After a night in Dubuque, I weaved northward through the Appalachia-like terrain of extreme northeastern Iowa and descended back to the Mississippi at Marquette. This town in one of many on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge, which stretches for 260 river-miles, from "the nose" of Iowa to southeastern Minnesota (and, of course, along the corresponding borders of Illinois and Wisconsin). From Marquette, I drove north on Route 76 and then switched to X52, which passes through Harper's Ferry and continues up to Lansing, Iowa.
Both X52 and Route 26, which leads from Lansing into Minnesota and ends near La Crosse, Wisconsin, are marked as "scenic roads" in my atlas. Having taken many road trips and having found that such designations can be subjective, I was just hoping for some decent river views along the way. As it turns out, this combined route is, in my opinion, one of the most scenic drives in the United States. Views of the broad Mississippi, bounded by majestic bluffs and broken by chains of sand spits and wooded islands, were, to say the least, breathtaking. Pull-offs, more numerous and well-designed in Minnesota, provided photo opportunities and the chance to observe the bald eagles, white pelicans and numerous waterfowl that are also drawn to this spectacular landscape.
As usual, my many photos only hint of the valley's grandeur, carved by a torrent of glacial meltwater and now adorned by a rim of beautiful, productive wetlands. Throughout the length of the Upper Mississippi Refuge, 165 bald eagle nests and 15 heron-egret colonies have been located; 119 species of fish, 306 species of birds and 51 species of mammals reside within or migrate through this vital preserve. While many humans come here to hunt and fish, many more come for the inspiration that this spectacular valley offers in abundance.
