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Eco Gardens by Washburn is now a part of Second Nature at Reads Creek
(608) 629-5975
ecogardensbywashburn.com

good news for Sarah Washburn from Eco Gardens by Washburn you basically you still have your company but your company is also changing to another company explained to me that I decided to actually married eco-garden with second nature. It reads Creek so second nature meets Creek just like eco-garden is fine with everything I could say landscaping services and customer service at the coolest thing about second nature reads Creek in an actual place. They have a nursery. They've got a great gift shop. You can go there to meet with the designers where at eco-garden club. I basically came to use Delphi merging with second nature meets Creek there just 7 miles south of the Rockwell inmates town. I really welcome anybody to contact that they are at 608295975 or you can email me personally at my email address is [email protected] what's on the services to second nature offers the offer, landscape design, meaning newly established homes or we can come in and redo the landscape that maybe you just want to change up or we can certainly help with the erosion problem and then install of your landscape design. Definitely doing that once we get shall installed in your plant. Their love in it and you're doing good Watering. We can always come by and perform some plant maintenance for you but it just get spring or fall cleanup or maybe once every two weeks. If you want to do it yourself just that you know what this is what I'm looking for for the favorite color and plant. They we can find the perfect plant at the nursery is also I know that in the past to talk about some of the things that you did with Eagle Gardens by Washburn like helping people put in different gardens and such. Is that something that you guys are still doing yes absolutely. If it's something like a perennial plant garden or a wildflower garden or a native plant native plantings in your hillside. That type of thing a vegetable garden even know probably love to help you out want to become guards by Washburn decide to go together with second nature that reads Creek to merge together and play because there's only one of me emerged because you got the same vision we share the same work ethic and she had a commitment to quality, really. Both companies have that merging with second nature reads Creek is more attention to detail and more attention to our clients need simply because it got more people more time and there's a physical place to go and I think that really helpful

Invisible Fence Brand of the TriStates / E8 - 62,000 Fences
Invisible Fence Brand of the Tri-States
319 Northstar RoadWI 54636
(608) 399-1266
https://tri-states.invisiblefence.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Pet-Service/Invisible-Fence-209481692915/

Karla: Sixty-two thousand Invisible Fence Brand systems were installed in 2018. Just think if there is one dog in each one of those houses, that means there are 62,000 dogs that are safe. They’re estimating that right now there are over 2 million dogs that are safe.

Bob: Because of Invisible Fence products.

Karla: Correct.

Bob: What makes Invisible Fence Brand products different and better than what the other people are selling?

Karla: I guess I would say the technology and our engineering. We’ve been around the longest, so we’ve got the most as far as research and technology into our products. We stand behind our products. The technology, I can tell you it’s patented. If you were to buy a cellphone today and wanted to compare it to a cellphone that maybe another company has, it might be a cellphone from 1993, that technology – analog versus digital versus smartphone. We’ve just come a long way, and we spend a lot of time and effort to make sure that what we put out there is safe for the pets.

Bob: When we talk, we say Invisible Fence Brand rather than just Invisible Fence. Is that because you guys are kind of the Kleenex of the invisible fences?

Karla: Yes. We are not a category. We are a brand.

Bob: What does that mean?

Karla: What you’re alluding to is that Kleenex is a brand. But if you say, ‘I need to blow my nose,’ you don’t say, ‘Can I have a facial tissue?’ You say, ‘Can I get a Kleenex?’ Why we add brand to that is to differentiate ourselves. We are a brand. We are not a category.

Bob: But you’re the top brand of the category that’s named after you.

Karla: Correct.

Bob: Is Invisible Fence Brand the first?

Karla: Yes, and it was invented by Mr. Peck, who was a traveling salesman. He got tired of seeing dogs dead on the side of the road and thought there had to be a better way. In the early 70s, if you were in the rural area and driving down the road, it wasn’t uncommon to see a dog dead on the side of the road. It just wasn’t. You don’t see very many dead animals on the side of the road like that anymore – not domesticated dogs or cats. You might see a deer, but I mean you just don’t see that anymore. And if you do see it, there’s someone there.

Bob: Is that because people have taken more care for their animals now, or because of the Invisible Fence Brand products?

Karla: I think that’s an encompassing question. I think it’s both. I think as time has gone on, we find value in our pets and we spend the money to keep them safe.

Bob: How do we find Invisible Fence Brand?

Karla: [The website is] invisiblefence.com.

