SP Frank A. Gotch

Dakota City, 7/12/12, 20/105

This is a pretty small park and likely not an official state one. It has a beautiful view of a river. There were some kind of fluffy seeds almost covering the river in places.

 Des Moines River

 Fluffy seeds

SP Lake Cornelia

Cornelia, 7/12/12, 19/105

Another small park. There is camping, and boating. I took a trail alongside the lake but was disappointed to see that it only went a short ways. There were some beautiful houses along the lake; they were to far away fer me to take a decent picture of. A rock had some kind of crystal thing in it.

 Lake Cornelia

 They are difficult to see, but there are tiny fossils in these rocks.

 The Crystal Rock.

SP Beed's Lake

Hampton, 7/12/12, 18/105

Unsurprisingly, there is a lake here. I kept hearing this meowish sound as I got closer to the lake, I realized that was from frogs. They would hop into the water as I got too close, but sounded like cats in the mean time. One end of the lake was covered in rainbow algae. I saw a peninsula with what looked like an information booth, but I couldn't find it.

I stopped for water and was surprised by the pressure, so I didn't use it.

At another entrance to the park, there was a water run-off complete with warnings to stay out. More trails were nearby, but there was construction. It makes sense that there would be construction from time to time, but for whatever reason, I found it funny.

The lake

rock dam

cat frog

information peninsula

algae

water pressure dug a hole

lake/ run off

The run-off looks vertical from this angle.

construction

SP Woodman Hollow Preserve

 

Otho Township, 6/30/12, 17/105

 

I just barely met the qualifications of this one. The park shared an unclear border with a territorial farmer. The farmer's sign saying to keep out and the sign that it is a wildlife refuge were right next to each other. So I was a bit concerned and took pictures of the wildflower field not knowing if it was the state's or not.

near the unclear boundary

SP Dolliver Memorial

 

Lehigh, 6/30/12 16/105

 

A big, hilly park. It was being utilized for many activities. I took a trail curving around a stone cliff. I really considered climbing here (it wasn't prohibited). But I was tired and still had another to find that day. On my way back to Des Moines a couple of weeks later, I stopped back here and did some actual hiking. I got a bit lost, but my internal GPS is improving; I picked the right direction to my car.

 

 alongside the roadway

 group of bikers

SP Brushy Creek

 

Lehigh, 6/30/12, 15/105

I believe this would be one of those that wouldn't officially count. This park seemed to be awkwardly laid out on the sides of a highway. Lots of plant life, and hiking opportunities. Although they were dead, it appeared that trees were growing out of the water. Even though it's weird, I found the water run-off to be an interesting feature of the park.

 trees through the window

 random dead patch

 trees in water

 run-off

hiking

SP Ledges

Boone, 6/30/12, 14/105

 

Here is another aptly named park. Limestone? (Whatever it is, it's too fragile to climb.) ledges surround the road way. As in Pammel, the water overflows onto the road. Here people were taking advantage of it and playing in the road. There are Hiking trails that go up and through the park. One required going down a steep dirt hill. I may have lost my balance if there weren't so many exposed tree roots to stop me.

 road through park

 cliffs

 flooded road

 playing in creek

 trail

 It doesn't look so steep from this angle, but it was hard to stay on my feet.

People playing in overflow