Pikes Peak, Effigy Mounds and Iowa yarn

June 25 We left Bob Shelter this morning. It rained a lot overnight and there was water everywhere around the campsite. Fortunately we did not have the wind affect us down in the hollow we were in. The next stop was Effigy Mounds back on the Iowa/Wisconsin border. The route we took mirrored the route yesterday to the Matchstick Marvel Museum and we could have made that a lunch stop but we didn't. Guess I'll plan better next time. Eventually we crossed Iowa marveling at the fields of corn and the beautiful scenery.
The GPS routed us a back route down a stone road (about where that last large white dot is) and finally into the region known as Little Switzerland because it is so hilly.

Our nights stop was at Pike's Peak State Park. This is the most photographed place in Iowa on a bluff that stands 500 feet above the Mississippi River. It is named for Zebulon Peak just like the bigger more well known Pike's Peak in Colorado.

 

We used the cooking rack to dry out our wet wood from the previous night.

It was hazy when we made the stop at the overlook on the morning of the 26. The camera batteries died right after I took the panoramic so I made do with the camera on the HTC phone.

It is said that the first time white man saw Iowa was from a canoe coming down the Wisconsin River which is off to the right in the picture.

A larger view of the Wisconsin joining the Mississippi.

After the overlook, we drove up to Effigy Mounds National Monument. The large mounds were down an inaccessible trail but they had a board walk to over look several smaller mounds.

The smaller mounds. 

These larger mounds are what we would see if we were able to follow the trail. These are supposed to be bears. Patrick said they did not look like bears. Thanks to the national park service for the photo.

  They also had a board walk the went under the road, through a swamp and across the river. It dead ended and you had to come back the way you came but it was beautiful.

After looking around the mounds, Becky wanted to go shopping for some yarn down in Dubuque. First we stopped in McGregor for some riverside views and some brats and dogs at McGregor Marina Beer and Bratz. They had 1919 rootbeer from the tap. It is very good.

 Lunch ate and the dog walked, we headed south.

The road along the river was great with long sweepers and I enjoyed Iowa's curvy roads.

Route 52 ran along a high ridge with sweeping views that I just can't seem to catch with the camera.

Finally we ended up in downtown Dubuque.

Right down the road was a coffee shop. Becky's mother has a coffee shop named Thms. Jitterz Coffee Company. I took this pic for her.

It says Jitters Coffee and Cafe.

After running some errands we went back up the the campsite and watched some more cowboy television and roasted some marshmallows for smores. A good day.