Invisible Fence Brand of the TriStates / E7 - Freedom
Invisible Fence Brand of the Tri-States
319 Northstar RoadWI 54636
(608) 399-1266
https://tri-states.invisiblefence.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Pet-Service/Invisible-Fence-209481692915/

Bob: So right now my dog, Tony, is looking in the garbage.

Karla: Great example. So Tony is going to dig in the garbage, which we’re not going to let him because he’s not going to. But I have solutions for that. We have indoor shields, which are avoidance products, so I can keep Tony out of the garbage. I can teach him to stay out of the garbage.

Bob: But if I put it in the garbage, then I’ll be throwing it away.

Karla: No, you’re not. You’re not going to put it in the garbage. We’re going to put it by the garbage. We might put it in the garbage can, but in the bottom. And because Tony could really use a friend and another dog in your house …

Bob: You’re not getting me to get another dog.

Karla: Let’s say Tony needs a buddy. Okay, so Tony, you get another dog, and that dog stays away from the garbage. You could set it up so it just affects Tony and not the other dog. Or, let’s say Tony and the other dog want to compete for each other’s food. Like I see on the floor here you have his dog bowls. We could put an Invisible Fence Brand Shields there, and I can have it set up different pets, different roles. I can have it set up so they can’t get at each other’s food while they’re eating dinner.

Bob: You mentioned for two dogs it’s a great solution. But what about somebody who has multiple dogs, like eight or nine or 10? Or 15, like you do?

Karla: I use them all the time

Bob: Are they that versatile that you’re able to give them that many different … Okay, this dog can do this, this dog can’t do that …

Karla: Or both these dogs can do this. Like for instance, in my basement I have two of my dogs that think the basement should be a great place to hide and go potty. So right now I have it set up so those two dogs can’t go down into the basement. But I have other of my dogs that can go down to the basement and it doesn’t even affect them. It doesn’t bother them.

Bob: So when all your dogs go downstairs, those two don’t go downstairs?

Karla: Correct.

Bob: They can’t even go down the steps.

Karla: Nope.

Bob: Is it something that’s gaudy that’s going to stand out?

Karla: Oh, gosh no. You can’t even see mine. I have it hidden on the steps.

Bob: Is it the size of a hockey puck?

Karla: I have one the size of a hockey puck. I have one the size of a salad plate. I have another that’s as long as a step and about 2 feet wide – like a plank. You could put it in a doorway. You can step on it. If you had someone who is handicapped in your home, they could wheel across it with a wheelchair. It’s great. I can keep dogs out of whole rooms. I can connect those together. I have two stinky sharpeis right now that used to love to go in by the grand piano and lick the piano while she was playing and it was gross and grossing her out. She didn’t want them licking her grand piano, so we set those up and we linked them together. Now they can’t get in there. It’s great. But they can sit outside that room and watch her and listen to her play the piano.

Bob: How big of a broadcast area do those have?

Karla: Quite large. That’s a huge room. It’s an open concept room. It’s huge. I have four of them linked together.

Bob: So those are some of the products. Can you also put some of the Invisible Fence Brand wire in the house too to keep it …?

Karla: If I want to, but I don’t need to.

Bob: Is that something that if somebody having a new build, could they incorporate that into the … Or putting a new floor into the kitchen?

Karla: Absolutely. We have done that. The other product that I haven’t talked a lot about but I’m really starting to fall in love with is our Doorman product. It’s a dog door.

Bob: Do you hire somebody to open the door for the dog?

Karla: No, but that’s kind of what it is.

Bob: I have children for that.

Karla: I do, too, but mine all left. Yours will leave eventually, too. Anyhow, I can do it in glass.

Bob: How?

Karla: We partner with another company.

Bob: So with the glass that I have on my backdoor right there?

Karla: Yeah, I can do that.

Bob: I don’t have to get a new door?

Karla: No. And then Tony could let himself in and out as he wanted to. And you can control it as well. You can say, ‘Okay, Tony. You know what? It’s 9 o’clock at night. You are done going outside and barking at the neighbor dog.’ So you can set it up so he can’t do that.

Bob: That’s pretty cool.

Karla: Or you can say, ‘You know what? It’s 6 o’clock in the morning. You want to go out and pee? Great. I’m not getting up with you.’ You can set it so the door will let him out at 6 in the morning.

Bob: So it can go right in the existing glass?

Karla: Yes, I can do that.

Bob: That’s pretty cool.

Karla: Isn’t it?

Bob: That’s a newer product?

