Princeton Wildlife Area - Migrating Ducks, Bald Eagle, Migrating Pelicans

We went on a four mile hike along the levees at the Princeton Wildlife Area in Princeton, Iowa today.  There was a lot of waterfowl - mostly migrating ducks and geese - thousands of them.   

Lots of lotus plants and their pods 

We saw one bald eagle but he was pretty high - couldn't get a very good picture

Bald Eagle

This is a blow up of one of the pictures - pretty fuzzy

Lots of mallards

Some of the 1000's of ducks

When we got back to the campground there was a large flock of probably about 150 to 200 pelicans just offshore from the campground on the Mississippi river - they are still there several hours later (we can see them from the camper).  They are most likely migrating to Texas or Louisiana following the Mississippi down. 

Fisherman's Corner Rec. Area, American Pickers, Buffalo Bill Museum

Friday we moved from Prairie Rose State Park in Harlan, Iowa to Fisherman's Corner in Hampton, Illinois.  Hampton is just across the Mississippi River from Davenport, Iowa and LeClaire, Iowa.  

Our site at Fisherman's Corner - This is an Army Corps Of Engineers campground right across from a dam and lock site on the Mississippi

Part of the dam from the Illinois side - you can walk about one third of the way across the river on a jetty to get to close to the dam

The dam from the Iowa side - the locks are on the left side - you really can't see much of them in the picture

Monday we went to LeClaire, Iowa and visited Antique Archaeology, the American Pickers original store.  We enjoyed going there a lot - it was interesting to see some of the items that they had picked in the shows

Their new building

The original shop

Inside the shop (Donna on the left)

This is the remains of an Indian motorcycle Mike dug out of the ground in pieces in Massachusetts I believe - he had it reassembled and mounted on a stand

This bike ran nearly 200 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats

View of both buildings

The park outside the Buffalo Bill Museum

We didn't get a lot of pictures of the Buffalo Bill memorabilia as it was mostly under glass but it was very interesting.  They had an attached building that housed a complete 1860's river boat that was in service locally until the 1960's and is the only remaining wooden hull paddle boat that plied the Mississippi in existence.

Donna at the helm

Part of the stern paddle wheel and rudders

View of the boat from outside

Buffalo Bill's homestead - the house was built by Buffalo Bill's father in 1847 - it is about 10 miles from the Buffalo Bill Museum