Family Adventure 1, Day 2
On the Road Early
They say the early bird catches the worm. But what about the early risers when they’re hitting the road for another day of driving? In our opinion, those early risers enjoy an easier day of travel, not to mention arriving at their next destination in the early afternoon – allowing more time to explore. Now, we’re not talking excessively early. Today we’re driving 305 miles, or about 5 hours 45 minutes. Leaving by 8am (and planning on about an hour lunch stop), we’ll pull into the next campsite around 3pm. Fantastic! Time to hit the road!
300 Miles of I-80
Today we’re taking on another 300 miles of I-80, and we’re traversing Indiana and Illinois. Our first goal of the day is to drive as far as possible before our first stop. Unfortunately our departure time means that we won’t be able to stop at one of the roadside wonders I’ve had my eye on: The RV/MV Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart, IN. According to the reviews online, this spot would have been an ideal layover. It’s actually a Harvest Hosts site too. (If you’re unfamiliar with Harvest Hosts, check out our review of this unique way to camp.) Sadly, it just didn’t match up well with our schedule; so we’ll save it for another trip. If you make it there before us, please leave a comment below on your experience!
Crossing into Illinois, our second goal is to not hit Chicago during rush hour. Chicago is 2 hours 30 minutes away, so our 8am departure should mean we’re good driving around Chicago. Don’t forget, we’re towing a 25’x8′ box behind us; city driving/traffic is not our idea of a good time!
Starved Rock State Park
Surviving our trek around Chicago, everyone’s getting a little restless. As lunch time approaches, we are close to Starved Rock State Park (Oglesby, IL). This state park boasts over 13 miles of trails through and around canyons and bluffs created by eroded sandstone; it’s also right along the Illinois River so boating and fishing draws visitors. Historically speaking, this park’s name comes from Native American Legend. In the late 1700s, Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa tribe was murdered by a Peoria brave from the Illinois Confederation. While avenging the chief’s death in battle, the Ottawa tribe, as well as their allies the Potawatomi, surrounded a band of Illinois who sought refuge on top of a 125 foot sandstone butte. The Illinois were unable to escape and starved to death.
We only have enough time to scratch the surface. After a quick bite to eat, we set out on a short hike (0.3 miles) to see Starved Rock itself. After quite a few boardwalks and steps, we arrive at the top. The views of the Illinois River, Plum Island, and the dam are pretty fantastic.
Take Me to the River
With stomachs full and legs stretched, it’s time for today’s final push. Today we’re camping at Fisherman’s Corner in Hampton IL, right along the Mississippi River. In fact, our campsite backs right up to the massive river! Fisherman’s Corner is an extremely well kept campground that was originally built by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Small with only 51 campsites, most sites have electric hookups, and there are the other usual amenities: potable water fill stations, dump stations, bath houses.
Just outside the campground runs the Great River Trail; we all jump on our Micro Scooters and head down the trail. All 6 of us have Micro Scooters, and we love them! We’ll post a complete review in the near future, but here’s a quick one for now. The kids all have the 3 wheeled maxi scooters; they’ve had some version of these since they could walk! The parents both have micro classics (so we can keep up with the kids!). High quality scooters, they pack well, fold flat for easy packing. These come on trips with us all of the time!
On the Banks of the Mississippi
About 0.5 miles from the campground, we come across “Lock and Dam #14;” we enjoy watching fish, birds, turtles, and more wildlife. This also seems to be a popular fishing spot! We head back to the campground for some dinner; sitting outside we watch the barges move through the locks. We picked this campground because it fit with our desired driving distance, but Fisherman’s Corner exceeded our expectations!
Since we’re hoping to get an early start again tomorrow (and since our site is nice and level), we can leave the camper hitched up to the truck. This will save us some time tomorrow morning as we pack up and head out. Day 2 is done, and we’re all still smiling! Tomorrow’s another driving day that will end with a surprise for one of the kiddos. One of our daughter’s favorite animals, tomorrow we’ll sleep with sheep! Shh! Don’t spoil the surprise!
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