This is the Santa Fe bridge over the Mississippi River at Fort Madison, Iowa.

I recall this day was as stormy as it looks. What you can't see is that this is a double-decker bridge with rail traffic on the lower deck. It is the longest double-deck swing bridge in the world, (266 feet), with an additional 1,080 feet of truss bridge. River traffic takes precedence over the rail and auto traffic. So if the bridge has swung open for barges, the wait could be 15-20 minutes. A toll is charged by the BNSF Railroad, which owns the bridge, for those traveling from Iowa to Illinois, but not the other way around. So you can go to Iowa for free, but it will cost you to return to Illinois. Those of us who have lived in Illinois may see a parallel to the economic problems of the state. And this has been going on for a long time as the bridge was built in 1927.

It was probably sunny, too, when I was headed over to Iowa earlier in the day.