Saturday, July 7, 2018, Pipe Stone National Monument

As if we hadn't had enough good fortune yesterday with licenses and registrations already, we found a national monument was located just across the state line in Minnesota. It was named Pipe Stone National Monument. I had never heard of it before and had no idea what we would find there. Joani saw the park's trails were pet-friendly, so Sam jumped at the chance for a "drive" even if it was only 19 miles.

Pipestone could not have been more aptly named. Buried in the area was a layer of clay sandwiched between quartzite. Over the eons, heat and pressure transformed the clay into a uniquely durable but relatively soft rock that could be carved with hand tools into vessels for burning tobacco. Add a hollow stem to the bowl and, you guessed it, you have a pipe. This was the place where Native Americans have quarried the stone to make pipes for 2,000 years. The pipes and smoking of tobacco were an important part of many Native American rituals.

In the visitor's center, we watched carvers working some of the pipestone and saw some amazing craftsmanship in the pipes and totems on display. We also learned there were more than 50 active quarries in operation by Native Americans from different tribes across the country.

Outside, the circle trail, a short, three-quarter mile paved pathway, took us by several interesting features of the monument. The colors in the quartzite stone were beautiful even if it was no good for pipes.

The area was considered sacred so we saw the occasional tribute to the spirits hanging from trees.

I did not notice the feature below until I was directed to sight through a small aperture to locate the "Oracle." Once seen, the face was obvious - a profile looking to the left.

Pipestone Creek passes through the area creating the impressive Winnewissa Falls. Recent rains gave the falls a lot of energy and the cooling mist was a welcome respite from the day's heat. I should have had my tripod with me to capture the full dynamic range of this scene, but I'm too lazy to carry it everywhere and I had no idea we would be seeing such a beautiful waterfall.

Without the water to carve through the rock to reveal the layers beneath the landscape would have all been the same grassy plains that would probably have attracted little or no attention.