zebulon Pike, too!)

Ralph L said...

And who consequently had an average life expectancy of 30.
Barely old enough to shave.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I just heard on the radio Sherrod is going to sue Breitbart.

Anonymous said...

I have a very similar picture I took just about two weeks ago. But in my case, I was standing a couple hundred miles down the river in a park on the edge of Hannibal, Missouri (Mark Twain's home town) looking across the river to Illinois on the other side. But the river, the trees, and even the little island in the middle look nearly the same as in the pic I took. Unfortunately the quality's not as good since I took it with my cell phone.

Later I was farther north in Keokuk, Iowa (also on the river) and briefly crossed into Illinois. The Mississippi's not so wide at that point.

I was also in Wisconsin a bit later (it was an epic road trip) and wound up departing Wisconsin's fair shores by boat, on the car ferry the S.S. Badger. It sails from Manitowoc, Wisconsin across Lake Michigan and delivers you to Ludington, Michigan on the other side.

(In college we did a camp out in Kettle Moraine State Park. It was a pretty memorable place.)

Meade said...

"Where are the two of them going to show up? Wyoming? Montana? Nevada?"

AllenS, We are in your back yard. Just checked into a hotel in St. Paul (Oops - I went left when I should've stayed right) for the night after an adventurous day of discovering more and more of the beautifulness of the great state of Wisconsin. I'll let Mrs. Meade tell you more but this is our goal for the summer - to become more familiar with the beautiful country that is our own home state. Tomorrow - back to see more of America's Dairyland. Wow - no one keeps their farms prettier than Wisconsin farmers keep their farms!

reader_iam said...

HEY, LEM!

Just wanted to let you know I'm listening to "99 Luftballons"[from our personal music server] in your honor.

XXOO ; ) : )

Love,

RIA

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Thanks reader.. I love that sound.

reader_iam said...

One of these days I'll get around to transferring from vinyl the promo of Schilling's Major Tom (Coming Home) that was sent out, in multiple copies, to college radio stations back in the day, which is why I have one (being a college radio alumna). The statute of limitations for possessing that sort of thing in personal collection has expired, right?

I mean, jeez, it's 3/5 of my life ago, after all.

LOL. And so it goes.

---

Of course, Nena's "99 Luftballons" is of the same era, and it was promoted in the same way.

wv: bolit.

Bowl it, baby!

reader_iam said...

I do, too, Lem--and, oddly or not, more now than I did then. Or at least for different reasons. Or something.

: )

wv: nogrowel

Oh, the Google-gods laugh, snip-snap a finger upside their pointed heads. Heh.

reader_iam said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
reader_iam said...

This one's also for you, Lem.

Beta Rube said...

How does Cleveland maintain what is arguably the finest Orchestra in the world in the midst of economic near ruin?

Just wondering.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

thanks again reader.

reader_iam said...

Hey, Lem, this one's for me (AND you).

LoafingOaf said...

Beta: How does Cleveland maintain what is arguably the finest Orchestra in the world in the midst of economic near ruin?

Same reason that Cleveland has one of the finest art museums in the country. These institutions were established when there was hella big money in Cleveland. This was a city where some of the richest people in the world once lived. You know, people like the Rockefellers. The orchestra plays in Severance Hall -- John Severance was a rich dude from Standard Oil. And, actually, there are still some big money families in the suburbia who continue to be generous to these institutions. Greater Cleveland has some very nice suburbs where you'll find some serious old money peeps creeping about.

A lot of the rust belt cities, in general, have very excellent cultural institutions for this reason. The cities may have fallen, but some of the institutions established when they were at their peak are still going strong.

LoafingOaf said...

BTW, my understanding (and I could be wrong) is that Rockefeller was driven out of Cleveland because he didn't like the politicians. Who knows what could've been for Cleveland if he had stayed around.

But in Cleveland it is always what could've been. Seems like, given the location and the lake and everything, we should still be one of the big areas of America. But...to quote one of the big YouTube memes of the summer, "Ya done goofed!"

It's a weird thing in the governor's race in Ohio right now. The Democrats are hitting challenger John Kasich as being too friendly to business. But Ohio needs to be more friendly to business! Dear Lord! We're driving 'em all away!

reader_iam said...

Well, LoafingOaf, Cleveland is part of so-called "flyover country." As I recall, you don't have much use for "that" [sort of thing].

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

But in Cleveland it is always what could've been.

Like the Cleveland Indians.

They've developed some of the best talent in the majors, but they can never keep them.

LoafingOaf said...

Trooper: That's the problem with one party rule Loafing Oaf. Exactly as you put it. We have the same problem in New York City. The City didn't turn around until Guliani came in.

I don't think most of the country has any idea how bad politics and government is in Northeast Ohio. It doesn't get the publicity of a city like Chicago. That Blago guy in Illinois looks like a saint compared to the scum running this area. And we can't get a mayor like Giuliani in Cleveland. He's exactly the kind of guy I wish we could have as mayor here. But no one like that will run for office here, let alone win.

LoafingOaf said...

Lem: Like the Cleveland Indians.

They've developed some of the best talent in the majors, but they can never keep them.


Yeah, but part of that is just the way baseball is set up. There was no way, no day, the Indians could've kept CC Sabathia. It's pretty frustrating that we lost two Cy Young winners and incredible talent like Victor Martinez of late, but in those cases the Indians did what they had to do. We had our shot at a title with them, but fell a tiny bit short, mostly just because of bad luck.

I'm pretty optimistic about the Indians for next season, because the young talent we've gotten in all our trades looks very good. Have you seen this new catcher/clean-up hitter, Carlos Santana? He's gonna be one of the big stars of the game!

The big mistake the Indians made was not that they traded their Cy Young winners. It was when they gave a big long contract to Travis Hafner, a mere designated hitter. A smaller market team should never invest so much in a player who doesn't even play in the field.

AllenS said...

Meade,

Once I retired, I made it a point to visit places in Wisconsin that I had never been. I love SE WI. Did you take highway #35 up to the cities? Beautiful drive. I've driven south along the Mississippi on the MN side and then back up on the WI side. If you do that drive in the early spring, you'll have a great view of the rock formations. One thing that I noticed about WI was the amount of Amish in the state.

AllenS said...

Since you're in the area, you two are welcome out to my humble abode.

Opus One Media said...

Some cities, no matter what, have put their "institutions" like the Cleveland Symphony, Detroit Symphony, the various museums, etc. at the "last to go" instead of the first to go.

The CSO has been one of the great 5 for as long as I've been a professional musician and probably 50 years past that. All the orchestras face tough times when things get bad but it is a remarkable statement that cities keep these institutions going without loss of quality just as households hold on to the good silver.

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