Happy Holidays 2011

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, etc ... from Assorted Skullduggery and the Skulldiggers Guild.

Monkey head

Gold Moche monkey head artifact that was returned to the government of Peru in a repatriation ceremony at the Peruvian Embassy in Washington, D.C., on December 8, 2011. Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Justice.

A 2-inch gold bead is headed back to Peru (South America, not Illinois) following an almost 25-year stay in the United States. The 1,700-year-old monkey head-shaped trinket was unearthed in 1987 and carted off to the U.S. where it eventually made its way to the art collection John Bourne, according to Archeology News Network.

Archeology News said the charm is pendant with "turquoise and shell eyes, a lapis nose and open mouth with traces of turquoise on the tongue. It measures 1 3/4 inches high by 2 1/4 inches wide and has a ball tucked inside that rattles when moved."

Anyway, Bourne gave it to the New Mexico Palace of Governors in 1995, and it was placed in the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe. Word of the artifact later got back to the government of Peru, which pressed for its return.The FBI's art crime team got involved, and below is the official DOJ press release on how matter turned out:


Peruvian Artifact Repatriated
U.S. Department of Justice December 08, 2011

WASHINGTON—A gold Moche monkey head was returned to the government of Peru today in a repatriation ceremony at the Peruvian Embassy in Washington, D.C., announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Charles M. Oberly III for the District of Delaware.

The Moche culture flourished in Peru from the first through eighth centuries AD. Moche nobility were buried in tombs with important symbols of power, often made of gold. Due to the dry climate, the bodies and artifacts have been preserved through the years. In 1987, the royal tombs were discovered in northern Peru, including the Sipan region. Shortly thereafter, tomb raiders descended on the sites, looking for gold. They found it, including the gold monkey head (circa 300 AD). The monkey head ended up in a private collection in the United States. The collector subsequently donated the monkey head to the Museum of New Mexico, Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe, N.M.

The Museum of New Mexico entered into a memorandum of understanding with the government of Peru to return the monkey head to its rightful place in Peru.

“This repatriation is the result of the joint efforts of this office, the FBI Art Crime Team, the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office and the Museum of New Mexico,” said U.S. Attorney Charles M. Oberly III. “I commend all parties for their efforts in producing this positive outcome. In particular, I commend the Museum of New Mexico for its selfless and noble action in returning this invaluable artifact to Peru. Artifacts like this Moche monkey head represent the history not only of the source country, in this case Peru, but the history of all mankind. We hope that this repatriation will help repair at least some of the damage caused by the looting of Moche sites.”

This matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Hall, who has an extensive history in handling cases involving ancient artifacts, who became involved in the investigation in 2007 in his capacity as special prosecutor, FBI Art Crime Team. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in this matter.

Ivory Smuggler Pleads

I found this interesting. It’s a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division:

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Ivory Smuggler Pleads Guilty in New York

 

According to documents filed in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., today, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security officer at JFK International Airport in Queens, N.Y., alerted inspectors with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on Sept. 17, 2011, that Xu, a Chinese national, was carrying suspected wildlife items in his carry-on luggage based on x-ray screening.   When questioned about 18 carved art objects apparently made of ivory, Xu initially stated that he did not know what they were made from and that they had been purchased for approximately $3,000 to 4,000 at U.S. auction houses.   In pleading guilty, Xu has admitted that he knew that the carvings were ivory and that they had a value of approximately $50,000.   Also, Xu knew that it was a crime to export ivory from the United States without required documents and approval, according to papers filed in Court.   Xu packed the ivory carvings in aluminum foil in order to conceal their outline from x-ray screening.    

According to an expert examination of the ivory carvings, most are newly carved ivory and not genuine antiques.   The African elephant is listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) and is also protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international treaty regulating trade on endangered species to which the United States is a party.  The global demand for antiques and art made of or containing elephant ivory is believed to have resulted in a significant impact on the species and given life to a thriving black market.   Despite international efforts to control the ivory trade and stop the decline of elephant populations, prices and demand remain high, thus causing continued elephant poaching and illegal ivory finding its way into international and domestic markets.

Xu was charged with a felony count for illegal smuggling that carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain from the offense.   Xu was also charged with a misdemeanor violation of the ESA for knowingly engaging in trade of ivory specimens, contrary to the provisions of CITES, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000, or twice the gross gain from the crime.

The Xu investigation was conducted by Special Agents of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Northeast Regional Office of Law Enforcement, with assistance from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Wildlife Inspectors, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the TSA.   The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Richard A. Udell of the U.S. Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Pravda of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. 

WASHINGTON – Lin Feng Xu, 31, an antique dealer in China, has pleaded guilty to smuggling and to violating the Endangered Species Act in connection with the illegal export of African elephant ivory in his carry-on luggage.  

Backbone Cabins

The future of seven seven cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corps at Backbone State Park in northeast Iowa is in the hands of a special task force.

The CCC was the original government jobs program in the 1930s, putting people to work building parks and national infrastructure (and in Backbone's case, cabins, dams, shelters and bridges) as part of a plan to lift the country out of the Great Depression.

After hosting park visitors for seven decades, the Backbone cabins are at a crossroads.

“We are going to have to spend some money on these cabins whether it is restoring or replacing them,” Kevin Szcodronski, chief of the State Parks Bureau for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said in a DNR press release on the matter.

