Blue Mounds State Park<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Cliffs-683x1024.jpg\")
Sioux Quartzite Cliffs at Blue Mounds State Park<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Blue Mounds State Park is in Rock County, Minnesota near the town of Luverne. It got its name Blue Mound because the cliffs appeared “blue” to settlers going west in the 1860’s and 1870’s.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/siouxquartzite-1024x683.jpg\")
Sioux Quartzite cliff<\/p><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Vulture-1024x758.jpg\")
Turkey Vulture<\/p><\/div>\n
Turkey Vultures are not early risers. They wait on cliff\u00a0 tops until the first updraft allows them to take off . On days of no wind, a vulture may stay on the cliff all day – unable to leave because they are too heavy.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/BlueMoundTrail1-1024x683.jpg\")
Blue Mounds Trail<\/p><\/div>\n
When walking the trails at Blue Mound I felt like I was back in time. It made me want to be a full time plant witch. There were jumbles of rocks and many little caves.<\/em>
\nJulie Ikhaml<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/blueMoundTRail-683x1024.jpg\")
Blue Mounds Trail<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/McGhiever-Gallery.png\")
An ancient astronomical laboratory.Compliments McGhiever Gallery<\/p><\/div>\n
This rock alignment is almost a quarter of a mile long. It was possibly built by the plains Indians and marks where the sun rises and sets on the Spring and Fall Equinox.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Owlets-1024x825.jpg\")
Great Horned Owlets<\/p><\/div>\n
We could hear the owls calling at night. We were in the campground and I couldn\u2019t sleep due some issues with other campers. The blessing was that the owls came flying in and I found where they roosted during the daytime.
\n<\/em>Jim Ikhaml<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/bison-1024x683.jpg\")
bison<\/p><\/div>\n
Where the bison herd was, I\u00a0 felt like I was on top of the entire world. Nothing else mattered. You could look out and see two different states<\/em> (Iowa and South Dakota).
\nCurran Ikhaml<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Cliffhouse-1024x683.jpg\")
Fredrick Manfred House<\/p><\/div>\n
The gift shop is now closed and was once author Frederick Manfred\u2019s home. One of the walls of the home was part of the rock face. Staff had to run 10 dehumidifiers continuously because the rocks would sweat so much. Also, there was a stream that ran through the house. Not only that but each morning there might be snakes inside the \u201cgift shop\u201d that had to be removed.<\/em>
\nJim and Curran Ikhaml<\/p>\nTouch the Sky Prairie
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/TouchSkyPrairie1-1024x683.jpg\")
Touch the Sky Prairie<\/p><\/div>\n
The Touch the Sky Prairie was super rocky and had never been “under the plow” by white settlers,\u00a0 but they ran cattle in there. Once the land was not grazed, many of the prairie plants came back after 100 years of being dormant.We also saw<\/em> rocks\u00a0 that humans had placed in a circular form.<\/em> You really felt like you were on holy ground.
\n<\/em> Jim Ikhaml<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/rubbingStone-1024x768.jpg\")
Sioux Quartzite rubbed by buffaloes<\/p><\/div>\n
Buffaloes rubbed against the Sioux Quartzite making the rock smooth as glass. The rocks were ancient back-scratchers and helped the buffalo rub off its thick winter coat. The rocks remind us of a time when there were huge herds of buffalo on this land.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/TouchSkyLichen-1024x683.jpg\")
Lichen<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Jim Brandenberg, the famous photographer is from Luverne, MN and created a foundation to purchase the Touch the Sky Prairie. At the dedication of the land, Lakota elders pointed out where they would hold their vision quests. One of the elders said, \u201cWe wanted to be here to give the prairie our blessing. It is seldom that \u2018white man\u2019 gives anything back.\u201d This was his ancestral land.
