The CCC lodge and trails along with the eroded ruggedness of the landscape make Starved Rock State Park one of the best public lands in the USA.
When temperature drops below freezing for winter, time stops.
The lodge and cabins provide a rustic atmosphere oozing with history, nature, and peace.
Filed under Photography, Travel
Illinois was first colonized by the French on the Mississippi River. The Kaskaskia area contains the secrets of that time period.
Fort de Chartres provided a staging area for the French communities in the area: Prairie du Rocher and even Ste Genevieve in Missouri.
Fort Kaskaskia down the river didn’t fare as well.
The only way to get to the old city of Kaskaskia Illinois is to cross the Mississippi River and drive through Missouri. This is the only section of Illinois west of the Mississippi River.
Kaskaskia was the most populous city when Illinois became a state, and it served as the capital for a few years.
Ste. Genevieve, MO is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Missouri. Kaskaskia and Ste Genevieve are in the same area.
In 1881 a major flood wrecked the area and the Mississippi River took over the Kaskaskia river channel. This is how this section of Illinois ended up on the “wrong” side of the river. In the map, the Mississippi is in the background. But in 1881 the mighty Mississippi took over the river in the foreground.
Filed under National Parks, Photography, Travel
In St Louis Missouri, we are generally prepared for rapid changes in the weather. On my walk this evening, I watched the storm brood on the horizon, but I didn’t realize how fast it was moving.
Innocently, my dog and I meandered along the trail. I took photos, while Stash sniffed every shrub.
The balmy 79 degrees F felt almost sticky at the beginning. Stash was so happy to be out on a walk.
The temperature dropped 20 degrees, the wind kicked up 20 mph, and the horizontal rain pelted us.
Stash knew trouble was afoot, she dragged me back to the car. She was disgusted in me that I resisted too long and she was left to be molested by the swirling leaves.
I will have to regain her confidence. She just hasn’t lived through enough seasons in St Louis.
Filed under Art, Photography, storms, wildlife
Since the Covid shut down all my vacations in 2020 I have been heading out on short trips to see parks, small towns, geological formations, and wildlife. On Halloween, I visited some of the most rural areas in the Midwest – central western Illinois. You can’t find any coffee shops, there aren’t any museums, there are barely any people. The land is glaciated and generally flat. There is lots of corn. And of course, colorful trees.
After the Mexican war and Blackhawk war soldiers were given land in Illinois. One gentleman, George Meyer, was given a beautiful piece of property in western Illinois near the Illinois River. This land had a spring and a small town grew up around it. The man lived to be 104 years old, so everyone believed the water was healing. After George passed on, a real estate man got his hands on it and sold the water for decades. Later this area became Siloam Springs State Park. This history is hidden among the picnic pavilions and hiking trails.
We left Siloam Springs for the biggest town in the region – Jacksonville: the county seat of Morgan county. When we arrived, it too was a ghost town.
Or…
I don’t know if the coffee shop was really closed today or everyday. I don’t know how it could survive with no people. I walked into the bakery to see if I could find a doughnut. The door was open but nobody was inside. I could see cakes and cupcakes – but no doughnuts. And no people.
We wandered to another remote state park – Beaver Dam State Park. We heard there was people there.
So we headed home.
Filed under American History, Art, Photography, Travel
We drove across Illinois on one of the United State’s oldest highways – US 50. Enjoy a snapshot of fall in the Midwest.
Filed under Art, National Parks, Photography, Travel, wildlife
In 2016, Grandma died.
In 2017, Grandpa took off with me to visit all the state parks in Illinois. We left on our first trip two days after Christmas in the winter of that year. The temperature was -2 F. When we reached Starved Rock State Park, he pulled out his CAT orange stocking hat and immediately transformed into Gnomepa. We only made it on two trips. In the fall of 2018, Gnomepa succumbed to illness. His last words to me: “I wish we were at the Ice.”