“These cabins have historic value and have been a destination for generations of Iowans. It is important for us to determine whether the structures can be feasibly renovated or whether the condition has deteriorated to the point where they should be replaced,” Szcodronski said.

In addition to the DNR’s Engineering Services Bureau evaluating the cabins’ structure, Szcodronski said visitors of the cabins during the past season will also be surveyed for their input.

The task force will be meeting at the end of November and will be making a final recommendation by the end of the year.

Located just south of Strawberry Point , Backbone State Park is 2,000 acres and is Iowa's oldest state park.

Train wreck

A grafitti face peers out from an overturned rail car.

It's always amazing how nature reclaims the ruins of man. Vast, once thriving cities are reclamed by the jungle after people move out. Unused roads are overtaken by grass and trees.

And the overturned rail cars begin to become one with the forest.

We first spotted the old train wreck about 10 years ago while hiking in a little, out of the way park that boasted nothing more than a wooden sign and a gravel parking lot. The accident was recent. They had repaired the tracks, but you could smell the cargo --- harvested corn --- starting to ferment inside the cars. The rips in the ground from impact were fresh. Trees and brush damaged in the crash were heaped in piles.

We figured the rail company would remove the cars, but they remain.

A few weeks ago we returned to the site, which has become popular with graffiti artists and an airsoft group. The woods are beginning to encroach back into the accident scene, and saplings have sprung up between the train cars.

City of Bronze

A few weeks ago, I traveled through Cresco in northeast Iowa, a city which has, by my calculations, the most public art bronze statues per capita. You can't go more than block without tripping over one.
I counted at least a half dozen on the main street that goes past the county courthouse. One park had no fewer than two (and a cool train display). There was one in front of the library and another at the fire station.
In all, the city has about 30 statues --- funded through donations --- and the welcome center has a complete list.
Above is a shot of the statue in front of the courthouse. Below is Justice, which is on the sidewalk near an attorney's office. The bottom is a closeup of Justice's feet.

Live Video: Polar bear cam

Live feed from Tundra Buggy

With cold temperatures on the day, here's a little something to get one in the mood for winter weather.

Above is a live feed from the Tundra Buggy which is covering the polar bear migration in Manitoba, Canada. The remote control vehicle has been spying on polar bears and other wildlife in the Churchill area.

The project is sponsored by Explore.org, Polar Bears International and Frontiers North.

More info here.

Happy Halloween

tank photos

A retired Sherman guarding a local park.

 "You're sure he was in the turret?" I asked my 9-year-old son.
He was telling me about a classmate who claimed he got inside the old Sherman M4A1 tank that guards the local park and pond from geese infestations (a losing battle, if the goose droppings are any indication). We had climbed on the tank before, but I knew the turret and driver hatches were welded (or rusted) shut. The door to the engine compartment in back was open, but it didn't go anywhere. There was no access to the crew area from there.
Now the friend was telling him there was a way inside. I decided the only other way in would be through the escape hatch on the bottom. I had never dared to crawl underneath the behemoth before. We had to check it out.
Named after Gen. William Sherman, who ripped a path of destruction through the South during the Civil War, the Sherman tanks were thrust into the battlefields of World War II. They blasted Nazi Panther tanks in North Africa and Europe, and the allies hammered out about 50,000 of them into the 1950s when they were replaced by Pattons.
Our local Sherman (serial No. 68148) is a model M4A1, one of the few lines with a cast metal hull. It was built in 1950. according to the plaque, which means it didn't see any WWII action. Watertown Arsenal is mentioned, but I don't know if that's where it was built or just refurbished. After it was decommissioned, it was relegated to the silent fleet vehicles, cannons, aircraft and other hardware placed in parks as monuments.
It was a short --- and goose poop-free --- crawl across the concrete pad to the escape hatch in the belly. The door had been removed.  Enough light was coming in through the vents, view ports and the hole for the missing front machine gun that flashlights weren't necessary. Graffiti and fast food wrappers were testament to the fact that others had found their way in before we did. Small piles of gravel had accumulated below holes where people on the outside had dropped pebbles.
Two seats remained, although in bad shape. Assorted levers also survived, and one still opened a small turret window. Dirt and rubble aside, crawling around inside gave me a fell for what it would have been like inside a functional weapon. I have ridden in an armored personnel carrier before. But inside the Sherman I could imagine the claustrophobia of being crammed together with three others inside an iron can filled with explosive ammo. It must have been terrifying to be inside when it got bogged down and caught fire in the heat of battle. The APC, in contrast, had a direct path to a big exit door in the back.
It's been years since I've wedged myself into caves on spelunking trips, and I've picked up some aches and pains since then. So after a bit of exploring the tank, I started the slow, deliberate process of working my way back to the escape hatch. I was just passing through the drivers area when my son called out from the turret.
"There's a dead rat in here."
"OK, don't touch it. Leave it alone," I responded. "Do you think it's real?"
"It has fur, and I can see a tail," came the response. He said it was in some sort of shelf.
I didn't know what he was looking at, and I wasn't excited about the prospect of dragging my own aching carcass back up for a look. So, I decided it was better to assume he was right, there was a deceased rodent festering away inside the tank.
"Just don't touch it, and start heading out," I continued. "We've been in here long enough anyway."

