On Sunday we ran some errands around town and then hit the road for our second hiking trip. A short drive later and we had arrived at our destination, Starved Rock State Park.
Starved Rock sits on the south side of the Illinois river in the center of the state. As with all Illinois parks, there is no entrance fee.
We met up with Grandma and Grandpa just in time to have a picnic lunch. It was a bit chilly outside but the sun sent rays of warmth that had us taking off our jackets later in the day.
After lunch and a few trips to the parking lot and back to get the appropriate baby gear for hiking we set off on our first trail. Baby carriers like the Boba are, in my opinion, essential to hiking with a little one. There were many stairs on the trails and it would have been impractical to take a stroller.
We tried to let Frugal Boy out frequently so he could get some of his wiggles out. The day before he spent too much time in the carrier and by the time we got home, we were exhausted and he was ready to crawl all over us.
The grandparents were happy to keep an eye on him, while I watched a barge go through the lock.
There was plenty of debris caught up by the dam.
Frugal Boy found that he could sit on part of the fence that was just the right height for him.
Eagle Cliff Overlook seemed like a good place to turnaround. A few years back, Shae and I hiked about three miles beyond the overlook and the trails were not as interesting. Perhaps the next time we visit we will try some of the side trails and canyons.
We worked our way back to the visitors center via a roundabout way so we could see French Canyon. The canyon was very icy and the grandparents wisely chose to watch us from afar.
Shae and Frugal Boy turned around when the handrail ended, leaving just me to scratch a bouldering itch.
After some precarious footing, I managed to get a glimpse of the icefall.
The people watching and listening was superb. I especially enjoyed the couple that talked about how they were going to drink the calories that they burned by climbing a big flight of steps. Then on second thought, they decided that the steps looked to daunting and they were just going to go drink instead. Clothing choices were also interesting. 😉
Back at the river front we threw leaves and sticks in. It’s not like it isn’t already imprinted in little boy DNA, right?
We tried to get a good picture of the grandparents and grandson, but Frugal Boy wasn’t very cooperative.
18 photos and this was the best one :-\
Shae and I thought about putting a little jar or box next to this cute hobo. I wonder how much money he would have raised.
It was a fun day and the unseasonably warm weather has left us. We’ll be doing plenty of hikes this year and I am already starting to get the itch to go out and camp. That will definitely have to wait until it gets warmer though!
The last bit of the snow mountain in our backyard has melted after an unusually warm weekend. We crammed as much into the weekend as we could including replacing the brakes on the car and logging almost 10 miles of hiking.
Frugal Boy was sent outside to play more than once and always came back dirtier than he started. Eating mud is a new favorite activity.
All of the fresh air and exercise have been good for him, and some nights he doesn’t even make it to bed.
Our first hike on Saturday was at a little county park. The ground was squishy and it ended up being a pretty good workout even though it was mostly flat. Having an extra 25 pounds on your back also helps work muscles you didn’t know you had.
Some parts of the trail had running water crossing over it so a little intrepid bushwhacking was in order.
Even though it was about 60° out the ponds still had enough ice to support these geese.
I think all of that ice was to blame for partially destroying the fishing dock. It took a little bit of scrambling to get up and down the upheaved floating platform.
Eventually Frugal Boy woke up and it was somebody’s bright idea to give him a new toy.
It was a REALLY good toy.
After finishing the first two mile loop trail, Shae and I switched off so we could do another trail.
What we thought was another loop trail ended up being an out and back. We tried to connect the two ends with a little creative hiking, but were thwarted by a deep stream.
We trekked back to the car with muddy boots and started planning the next day’s grand adventure. Read about it in Part 2 (coming soon). 🙂
A few weeks ago I went on a cross country road trip with my brother Ed. I wish I could claim that I came up with the term Ed-venture, but I’m afraid that honor goes to my sister-in-law.
Ed was moving from the D.C. area to the Grand Canyon as part of his change in jobs. He picked me up in Illinois and from there we basically followed the old route 66 mother road (the one that the kids movie Cars is centered around).
We passed over the Mississippi river and into Missouri.
Later on we dipped down into Arkansas so Ed could claim his 47th visited state and my 37th.
Our family has a little competition to see who can visit all 50 states first. Flying over a state or just being in an airport doesn’t count. Here is my current map. [Thanks mom for reminding me that I had North Dakota]
I’m definitely a dark horse to win the competition as I’m still missing states in every cardinal direction.
Anyway, getting back on topic, in Arkansas we visited the original Walton’s drug store. If you know your history you probably know the big box store that came about because of Walton’s.
The bits and pieces of Oklahoma that we saw were very industrialized. Oil refineries and coal power plants seemed to dot the landscape.
One of the highlights of the trip was actually in Oklahoma City. There is a private museum called the Museum of Osteology (bone museum).
I would highly recommend stopping for anyone age 2-200.
Continuing on towards Texas we spotted this funny leaning water tower.
Apparently it has been like this for years because I was able to find other accounts of it on the internet dating back to at least 2007.
When at all possible we tried to eat at Mom & Pop joints instead of chains. The ambience and food is generally better and with tools such as Yelp.com and UrbanSpoon.com it is increasingly easy to find the local hangouts in a city you have never been to before.
