The other day, my brother-in-law, Gary , and I went for a little drive, hoping to see some wildlife. (Gary’s a world class turkey hunter so always enjoys a drive through the countryside.)
We started with a visit to friend Chuck’s partly-flooded farm, which is near Paris in northern Linn County. There, we saw a small beaver munching on some greenery at the edge of the water. Shortly, he spotted us and disappeared. That’s the first beaver I’ve seen in the wild!
Then we continued a few miles north to Coggon, then east and south through Prairieburg. The road south from Prairieburg runs through a wide valley, then follows a ridge line. That provides a beautiful view of a wide valley on the east! You can see for miles from the road. It was from this road that this picture was taken.
You might want to click on this photo to enlarge it, as it is a high-definition photo and looks really good if you have a large-screen display!
We saw a bald eagle in the middle of the road, feasting on an animal (raccoon?) which had been killed by traffic.
Stone City
Rather than continue on into Anamosa, we turned off and went to Stone City. This is a former town known for the summer art school run by Grant Wood, the Cedar Rapidian known for the painting “American Gothic.” Now, there are a few homes and The General Store, which is a bar/restaurant right on the bank of the river. It’s also home to a huge quarry from which they take stone used for buildings.
A bit beyond The General Store is the church pictured at the top of the page. It’s quite picturesque but, unfortunately, unused these days.
As we entered Cedar Rapids from Hiwatha, Gary spotted a deer near the “Welcome to Cedar Rapids” sign.
We had a good day: Jones County beauty, a beaver, an eagle, a deer, a beautiful valley, and a picturesque church on a bright sunny day. That’s tough to beat!
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