Catchup - Places We Have Been, #3 - Iowa

Currently in Natchez Mississippi, but we were in Iowa in November.

Crystal Lake Cave was discovered in 1868 by miners looking for lead, who then secretly blasted out a passage to allow for comfortable passage. Our private (covid safety) tour was led by second generation owner Julie, who told us how she used to crawl through small passages as a child when she was small enough to do so. There was no crawling through small passages on this tour though.

Mines of Spain Iowa Recreation Area and National Historic Landmark used to be a lead (galena) mine.

Pikes Peak State Park is in northeast Iowa, on a bluff above the Mississippi River, about 45 miles south of Wisconsin. It is not as famous as the Pike’s Peak in Colorado, although it is named after the same guy, Zebulon Pike. He was here in 1805, exploring the new Louisiana Purchase territory along the Mississippi River. (He was in Colorado in 1806.)

Fun Fact 1. Pikes Peak Colorado is over 14,000 feet tall and Pikes Peak Iowa is a 500 foot bluff. Fun Fact 2. Zebulon Pike was born in NJ, in Lamington, Bedminster.

Maquoketa Cave State Park