travel with kids – Page 14

When Lily was 10 months old, we spent time in Southern Illinois, an unlikely destination for a vacation. Last week, I wrote about Effingham, Giant City State Park, and an old Stone Fort.

Let’s face it, when you are traveling with a baby, you don’t always get to see what you want to see. Ed and I were all set to hike to the bottom of the Little Grand Canyon in the Shawnee National Forest, but with a baby on my back, the trail down was a little to narrow and right on the edge of the bluff! We decided to turn around, and never did make it to the bottom of the canyon.

The name Ferne Clyffe itself brings to mind images of green mist and steep bluffs; a place where you might encounter Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men and be whisked away into another world. It so happened that the day we ventured into Ferne Clyffe State Park, it was overcast and rainy. The flora and fauna shimmered a dark green that morning, and a mist did seem to rise from all the wet rock faces. The sun came out eventually, and we had a beautiful hike.

We also stumbled upon another giant cross, Bald Knob Cross. The original purpose of this cross was to serve as a place for people of all denominations to worship.

For the last part of our stay in Southern Illinois, we traveled to Elizabethtown and spent a couple of nights in the historic Rose Hotel, which is located right on the Ohio River. This hotel was built around 1830, and while it is owned by the state of Illinois, it is still open as a bed and breakfast. Staying at the Rose Hotel was like taking a step back in time. The rooms were decorated just as they might have been in Victorian days, and the covered porches were very inviting. We could have lounged all day, just watching the river glide by. This was the view from our room.

But lounge we did not; we still had two major sites to visit; Garden of the Gods and Cave-in-Rock. If you have lived in Illinois all your life, as Ed and I have, you are amazed that something this incredible exists in our flat, farmland state. River bluffs are one thing; Garden of the Gods is another. As Ed and I hiked this simple trail, we didn’t know what to expect, and the beauty of the sandstone sculpted by nature took us by surprise.

Cave-in-Rock is on the Ohio River, and pirates used to live in this cave (really!) and highjack unsuspecting travelers on the river.

We found so many fun places to visit during our stay in Southern Illinois, and I haven’t even told you about the Golconda Shrimp Festival! We loved the planned AND unplanned adventures that we had on this trip. But most of all, we loved spending time together as the new little family that we had become.

Travel Tip Thursday is brought to you by Pseudonymous High School Teacher. Click on her button to visit her blog!

Happy travels!
<>

When Ed told our neighbor that we were vacationing in Southern Illinois, our friend laughed because he thought we were joking. We weren’t. Lily was 10 months old at the time, and we didn’t want to travel far. She hated traveling; she hated her car seat. When she did sleep in the car, it wasn’t for very long. So we decided to pick a destination that would require minimal travel.

Southern Illinois is about a six hour drive from where we live in the Chicago area, but we were scared to even travel that far! (What? We were newbies at this parenting thing!) We wanted to have fun on our vacation, after all. So our first stop was halfway, in Effingham, Illinois. (Since then, we have become much braver–this summer we are driving from Chicago to Colorado with our 5 and 2 year olds!)

Sometimes, a place between your home and your travel destination is like stumbling upon a treasure in a scavenger hunt. Effingham is not your typical tourist destination, but this city has some interesting things to see. It is in Central Illinois, right where Interstate 57 and Interstate 70 meet; before you even arrive in Effingham you will see the 198-foot tall Cross of the Crossroads.

Since our driving time was cut in half, we were able to spend a little time in Effingham. We strapped Lily in her stroller and took a self-guided walking tour of Effingham’s Sculpture on the Avenues. If art is your thing (as it is mine!) there are over 20 permanent sculptures to see in this outdoor exhibit. After our walk, we were fortunate to stumble upon an outdoor pork chop dinner, sponsored by the Lion’s Club, to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina. The food was fantastic, the money spent on tickets went to a good cause, and there was even dancing!

After our pleasant stay in Effingham, we traveled downstate to a cabin we rented for the week. (Dog included!) Cabins are awesome when you have kids, especially when they come with a hot tub! After we tucked Lily into bed for the night, we opened a bottle of wine and sat in our private spa. This cabin was also located on a farm property, and so we were able to walk to the barn which housed a horse, chickens, and other farm animals. Peacocks roamed the property as well, and the owners of the property would sit by the barn and pop open a can of beer while conversing with their guests. Yet the barn was located far enough away from the cabin that we had complete privacy if we wanted it. (And we couldn’t hear OR smell the farm animals.)

During our week’s stay, we explored the Shawnee National Forest and Illinois State Parks. Our first hiking trip was to Giant City State Park. As we hiked among the bluffs, we literally felt like we were walking in streets carved out by giants.

We also were able to hike on the top of a bluff, where an old stone fort, probably built by Native Americans in the late Woodland period (AD600-900), was discovered in the late 1800s.

How do I remember the details about this pile of rocks? No, I don’t have a photographic memory; instead, I often take a picture of the sign marking the trail. With a digital camera, I don’t worry about wasting my film on pictures of signs like I would have 10 years ago!