Buffalo Rock State Park in Illinois and Dinner

July 20, 2023 After our stop at the US Army Corp of Engineers Rock Island Visitor Center, we headed on to the Buffalo Rock State Park. It wasn’t crowded like the other two state parks. There was a birthday party going on in the pavilion, so I didn’t take any pictures of it. We were […]

US Army Corp of Engineers Rock Island District Visitor Center

July 19, 2023 After our visit to the Matthiessen Waterfall, we decided to visit Buffalo Rock State Park. On the road to Buffalo Rock State Park, I noticed the US Army Corp of Engineers had a visitor center for the Starved Rock Lock and Dam. We pulled into the parking lot and got out of […]

Starved Rock State Park in Illinois

July 18, 2023 After seeing the beautiful sunflower field at Matthiessen State Park, we decided to try Starved Rock State Park along the Illinois River. While this park was also packed, we were able to find a spot to park in the visitor center parking lot on the far edge near the Illinois River. Nox […]

Matthiessen State Park in Illinois

July 18, 2023 We decided to go see the waterfall at Matthiessen State Park on July 8 (Saturday). It turns out that going to the state park on a Saturday was not our best idea. The parking by the visitor center was full. There was a significant walk from parking in a field to the […]

Sights in Hickory Grove RV Park at Sheffield, Illinois

July 16, 2023 We try to get a walk in every day. On July 7 (Friday), we took a walk around the RV park. First, we walked Nox. She walked over to see the farmer’s dog next door. She decided the farmer’s dog was too big for her to play with and proceeded to ignore […]

Visiting the Small Town of Walnut, Illinois

July 16, 2023 On July 5 (Wednesday), we rode the motorcycle to the small town of Walnut and had lunch at the Walnut Cafe. The Walnut Cafe is an old fashioned diner, with booths and a counter. All the locals knew each other and were visiting and catching up with each other. We walked around […]

Wildlife Along the Hennepin Canal Near Sheffield, Illinois

July 15, 2023 I am sharing pictures of flowers and animals I have seen around the Hennepin Canal. The oriole was very orange, but came out yellow in the picture. I worked hard to get a picture of the oriole and was disappointed that the color wasn’t right.

Cooking Steak and Potatoes Over a Charcoal Fire

July 13, 2023 On July 6 (last Thursday), we decided to have a campfire and use the campfire to light lump charcoal to cook a meal. Bruce lit the fire using his flint fire starting kit. He has fire starter cotton balls, a flint rod, and pocket knife in a waterproof bag. Here is Bruce […]

A Thud in the Night, Nox Falls Off Our Bed

July 13, 2023 On July 12, around 3:30 am, we had a major thunderstorm come through the area. There was a loud boom, a loud bang and the RV shook. Nox was panicking at our door, wining and scratching, so I opened the door and she leaped into my arms. She was so scared. I […]

Rock Island State Trail Wyoming Depot Access in Wyoming, Illinois

July 10, 2023 On July 4, we looked for a hiking location using Google Maps as we wanted to see more of the area. The Rock Island State Trail came up. It is a rails to trails conversion and based on pictures people shared, it looked like it was near water. We rode south along […]