I've never been to the Mississippi River on a road trip (about four times now) without rain. It was threatening to rain this day as I crossed the Mississippi, but it remained generally muggy and cloudy during my visit to Dubuque, IA, and East Dubuque, IL. As I crossed the Julien Dubuque Bridge, a billboard for what I thought was a gentlemen's club rose from the Illinois side - yet as I got closer I was surprised to read that the busty blonde in the corner was advertising... a gardening center? Hyrdoponics? I got your hydroponics right HERE, baby...
Of the "twin" towns of Dubuque, IA, and East Dubuque, IL, the latter was at one time surely the town of lower repute - the road along the riverfront was lined with public houses, dance halls, and lounges that looked like they were never for anyone but the crusty riverboat guys and railroaders. I drove up the hill to a nicer section of town and caught some nice views of Dubuque (itself, overall, not the most scenic of towns) and the river, and, somewhere out there, of the tri-point.
At the top of the hill, and end of the road, an interesting situation caught my attention: a driveway, leading from Illinois past some nice gates to a nice yard, over the state line. They own property in Wisconsin, but their mailing address is certainly E. Dubuque, Illinois. Do they have Wisconsin license plates? Might they have a Wisconsin address but get served by the E. Dubuque P.O.? Inquiring minds want to know...