It was time to put that escape hatch to good use.

For more photos of the tank, see our photo gallery.

Arch Park

More to come

On the banks of the Mississippi River, across from the Rock Island Arsenal and tucked between a bike path and train tracks, stands an odd collection of concrete arches and towers.

The structures represent a sampling of different architectural designs that graced the area at one time of another. There are curved metal trunks paying homage to Native American wickiup huts of pre-Colombian times. There's also the trussed roof of a Civil War era fort. And giant triangles representing ... I can't remember.

My favorite was the historical brick tower that stands above it all. It looks like part of a medieval castle, but its is supposed to conjure up images of Victorian buildings.

The Midwest doesn't have many castles.

I kept scoping out the different features of the tower's bricks trying to figure out a good free climbing route.

The kids climbed on the shorter pieces, but I thought tackling the tower would have been pushing it.

 

Photo of the week: Bug quiz

Mantis or Walking Stick? Thi Kreen? Or something else?

Mountain Lion in the Land of No Mountains

Talk about lost.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources staff confirmed they found a mountain lion in the eastern part of the state in recent weeks. The beast was photographed by a trail camera.

The DNR's press release picks up the story here:

“We want the public to know that we have a confirmed photo of a mountain lion, but we don’t want to alarm the public,” said Vince Evelsizer, a DNR wildlife biologist. “When it comes to mountain lions, Iowa tends to be a place to pass through, but not to stay. It is very likely this animal will keep moving, if it’s even still in the area, and will keep to itself."

(It's probably looking for a mountain. Or maybe's he's looking for Hawkeye Point, the state's highest hill, elevation 1,670 feet.)

The photo was taken from a wooded area along the Wapsipinicon River in the eastern part of Clinton County. DNR conservation officers were able to confirm the location where the photo was taken by matching the surrounding landscape to what is shown in the photo, according to the press release.

DNR officials went on to say the mountain lion is likely a young male that has been pushed from its native area by older, dominant males. They have the ability to move several hundred miles in a short period of time, said Evelsizer. The lion likely came from a state west of Iowa.

(FYI: The Rocky Mountains in Colorado are about 800 miles away.)

While the DNR gets many reports each year of mountain lion sightings, only a very small percentage are ever confirmed by the department. Most sightings are mistaken identity with other animals such as bobcats or yellow coated dogs.

“But in this case, we’ve got a pretty good image from the trail camera. I don’t have any doubt on this one that we have an image of a mountain lion,” said Evelsizer.
According to the DNR, only 19 people have been killed in mountain lion attacks in the United States in the last 150 years --- none have occurred in Iowa.

The DNR offers the following safety tips. Generally a mountain lion will sense human presence before humans know they are in the area and the mountain lions will quickly vacate the area. However, if one has an unexpected rare encounter with a mountain lion the following is recommended:

• DON’T RUN! Running will stimulate certain animals to chase you (like a dog that wants to bite you, especially if you run).
• Stand tall, look big, puff up, lift your coat over your shoulders.
• Take control of the situation. Scream loudly, throw objects.
• Gather children in close and slowly back away keeping your eye of the animal.
• If attacked, fight back vigorously with sharp objects and poke the eyes of the animal.

Castle Maps

Castles were always one of my favorite subjects growing up.
My father was stationed in Germany during my grade school years, so we got to see Neuschwanstein, fortresses overlooking the Rhine River and strongholds scattered across Europe as well as as some lesser-known bastions.

So I was delighted when I stumbled across this entry  on the MyReadingMapped blog. The author pinpointed a number of famous castles on Google maps. Most of the locations have photos, and the really cool thing is zooming in close for a bird's-eye view thanks to satellite photos of the areas.

Halloween Hikes in October

Every year, guests at Hartman Nature Reserve in Waterloo enjoy a Halloween hike through the woods with non-scary characters in a fun performance. This year's theme is "Hartman Idol" and the event will take place on Oct. 12, 13 & 14.

Designed for the whole family, Halloween Hikes are complete with lighted trails and nature-related stories. Following the hike, warm-up with hot cocoa, cider, and treats while you vote for your favorite pumpkin in the annual pumpkin contest. Costumes are welcome! For more information, contact Laura at (319) 277-2187 or laura.hrnc@gmail.com.

Tickets are available at the door but hikes are limited. Advanced tickets go on sale Sept. 12 and can be purchased by calling (319) 277-2187 or at Hartman Reserve Nature Center. Tickets are $5 each (ages 2 and under free).

Hartman Reserve Nature Center is a 300 acre wooded isle located in the heart of metropolitan Black Hawk County. Hartman lies in the center of the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area. It offers many activities and experiences to all its visitors. Hartman Reserve Nature Center is an entity of the Black Hawk County Conservation Board.

