State park trail entry point.

Journey Home

Tales from the pilgrimage.

  • The Duane Arnold Energy Center was re-licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in December 2010, extending its operating license for 20 years to 2034. After the 2020 derecho damaged the plant, they didn’t reopen, and began the process of de-commissioning with intent to shut down. When a large contract with Google Energy, to purchase… Read more

  • I was late getting out of the house to the state park trail on Sunday. The challenge was how to photograph the expansive patch of invasive lilies, and I had no good answer. I was distracted by the need to return home as quickly as possible to harvest the garlic crop I planted last fall.… Read more

  • It is fitting that the late Scott Kleppe was named honorary Grand Marshall of this year’s Solon Beef Days. Kleppe was a constant presence in the city, and helped set up and tear down the event for decades while in the city’s public works department. He died unexpectedly on June 10. He will be missed… Read more

  • Long Dance to the End

    Leaves on the Red Delicious apple tree I planted more than 30 years ago began developing spots, yellowing, and falling in late June and early July. In addition, a type of slime mold rooted in the large scar where the 2020 derecho blew down a main limb. Called dog vomit slime mold, it feeds on… Read more

  • Time for a Day Off

    Wishing you peace as I take some time off. Read more

  • Ambient temperatures reached into the 90s beginning Tuesday and have been unrelenting. That’s how early summer weather goes in Eastern Iowa. That’s a lie. According to local meteorologists, average temperatures are running about seven degrees above the 30-year average high. Read more

  • July Photos

    July is a delightful month despite record heat this year. Foliage is lush, flowers are brilliant, and on a clear day, the sky goes on forever. These are some favorite images this month, captured with my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Trail Walking Events Home Read more

  • Googling Around

    My Google origin story is in 2006, a group of consultants from Hyderabad, India, working on a software installation at my Cedar Rapids office, convinced me to move to a new email platform called Gmail. At the time I needed a referral to get into Gmail, which the guys gladly gave. That decision, with unlimited… Read more

  • We had some good rain this week and that boost growth in the garden. There were cucumbers, zucchinis, and squash aplenty. I checked garlic by digging six plants and decided to give it another week or two before harvesting the main crop. After pulling a couple of onions, I decided to harvest the whole crop… Read more

  • My insurance company informed me there will be a National Military Monument in Washington, D.C. They wanted my permission to put my name on it. I did not respond. On Veterans Day 2015, I wrote, I don’t understand veterans recognition in the 21st Century. Everyone thanks veterans for their service if they know he or… Read more