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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

A Day Exploring Near Princeton, Illinois

July 9, 2023 On July 5, 2023, we decided to go for a motorcycle ride and see some local sights before buying some groceries. Since it was Wednesday, we expected the visitors center at the Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park to be open. We rode to the visitors center and found it closed. I took […]

Walking West Along the Hennepin Canal in Sheffield, Illinois

July 6, 2023 On June 29, after some rain that cleared up the smoke from the Canadian wildfires, we hiked along the Hennepin Canal Trail to the west. We walked a mile down the trail to a road. The road had two culverts, one for the canal and one for the trail. After walking through […]

Flags of Freedom Memorial in Princeton, Illinois

July 4, 2023 On Exit 56 off I-80 to Route 26, there are four 153 feet tall flag poles, one positioned at each corner of the Exit. The flags are 30 by 60 feet and each weighs 100 pounds. “The Flags of Freedom stand in tribute to the men and women who have served, are […]

Psycho Silo Saloon in Langley, Illinois Visit

July 3, 2023 Our new friends at Hickory Grove Campground and RV Park recommended visiting the Psycho Silo at least once. After some discussion, they agreed to pick us up the next day and head over to the Psycho Silo Saloon. We rode in our friends truck and parked a ways out. Parking is apparently […]

Walking Along the Hennepin Canal State Trail in Illinois

July 1, 2023 On Sunday (June 25), we decided to walk to the Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park along the Hennepin Canal State Trail. The trail runs right behind the campground. We headed to the left (east) and found the trail to be level and easy to walk along. We saw many birds. Two bright […]