It would take another long day of driving – almost 400 miles – to work in our next (and last) trip high point, this one in Illinois, partially because we would then have to backtrack to Iowa to spend the night. So we didn't have as much time to dawdle today, but we did what we could...
First fun stop: Pocahontas Roadside Statue and Teepee, located at a rest stop on Highway 3, in the small town of Pocahontas, IA. According to the signage, the Indian princess had no affiliation to this area whatsoever, but a local politician was a big fan, which led to both the county and the town being named in her honor and eventual installation of a 25-foot statue in her honor.
Princess Park, Pocahontas, IA
Pocahontas Roadside Statue and Teepee
A light drizzle didn't deter us from dropping by Iowa Falls to see another Peter Toth carving on his “Trail of the Whispering Giants.” This big head was located in an attractive city park on the banks of the Iowa River. We walked across a pedestrian swinging bridge over the river before returning to our car to have a picnic sheltered from the rain. It would pour on us for the next couple of hours.
Peter Toth statue, Iowa Falls, IA
Iowa Falls Swinging Bridge
Iowa River
Trip state high point #5, overall state high point #34: Charles Mound, Illinois, 1,235 feet, the lowest state high point in the Midwest! This is one of the least accessible of the high points, as it's on private property, and the owners open up their land to visitors only ten days per year – the first weekends of June, July, August, and September, plus President's Day weekend in February. We planned our whole trip to coincide with one of these dates. Mission accomplished!
Entrance to Charles Mound, Illinois
Rolling landscape
Charles Mound, IL, is located in rolling farmland about 20 miles east of Dubuque, IA, and a quarter mile from the Wisconsin border. High-point visitors must park along Charles Mound Road and then proceed on foot up a very long driveway, 2.5 miles round trip, with a decent vertical gain. The high point is located past the barn and quite close to the house. No wonder they don't want visitors every day of the year!
Long, grassy driveway
Halfway there
Classic red barn
On the homestretch
The owners were out and about on their land when we got to the top, so we took the opportunity to thank them for making the site available to the public. They were very welcoming and gracious. We could see by the sign-in register that we were approximately the 100th group to visit the site today, and when we left the top at 6:00 p.m., there were still people straggling in.
Jana and Tom at the highest natural point in Illinois
It's official!
Tom savors our accomplishment
We had to backtrack to Dubuque, IA, to spend the night, as there's nothing nearby on the Illinois side. Dubuque is a river town, so we headed over to their port and riverwalk on the Mississippi to have a look around.
Port of Dubuque
Bridge over the Mississippi River
Dubuque Rail Bridge
Dinner: Tony Roma's for some protein-packed salads. We sat outside overlooking the river. Very nice.
Lodging: Days Inn, Dubuque, IA. This place might normally be fine, but tonight it was complete chaos. Kids were running around wild while their parents were set up in lawn chairs in the crowded parking lot drinking beer. Do better, parents! I learned later there was a youth baseball tournament in town.