Air Show

Jet owned by the State of Iowa on display at the air show.
I don't know how to fly a plane and don't really have any intention of learning. But I've ridden on planes off and on since I was little, and the subject of aviation creeps into my work from time to time.
So when the air show popped up at the local airport last weekend, I decided to take a peek for nostalgia reasons. And because we had free tickets. Mostly because we had free tickets.
While the kids (did I mention ages 12 and under were free)  were drawn to the bouncy rides on the edge of the field and the half-hour long lines for lemonade, I decided to try out tail spotting.
Stay with me here. It's not what one might think.
Airplanes have a license plate-like number, usually starting with the letter "N,"  on the back fin. You can jot down the tail numbers and later go online --- to sites like FlightAware.com --- to trade tips and post photos of the planes your spotted to share with other enthusiasts.
I snapped off about a half a dozen photos of aircraft that were on display on the tarmac with my daily carry camera. I didn't bring by work camera with the more powerful lens to get the in-air shots, but I was happy with what I got. The trick is to be creative with what you have.
The good thing about shooting air shows: You can get up close to the aircraft. The biggest challenge: Lining up a good shot while dodging and cropping out the yahoos standing around.

Treasure Hunts

Portland Japanese Garden.
Friday, Aug. 5 2011

PORTLAND, OR --- Even if you're an adult, I recommend the children's treasure hunt at the Japanese Garden, not so much for the coloring map or the prize at the end (it's a bookmark), but because it forces one to take a closer look at the surroundings.

The garden, nestled into the hillside of Portland's Washington Park, has five different styles sprinkled with statues, stone lanterns and fountains. There is so much beauty, it's easy to miss the subtle details.

A small statue of a jizo (Japanese protective spirit) guards the entrance to the zen garden. I walked right past the guy, carved into a foot-tall moss-covered stone, but the kids found it. It was on the scavenger hunt list.

That was the morning. After a microwave lunch at the hotel, it was off to Mollala to go geocaching with the cousins.

More photos at our gallery.

Hiking the falls

The pedestrian bridge at Multnomah Falls.

Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011
COLUMBIA GORGE, OR --- This is one of those places I wish I could spend a whole week camping, hiking, exploring the sights.

But we didn't have that kind of time. We went early in the morning and took in the Columbia Gorge from the interstate at the bottom (the place is only about 20 minutes from Portland). There was light barge traffic and a few sailboats on the river. It was a breathtaking view.

Around noon, we met up with our local guides at the Vista House on Crown Point. The building itself is an impressive piece of architecture (looking back, I'm disappointed I didn't get any photos of it). The polished marble and brass structure has a deck with a great 360-degree view from the gorge's top. There's even a snack bar, museum and gift shop tucked away in the basement.

From there, my brother and his family led us through the scenic cliff-side roads that wound past the minor falls before reaching the centerpiece of the gorge that is Multnomah Falls. A word to the wise, come early to get a good parking spot. There is also overflow parking from the interstate. We hiked up part of the way to the top with the kids and the cousins.

We ended the day at a Portland playground, letting the kids run loose.

For more photos, go to our gallery.

Low Impact Day

View of Portland from the OHSU tram platform.
Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2011

PORTLAND, OR --- After two full days of driving and sightseeing, we decided to have a low-impact day at our base city.

It was low-impact until we started driving through city traffic, dodging semis, negotiating construction and keeping an eye out for the ever-present bicyclists who zip around the crowded streets.

In the morning, we took the sky tram. It was a quick trip, but the view of the city below was worth it. The tram isn't anything fancy. It links the Oregon Health and Science University on the hill to the lower city, and staff can ride free. The rest pay $4 for a round trip (actually, they only check your tickets going up, some you could probably ride down for free). The 4 year old was nervous at the start of the ride but then became intrigued by the scenery. The platform at the top also had a good vantage point of the city.

Lunch was microwave fare in the hotel room. Again, low impact, and they actually ate it all.

The afternoon was the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

More photos at our gallery. Also, stay tuned for a tram video.

Lighthouse Hikes

Watching for seals on the cobble beach at Yaquina Head lighthouse
Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2011

NEWPORT, OR --- Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area is on of those places I could easily spend a whole day at. It has history, hiking and wildlife packed into a rocky mile-long peninsula that juts into the Pacific.

The park, run by the U.S. Department of the Interior, has a historic lighthouse at its tip and boasts a cove and a cobble beach inhabited by gulls and harbor seals.

There are three easy hiking trails, and on most busy days the parking lot closest to the lighthouse fills up. This forces visitors to get out and enjoy the walk from another parking area at the museum.

There's a sound the cobbles make. The waves crash into the shore with a roar and a hiss. And then if you listen closely, you can hear the smooth rounded stones roll in the wake as the water recedes.

The lighthouse has 104 steps to the top, and it was built in 1873 to replace the bay lighthouse to the south.
 The bay lighthouse was built in 1871 but decommissioned three years later because it wasn't visible enough, according to one of the brochures.

After the lighthouse, we spent the rest of the day at the Oregon Coast Aquarium (also in Newport). Then we headed back to Portland.

More photos of the trip in our gallery.

Coastal Drive

Pacific Coast in Lincoln City.Monday, Aug. 1, 2011

NEWPORT, OR --- There is something to be said for traveling with local guides as opposed to the automated directions calculated by a mapping website.

The bonus for us was taking a northern route to Newport via Lincoln City that passed through a beautiful swatch of Pacific coastline (the web suggested a route through Albany that was probably faster but had no coastal drive). It was two lanes for most of the journey, but those two lanes passed scenic cliffs, boats, marinas and crashing waves.

The path also wound through some captivating wooded hills (I say captivating, my wife, who got motion sickness, said nauseating).