Coyote Bluff Cafe was a good example of a fun restaurant that would have been easy to drive by if we weren’t looking for it. I always like seeing uniformed men and women eating at a local place, that’s how you know it is good.
Back on the road we made a quick stop at Albuquerque’s National Nuclear Museum.
It would be a good stop for school aged children or adults interested in learning more about the domestic and military applications of nuclear energy. The 1950s uranium prospecting kits sold by Sears and other stores were the most interesting exhibits in my opinion (because I didn’t know much about that beforehand).
Another hole in the wall cafe provided some more nourishment and interesting people watching/hearing.
It’s probably not a bad idea to check fluid levels on an 11 year old car when you are taking it cross country.
Forging further west, we made a short stop at El Malpais National Monument to stretch our legs and explore lava tubes.
The countryside around here just seemed so incredibly peaceful. I could have set up a tent and been content to sit and look out over the landscape but we had more driving to do.
Arizona, the last state on our Adventure rolled up on the morning of Day 4.
We stopped again to stretch our legs, this time at Petrified Forest National Park.
A long time ago a large forest thrived here before being covered up with mud and silt. The trees could not decompose because there was no oxygen available for bacteria to use to breakdown the wood. Over time, silica laden water replaced the wood fibers with rock. The end result is petrified wood.
The park is having a hard time with visitors illegally removing petrified wood. It is a crime to remove material from a National Park or Monument, so please don’t help yourself to a five finger souvenir.
After stopping in Flagstaff for lunch and an informal meeting, we reached our destination.
This was my fourth time to the Grand Canyon. The first time was when I was four years old and my family did a summer vacation to the north rim. I barely remember that trip. The next time was my senior year of high school spring break. I went with a friend and his family out to Phoenix and we made a short trip to the canyon as part of that trip. The third time was in college when I spent a week camping out on the south rim of the canyon with two other students.
I had never visited at this time of the year, so it was a different perspective, and much smaller crowds :-).
The view from the rim was extra spectacular on the night we arrived.
The next day we geared up for a hike down into the canyon. There are multiple trails down into the canyon and each one is no joke.
Proper footwear is an absolute must. We both had hiking boots with plenty of ankle support. Flip flops, crocs, or really any type of sandal are not acceptable foot wear for hiking into the Grand Canyon. You should also have a clear idea of where and how far you are going. Most trail maps will have a maximum day hike turnaround point. You should not venture beyond that turnaround point unless you know what you are doing.
Having a trail map is also important. We ran into one individual at Santa Maria Spring who was looking for the Dripping Springs Trail.
Dressing in layers is important. The temperature at the rim will be cooler than the temperature at the bottom of the canyon because of the elevation change. A waterproof, windproof outer layer should cover an insulating layer (like fleece or wool). We put on and took off clothes frequently to avoid shivering or sweating.
Finally, you will want to pack enough water and food to last your hike. Many of the trail maps have suggestions for how much of each you will need.
While hikes may be daunting, they are rewarding. There are some things that you just cannot see from the rim and experiences that cannot be had without getting a bit cold and wet.
I really liked this part of the trail. It reminded me of something you might see along the Mediterranean (granted I’ve never been there).
When we reached our turnaround point, I turned on my phone’s GPS tracking and recorded the hike up and out of the canyon. At one point, it didn’t get a satellite signal, so some of the data is missing.
The next day was near white out conditions, so it was a good thing we did our hike when we did.
After a day in Flagstaff shopping for groceries and household supplies, I parted with my brother so I could return to the Midwest.
In true frugal fashion, I had booked a red-eye flight from Phoenix to Chicago for $63. The downside of course was that it left at 1:30am. I made it to the airport around 11pm and went ugly early. By that I mean, I didn’t waste anytime going through security and staking out a good place to lay down and try to get some sleep. I looked for a relatively quiet area with low light and low foot traffic. By the time my alarm went off other travelers waiting for their red-eye flights had not been so fortunate. One college aged girl was attempting to sleep right by the entrance to a bathroom where people were constantly walking in and out of.
From Chicago I took the train back home, so I guess you could say it was a planes, trains, and automobiles ‘vacation’.
A big thank you to my mother-in-law who came down for a few days to help Shae out and watch Frugal Boy while I was gone. Also a thank you to my brother for inviting me along on a fun trip!
Autumn colors are really starting to show around here so we thought that a trip to Shawnee National Forest was in order. SNF occupies a large chunk of southern Illinois and is the largest tract of publicly owned land in the state.
Auntie decided she wanted a break from studying and tagged along. Frugal Boy was glum until he saw Auntie get off the shuttle bus.
With Auntie’s bags loaded up we hit the road on Friday night so we could get a fresh start in the morning and see all of the sights. We made a few stops on the way down. Rest areas are great for babies because they usually have clean bathrooms with changing tables. Failing that, there are usually plenty of places that they can be changed outside.
That night we found a hole in the wall diner that offered up southern comfort food. Mmmmmmmm. Delicious!
