Undiscovered Park so close to (former) Home......

Our thanks to Jim W. for telling us about this beautiful city park in Lansing, Iowa.    We've been in (or through) this river town many times but didn't know this place existed.

The view was incredible.

Harriet Goodhue Hosmer (October 9, 1830 – February 21, 1908) was a neoclassical sculptor, considered the most distinguished female sculptor in America during the 19th century.   Among other technical innovations, she pioneered a process for turning limestone into marble.   Hosmer became one of the leading female sculptors working in Rome in the 19th century and perhaps the only one to win complete financial independence through her artistic work.

Front view of Beatrice Cenci, marble sculpture (1857) by Harriet Goodhue Hosmer. Location of sculpture is the Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.    Image obtained on the internet.



Another view

The park also has a Veteran's Memorial.

I know the Military Branches are the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard.

Does anyone know why this plaque refers to the Six Branches of the U.S. Military?       One article I found called "The Home Front" the sixth branch.     I know the five branches of the military plus the Public Health Service and NOAA are called Uniformed Services.     Can anyone help me out here?

This is a very peaceful setting to remember all who have served.

The World War I Memorial is in a different area.    

If you find yourself in Lansing, take 6th Street N to find the entrance.     I think it's a local's secret place since I saw no signs until we reached the entrance.      

They have a couple of picnic tables and grills, a playground area and two hiking trails that start at the top - no idea where they go.

We met my cousin and his wife for lunch at the newest restaurant in town.     No free publicity here since I would rate it as just "so so".      The conversations and "catch up" time was great however!

Think we'll take the Iowa side of the river home.....................

Split Rock Lighthouse ..........

Split Rock Lighthouse    --   A single, ferocious storm on Lake Superior in 1905 sent six ships to the cold depths of the lake in this area.     This lighthouse was constructed to deter future tragedies.     It was closed down and converted to a Historic Site in 1971.        This lighthouse is considered the most popular one in the entire country.

This picture was taken from a wayside on Hwy 61, but you can go to the Lighthouse for tours or obtain access to a picnic area.    

Illgen Falls is in the Tettegouche State Park.     My Minnesota Waterfalls book gave directions to this one as it is not accessible from Hwy 61.     There's parking for 4-5 cars on the side of the road but you can easily miss the small sign identifying it as part of the State Park.      There's no sign for the falls, just a trail.     This one had me traversing a rough trail, climbing on rocks and leaning out over the water while RJ held on to my waist band for protection.  

I know the sky and clouds look fake, but that is exactly the way they came out of the camera.   It was a beautiful day!

We hiked/climbed downstream a bit to find this second falls.     Imagine the locations I could get to if I didn't have major balance issues!

Our return visit to the North Shore of Minnesota is now complete.     I hope you have enjoyed the pictures.  

Heading South out of Tofte...............

Our trip to the North Shore continues south out of Tofte.        The Temperance River (like all the other rivers in this area) flows into Lake Superior.      This picture was taken from the foot bridge that crosses the River.  

Temperance River Falls  - looking from the car bridge you see these falls and the foot bridge.  This is one of my favorite spots on Hwy 61.

Cross River Falls is another falls that is visible from the bridge.     This area requires very little effort on your part to see these beautiful displays.

Caribou Falls  --  How can a 1/2 mile hike (all uphill) seem soooooooooo much longer than the same trail heading back down to the car?      Did I mention a bunch of stairs going down to view the falls?  To top it off, I didn't even get a decent picture.


Beaver Falls  -- another wonderful falls viewed from the bridge.    

One of the neatest things here is when you cross the road and look down at this mild stream that empties into Lake Superior.      It's hard to believe it's the same stream that was so turbulent just a few feet early.     There's a lot of calming down occurring under that bridge!

More stops north of the resort...........

We also stopped at Cascade State Park.    There are three waterfalls here.     It's a relatively easy 40 minute hike to see them.

The brown color of the water here is due to tannic acid and run off from the bogs nearby.     It's nicknamed the Root Beer Float falls because of the brown color and foam caused by the churning of the water.

After all that hiking we luxuriated at waters edge at our resort, The Bluefin Inn.