\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/cloud1-683x1024.jpg\")
\n<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
A storm blew in quickly\u00a0 from the west. It got super windy and unfolded in front of me. I stayed to photograph the event, while everyone else ran for cover. <\/em>
\nJulie Ikhaml<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/cloud-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Mammatus-1024x838.jpg\")
Mammatus Clouds. Indicators of unstable air in the atmosphere.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Light-1024x683.jpg\")
The storm blew through and cleared near sunset.<\/p><\/div>\n
Jeffers Petroglyphs
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Jeffers-1024x683.jpg\")
Jeffers Petroglyph<\/p><\/div>\n
Jeffers Petroglyphs is\u00a0a living sacred site that has been used by native peoples for 1000’s of years. Native Americans still come to Jeffers and pray. The staff onsite work with tribal elders to make sure the site is treated with respect for the Native culture.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Jeffersglyph-1024x683.jpg\")
Jeffers glyph. Medicine Man’s bag<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jeffers Petroglyph Historical Site is thought to have 5000 petroglyphs carved into the rocks. Pictures in the rocks include: humans, deer, elk, buffalo, turtles, thunderbirds, atlatls, and arrows.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/ripplesJeffers-1024x683.jpg\")
Ripples in the Rock<\/p><\/div>\n
The geology of the Jeffers site illustrates that this area once a beach environment at the edge of a shallow sea (300 feet deep). The ripples in the rock were produced by waves on the shore, 500,000,000 years ago. The wave-like pattern is similar to the wave pattern you would see at a lake’s edge.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Photos and text by Julie, Jim, Curran Ikhaml, and the Old Naturalist. The town of Luverne is in the Southwestern corner of Minnesota and is a very interesting areas for a naturalists, geologists, and historians.\u00a0 The Ikhamls take us on … Continue reading
Sioux Quartzite Cliffs at Blue Mounds State Park<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Blue Mounds State Park is in Rock County, Minnesota near the town of Luverne. It got its name Blue Mound because the cliffs appeared “blue” to settlers going west in the 1860’s and 1870’s.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n Sioux Quartzite cliff<\/p><\/div>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Turkey Vulture<\/p><\/div>\n Turkey Vultures are not early risers. They wait on cliff\u00a0 tops until the first updraft allows them to take off . On days of no wind, a vulture may stay on the cliff all day – unable to leave because they are too heavy.<\/em><\/p>\n Blue Mounds Trail<\/p><\/div>\n When walking the trails at Blue Mound I felt like I was back in time. It made me want to be a full time plant witch. There were jumbles of rocks and many little caves.<\/em> Blue Mounds Trail<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n An ancient astronomical laboratory.Compliments McGhiever Gallery<\/p><\/div>\n This rock alignment is almost a quarter of a mile long. It was possibly built by the plains Indians and marks where the sun rises and sets on the Spring and Fall Equinox. Great Horned Owlets<\/p><\/div>\n We could hear the owls calling at night. We were in the campground and I couldn\u2019t sleep due some issues with other campers. The blessing was that the owls came flying in and I found where they roosted during the daytime. bison<\/p><\/div>\n Where the bison herd was, I\u00a0 felt like I was on top of the entire world. Nothing else mattered. You could look out and see two different states<\/em> (Iowa and South Dakota). Fredrick Manfred House<\/p><\/div>\n The gift shop is now closed and was once author Frederick Manfred\u2019s home. One of the walls of the home was part of the rock face. Staff had to run 10 dehumidifiers continuously because the rocks would sweat so much. Also, there was a stream that ran through the house. Not only that but each morning there might be snakes inside the \u201cgift shop\u201d that had to be removed.<\/em> Touch the Sky Prairie<\/p><\/div>\n The Touch the Sky Prairie was super rocky and had never been “under the plow” by white settlers,\u00a0 but they ran cattle in there. Once the land was not grazed, many of the prairie plants came back after 100 years of being dormant.We also saw<\/em> rocks\u00a0 that humans had placed in a circular form.<\/em> You really felt like you were on holy ground. Sioux Quartzite rubbed by buffaloes<\/p><\/div>\n Buffaloes rubbed against the Sioux Quartzite making the rock smooth as glass. The rocks were ancient back-scratchers and helped the buffalo rub off its thick winter coat. The rocks remind us of a time when there were huge herds of buffalo on this land.<\/em><\/p>\n Lichen<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Jim Brandenberg, the famous photographer is from Luverne, MN and created a foundation to purchase the Touch the Sky Prairie. At the dedication of the land, Lakota elders pointed out where they would hold their vision quests. One of the elders said, \u201cWe wanted to be here to give the prairie our blessing. It is seldom that \u2018white man\u2019 gives anything back.\u201d This was his ancestral land. <\/p>\n A storm blew in quickly\u00a0 from the west. It got super windy and unfolded in front of me. I stayed to photograph the event, while everyone else ran for cover. <\/em> Mammatus Clouds. Indicators of unstable air in the atmosphere.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The storm blew through and cleared near sunset.<\/p><\/div>\n Jeffers Petroglyph<\/p><\/div>\n Jeffers Petroglyphs is\u00a0a living sacred site that has been used by native peoples for 1000’s of years. Native Americans still come to Jeffers and pray. The staff onsite work with tribal elders to make sure the site is treated with respect for the Native culture.<\/em><\/p>\n Jeffers glyph. Medicine Man’s bag<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jeffers Petroglyph Historical Site is thought to have 5000 petroglyphs carved into the rocks. Pictures in the rocks include: humans, deer, elk, buffalo, turtles, thunderbirds, atlatls, and arrows. Ripples in the Rock<\/p><\/div>\n The geology of the Jeffers site illustrates that this area once a beach environment at the edge of a shallow sea (300 feet deep). The ripples in the rock were produced by waves on the shore, 500,000,000 years ago. The wave-like pattern is similar to the wave pattern you would see at a lake’s edge.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Photos and text by Julie, Jim, Curran Ikhaml, and the Old Naturalist. The town of Luverne is in the Southwestern corner of Minnesota and is a very interesting areas for a naturalists, geologists, and historians.\u00a0 The Ikhamls take us on … Continue reading
\nJulie Ikhaml<\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/em>Jim Ikhaml<\/p>\n
\nCurran Ikhaml<\/p>\n
\nJim and Curran Ikhaml<\/p>\nTouch the Sky Prairie
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n<\/em> Jim Ikhaml<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n
\nJulie Ikhaml<\/p>\n<\/p>\nJeffers Petroglyphs
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n