Midwest Adventure: The Final Leg

Our trip home was a little but convoluted, but we made it. 

When we left Peoria, Scott wanted to swing north and look for some dark skies in hopes of capturing some aurora. (I swear, we need to just go live near the Arctic Circle for a couple of weeks; it would be easier than making all these trips!) So, we headed toward South Dakota.

But, the weather didn't cooperate, so we changed directions and headed toward home. Of course, we had added enough time to the trip to extend it to two days.

Pipestone National Monument

Our first stop was Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota (a new National Monument for me -- #52 of 115).

Stone pipes

Named for catlinite, or "pipestone," which has been traditionally used by the Plains Indians to make ceremonial pipes, the park protects pipestone quarries. These quarries, sacred to Dakota, Lakota and other tribes of Native Americans, were neutral territory where all Nations could quarry stone for their ceremonial pipes.

Catlinite

As the United States grew westward in the 19th century, pipes found their way into white society through trade. To protect their source, the Yankton Sioux secured unrestricted access to the quarries in 1858. The land was acquired by the federal government in 1893 and the National Monument was established in 1937. Today, only people of Native American ancestry are allowed to quarry the pipestone. 

The Upper Midwest Indian Cultural Center, located inside the Visitor Center, features demonstrations of pipemaking by native craftworkers using the stone from the quarries. The gentleman making pipes the day we were there learned the technique from his mother when he was a teenager and had been making pipes for 37 years.

Craftsman

I walked the three-quarter-mile trail to the pipestone quarries ...

Loop trail

...and nearby Winniwassa falls ...

The falls

Of course, since I wasn't planning to hike, I didn't put on insect repellant  -- a big mistake -- especially since I stood by the pond for awhile taking pictures of a Great Blue Heron (I paid a price for that!) ...

A buggy stop

Nebraska

After Pipestone, we headed toward home, crossing over the Missouri River as we moved into Nebraska.

A view from above

On the way through northern Nebraska, I finally got some pictures of a White-Faced Ibis (not the best angle, but I have been chasing these things for months) ... 

Success!

I guess Nebraska is a great birding site, because in that one drive, I saw lots of birds, including American White Pelicans ...

A whole flock

... and a Black-crowned Night Heron ...

Always a good spotting

The sunflower season was ending, but there were still lots of fields along the way. You can't get more Nebraska than that.

Tired sunflowers

Chimney Rock

Then, as we neared our next destination, Chimney Rock National Historic Site, I captured a Swainson's Hawk as it took off ...

 Nice launch

... and grabbed a shot of a Common Grackle ...

Bird on a wire

I was just recently in Chimney Rock, you can read about it (and Scotts Bluff National Monument) here. 

One of the most important landmarks along the Oregon Trail, Chimney Rock was a visible (very visible) symbol that the long trek along the prairie was over and that the mountains were ahead. We arrived just as the weather cleared up and took a quick swing through the Visitor Center, which is operated by the Nebraska Historical Society.

Chimney Rock

It features lots of information about the trail, including early pictures of Chimney Rock (which was taller before being reduced by a lightning strike) and multiple examples of how the rock was featured in Nebraska tourism advertising.

Scenes from the Visitors Center

Scotts Bluff

Our final stop on our Midwest Adventure (I guess Nebraska is still sort of Midwest, maybe ...) was Scotts Bluff National Monument ...

Scott at Scotts Buff

We didn't stay very long, just enough to look at the 800-foot-tall bluffs that tower over the North Platte River. We couldn't drive up to the top without unhooking the trailer (of course, that didn't occur to me until we got there), so we didn't get the full impact. But, I had just been there.

Scotts Bluff

Oh, and while we were there, we had our last meal on the trip -- the same thing we had when we started out -- Runza. Those little pastries filled with meat, onions, cheese and cabbage (yes, cabbage) are really yummy. 

Much better than the UP pasties!

Trip date: August 12-September 5, 2016