Tuesday has traditionally been the day I share images from Rodan139, but frankly I’m currently out of Rodan139 photos to share. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to take some more. My schedule this week with both work and getting free 3-D sculpted Iowa State artwork and hopefully trying some of Scottie D.’s new butcher paper brisket and the Boone County Fair and work party and little kid party and Movie Night is pretty dang full.
Ahhh… the Boone County Fair… this reminds me that I have yet to make an official announcement about Baby Got Rack. Baby Got Rack is taking the year off from competitive barbecue.
I know… I know… it is very sad. However, there is reason for hope. What I’m going to call Baby Got Rack: The Next Generation will be competing at the Boone County Fair’s barbecue competition this year. I thought about going with Baby Got Rack Jr., actually I’m workshopping both. I’ll let you know when I have decided which one I like better.
But back to the Boone County barbecue competition. While Scottie D. won’t be out their slinging ribs and pizza and the loins, his eldest progeny Austin will be entering the youth competition. He had a practice run at the porkloin on Sunday night and Scottie D. says that he nailed it!
My nephew Logan is also competing on Saturday as well. Logan (I don’t think I’m giving away any secrets) is competing in Pork and Turkey. He has practiced with 5 or 6 different recipes for his ribs alone. He also had a practice run on Sunday and while he wasn’t satisfied, I bet they were probably pretty dang delicious.
I’ll be out there at different times of the day helping both parties with anything they need. So while Baby Got Rack won’t be out there slinging that good meat, the next generation will and you should still come out and support them.
Have no fear, even if Baby Got Rack has retired for good, the barbecue community in Boone County is still in good hands.
Also, I will be out there as I am judging the Boone County Fair Photography Contest. It will be a full day!
(Also: Baby Got Rock Founding Father Scottie D. is in charge of the Pufferbilly Days Barbecue Contest this year. It is like we are slowly taking over the world. BGR 4 Life!)
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Since I don’t have any drone pictures to share, I thought I would start sharing auxiliary images I took while harvesting the town signs of Des Moines County and Louisa County. Both counties have some very interesting things in them. Some things I knew about and some things I did not know about.
Iowa County
Louisa County
Cotter
Columbus City
Columbus Junction
I would love to see a picture of this original bridge.
Love. Ain’t it grand?
When I complete editing and sharing all of the auxiliary images from THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, I will put together an Iowa Bridge Power Rankings. I mean it is pretty obvious what is #1, but there is a pretty stiff battle for #2. The Columbus Junction Swinging Bridge is definitely in the mix for a good ranking!
Between the bridge and the Colony Restaurant photos, this *may* be the strongest collection of auxiliary photos yet!
I do love the Black & White Colony Restaurant picture in particular. A more organized person would put that in a folder marked Iowa State Fair considerations, maybe I’ll be that person some day.
I do love that bridge. You ever been?
If I had more time, I would have taken some pictures from underneath it, but on those road trips I never spent too long in any one place.
I think in the next collection there are some pictures of the second oldest stretch of paved road. Which is both fascinating and boring at the same time.
The clouds just perfectly frame the black/white sign; it’s also my favorite. I think it would be an amazing submission. Even if you just had a running list (spreadsheet) with the folder/date/filename location (spreadsheet cells) to find it?
I’ve never even heard of the bridge, I don’t think! It is lovely. And a little spooky, but 95% lovely. I bet it would be amazing to watch from below as people walk over it. For sure the old paved road has a really narrow realm of “cool and super-boring” juxtaposition. Have they never updated the original pavement? Or they have, but this is where the oldest ones were?
You know what I’m going to say to a spreadsheet.
It is in Columbus Junction, which is a ways away. Probably not worth a trip to most people, but on a well planned out road trip, it definitely makes a cool stop. Like I wrote it will definitely get a good spot on my Iowa Bridge Power Rankings.
As for the paved road, there will be more in the post, but they have never updated the pavement. It was like the third stretch of paved road in Iowa. The first was replaced in the 60s (I think) and the second still exists. It is a road to a cemetery.
This stretch of road was build by prisoners and is therefore call The Convict Road.
I 100% like poking your spreadsheet bear. Encouraging you to come to the dark side.
That IS a ways away. But it sounds totally worth the trip – we need to go over and see Grandpa in Bettendorf sometime soon, and it would make a really cool side trip. Charlie would barrel over that thing with zero chill.
That’s really interesting! I hope you got some good up-close shots of it, because I bet it could tell some stories! Poor Convict Road – I bet people unfairly are biased against it due to the name. That’s really fascinating, though!
It is safe to say that I will never be a boring enough person to be into spreadsheets, but you can keep hoping.
Columbus Junction is an interesting town because it has a large (percentage wise) Hispanics population so its downtown is definitely a rarity in Iowa.
Yep. Convict Road. The 13th Amendment didn’t ban slavery. Just said you had to arrest them and put them in prison first.
I read a book recently that you might enjoy, although I don’t remember if you’re a dude who does any fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27071490-homegoing
It’s about two young African women, and how slavery affects them generationally through present day. It doesn’t give away much of the plot to say one of them is a slave who was convicted of a trumped-up charge and put to work in a coal mine. It was a really powerful read.
I don’t read a ton of fiction. But I can take a look at it.