Driving Along The Rock River in Oregon, Illinois

Saturday, June 29, 2013

It's been raining for several days here and the two rivers in the area, Rock River and Kishwaukee, were over their banks.  Since our campground, Blackhawk Valley Campground, sits along the Kishwaukee river, we were all keeping a close eye on the flood status.  Luckily, there was only minor flooding in our campground and no campers had to be evacuated.

We tried to walk our garbage up to the dumpster a short distance away four times Saturday.  Each time we would get about half way there and the rain would start chasing us back to the camper.  Finally, Kitty put the bag in the car and drove it to the dumpster.  Naturally, it didn't rain then!

We did venture out into the rain to eat some of our favorite BBQ in Belvidere, Illinois.  We ate there several times last year and were anxious to try it again.  Excuse me, I just drooled on the keyboard just thinking about their BBQ! Ha!


Sunday, June 30, 2013

Having spent several rain soaked days holed up in the camper, we decided to take a drive along the Rock River to Oregon, Illinois.  We followed US 2 all the way to Oregon, Illinois, about 25 miles from here.  It was a near perfect day with lots of sun and NO RAIN!!

Our first stop was in Byron.  As we drove through this small Illinois town, we saw dozens of teepees around town.  Each teepee was given a name and a sponsor.  Either this was to raise money for the Oregon Trail Festival, or, the people in Byron drank too much tea and there was teepees everywhere! Ha!  Sorry, I couldn't stop myself.

Next, we stopped at a scenic overlook at Castle Rock State Park in Oregon, Illinois, and took the next three shots.  This looks like an interesting state park and we will try to get back here when we can spend more time exploring their trails and bluffs and the water is down to normal levels.

This was taken along US Highway 2 north of Oregon.

 The Blackhawk Statue

We saw the Blackhawk statue a couple of years ago, but from the other side of the river.  The statue was completed in 1911 and stands 125 feet above the Rock River.  Blackhawk lived along the Rock River and dearly loved this area.  But, his people were pushed out of this area at the conclusion of the Blackhawk War in 1832.  It was the last Indian war east of the Mississippi River.

We took this picture when we visited Blackhawk in June of 2011.

Our trip back to the campground included a slight detour for some of our favorite homemade ice cream at the Dairy Haus, in Rockton, Illinois.  Their ice cream is so good, it has to be sinful, and we liked their sign that said, "Eat a balanced diet with an ice cream cone in each hand!"

We are planning a couple more trips around this area while I wait my turn for cataract surgery.  Can't wait to see what happens next.

Simmons Family Reunion in West Chicago, Il.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

We haven't had a Simmons Family Reunion for about two decades!  Since then, we have lost a nephew, Devon, and our mother.  Our father had passed away prior to the last reunion.  So, my sister, Robin, and her husband, Paul, agreed to host the family reunion at their home in West Chicago, Illinois.

Robin and Paul have a large wooded lot complete with a pond, the DuPage River, and several out buildings.  This property originally had a couple of summer cottages on it many long years ago and they still remain today.  It is an ideal place for the family to gather, and the children enjoyed catching frogs and a small snake.

Some of the family members arrived later due to other commitments, and a few could not make it at all.  But, all of us that attended had a great time.

Let me introduce you to my family.  My brother Reid is the oldest of the four Simmons children. His wife is Margo, their son is Kevin.  Their daughter is Janie and her husband is Steve.  Their children are Jack, Emma, and Quinn.

I am the next oldest.  Kitty and I have five children. Our daughter Kristi and her husband, Scott, and their son Sean.  Our daughter Jennifer and her husband Neil  have two son's; Logan and Grayson. Our daughter Karri and her sons Kristian, Brandon, and Alex.  Our son Brad and his wife Dawn.  Their daughter is Brooke, next is Bradly, then Jacob.  Our youngest is Kobie.

My sister Jane is 5 years my junior.  Her husband is Gary, their son Devon (deceased) and Brandon.  Brandon is married to Julie and is expecting a boy in July.

My youngest sister is Robin, and her husband is Paul (the reunion hosts).  Their children include Paulie, Jessie, married to Derek,  and Joe.  Brian is married to Val, and their sons Caden and Mason. Robin's youngest is Scott.

Here's some of the photos taken at the reunion.  Unfortunately, not everyone had their picture taken for various reasons and there was no group picture taken this time.

My brother Reid on the left and his son-in-law Steve.

 L to R: My nephew Scott, brother Reid,  sister Robin, and brother-in-law Paul

Picture taken by Reid's camera.

 Kevin and his mom Margo, my nephew and sister-in-law.

 My sister Jane on left and my wife Kitty on the right.

Taken by Reid

 My son Brad and his wife Dawn.

This is Brad and Dawn's son Bradly and Jacob.

 Brandon is my sister Jane's son.

Steve and his wife Janie (my niece)

 The next three pictures and Steve and Janie's children; Jack, Emma, and Quinn.

This is a group picture taken at the last reunion in 1993.

Back row standing L to R: Reid, Margo,Jennifer, Jane, Brad, Robin, Ruby (our mom), Jane, Janie, Gary.

