Effigy Mounds, more Mississippi, and farms on the horizon

Yesterday we said goodbye to house related thoughts and went for a drive and a hike at Effigy Mounds, otherwise known as the place where mosquitoes bite through my long sleeve and hooded top, and also responsible for precipitating Nicks comment "Carleen, I don't think you're going to make it in the country."  My biting bug squeamishness is coming out full force and before Nick trusts that I really want to be in the country, on the subject of bugs, I have to mellow a lot.  

Take a look at Effigy Mounds National Monument if you're in the Eastern Iowa area. 

http://www.nps.gov/efmo/

The bluffs along the Mississippi are truly gorgeous, the landscape here is often arresting.  I am really enjoying little excursions to close by sights, there is a lot of state to see within short drives.  

Overlook from Pike's Peak, where the Wisconsin River right angles into the wide Mississippi. 

Pikes Peak Iowa was named by the same man who's namesake is Pikes Peak in Colorado.  This Iowa landmark was packed with campers and picnickers enjoying Labor Day.  

http://www.stateparks.com/pikes_peak.html

It's been a week and finally we are heading out to make a calendar and put push pins on a map.  Hopefully we'll be able to connect some dots and make a plan for our next few months.  I am using this blog as a public thought board for me (us): the plan is through these public postings, I (we) will narrow our focus, and clarify our mission for next step on the journey.