Homesteading on a Blackberry Hilltop
July 25, 2023 On July 17th (Monday), there was a lovely sunset through the trees. The storm had already started rolling in. You can see the clouds in the picture below. A short time later storm clouds rolled in. A low constant boom or growl started up as lightning strikes went from clouds to clouds. […]
Read More Thunderstorm PicturesJuly 24, 2023 While we stayed at Hickory Grove Campground and RV Park, Nox discovered a new love. Our new friends Jerry and Connie took us around the campground in their golf cart. Nox came with us and had a blast. This was the first time she rode in a golf cart. we had multiple […]
Read More Nox Discovered a New LoveJuly 23, 2023 On July 17, 2023 (Monday), we rode to the Wagon Wheel Restaurant in Mineral, Illinois. Mineral is a small town and didn’t seem to have a lot of businesses there. The food was bar food and I had a good hamburger. Bruce wanted fried chicken, but the kitchen was so backed up, […]
Read More Lock 22 of the Hennepin Canal ParkwayJuly 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 […]
Read More Buffalo Rock State Park in Illinois and DinnerJuly 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 […]
Read More US Army Corp of Engineers Rock Island District Visitor CenterJuly 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 […]
Read More Starved Rock State Park in IllinoisJuly 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 […]
Read More Matthiessen State Park in IllinoisJuly 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 […]
Read More Sights in Hickory Grove RV Park at Sheffield, IllinoisJuly 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 […]
Read More Visiting the Small Town of Walnut, IllinoisJuly 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.
Read More Wildlife Along the Hennepin Canal Near Sheffield, Illinois
Blackberry Homestead 