Karla: We have had it for awhile, but we partner with another company that helps us get that in the glass. It’s not cheap, but at the end of the day, you want it to be sturdy. You want it to be stable, and you want it to be effective where your dog can go in and out. It’s peace of mind. I can do walls, too, with it.

Bob: I would figure you would probably have to do a wall.

Karla: And I can do regular doors, too.

Bob: I know that you’ve helped out my neighbor with her dog. She’s got a pass-through door for her dog.

Karla: Correct. That’s not a Doorman, but she has a Pet Safe Door. We sell those, too.

Bob: So basically there are solutions for anybody. How about any budget?

Karla: I have solutions for many budgets – yes, I do. We have barking solutions that I can offer. A lot of times when people get an Invisible Fence Brand solution, it’s all-encompassing. A lot of times a lot of problems dogs are having, whether it be barking or digging, I can take care of a lot of those things just by the freedom of them being able to go outside and be a dog.

Bob: How do we find Invisible Fence Brand?

Karla: [The website is] invisiblefence.com.

Invisible Fence Brand of the TriStates / E6 - Consistency
Invisible Fence Brand of the Tri-States
319 Northstar RoadWI 54636
(608) 399-1266
https://tri-states.invisiblefence.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Pet-Service/Invisible-Fence-209481692915/

Bob: Is it hard to train a dog, train an animal? As you mentioned in another podcast, you can put your Invisible Fence Brand products on other animals. Is it hard to train animals on the product?

Karla: No, not at all. Invisible Fence has spent a lot of money on training us how to train animals. We are certified by animal behavioralists on looking for cues and being able to work with those animals. There have been studies done about our products, and I’m very confident that I know that it’s consistency, and that is the key for any animal in any training.

Bob: When you start off with a puppy and you introduce your puppy to Invisible Fence Brand products, as that dog grows and becomes more a part of the family and integrated with the family, does the Invisible Fence Brand product continue to grow with that animal? Or do they end up outgrowing it?

Karla: Oh, gosh no. It grows with them. It’s for them. Just like you teach your kids how to be potty-trained, once they learn that, that stays with them. [It’s the] same with the ‘nos’ and the ‘yesses’ of the rules for dogs. If it’s consistent, they know the rules. So it grows with them, absolutely.

Bob: We talk about Invisible Fence Brand quite a bit. Is it more than just fences?

Karla: It’s consistency. It’s being part of a family. It’s integrating your dog to teaching them right from wrong. It’s a great tool.

Bob: You had mentioned how the Invisible Fence Brand products will help out multiple dogs. Different dogs have different lifespans. Lifespans are anywhere between 10 and 14 years. If you’re spending money on a product such as Invisible Fence Brand, you’ve got multiple dogs and you’re bringing multiple dogs in and out of your life throughout the course of your lifetime, do I have to keep rebuying the product, or is it going to last me a long time?

Karla: Nope. It will last you a long time. With my animals – and I lost three last year – I’ve reused those collars.

Bob: What about the unit itself for keeping my yard safe?

Karla: Same thing. We went to this house we’d never been to before. They were in our database, and they had a system that they bought in 1984, I think. [We’d] never been there. [We] got there, and their collar wasn’t working. And crazy enough, it was the craziest looking thing I’d ever seen. They had purchased a lifetime warranty, which now a lot of our products just come with a lifetime warranty. But back then, you had to purchase it, and they got a whole new system. And she had – what did she tell me? – 12 dogs on it so far.

Bob: How do we find Invisible Fence Brand?

Karla: [The website is] invisiblefence.com.

Invisible Fence Brand of the TriStates / E5- Rules
Invisible Fence Brand of the Tri-States
319 Northstar RoadWI 54636
(608) 399-1266
https://tri-states.invisiblefence.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Pet-Service/Invisible-Fence-209481692915/

Bob: What are the products Invisible Fence Brand has?

Karla: We have outdoor containment products. We have indoor avoidance products. We have freedom products such as the door, and we have GPS products. We can do so many things. It’s just amazing what we can do.

Bob: I know in the past we’ve talked a little bit about the GPS products. How big of a space can you legitimately contain with an Invisible Fence Brand product?

Karla: As big as you want. It’s very cool. The things that we have up and coming are getting even better. Like I said, the technology is there. But Invisible Fence doesn’t just throw technology out and hope that it works. A lot of our products are in the field testing for five, 10 years before we ever see them.

Bob: You mentioned to me a while back that you had an opportunity to talk with somebody that had used Invisible Fence for a shelter.

Karla: Actually, she’s a rescue. She manages three different rescue groups. One is a national rescue.

