On our journey from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Lincoln, Nebraska, we made a stop to visit Trinity Heights Sioux City IA. Why did we choose this particular location?

Welcome to Trinity Heights Queen of Peace Sioux City IA

Steve and I don’t really like traveling more than about 200 to 300 miles in a day. Even 300 miles is a stretch because that means we’re on the road for about seven hours or more. I don’t drive the RV, so that means Steve is behind the wheel the entire time. It’s exhausting to drive our rig while towing the Jeep. We’re just under 60-feet going down the road, so you can imagine how difficult maneuvering can be. And it’s even harder when we’re on winding, steep and narrow mountain roads. Sioux City was a halfway point for us. But that was not our only reason for stopping there for a couple of nights.

Loved this fabulous mural in Sioux City IA!!!

We were heading to Lincoln NE to visit my cousin Sondra. Sondra is an incredible artist who has several sculptures at Trinity Heights Queen of Peace in (you guessed it!) Sioux City Iowa. So, of course we had to see them.

And now we know that the reason those yummy little peas are called Le Sueur is because they come from Le Sueur MN!

Farms in Midway

We passed wind farms and real farms driving through Coteau des Prairies

Heron Lake in Weimer, Coteau des Prairies

The drive from Minneapolis to Sioux City was dotted with interesting sights. We drove through Le Sueur MN and got to see the “Jolly Green Giant”. We passed beautiful farms and lakes in an area called Coteau des Prairies. This area is a plateau that’s approximately 200 miles in length and 100 miles in width, rising from the prairie flatlands in eastern South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, and northwestern Iowa.

Trinity Heights Sioux City IA

After a good night’s sleep we headed to Trinity Heights/Queen of Peace in Sioux City for a leisurely afternoon. The grounds are so beautiful and certainly spiritual and peaceful. No matter what your religious affiliation may be, this place makes you feel close to G-d.

History

Queen of Peace at Trinity Heights

Father Harold Cooper, who was pastor of St. Joseph Church in Sioux City around 1985, conceived the idea for a statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Queen of Peace. He was inspired by the sight of a 30-foot tall statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that’s in California. This spurred the development of Trinity Heights. He began a quest to have a similar statue on display in the Midwest.

Moses and the 10 Commandments

Moses at Trinity Heights Sioux City IA

Trinity Heights started welcoming visitors in 1990 which was shortly after his dream of placing the Immaculate Heart of Mary Queen of Peace on the grounds was realized. Since then Trinity Heights has expanded and they’ve welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors.

The Last Supper

Amazing wood sculpture of The Last Supper by award-winning carver Jerry Traufler of Le Mars, Iowa

Our first stop was to see the incredible wood carving of The Last Supper. This is most certainly a highlight of visiting the St. Joseph Center and Museum! The impressive wood carving is 22-feet long and is a life sized sculpture of The Last Supper. It’s one of only 3 “in the round” wood sculptures in the world. It took the award winning wood carver Jerry Traufler of Le Mars, Iowa, seven years to finish and was completed in 1995.

The artist’s friends and wife were the models for shaping the characters. They all posed for photographs dressed as the individual apostles. His outline was based on Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting. The sculpture consists of 12 apostles and Jesus. Each figure weighs 200 to 300 pounds. Plus there’s the massive table, carved goblets and unleavened bread. It’s all carved from basswood and pine. It is truly magnificent!!!

Perfect spot for Quinceañera photos!

From there we wandered the grounds to see all that Trinity Heights had to offer. Of course our main goal was to see the creations of my beautiful and talented cousin Sondra Jonson.

Rachel Weep for her Children

Rachel Weeping for her Children by Sondra Jonson

Another view of Rachel Weeping by Sondra Jonson

Her very beautiful sculpture of Rachel Weeping for her Children was the first piece of Sondra’s that we came upon. It’s located in the Circle of Life and was placed there in 2008.

Way of the Cross

Way of the Cross Station 1 by Sondra Jonson

Way of the Cross 2 by Sondra Jonson

We wandered the expanse of beautifully landscaped gardens and came upon the Way of the Cross. It was in 2014 that Sondra’s eight religious stations were placed along this walkway. It’s suggested that you start by going down the right side of the main aisle and then cross over to the left side. I think we just zigzagged back and forth for our photos. But I felt like these pieces seemed both modern and ancient at the same time.

Way of the Cross 4 by Sondra Jonson

Way of the Cross 5 by Sondra Jonson

Way of the Cross 6 by Sondra Jonson

After seeing my cousin’s extraordinary art, I am even more in awe of her than ever. Our next stop – Lincoln Nebraska so we can visit with my amazing cousin!!!

Way of the Cross 7 by Sondra Jonson

Way of the Cross 8 by Sondra Jonson

Everywhere We’ve Been

We came back to Ladybug and looked at our shrine to all of the places we’ve been so far. We realized that we’re running out of room on my Kobalt tool chest for magnets.