To Iowa and beyond...

When we left Michigan and Indiana behind, we drove straight west all the way across Illinois.  Stopping only once to get out and stretch our legs...

...somewhere in Illinois...

...and get right back on the road.  It made for a late night, but we didn't stop until we were a good ways into Iowa. 

We had an educational destination in mind for the next day...the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.  Bright and early (and more than a little tired!) we headed out to make the most of our day...

The visitor center was a good one, lots of interesting things to see and read about.  We spent a good chunk of time in there before heading outside...

This place was so cute!  Such a picturesque little community...

We checked out the blacksmith shop...

...the church...

...and the tiny little house where Herbert Hoover was born...

After a fun chat with the Ranger and the swearing in of a handful of brand new Junior Rangers, we were back on the road...

...heading to the only other NPS site in Iowa, Effigy Mounds.

The day before when we drove across Illinois the scenery had been very...flat.  Lots of fields.  It got dark before we reached Iowa, but when we woke up and got a peek outside, more flat.  We have traveled the western part of Iowa (and been through parts of Illinois) several times and so I was expecting the level terrain.  Well, there's more to the midwest than just flat farmland.  We were driving north, past the big strawberry...

...when all the sudden the views changed!  The ground started to roll and the hills got bigger and bigger.  We had to pull over and take a picture ;)haha...

Anyway, we were getting closer to the Mississippi River and things were getting really beautiful.  We easily found the Effigy Mounds National Monument visitor center...which is not always a given, sometimes google map likes to take us for a joy ride...

This vc was small, but still interesting.  It didn't take long to see everything inside and then it was time to take a hike...

These mounds and the history behind them are fascinating.  If you ever have the chance to go there, do it.  If not, then do some research and at least read about them (and look at the aerial photos).  If you do go, take along skeeter spray.  You're welcome ;).

one of the mounds...they are huge

always the leader of the pack :)...and yes, the trails get a tad steep...

By the time we made it back to the vc and got all Jr. Rangered up, we were (which means pretty much just me, haha!) exhausted.  Not enough sleep the night before (and many nights before that), lots of driving, and tromping around various trails had taken its toll on my old self.  Since we had spent the night before in Iowa, we decided to cross the Mississippi River and look for someplace to stay in Wisconsin.  Just because. 

The more tired I am, the less willing I am to deal with the smaller hotels.  It's always a gamble as to what you will find when you open that room door...  So.  I set my sights on a Country Inn and Suites in Prairie du Chien that boasted online about an indoor waterpark.  Not counting on getting a reasonable rate and being able to stay there, but hoping anyway, I went inside to see what was available.  Ya'll, this place turned out to be such a blessing for us.  Not only was it affordable, but it was AWESOME!  We got a family suite, which had two separate bedrooms.  One with a king size bed that I shared with my youngest child and the other bedroom was decked out with 2 sets of bunkbeds, a desk, and a TV/Playstation 2.  The front desk had an assortment of PS2 games that the kids could check out (free!) to take back to the room...and all the (also free!) warm cookies their little bellies could hold.  Of course there was the waterpark (which they LOVED) and just past that was a decent little restaurant.  With the onsite laundry facilities added in there, we were set.  We hunkered down for a few days to try and rest up a little before getting back on the road...