Bob: What is her name?

Karla: Lisa.

Bob: So tell me about Lisa.

Karla: We got a chance to meet Lisa. Lisa is a very interesting gal, and I’m hoping I can connect you with her. One of things she’s doing with Invisible Fence Brand products, which is totally awesome … Invisible Fence Brand is a training tool. And a lot of dogs that end up in rescue are [there] because they’ve had some issues. Maybe they potty on the carpet. Maybe they have issues with other dogs being around them as far as eating. Invisible Fence Brand products can help with all those things. And what she does is she uses, with her foster groups, she uses Invisible Fence Brand products to help with those problems. It’s training and it’s consistency, and the cool thing about it is that with every dog that comes into that program, if the new adopters choose to purchase – and that’s up to them – Invisible Fence Brand products, those collars and everything go right with the dog so it stays consistent. A lot of people don’t realize this … She and I had a wonderful conversation about this because I’m a foster mom failure, but I’ve done a lot of rescue. It’s interesting when you put a collar on a dog, it’s almost like, ‘I’m yours.’ That dog is like, ‘I am yours.’ And it’s consistent. So if you’re taking the collar off and putting a different collar on and you’re moving that dog around, it’s very confusing for them. So to put an Invisible Fence Brand collar on and they learn the rules and they learn the consistency, that collar stays with them and goes with them to their new home. It gives them stability. It gives them confidence, and it helps prevent dogs from being returned. So it’s saving lives at the end of the day.

Bob: So it must be important, as it is with a child, it’s important for a dog to have those same feelings.

Karla: Yes, absolutely. Dogs technically have a mentality of a 2- to 3-year-old child.

Bob: I’ve been told I do, too.

Karla: You are a 3-year-old child. It’s been well-documented over and over again. But you know, the cool thing is that dogs have the sense of, ‘I belong to you. This is my family.’ And if they know the rules, the rules are right there.

Bob: How do we find Invisible Fence Brand?

Karla: [The website is] invisiblefence.com.

To find out more about the Wisconsin Great River Road please check out the website www.WiGRR.com to find out more about the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery please check out their website https://www.ellsworthcheese.com/

Bob: There are probably a lot of people around the country who don’t know what a cheese curd is. Scott Sweere from Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery. What is a cheese curd?

Scott: A cheese curd is a dairy product that is agitated, warmed, curdled. And with a few of the primary ingredients taken out, it will result in a cheese curd.

Bob: All right, Scott. I’m going to stop you right there, because that’s totally wrong. A cheese curd is delicious. You bite into it and it squeaks. You can take those things in your pocket with you wherever you go. You can smuggle them into a movie theater. Cheese curds are wonderful.

Scott: That sounded a whole lot better than my answer.

Bob: I would have to agree with you. So why are they squeaky, then? If you’re taking all that stuff out of them, what makes them squeaky?

Scott: That’s just the final product. Like I said, it’s a clean, finished product so you don’t have that whey in the way anymore.

Bob: So you’re getting that whey out of the way in order to make it taste as good as it does?

Scott: That’s correct.

Bob: Wonderful. So is that a process that you guys invented? Are cheese curds something that Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery invented?

Scott: No. It’s an ancient story. The story goes that there was a goatherder. He had milk in a leather pouch, and he was traveling. That gave the agitation that he needed. He was also very warm, and that began to curdle that milk. And as that happened, the leather leaked the whey out and left a curd. It was kind of an accident that resulted in a pretty fine product. I love the squeaky cheese.

Bob: Do you like the deep-fried cheese curds?

Scott: As much as my waistline doesn’t, I love them.

Bob: Talking about travel, I know that you’re a motorcyclist. You’ve probably had a lot of chance to cruise up and down the Great River Road. Do you have a specific destination when you hop on your bike?

Scott: If it’s just a quick getaway with the wife, we like to head down to Nelson, stop for some ice cream, maybe a barbeque sandwich, and then it’s a happy ride home. If I’m doing a weekend, we always try to go to La Crosse and enjoy some of the things that are going on there and some of the nightlife. We try to make a few stops along the way. Bucknuckles and what used to be called Hansen’s Hold Up is now Vino Over The Valley. Those are always great stops and very biker-friendly and just off the main road a little bit. The Alma Overlook, we always end up stopping there. It’s nice to stop in Prescott; I always stop there. That’s kind of the beginning of things for me. We run into friends and run into people. It’s more of a starting point; we’ll say, ‘Meet us in Prescott at noon.’ Then we head out from there and then head down. Some of those places that I mentioned are almost like must-stops where we always end up there.