The mission continues…
August 2020, during this journey my cousin and I visit parks #21-24 out of 72. Fox Ridge, Eagle Creek, Wolf Creek, and Ramsey Lake State Park. Plus we added on State Historic Sites: Lincoln Cabin, Monroe House, and Vandalia First State Capitol.
GnomePa in the Ice
Careful Communion in the Time of Covid
On the Lincoln Trail in Charleston Illinois
Illinois treats Lincoln Well
Like Living in the 1850’s
GnomePa would have said “This is Cool!”
Eastern Illinois Pioneers
A working farm
White Oaks of Some Sort
Grandpa loved the woods
And trails to the river
And Sandbars
August was kind to us
living creatures of all kinds
The Monarch still rules
Ramsey Lake
Filed under American History, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized
The Dakota Sioux controlled this quarry from 1700 to the mid 1850’s before American settlement started poaching the valuable mineral. This red/brown stone was soft enough to carve and durable enough to last centuries. Ceremonial pipes carved from the rock for thousands of years. This stone made its way all over the Americas before the Europeans arrived. The one square mile site is a sacred place for the Plains Indians even today. The United States government protected this valuable commodity and gave exclusive quarrying rights to the Sioux. The rest of us can still respectively enjoy the stunning red quartzite cliffs, the flowering prairie, and the waterfall fed forest.
An American Indian Monument
A quarry no longer used
This is either the pipestone or quartzite
regardless of type its stunning
The Town of Pipestone used Quartzite
The quartzite is abundant
The pipestone is much deeper underground
The trails through this monument surprise
sacred land for the Sioux and Crow
Minnesota – hard to believe
3/4 mile trail it’s worth an hour of your time
Active Quarry for American Indians
U.S. History omits the horror of assimilation
The trail surrounds a prairie
a river runs through the land
wild bergamont
lizard’s tail
Sacred ceremonies still continue
A peaceful place to commune with nature
Connections
Filed under American History, Art, National Parks, Photography, Uncategorized
I ran into an off duty park ranger at the historic Kettle Falls Lodge in Voyageurs National Park. After we exchanged pleasantries, discovering we were both from a St Louis county in two different states, and joking about the St Louis Arch becoming a National Park, he asked, “Why did you come to up here? Let me guess – you have a list?” He continued to complain to me that the people of the lists just stop at the visitor centers and get “passport” stamps and never really see Voyageurs. He shook his head slowly.
Of course I have a list. This is my 50th National Park out of the current number of 62. My group had rented a boat and were seeing the park. I don’t think the ranger noticed. He may have just wanted to preach a bit. He finally sped away in his speedboat equipped with dual 150HP motors leaving us to slowly explore the park in our 50 HP powered, dinted pontoon boat. 
Pre-Cambrian rocks 2.8 Billion years old
Sunset in northern Minnesota. 48.6 degrees north latitude.
Time to “wake” up
Bracket Fungi
The Precambrian spine of North America
Voyageurs from St Louis MO to St Louis MN
Kettle Falls Beauty
Voyageurs met at this portage site for hundreds of years
Gulls stand like sentinels – no wake please
Filed under Art, National Parks, Photography, Travel
I am from Missouri, and I had no idea how much there is to appreciate about my neighbor state Kansas. With the Covid-19 running rampant my wife and I explored central Kansas. And it was lovely.
The Capitol Shines
The Keeper of the Plains
The Solstice Eye – Meet Me On The Equinox
Just A Simple Old Cow Town – Wichita
Filed under American History, Art, Photography, Travel
Being socially conscious and finding safe places to explore, I discovered a little oasis in Indiana.
Blue Skies Over Lake Michigan
Easier going down to the lake than coming up.
What Goes Up, Must Come Down
192 feet may not seem very high, but hike it.
Such interesting discoveries
Filed under Art, National Parks, Photography, Travel
Freshly "Pic'ed" 