iowa road trip: day 4

it was truly marvelous the way the sun stayed out and the weather stayed warm and dry for this little pandemic holiday road trip. the fourth day was no different, full of sunshine and hikes and mild late november temperatures, but there was also a new chill in the air, and we could feel that something colder was coming. 

we woke up at pikes peak state park and got ourselves together for a departure. 

today were headed to decorah, iowa, where the mountain biking is reported to be pretty sweeeeeeet. on our way out of pikes peak, we visited effigy mounds national monument to pick up another stamp for the book, but also to hike the trail that leads alongside hundreds of sacred bluff top effigy mounds, from pre-historic native peoples. its incredible to imagine the work, the time, the culture and community that built this. 

also, i'd like to mention that aretha is making her her first (and likely last) appearance in our traditional family picture at the entrance to a national park/monument/historic site. this is such a tradition upon arrival to parks and lands that the kids don't even complain or refuse anymore. they know it's coming as soon as they see that brown sign. they're trained.

the hike up to the top of the bluff was gorgeous, and at the top there is just mound after mound after mound. we are lucky enough to live on an isthmus dotted with sacred burial mounds in our parks, so the kids were like "oh, huh, yeah, cool, whatever" but i still am enthralled by these.

the drive to decorah was short and easy, but the clouds were rolling in. after getting some lunch and sorting out a liquid petroleum tank problem (our tank was empty, our heat requires it to be filled, no one would fill it). we biked at van peenen park, and it was kinda hard in some places, but it was SO FUN also in every place. 

and then, a stop in prairie du chien across the river in wisconsin, a tank fill up for heat because the cold air had arrived and we needed that heat to work, and up up up the wisconsin side of the river bluffs to our old annual standard and favorite: wyalusing state park. instead of our usual big neighbhorhood gathering in the indoor group camp, we nabbed the most prime spot on the ridge campground and enjoyed the view. we were looking directly across the river, right at pikes peak state park, right at our old campsite. 

but it was COLD (i think i've mentioned this a fair bit now), and the kids pretty much refused to come out of the van and, well, whatever. 

ramona sat in this chair for a few minutes, and that was about it. 

but david and i had a fire and lovely evening. 

the morning view was spectacular

 and was just enough beauty to fill us up and send up home. we were back in madison, the kids back to virtual school, and the the van emptied by noon on monday. 

it was a good trip. 

unfortunately, now i want 4 mountain bikes.