Bob: Just taking in the beauty of what the Wisconsin Great River Road has to offer. I think it’s funny that a guy that works for a cooperative creamery … The first thing you mentioned is ice cream. That must be in your blood. But then you mentioned a couple of other Wisconsin treasures as well such as stopping at a winery and stopping and having some of the nightlife, which beer is a big thing in the State of Wisconsin. You’re kind of tying in a bunch of different Wisconsin products into your trips.

Scott: Absolutely. In fact, I rode with some guys from Minnesota last year pretty extensively. They were always [saying], ‘I want to come to Wisconsin. This is where it’s all happening. There is way more fun going on Wisconsin. Let’s go to your side.’ I’d like to be fair and come over to their side from time to time, but we always end up in Wisconsin.

Bob: Where does somebody find the stuff we’ve been talking about?

Scott: You’ll want to check out ellsworthcheese.com. It’s as simple as that. We have a very simple process online to go through that. But you can always call us here at the store and we can take your information and ship you directly from here as well. Our number is 715-273-4311.

Bob: Only a million pounds of milk a day and 180,000 pounds of cheese curds a day. What are you guys doing with your time?

Scott: Sometimes I kind of wonder that myself. I can’t find any.

Dean McHugh talks about his great employees and how they have weekly meetings with all the team members and talk about the 13 core values that the company identified as the ones that they find important. The employees are what make Deans company. You can hear it in his story.

https://www.hypnotistchrisjones.com/
Chris Jones is well known for his appearance on America’s Got Talent when he made the impossible happen: Known germaphobe Howie Mandel shook hands with Heidi, Howard and Mel live. Since his first TV appearance, Chris has performed on shows like The Steve Harvey Show, Windy City Live, Good Day Chicago, Penn and Tellar, Scam School, and the Adam Carolla Show.

Chris has some exciting things coming in September 2018- follow his newsletter for future updates.

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Eco Gardens by Washburn
https://www.facebook.com/pg/ecogardensbywashburn/posts/
(608) 386-3117
ecogardensbywashburn.com

We had a super cold winter we had temperatures well below zero and I know that I've had some luck last year with my asparagus and my raspberries and strawberries. Is there anything special that I need to do as we reach spring in the summer for those fruit and vegetable plants because of the cold winter that we had actually no. It really isn't anything actually need to do based on the typical temperatures that we had the benefit of getting to know before getting the typical temperatures was that it insulated those plants right when we get rid of the snow and then we get a free that's when we eat are perennials and shrubs that we've planted in some of our trees and some of her back in her garden. I keep coming back to me see that kick the bucket when it doesn't have the root cover the snow. It could mulch covering on something that's in the worry that they don't come back. You had mentioned in an earlier podcast that if you could shovel the ground that it's okay to several of you know, to dig a hole now. Is that also go to planting new vegetables and things like that for my garden. No it's not okay to their thinking vegetable quite yet. Even though you can dig a hole and you can plant things that I get based on perennial like flowering or or cranial grandsons or woody shrubs or even trees. I would definitely steer clear from planting any vegetable and tell that soil really warms up her allotted time, but it's all based on the actual plant itself on the vegetable you planting what soil temperature preferred Andy and get the age of your or your plant it's there. I mean, there's a cool season crops like lettuce and spinach and kale that don't mind being planted outside in the cooler temperatures. You can even get away with plaintiff and onions into cooler soil temperatures. But if you think about like tomatoes or corn or need yet make sure that our cell temperature is definitely warmer and when I say warmer and probably get it and didn't say about 65 to 70°. That might even be pushing it okay. Like a lot of people say that you should wait until Mother's Day or so to start planting her garden so you is that the reason why because of the warmer temperatures yet. It's not the air temperature that were worried about with the new seedlings, it's that it's the soil temperature to keep those roots warm

To find out more about the Wisconsin Great River Road please check out the website www.WiGRR.com to find out more about the Lock and Dam system please check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/usace.saintpaul/

Bob: Jim Rand, Chief of Lock and Dams for the St. Paul District Army Corps of Engineers, joining us this month on the Wisconsin Great River Road Microcast. The first question I have for you, Jim, is, what is a lock and dam?

Jim: A lock and dam has a dual function: to create pools, and to pass traffic. A lock and dam is very similar to a set of stairs. Each lock has its individual stair height. If we break into two parts, there’s a dam, and what that does is that allows us to maintain a 9-foot navigation channel in the upper Mississippi River. That 9-foot channel allows us to pass loaded commercial traffic – barges, towboats is what they’re commonly referred to – up and down the river system from St. Paul all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.