On the way down, we stopped by the Chinook Winds casino for the buffet, and the kids caught their first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean on the beach behind the casino. From there it was south to Newport, where we stayed at the Whaler. The rest of the day was spent hunting in tidal pools and flying kites on Nye Beach. For dinner we closed down the Sizzler.

Assorted notes:

-- Before starting off of the coast, we got up early and attempted to visit the Japanese gardens at Washington Park in Portland. They didn't open until noon, so was opted for the rose garden just downhill. Also found a neat playground nearby.

Portland riverfront and a forest

Not for drinking. A fountain on the McCall Waterfront
Sunday, July 31, 2011
PORTLAND, OR --- What loudly tromps up and down the hotel hallway at 6:30 a.m. while most others are sleeping?

Kids from the Midwest visiting Oregon whose internal clocks are hours ahead of the host population.

Despite a full day of traveling and a near-midnight dinner the day before, the kiddos are up early and ready to explore. We load up at the free breakfast and hit Portland's McCall Waterfront Park.

We are part of the few walkers in the throngs of bicyclists and joggers scooting along. Some people appear to be camping. The 8 year old leads us across a bridge to the Willamette River's east bank, and we stumble into The Big Float, a buoyancy fest set for later in the day. Everyone has kayaks, canoes, tubes or water wings and is amassing at the base of the bridge where a stage is set up.

Back across to the west side, we pass the time playing at the fountain where the parkway meets Salmon Street. The 4 year old notices the high-pressure jets blasting water and simply says "I'm thirsty."

She bends over, mouth agape, and I pull her back before the torrent knocks her across the park.

Later that morning we hook up with my brother and his family at Enchanted Forest just south of Salem. The attraction started with a man who carved tableaus of storybook characters and evolved into an amusement park with a rollercoaster, log ride and miniature themed villages commemorating the wild west, the middle ages and so on.

More Oregon photos in our gallery.

Off to Oregon

Mount Hood from the airplane.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
OVER THE GREAT PLAINS --- Flight to Portland with a short layover in Minneapolis. On the way to see my brother and his family.
This will be our 4 year old's first flight and the second plane trip for our 8 year old. Also, it's the first time to Oregon for my wife.
I've been to Oregon once before. When I was a teen, we went there as a side trip after visiting the California branch of the family --- cousins on my dad's side. I remember Crater Lake, the cliff-lined rocky coast and old growth forests. I remember learning the state doesn't have sales tax when I bought a Judges Guild game that had wandered a few thousand miles from its Midwest roots.
This time it will be the Mount Hood area and the Willamette Valley. I checked out (and twice renewed) a dated Frommer's guide to the state, so we'll see what's in store.
Waiting for the refreshment cart to snail its way to our Row 37 seats on the three-hour flight, I realize I should have packed more kids movies into the iPod. I'm siting with the 4 year old, and she's hungry, and it's the only thing keeping her calm. She's already worked her way through a Snoopy and is deep in a Curious George episode. I have a Dr. Who rerun, but I don't think she'll go for that.
I keep looking out the window, trying to catch a glimpse of the terrain below. Most of what I can see is flat farm country, but what I want to see is mountains.

Machu Picchu Milestone

It was 100 years ago today --- July 24 --- that the Inca settlement of Machu Picchu was brought back to light.

The 15th Century site, located above Peru's Urubamba Valley, was abandoned during the Spanish Conquest and forgotten.
Then in 1911, an expedition led by Yale professor Hiram Bingham III discovered the overgrown ruins.
It is now a popular tourist destination and United Nations World Heritage site.

For cool old photos of Machu Picchu shortly after it was found, check out this National Geographic gallery .

Photo: Tree

Tree on lower roof of abandoned meatpacking plant.
I like the "nature reclaims the city" look of this shot. The old plant had been one of the larger employers in the city decades ago. Some of the buildings have found other use, like a cold storage facility. But this structure has been vacant for some time. Notice the shattered windows. The shot I missed was the pigeons taking to the air from the windows when they were startled by my car door shutting after I pulled up. You can see the birds perched on the roof, keeping an eye on me.

Sounds of summer

Cicada husks on parade during our camping trip. The campground horseshoe field was full of them.
The sound was always elusive.
The rhythmic buzzing cut on in an instant. Curious about what made it, I tried to triangulate the source of the noise.
Somewhere in the backyard, or was it the neighbor's backyard? Sometimes it seemed to blare from the front yard.
Something that loud had to come from something big, but there was never anything big around.
Then it would come to an abrupt stop.
One day I narrowed down the sound's location. It was coming from somewhere up above. I took to one of the large trees in the backyard, trying to concentrate on navigating the tangled series of limbs while peering through the leaves and tracking the buzz.
Finally, as the branches began to narrow to the point they were barely able to support my grade-school frame, I came eye-to-eye with my first cicada. It looked part grasshopper, part dinosaur-era insectoid. I dangled from the free bewildered.
Then it flew off.
My kids' introduction to cicadas was different. they began finding shed shells left behind following the bugs' molting outside. Not easily grossed out, they have no problem picking them up and carrying them around.

