Clinton, Iowa

[Tom Robbins]

For years I've been going to Lock and Dam# 13 on the Mississippi River to photograph birds. The smokestacks of Clinton, Iowa, just to the south, are almost always belching steam or smoke. A photo of the complex was taken yesterday morning just after sunrise -

The place pretty much dominates the area. Does anyone know what business this might be? I've Googled Clinton, IA without much luck. Iowa is corn country, so it might be related to ethanol production, but this is just a guess.

Thanks






Tom, to post the image embed the url of the .jpg between

. you must add .jpg on the end in order to satisfy the coding. Otherwise the image will not be recognised! So that is what I did!

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi Tom,

This I believe might be the ADM Biofuel plant is Clinton Iowa here

Clinton Iowa now has a very modern plant just completed near the Mississppi River. Fuel is made from soy oil!

I wonder what the true bio-mathematics are? After all the soy beans need gazillions of tons of fertilizers to be grown!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi Tom,

I always like these pictures and yours too. It is a thrill to see these imposing structures at sunset. I wonder whether you cropped this picture.

I do like the picture as is but I wonder whether there is more to see of the plume of steam on the left as I'd love to see the soft swirling end of it.

One of the special characteristic of the picture is the dichotomy of hard man made rusting aging structures (that are, perhaps, an affront to nature and will soon be reclaimed) and the pure essence of nature, soft billowing clouds, (ironically, man made).

So I'd love to see more of that beautiful soft plume!.....if you have it?

Thanks for sharing!

Asher

 

[Tom Robbins]

Thanks for the advice about posting images, Asher. I don't do this often, so it's very much appreciated.

Primary objective of the day:

Hope I understood your directions for posting images. Please let me know if I messed things up.

Biofuels, and the petroleum fuel bill to obtain them, involve equations very much worth pondering. I suspect 50 years from now people will be wondering at today's poor choices. Still, no matter what technology comes up with in the meantime, there will never be a free lunch.

I understand your desire to see the end of the plume - it would have provided an end to the scene, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, the sun was peeking through the clouds at just about that point, and I framed the shot to avoid it.

The image was cropped only to allow for straightening (minimal). It was shot at f/4 to stop the smoke/vapor from the stacks with an ISO of 160 using the Canon 5D and old 28-70mm f/2.8 zoom. Elements of the scene were changing too quickly to allow for inclusion of the sun and using HDR methods.

Thanks again,

Tom Robbins

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi Tom,

All I did was add .jpg and voila!

A beautiful bald eagle (?). I'd not want to be Mrs Rabbit doing her Christmas shopping in the meadow
right now!

Now where do you find that bird?

Asher

 

[Tom Robbins]

Hi Asher,

Thanks for your patient explanation on posting images. I think I've finally got it!

The Bald Eagle was just across the river from Clinton, Iowa at the Mississippi River Lock and Dam# 13. There were about 30 of them there that morning fishing in the waters just above and below the dam. Until the last couple of years, eagles haven't arrived at the major rivers in the midwest until the rivers further north have frozen over. I suspect the populations have grown large enough that they now migrate earlier than previously simply to get a little "elbow room".

Regards,

Tom Robbins