We had a really long day of driving after our stay in Ohio. Our next campground was at Pikes Peak State Park in Iowa. Its located on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River so we had to drive through Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin to get there. It took about eleven hours, but we did it.
After a good night's rest we visited Effigy Mounds National Monument. This area preserves a series of earthen mounds constructed by Native Americans over a thousand years ago. The mounds are mostly conical or linear, but the namesake mounds are effigies of bears and birds. We enjoyed a three-mile hike while accompanied by more red-headed woodpeckers than I've ever seen. Once we reached an overlook of the Mississippi River and Wisconsin on its far side we returned to the visitor center so the kids could ask the rangers some of the questions they came up with during the hike.
The kids also earned the first of many Junior Ranger badges on this trip. We made sure to bring along their Junior Ranger vests so they can keep adding to their collection while on the road. After resting for a while during the afternoon we let the kids ride their bikes around the campground and enjoyed a beautiful evening rainbow over the river to end the night.
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