The next morning the drive became more interesting as we left the flat plains behind and entered rolling hills. Our first destination was the Garden of the Gods.
The main attraction at Garden of the Gods is Camel Rock. There are series of rock formations and cliffs that offer sweeping vistas of the surrounding wilderness.
Proper footwear and maintaining three points of contact are good rules to follow when scrambling around rocks.
While it may be tempting to leave your mark in such a beautiful place, please refrain yourself. Once one piece of graffiti shows up, it tempts others to add more.
please don’t do this. Leave no trace
Besides, why would you want to distract people from views like this?
Relax grandparents, I was farther away from the edge than the picture looks.
If you are passing through the area or are looking for a nice day trip destination, Garden of the Gods was a lot of fun. The featured trail is not very long, but there are longer trails and it probably isn’t as crowded on non peak foliage weekends. Seeking a reprieve from the hordes of people, we went to a lesser known place called Rim Rock. Rim Rock is an escarpment that was used by Native Americans and early settlers for protection and shelter. It is easy to see why the place is defensible when you hike around it.
Down on one side is a “Cave”. Big overhang is probably more accurate. Lumberjacks used the cave to corral their oxen and keep them out of the rain. These steps led down from the escarpment to Ox-Lot Cave.
All of that morning hiking worked up our appetites so we paused for lunch. Like our earlier Missouri trip we saved time and money by buying a giant deli sandwich from the grocery store deli that morning and then split it up three ways and added in our prepackaged snack food.
After lunch we drove down highway 1 to the Ohio river and Cave In Rock state park. There is a free ferry that will take you across the river into Kentucky but we decided just to watch from a nearby bluff.
Wandering about the bluff we spotted a fenced off sinkhole. It was a warm day, in the low 80s and there were many other visitors milling about enjoying the unseasonably warm weather.
A short walk on the main path and we found David.
This large cave was hollowed out by water long ago. You can still see where the water cut down and carved out the rock.
Near the back of the cave was a column of light coming from the before mentioned sink hole. I have been in a lot of caves and most have a nice earthy smell. This one stunk of rancid river water. Outside we found another spot to do a group photo.
It was starting to get late and we still had a long drive to get home. A couple of rest areas provided much needed breaks for all size passengers.
It was a fun trip and nice to reconnect to nature. There are a number of little cabin rentals if you are feeling adventurous and we passed by so many brown signs for points of interest that we could have easily spent a few days exploring all of the nooks and crannies of the East Shawnee National Forest. I say east, because there is a whole other chunk of SNF that is closer to Saint Louis and includes Little Grand Canyon. That’s a trip for another day.
A couple of weekends ago in a small Wisconsin town hundreds of thousands of people came together to celebrate the 100th Annual Cheese Days Festivals. The town, Monroe, WI, hosts the biennial event and seeing as Frugal Boy or I have never been we decided to make a weekend of it.
On Friday night we drove up and celebrated Grandma’s birthday.
Since we were staying on a farm, it only seemed appropriate to dress Frugal Boy up as a farmer.
The next morning, before driving to the festival we tagged along with Grandpa to a farm auction. I had never been to a farm auction before and was interested in seeing the process. This particular farm was 125 acres and had a grass runway. As we pulled up, a plane landed.
The auctioneer did his best to drum up excitement from the 50 or so people that attended the auction. He had several cobs of corn from the field and stated “these must weigh 10 pounds each!” Suuurree.
The auction was split into 4 parts. The first part was for the house and surrounding five acres of land. The second and third part was for 40 and 80 acres respectively. The final part was with everything combined into one. The whole shebang.
As expected, there wasn’t much bidding. Most of the crowd was there to spectate. Grandpa explained that there are only a handful of auctions a year and other farmers often go to snoop, test the waters, and the like. The farmland ended up going for around 9200/acre. With grain prices as low as they are right now, it will take many years to break even on this purchase.
With the auction winding down we moved on to the main event of the day. Cheese Days! Most cheese that we eat comes from cows. Here is one happy cow.
The weather was fantastic all weekend and that along with it being the centennial celebration drew crushing crowds.
The best part for me was going through the cheese sample tent. Armed with tooth picks you fought your way through the masses to stab a cheese cube and try it. Of course I had to try the limburger cheese, made locally in Monroe. It is advertised as a stinky cheese. Honestly, I could neither smell nor taste it, but maybe that was because my palate had already experienced a dozen other cheeses. There was a Caşcaval soft cheese that made me make one of these faces.
Frugal Boy didn’t get any cheese (at least not directly). Instead he had to settle for some pureed peas.
The next day it had gotten decidedly chillier. Instead of fighting the crowds again to watch the parade we headed home. Along the way we stopped at an apple orchard to pick up some apple cider donuts (Auntie was having a craving).
Here is a random goat, just because.
Mmmm, still warm donuts.
The next Cheese Days festival will be in 2016. Frugal Boy added another state, Wisconsin, to his travel map. We’re starting to run out of easy states!
It was a fun day and the unseasonably warm weather has left us. We’ll be doing plenty of hikes this year and I am already starting to get the itch to go out and camp. That will definitely have to wait until it gets warmer though!
