Roadfood Cross-Continental, Day 6

The confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers was quite a sight to behold from high atop the bluff at Pikes Peak State Park, but after five days spent largely in the car, we were excited to begin Day 6 with a hike around Effigy Mounds National Monument in Harpers Ferry, Iowa. Ancient burial mounds made by Native American tribes still mystify visitors, and the South Unit's Marching Bears mounds made for a memorable hike that had already been punctuated by close encounters with wild pheasant and deer. Lunch found us in downtown Decorah at Mabe's Pizza, where their thin-crusted Around the Garden pie delighted us with finely chopped peppers and onions, crumbled sausage, and Canadian bacon.

Orange City sports a large Dutch immigrant community and the inimitable Woudstra Meat Market. On Thursdays during the summer, they set up a grill alongside the store and cook their famous brats, spotlighted on the Top 100 Things to Eat in Iowa list. Their crusty brat with mustard and sauerkraut bowled us over, and we also left with beef jerky and their equally well-known ring bologna. Archie's Waeside in Le Mars was sadly closed for vacation, but that didn't keep us from enjoying a Bob Dog (hot dog with loosemeats) at Bob's Drive-In and a scoop of Vanilla Storm (vanilla with chocolate-covered peanuts, mini peanut butter cups, and fudge and caramal ribbons) at the Blue Bunny flagship store. After pitching our tent at Stone State Park, we savored our favorite Charlie Boy taverns at the Miles Inn in Sioux City. Tomorrow we make our way across South Dakota and into Wyoming!