Buttons of course refers to Muscatine, one-time pearl button capital. We are at Shady Creek, a Corps of Engineers campground on the Mississippi between Muscatine and Davenport. Shady Creek has been sorely affected by the flooding this year. We were told that this past Friday was only the second Friday they had been open. There are marks about six feet up on some of the trees from the high water and much of the ground around the cement pads is still cracked, bare earth. But the weather has been great as is the view of the river. The almost full supermoon was beautiful reflecting off the river last night.
We trucked our bikes to Muscatine yesterday and began our ride at Musser Park. Much as I would like to claim ownership of that, as well as the Musser Public Library or Musser Art Museum, I'm afraid it's a different, much distant, branch of the family from mine. Anyway we followed the levee trail upriver almost to the bridge--at least 50 miles, I think. Well, it felt like it going into the wind.
Crews are working all along the railroad tracks that also follow the river and the equipment is amazing. No large gangs of men driving spikes with hammers.
At the marina is an old bridge pier. The small square above the darker area is a plaque marking the high water mark from the flood of 1993. The return trip to Musser Park was much easier with the wind behind us and the whole exercise earned us naps and an awesome supper.
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