Mounds State Park

12 July 2012

We had a lazy morning after getting our wake up "happy puppy dog dance" on the bed.  It's amazing how relaxed one can be when you don't have to bike 70+ miles in a day.  A quiet cup of morning coffee never tasted so good.

A trip to Mounds State Park gave us our outing and exercise all wrapped up in a beautiful, and interesting, package.  At the visitor's center we were greeted with "climb aboard" the replica of a dug out canoe.  Rick did his George Washington impression while Meg tried her best to make the canoe move.  Lilly supervised the whole deal.

A variety of trails, with terrains ranging from easy to moderate and even difficult, offered good choices for our activity levels.  We chose Trail 5 which gave us a 2.5 mile walk around the perimiter of the park, and eventually gave us access via the trails to the Mounds. 

The Great Mound, and its surrounding smaller mounds, have a fascinating history, much of which is presented on display boards at the sites.  We were all impressed with the abilities of this ancient culture to design and construct the mounds.  The tacit abilities of the human mind and spirit are awe inspiring. 

A unique site at the park was this Deer Exclosure.  It is an area protected from the white tail deer population so as to study the effect the deer have on the vegetation and ecology of the park.  

On our way home we stopped and picked up lunch at Bird's BBQ, getting pulled pork sandwiches and sides.  We had to gather our strength for an afternoon of chores and errands.  Rick went to help Abe with a friends drainage tile, resulting in a muddy mess.  But all turned out well and everything seems to be running fine.  Nola and Meg ran errands then Nola baked cookies and got things prepped for supper while Meg went to help move vehicles and equipment in assistance with the drainage tile.  It was a real family affair happening on that one.

Once the days work was done we sat down to a wonderful dinner with Abe's parents, Lon and Debi, of boneless pork ribs, salad, local sweet corn, and watermelon for desert.  Not a bad day's achievement for all involved.  Tomorrow is another day, bringing with it a new set of adventures, chores, and escapades.