National Park Unit #80 - Effigy Mounds National Monument Harpers Ferry, Iowa

In mid-March, just before Covid-19 shut down much of life in the United States, Garth and I made a weekend trip to eastern Iowa. Our goals were to collect some Passport stamps in Davenport, Dubuque, and at Effigy Mounds National Monument.

John Deere Pavilion in Moline, IL

Our first stop the morning of the 14th was the John Deere Pavilion across the Mississippi River in Moline, Illinois. We got in as soon as it opened and the two tour guides who walked us around the site were fantastic. A happy surprise was that John Deere sites now have a passport program! I am diligently working on this passport program now, too.

After JD Pavilion, we headed back to Davenport to visit the Silos and Smokestacks NHA Family Museum. The gift store was alright, and we got our stamp.

We stopped at the Putnam Museum next, but were bamboozled - no Silos and Smokestacks stamp was present.

Our next stop was in Dubuque at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. There were two Passport stamps, one at each entrance of the museum (there are two separate buildings). 

The National Mississippi River Museum was wonderful. In the main entrance of the west building there is an open wetland display with live ducks, turtles, and fish. I got some great shots (with my DSLR camera) of buffleheads and wood ducks. I loved it.

  

After one museum, we headed onto the next, the National Farm Toy Museum in Dyersville, Iowa. Hello adorable farmsteads. (There was also a stamp!)

   

Hotels were hard to come by last minute in Dubuque, due to it being St. Patrick's Day weekend. The inconvenience pushed us to stay at a bed and breakfast instead which was just incredible. I would highly recommend the experience!

Sunday was our day to explore Effigy Mounds National Monument.

Many stamps were collected. We even found one that hadn't been catalogued on the National Passport Travelers Club stamp database! (See: Virtual Visitor stamp above). 

 

Garth and I hiked to the southern portion of the monument to view the bird and bear shaped effigy mounds. It was a great hike and it was incredible to see the mounds in person. After our hike we went into Marquette, Iowa to eat lunch and head back home. Little did we know at the time that that would be our last time eating in a restaurant for a long time after. We look forward to more National Park adventures in the future.