Rough Water

The Cedar River at Charles City, upstream from the whitewater course.
We planned to spend the day tubing on the Cedar River at the new whitewater course in Charles City. It was 90+ degrees outside with a heat index north of 100 and getting wet sounded like good relief. But we neglected to check the river levels, and when we arrived it was obvious the water was too high.
The river was even too swift for the kayakers who were hanging out. People from Prairie Rapids Paddlers, who spearheaded the course, and outfitter CrawDaddy Outdoors of Waverly were there getting filmed for Iowa Public Television's "Iowa Outdoors" program. The crew also had a boom to lift a camera over the water. I'll have to check the listings to see what the episode looks like.

Instead of tubing, we walked down the river and found a spot to spend time wading and tossing rocks into the current, so it wasn't a wasted trip.

Next time, I'll have to check the conditions at the whitewater course's webcam.

Here's another link to the course ... http://ccwhitewater.com/

Video: Hovercraft

Test footage of Israeli AirMule.

No, I didn't shoot this myself. I found this video on Wired's Danger Room showing a test flight ... or test hover ... of the AirMule made by Urban Aeronautics in Israel. It looked kind of interesting, so I thought I'd pass it along.

It's not exactly AirWolf, but it looks like part of the answer to the age-old question: It's the future, where is my flying car?

Photo: Sunrise haze

1. Sunrise, haze and trees
   I got called out for a 4 a.m. assignment. There was plenty of fog on the rural roads during the drive. On the way back, the rising sun was starting to burn off the haze. I pulled over and snapped a few shots of the sun coming up.

July 4th

Cave House

Left: House in sandstone bluff.
I'm not sure what's inside, but this looks like my dream house. A nice fenced patio courtyard with steps leading up to a home in a cliff.

We caught a glimpse of this cliff cave home when stopping for lunch in McGregor, Iowa, after hiking Effigy Mounds National Monument on the Mississippi River.

McGregor is one of those touristy river towns. Buildings from the late 19th Century line the main drag, where visitors can munch a blue gill fillet or a fish taco on the sidewalk under a cafe awning. There's a riverboat casino upstream and a handfull of antique shops.

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, McGregor residents used to carve storage rooms into the sandstone bluffs to refrigerate their foodstuffs. Breweries were also set up in these manmade caverns.

Usually, homes and offices were built in front of the cliffs, and the storage caves were a backyard feature. If I read the info right, the cave in the picture was outfitted with its facade in the 1970s.

I have to wonder if it has utilities or modern plumbing. What about ventilation. My guess is there is no wifi.

Storybook endnote

After a little bit of hunting, I finally found the message below acknowledging the closure of Storybook Gardens on the Timbavati/Storybook website.
 
"Storybook Gardens, has closed. Built in the early 1950's, Storybook Gardens was one of the first tourist attractions in the Wisconsin Dells Area and has brought wonderful memories to generations after generations. Timbavati Wild Life Park has moved to the new location and is opening this summer of 2011."

When the closing was first announced in a Wisconsin newspaper, I had checked the site but wasn't able to find any mention. It appears this notice was recently added.
 
Sections of the website (http://www.storybookgardens.net/fairytale.html) still have photos and info about the park. Check them out while you have a chance. I'm not sure how long these will be up.
 
Our earlier Storybook Gardens post (http://blog.skulldiggersguild.com/2011/05/28/storybook-gardens.aspx).
 
 
 
 

Mounds Hike

View of the Mississippi River and train tracks north of Marquette, Iowa, from the Effigy Mounds National Park trail.

Over the weekend, we headed to Effigy Mounds National Park on the banks of the Mississippi River. The mounds themselves weren't that interesting, most of them were no taller than knee high. But the hike was good and the views were spectacular.
We hit the Little Bear Mound trail loop, which started right next to the visitor center. The first leg was a climb up to the top of the cliffs. I was surprised that our 4 year old walked most of the way herself.

Wildlife encountered in the area included hawks and frogs.

We rounded out the day with dinner outside on McGregor's main street and a geocache in Marquette.



Domestic high-altitude afternoon

I spent the afternoon in a high-altitude adventure, putting all my climbing skills to good use. Yeah, I finally got around to cleaning out the gutters at home.

I know it's late in the season, but I prefer to wait for all of the whirly-bird seeds to work their way out of our two maple trees before I go up and start digging around. There's also a healthy haul of tiny needles from the neighbor's pine.

The task actually went pretty quick. There wasn't a lot of problems with clogs in the downspout elbows. Most of it was just freeing up the debris in the gutters.

Photo: Puppets

Puppets at local taco place.

Photo of the week: Vintage VW

We were at a downtown carnival over the weekend, and while the kids were zipping around on rides, I spotted this rundown 1963 VW bug in a nearby parking lot.

I liked how the rust spots contrasted with the faded (but original, according to the for-sale notice) turquoise paint job. I loved the missing headlight chrome and the bracket for the absent bumper.

The technical challenge was getting good light. It was a bright, cloudless day with harsh sunlight. Half of the bug was in the shade under a tree. I took a few frames at different angles and returned for a few more when the sun had shifted and more was in the shadow.

Skull Appreciation Day

Cool swag from the folks at Skull A Day.

Happy Skull Appreciation Day --- June 4.

We received a special edition button (pictured above with envelope) from Skull-A-Day, the website that spearheaded Skull Appreciation Day.

For more info, go to Skull-A-Day.com.

