July 3
The internet unexpectedly closed, and I lost one hour of work. It is too late now to recreate. I was able to get the photos in for both the 2nd and 3rd. Will get to the Blog for those two days, and July 4, on July 5 (will arrive home too late on the 4th).
Sorry for the delay. Today is now the 6th. Had too many other things to address yesterday, now that I am home.
Anyway, Monday began with a bang, and more than one. Lightening lit up the sky as I headed north out of Yankton. Thankfully, the system was moving southeast, and I was going northeast. The city of Pipestone is 5 miles east of North Dakota, north of I-90. Relaxing country in this area, slightly rolling hills and plenty of crop fields. Pipestone National Monument is on the northwest corner of town. The entrance road goes by the Three Maidens, three boulders of granite. There is no source of granite in the region, so experts are baffled how they wound up at this spot. One opinion is a large boulder was moved here by glaciers many thousands of years ago and then broke into three pieces. Three wonderful rangers met me at the VC entrance. We discussed the semantics of “National Park” for the 63 count or 424 count. They fully support the 424 number, as do I. As Ranger Natalie said, “They’ve got the scenery, we’ve got the stories.” All our 424 national parks are important to America’s culture, heritage, legacy, and lands, just for different reasons. Today the Circle Trail through the rock quarry was open. My last visit here saw flooding, so the trail was closed. I met Travis Erickson, a master carver of the soft red rock which makes Pipestone so special. You can Google his name to see all that he has accomplished in his 44 years of carving. The Smithsonian has some of his work. He, and other carvers, will set up shop in the one section of the VC, demonstrating to visitors the art and skill. Some of their work can be bought in the bookstore, but pipes have to be purchased at the tribes’ shops in town. A small stream runs through the park. It is a great place to cool off, under the myriad trees, when the sun and air gets too hot, like today.
Effigy Mounds National Monument is a long 5.5 hours drive from Pipestone. There are two sections to the park; north and south. Both are on top of the 500-foot bluffs which overlook the Mississippi River. Over 200 American Indian mounds have been identified in this area, considered sacred by 20 tribes, such as the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. I hiked the south access trail for 1.1 miles to the end of Fire Point, a viewing area of the river. The path paralleled multiple conical mounds, and the larger Little Bear Mound. Many of the mounds are in the shape of animals, usually bears. This is another park with mounds where the addition of a 20-foot tall viewing platform would help visitors see a three-dimensional view of the grounds.