Wyalusing - Part II Effigy Mounds

On Sunday, Josh and I packed up camp, realized we had ripped the tent while setting up in the dark on Friday night (ooops...), and headed into Iowa. That's right, we abandoned our Wisconsin loyalty to check out Effigy Mounds, located in Harpers Ferry, only about a half hour(?) from Wyalusing.

Effigy Mounds is...what you probably think it is...a bunch of mounds. The area is covered with American Indian burial mounds in different shapes (bears, birds, circles, etc.). There are over 200 well-preserved mounds at this national monument. Not only are the mounds incredibly interesting, but the area is packed with nicely groomed, woodchipped trails perfect for hiking.

There are many branches of trail that shuffle hikers past all the different mounds and lookout points along the Mississippi River. Naturally, Josh and I decided to do the entire trail, including most of the extra lookout points. The lookout points were impressive (a fantastic view of the Mississippi), but pretty much all the same. The final lookout point (clearly the end goal for most hikers) was well over a mile beyond most of the other mounds and lookout points - and not an ordinary mile - a mile with very hilly terrain and not many mounds along the way. I have to admit, I was a little weary by this point, but Josh took it in stride (he only tried pushing me off the cliff twice). Our lesson to pass on: either go straight to the far lookout point or check out all the shorter trail segments and lookout points. Doing both=tiring!!!

Overall, the hills of Effigy Mounds were pretty killer on both of our bodies (mostly because we had hiked and canoed ourselves into exhaustion the day before). So to re-fuel, we headed to McGregor, Iowa (a town recommended for its cute and cozy downtown area) for dinner. We ate at Old Man River Brewery. My burger and Josh's portabella sandwich hit the spot, along with some freshly brewed beer. I don't know how impressed Josh REALLY was with the restaurant, but I sure thought the beer and my burger were delicious. The town of McGregor was not the knockout experience we anticipated, but still worth stopping to check it out if you find yourself in the area.

Check out the pics of our great view of the Mississippi.