R.I.P. Storybook Gardens

Jack be nimble, Jack be ... Whoa! Looks like somebody lost a foot jumping over a candlestick. One of the characters up for auction.


All the kings horses and all the kings men,
Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again ...

It was hard not to poke fun. The peeling paint, the classic characters with missing appendages, the cartoon buildings that held some function now relegated to storage. It was clear it had seen better days.

But it was a landmark, a tradition dating back 50 plus years. It was a pioneer attraction where stories came alive for thousands of children.

This was Storybook Gardens in Wisconsin Dells.

And so went our visit. After handing over a $13-per-person admission,  we walked around the park, exploring the nursery rhyme tableaus, waving at the monkeys and keeping the kids from wading into the ponds.

"Want to check out the playhouse? Sure, sweetie, just let dad make sure there aren't any racoons living inside first."

Let the kids have their fun, enjoy it for the kitsch factor. Besides, Zoltar was nowhere to be found.

The high points were feeding the giraffes and riding the train. The animal show was the best.

Sadly, that was our last visit to that Wisconsin Dells-area park. Storybook Gardens isn't opening this year. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the characters are going to be auctioned off, and the land will be used for a new attraction. It's purely an economic decision. I imagine the garden doesn't bring in the crowds that it used to. A city of thrill parks, water slides and resort hotels has spring up around it, making it hard to compete for tourist dollars.

Heck, there's even a mammoth Trojan horse at the go kart track down the street.

And, like the owner said in the State Journal article, kids today don't know anything about the characters. We have two small books with the nursery rhymes that we read to the kids, but not too often. I even had trouble figuring out some of the displays or remembering the complete verses or explaining the plots

Still, there was something simple and peaceful about the place. You could check in and go at your own pace.




Old King Cole was a merry old soul, something, something ... Hey kids, while you're up there, how about making yourself useful and scraping some paint.

Zombies

Well, we made it through the Rapture. It appears no one was summonded away, at least no one I know and apparently no one in the public eye.

The Maya Apocalypse of 2012 is still a whole year away, so that means we should be preparing for the next big event --- the walking dead.

Luckily, the federal government isn't remaining silent on this issue (as it has with both the Rapture and the Mayapocalypse).

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control (I've always wondered how something can have more than one center) have released tips on how to prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse. You can find them here ---  http://emergency.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies_blog.asp.

The Centers (Center) also note they (it) "would conduct an investigation much like any other disease outbreak. CDC would provide technical assistance to cities, states, or international partners dealing with a zombie infestation. This assistance might include consultation, lab testing and analysis, patient management and care, tracking of contacts, and infection control (including isolation and quarantine)."

It's good to know that the CDC is being open and upfront with their zombie plans. The military and Homeland Security haven't done likewise. And it not because they don't have plans.

They do have plans.

As we all know (at least those who are familiar with zombie literature and film) those plans aren't public because they involve rounding up civilians who may be infected and using them for vaccination experiments or exterminating them.

Pocketknife

I still remember my first pocketknife. It was first or second grade, and we lived outside an Army base in what was West Germany. After much discussion, my father took me to the PX on the base to pick one out.
 
With my own money and my dad's blessing secured, I eyed the models in the glass case just inside the front of the store. There was a thick Swiss army knife packed with too many tools to remember. It was so thick that I had no idea how it would fit in my pocket, which wasn't an issue because it was out of my price range.
 
My eyes (and wallet) settled on a smaller knife, one the a blue plastic scale handle. A price of about $7 seems to be what I remember. There was no sales tax. It was a basic pocketknife, one with a main blade, small blade, corkscrew and standard bottle and can opener.
 
That was in the early 1970s.
 
Last week I took my 8-year-old son out to buy his first pocketknife. He's been in the Cub Scouts and worked on his knife care and safety lesson --- how to sharpen, how to close it without losing a finger and so on.
 
We went to the hipper big box retailer and found a Victorinox Recruit --- a good starter knife with the basics --- for $15 plus tax.
 
I hold the knife and give it to him when he requests it for specific tasks. The first request came shortly after we arrived home. He whittled a stick that had fallen from one of the backyard trees. After he stripped off the bark and shaped one end into a fine point, he nicked himself on a finger. Nothing serious, but just enough to chalk it up as a safety lesson.
 
Over the years, I've acquired several other knives of all fashion and function. But I still have the blue handle pocketknife.

Housekeeping

I finally got those banner ads on the top of the site to go away. I also did some minor tinkering.

After that, I spent most of the morning trying to get the lawnmower, an ancient Toro, to work after a long winter hibernation.

I changed into by grubby pants (ratty cargos with holes in the slash pockets) and old yard-work shoes, Filled the mower with gas, checked the oil, pulled the cord a few dozen times to get it started.

No luck.

Messed around with it some more and tried another dozen pulls. Nothing.

Let it sit for awhile and puttered around with other stuff. Put up something on the swing set for the kids.

Tried again. Still nothing.

After more tinkering and pulling, I gave up and changed back into my non-grubby clothes to run some errands. Before driving off,  I decided to give it one last chance. It started on the second pull. Not wanting to risk having to do it all over again, I went straight to moving the lawn in my good clothes, leaving a nice green film on my sneakers.

So, I got the lawn done, but my right hand is ripped up from all the failed starts, and my shoulder is numb. It's hard to type.

