May 3, Monday
Ponca State Park
Ponca State Park was a half-hour northwest of Sioux City, and it took us about 4 hours to get there with one gas stop. We made jokes along the way about how bouncy the highways were.
The state park was heavily wooded, and we had to drive deep into the state park to get to our campground. The site was paved and backed up to a deep ravine. We had water and electricity at this site, so we did not have to fill our nice freshwater tanks. We also had a dedicated water connection, but most sites had to share one. The site was nice and wide, so everything was on the pad. After we set up, we decided to drive around the park.
The park was very hilly, and we saw a lot of turkeys. One of our first stops was seeing the oldest oak tree in Nebraska, estimated to have been a sapling in 1644. We noticed a lot of burnt trees and brush around the area, which we later learned was purposely set to help the old-growth oak groves keep from being overgrown with faster-growing trees.
We then wandered around the park and enjoyed the various views of the Missouri River. This section of the river was designated the Missouri National Recreational River, and the state park had a National Park Service visitor center and a small museum. We toured the museum and got our NPS passport book stamped there.
Nearby was the Tri-state Overlook, which offered a picturesque view of the Missouri River and views of three states: Nebraska, South Dakota, and Iowa.
The park also had a closed pool, a golf course, riding stables, a shooting complex, and a large rock fountain called “Towers in Time” that unfortunately was not running.
We then returned to the trailer and enjoyed some beer and the warm weather. I even pulled out my guitar and attempted to play several tunes.
When it started getting dark, we headed inside.
May 4, Tuesday
Morning
When I got up, I saw a big “rafter” of turkeys running around the campground. They ran away, though, before we could get a good picture.
Sentinels of the Plains
Right outside a landfill entrance on US Hwy Highway 20, halfway between Sioux City and the campground, we came upon a collection of windmills from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. All are restored, and many have signs describing their origins. It appeared to be a private collection from the owner of the landfill, Mr. Gill.
Sgt. Floyd River Museum & Welcome Center
Along the riverfront in downtown Sioux City was an old 1932 Corps of Engineers riverboat that had been converted into a welcome center and a museum. It was named after Sergeant Floyd, the only member of Lewis & Clark’s expedition to die. The Welcome Center had lots of Iowa and Nebraska information, and the museum was extraordinarily well-decorated. It covered the Lewis/Clark expedition and the history and technology of riverboats on the Missouri River. One of the highlights was a forensic reconstruction of Sgt. Floyd’s probable facial appearance is based on a plaster cast of his skull. You could go to all the ship’s decks and even ring the bell, though it wasn’t very loud. The best part is it was FREE!
Le Mars – The Ice Cream Capital of the World
One of the primary objectives of the day was to visit Le Mars and the Wells Visitor Center and Ice Cream Parlor there. It earned the title “The Ice Cream Capital of the World” in 1994 after being recognized for more ice cream made by one manufacturer in one location.
It was a small town and it was pretty easy to find the Visitor Center with its giant sundae sculpture outside it. We also noticed various ice cream sculptures were scattered around the town on our way in. We parked in front of one that had Jesus painted on it.
The visitor center was a little disappointing, though. The first floor was just an ice cream parlor, and the visitor center was on the second floor. There were not many displays, but we played with all of them and watched a short 15-minute film. We then headed downstairs for some ice cream, which we decided to eat outdoors on their benches, which looked like sundaes.
We then walked around the cute downtown and drove to the large factory with its massive refrigeration building.
Freedom Rock
Before returning to town, we decided to visit one of the Freedom Rocks in Kingsley, IA.
Sergeant Floyd Monument
On the way back, we stopped at the Sergeant Floyd Monument, a 100-foot-high sandstone obelisk on the Missouri River at Floyd’s Bluff in Sioux City, Iowa. The monument, built in 1901, marks the burial location of Charles Floyd, the only Lewis and Clark Expedition member who died during the upstream voyage in 1804. This monument was the first National Historic Landmark in the United States.
May 5, Wednesday
Since the campground was empty, we did not have to worry about a line at the dump.
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