Hitch Hike: McIntosh Pioneer Cemetery

Yesterday, Jonathan, our friend Kali, and I went to Hitchcock Nature Center for a Hitch Hike. The destination was the McIntosh Pioneer Cemetery, founded in 1874. (See the Pottawattamie County Conservation description of the event here.)

We arrived at the Center and this happened:

To be clear, that is rain--sheets of rain--and blueberry sized hail.

Not too  many minutes later, the rain clouds passed and this view became visible:

The hike went on! The trail followed the top of a ridge and then down to the cemetery.

Our guide explained the yearly prescribed burns that are helping to heal the park for the benefit of the native plants and critters.

I spotted lots of lead plant, locoweed, and some other native plants such as the prairie turnip in the photo above.

The McIntosh Cemetery is still in use. There are relatively new stones right alongside some very old, crumbling ones.