After an uneventful night at Cracker Barrel we arrived on Monday at O’Connell’s RV Campground where we stay for 14 nights. Tuesday and Wednesday we enjoyed the moderate temperatures while exploring the Campground. It is huge with a nice lake for fishing and Pedal Boating. There are some Blue Heron looking for food and lots of Rabbits hopping around. Chipmunks and Squirrels are plentiful.
Thursday we explored Dixon , located about 12 miles north of us. A nice little town of about 15,000 people at the Rock River . It was the boyhood town of former President Ronald Reagan, hence the statue at the Riverfront.
On the recommendation of one of the ladies in the Campground Office we drove to Starved Rock SP near Utica, IL. What a Park!! Nice Visitor Center, nice Lodge and lots of Hiking Trails. We hiked up Starved Rock and had a beautiful view of the Illinois River. Afterwards we hiked part of the River Trail which was g0rgeous but strenuous due to lots of stair steps, but worth every step. We also visited the Visitor Center of the US Army Corps of Engineers across the Illinois River where there is a Lock for the Towboats and Barges. We learned that the number of Dams were necessary to navigate the river since it would only be about 2 ft deep and not suited for barges. Chemical products, Sand and other Building Materials are the main goods transported on the River.
Saturday morning we went into Amboy and visited the Depot Museum. It is an old Railroad Building, built in 1876, with lots of Memorabilia from that era and local history. In a secondary building they house a Gemstone collection and lots of old farm equipment and tools. Very interesting to see some of the equipment and tools from my youth.
Sunday we went to Chicago to see the Cloud Gate (a.k.a The Bean) which is at/in Millennium Park. Unfortunately there is construction and we could not get close to it, however we could take some pictures. River walk was nice also and we saw/heard part of the Air Show that was going on near by while walking next to the River and Marina. After having some late Lunch we drove back home (Campground).
Monday was back to Starved Rock SP, another nice hike, walk through the Lodge (opened 1939, forgot to take any pictures) and a picnic by the River. What a nice day.