Bin Laden's death dispells stereotypes

They told us he was evil incarnate, the worst of the worst. For more than 10 years, they told us he lived in a cave, plotting the destruction of the western world.

Well, now we know the truth.

Bin Laden wasn't planning future terrorist strikes from a cave. He was planning from a wall three-story, $1 million compound on the outskirts of a city in Pakistan (that was for about five years, the two years before that he was apparently renting). He had all the amenities, flush toilets, electricity, three wives, even a cool trash-burning area.

It sounds like somebody owes cave dwellers an apology.

Just because some people who spread terrorism lived in caves, doesn't mean that all people in caves are terrorists. Cave dwelling is an ancient lifestyle, predating political terrorism. And it has always been a peaceful lifestyle (well, OK, there were the mammoth hunts, those could get bloody, but aside from that).

Charity and service to mankind are two of the pillars of cave dwelling (actually, they are more like stalagmites).

Let us hope that never again will people hide in caves as a way to spread terrorism.

Boat training

Firefighters training with boats on the Cedar River .



Scale of 1 to 7

I've been listening to coverage of the unfolding disaster at the Japanese nuclear reaction at Fukushima, and I can't help but wonder about the two side notes I keep hearing.

It goes something like this: They have determined the Japanese reactor situation rates a No. 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale, which is the worst ranking in the scale.

Then there are the caveats:

1) The emergency at Chernobyl was also a No. 7, and

2) The Fukushima emergency isn't as bad as Chernobyl.

So, A equals B, and B equals C, but A doesn't necessarily equal C. It would seem the No. 7 slot has some leeway built in.

For those keeping track, Three Miles Island came in at a No. 5 on the scale, which looks like a glowing food pyramid. The No. 6 slot appears to be open. How about parking Fukushima there?

If we are trying to convey that Fukushima was worse than Three Mile Island and not as bad as Chernobyl, No. 6 would seem to do it.

But the other thing that jumps out at me is the big question that no one is asking --- why a scale of 1 to 7?

You could whittle down the numbers to fit in with other disaster scales rated between 1 and 5, like tornadoes (F1-5).

Or you could go the other way, the classic 1 to 10 scale.

"Why don't you just make 7 worse?"

"No, you don't understand. This goes to 10."

Besides, ranking Chernobyl as the worst case scenario really underestimates the human potential. Can you imagine the coverage of the next disaster?

"Yesterday's radiation release rated a 7, which is what Chernobyl rated. But this was so much worse than Chernobyl."

Photo of the week: Fog



News: River cleanup

Looking for a way to increase your junk tire collection while helping the environment?

Project AWARE (A Watershed Awareness River Expedition) is seeking volunteers to clean of some 90 miles of Little Turkey, Turkey and Volga rivers in July.

An Iowa Department of Natural Resources press release quotes a county conservation board director talking about the importance of the project and the possible treasures participants may find --- "Floods have both exposed and deposited tires, barrels and other trash and the river needs a cleanup project such as project AWARE."

Volunteers in kayaks and canoes paddle down the river in cleaning up river trash along the way. They can also help from land.

An equipment checklist includes water bottles, bandages, work gloves and so on. Tetanus shots aren't mentioned.

In recent year, AWARE volunteers have cleaned up more than 613 river miles, removing more than 150 tons of trash, 59 percent of which has been recycled, according to the DNR press release.

For more information on this event and to download the registration materials --- and a copy of the equipment checklist --- please visit www.iowaprojectaware.com.

Photo: Circle of life

.

So there I was, standing on the roof of a dilapidated house watching firefighters use high-powered saws to chop up, well, the roof (that doesn't sound so smart at the moment), when the fire captain pointed out the hawk and the pigeon.

The hawk (maybe it's a falcon, I don't know my birds) was perched on a tree in the home's front yard just about at eye-level. He was chomping on what was left of the pigeon. The buzz of the demolition saws didn't bother him. He just sat there, eating his pigeon and watching us on the roof --- dinner and a show downtown

From Iowa DNR: Keep off the ice

"Ice conditions are deteriorating over much of Iowa, leaving only the far north counties where ice fishing is still happening. Even in these northern counties where the ice thickness had been over two feet a few weeks ago, the access to lakes is becoming more difficult as snow melt and runoff is beginning to open some of the edges, and anglers who were once driving on the lake are now walking out," reads a DNR release.

It continues ...

"Anglers still going out on the northern lakes should look out for weak spots, black ice and avoid areas with slush or water on top of the ice that could create an unsafe situation."

It might have something to do with this (from an earlier DNR release) ...

"The incident Saturday occurred at about 8 a.m. on Fish Lake, a backwater of the Mississippi River near New Albin. An ATV pulling a trailer ... went through the ice along with two other adults and a juvenile. All four were able to escape the water and get to a nearby island where they started a fire to keep warm."

Video link

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Eagles

In January, I wrote about the live eagle cam in Decorah and the watched over the following week as nothing happened.

I just checked back, and there is an actual bald eagle tonight. It's in the nest, occasionally picking at its wings as its feathers flutter in the wind. There are about 2,000 others watching the feed at this moment.

Grand opening

Just trying out the new blog format. I tried to use this in 2002, and it didn't work out. I was surprised to see my account was still open in 2011.