Bob: So the purpose mainly is for commerce on the river?

Jim: Correct. The dam itself is there to maintain the 9-foot navigation channel, and that will allow us to pass commercial traffic.

Bob: How much traffic goes on the mighty Mississippi River on a typical year?

Jim: Last year, for us, for the St. Paul District, from Lock 10, Guttenberg, Iowa, north, we passed around 107 million tons of commodities.

Bob: And that keeps how many trucks off the road? Do you know?

Jim: I do. One 15-barge tow is equivalent to about 1,050 semis. So if we look at that in a length scenario, a towboat fully loaded with 15 barges is about a quarter-mile long. And those equivalent commodities in semi trucks, it’s just shy of 14 miles, bumper-to-bumper.

Bob: So you’re taking a lot of traffic off the roads. That way, people will be able to get out and enjoy the Great River Road from driving it rather than having to deal with all that traffic from here to there.

Jim: Correct

Bob: Jim, why would somebody want to stop by and see a lock and dam?

Jim: We get a lot of people watching the eagles. We get a lot of otters around the locks, so we have a lot of people watching wildlife. The other thing that they do a lot is, they just stop by to watch boat traffic, and to watch fishermen. We get a lot of the cruise paddlewheelers – the American Queen, Delta Queen, Mississippi Queen. That’s a big event. They put their schedules out well in advance, so we get quite a turnout for those events when those boats pass through. We have several open houses at our locks and dams up and down the river that normally we try to coincide with a local community festival. We allow people on the site so they can see how everything works. We’ll let the kids blow the horn and all that kind of fun stuff. We do allow fishing around our structures from the shore, so we get a lot of fishermen in the spring, summer, fall timeframe. We’ve got a lot of ice fishermen around right now. There’s always quite a bit of action around the lock and dam.

Bob: Jim, as you know, this winter has been a winter of records with all the snow that we’ve had. Once that snow starts to melt, it will obviously find its way to the Mississippi. When that happens, do you open up the locks and the dams and allow all of the water to flow so that way it doesn’t flood?

Jim: The locks and dams in our district are for navigation purposes only. They’re not flood control structures. Congress has given us the authority to maintain these pools at a certain sea elevation. Our lock operators adjust that dam. There are big gates over there – roller and tainter gates – they adjust that plus or minus normally two-tenths of a foot tolerance from the guidance from our Water Control Management Office up in the district. We can hold back to only a certain flow of water – every site is a little different – and then we raise those gates out of the water and it becomes open river.

Bob: What is the life expectancy of the lock and dam structure?

Jim: When they were built in the 30s, the life expectancy was 50 years.

Bob: Obviously, we’ve gone past that.

Jim: Obviously, we’ve gone well past that. We’ve done some significant upgrades to both of our electrical systems, both to our operating systems, to our control houses. Based on our cyclical maintenance, we’ve been able to prolong the lifespan of these structures.

Bob: That’s fantastic you’ve been able to do that and keep the history alive. We talked a little bit earlier about the barges. What about pleasure crafts on the Mississippi River? Are they able to lock through?

Jim: Yes. We’ll lock just about anything through. The paddleboards where people stand up and paddle, we can’t lock those through, and a jet ski that you have to stand up on to operate, the reason being the operator would be in the water in the locking process. We don’t want that.

Bob: Where can people find out more information about how they can see when boats may be going through, or when they can find out when some of the open houses are where they can actually go on and see the insides of a lock and dam?

Jim: The best resource today is probably social media. We advertise all of our open houses through our St. Paul District Corps of Engineers Facebook page. That’s probably the one-stop shop for all of our events that are coming up.

Bob: Is there a place close by each of those locks where you’re able to tie off and maybe see some of the communities like Perrot State Park or Trempealeau Mountain or downtown La Crosse or Prairie du Chien or any of those places?

Jim: Yeah. Most of them have local marinas that rent out slips where you can dock your boat. I’m not sure if you can tie up a boat at Riverside [Park] in La Crosse, but I know Trempealeau, for example, has the Trempealeau Marina. They’ll allow you to tie up there. There are walking paths uptown. I know the Genoa Lock and Dam has tie-off points on the backside of their upper guide wall where recreational boaters can tie off there and go uptown. There are a lot of local resources for a boater to stop and then to walk uptown and check out the local communities.