Iowa Parks

Today was a day full of mostly driving, but we did get both parks in the state of Iowa done.  The first stop was to Effigy Mounds National Monument.  This park was pleasantly surprising because there was a very nice hike to the Native American burial mounds.  The hike starts with a 400-foot incline for the first 1/3 mile, but after that it's relatively flat and the entire hike is in shade.  You will see burial mounds along the way, and some of them are in the shape of bears ("effigy" means "in likeness of").  Also along the way are two overlooks of the Mississippi River.

It's hard to see, but this is in the shape of a bear

Fire Point overlooking the Mississippi

After Effigy Mounds, we tried to go to a brewery for lunch, but they were closed.  So we went over to Herbert Hoover National Historic Site to see where our 31st President grew up.  We saw the house he grew up in, the school, the blacksmith shop where his father worked (this was a reproduction), and we saw his gravesite.

Herbert Hoover's house

The blacksmith shop

The one-room schoolhouse

Where President Hoover is laid to rest

We planned to go to a brewery for dinner, but it was surprisingly very hot in Iowa today and I really was not in the mood for beer.  Oh well, I'm sure our livers didn't mind the break.

I promised to add pictures to this post from the other day, and check out the Isle Royale post.  It feels good to be caught up on my blogs!