Seated L to R: Chuck, Scott, Craig, Brian, Devon, and Kevin.

Front row L to R: Kobie and Brandon

Sorry I didn't get everyone's picture.  We'll make sure we get everyone's picture at the next reunion.  Thanks to Robin and Paul for hosting a wonderful family reunion.

Blackhawk Valley Campground and A Garden Train

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Due to our extended stay in the Rockford, Illinois, area, we moved from Rock Cut State Park to Blackhawk Valley Campground so we could enjoy full hook ups.  Blackhawk Valley Campground is located on the southern edge of Rockford just a few miles west of I-39.  It has four camping sections; one for seasonal camping, one for monthly camping, one for short stays, and a tent camping section.  It also has a recreation room, laundry room, mini golf, shuffle board, volleyball, basketball, soccer, playground, and the Kiswaukee River runs along it southern border.

This is our rig on site #117 (monthly section)

Kamper Kallie!

"Hurry up and take the darn picture.  I can't sit like a princes all day!"

After we got set up, we took a walk around the campground.  This is a well kept campground.  The seasonal campers have flowers planted around their units and everything was neat and orderly.  One of the seasonal sites along the Kishwaukee River really surprised us.  It had a garden train in the front yard!  I have never seen anything like this.  The owner was not home so we didn't get to see it in operation.  Hopefully, we  will catch him home next time. A neighbor informed us that the train stays up all winter.  It looks like last years harsh winter did not hurt the garden train.

The Garden Train!

A short distance east of the campground is a Winnebago County Forest Preserve called Kishwaukee Gorge.  The three of us (Kitty, Kallie, and me) hiked the wooded trail down into the gorge.  With the heavy rains we have been having, the trail was a little slippery in some spots and the Kishwaukee River was very swollen and muddy.  The trail gets rather steep as it gets closer to the river and caution is needed to avoid falling into the gorge or the river.  The gorge was not impressive and not worth the effort it took to get there, but the view of the river was nice.

 You can see some people standing in the Kishwaukee Gorge.

Here's a view looking up stream.

This one is looking down stream.

 Don't ask me why the large "X" is painted on the two trees above because I haven't a clue. Perhaps they are scheduled to be cut down before they fall into the river, or someone buried a treasure there!

Coming up next is the Simmons Family reunion.

Last Day at Rock Cut and Tom is Very Annoying

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Today is our last full day at Rock Cut State Park.  We've been here twelve days now and I have really had it with Tom!  He's very rude,  inconsiderate, and has no camper etiquette.  He walks right through everyone's campsite and doesn't think anything about it.  We all learned in camping 101 you don't walk through someone's camp site!

He has been waking everyone up almost every day before 6 am.  Is he so dumb he doesn't understand what quite hours mean?  He makes more noise than a construction zone.  He makes dogs bark and scares small children.  Some body should report this guy!

I am use to having my bladder wake me up in the morning.  I can't get use to Tom waking me up so early all the time.  I have been thinking and planning about this guy.  There's got to be a way I can get this guy!

Finally, at 5:45 am this morning, my patience with Tom ran out and I was determined to do something about it.  So, I did.  Finally, I got Tom and now it's over...it's all over.  I couldn't hold back any long.  I  ended it here and now.  I shot Him!  Not once, but twice!!!  Yes I did, I shot him through the back window of the 5th wheel.  That'll fix him!  Ahh, the joys of pay back time!

You meet some nice folks camping and then there are some real turkeys too!!

Touring Rock Cut State Park

Sunday, June 16, 2013

We finished up all of our doctor visits this week.  All the major stuff came out fine.  But, Kitty and I both will be having some minor outpatient surgery. The medical wheels seem to move at a snails pace when you want to get these things done fast and move on.  So, we are planning to stay in this area for about two months and get everything taken care of before finishing our visits with our kids and heading to parts unknown.

Since Rock Cut only has electric hook ups and a 14 day stay limit, we will be spending the next two months at Black Hawk Valley Campground.  Black Hawk is about 20 minutes from here on the far southern end of Rockford, while Rock Cut is just outside Rockford's northern boundary.

Since we will be leaving this beautiful park in a few days, we thought we'd give you a tour of the park.  Are you ready?  Fasten your seat belts, the tour bus is starting to roll!

Rock Cut State Park has over 3,000 acres, two lakes, and 50 miles of trails.  The activities here are year around and include hiking, mountain biking (without the mountains, only steep hills), swimming, fishing, ice fishing, and cross country skiing.

Pierce Lake is the largest of the two lakes.

The marina has plenty of rental boats. 

Olsen Lake is the swimming lake.  Sorry, no nude beaches here!

This dead tree stands behind the camp store and is a stone throw from our campsite.  It has been there for years and has become something of a landmark.  We hope this tree doesn't fall on the camp store.  That's where we get our ice cream!!

Kitty, Kallie, and me on one of the 50 miles of trails. This one is about 100 yards behind our campsite.

Kitty and Kallie are resting in one of the many picnic areas in the park.  I guess this tour wore them out!

Ok!  You can unfasten your seat belt now, that's the end of our tour.  We didn't show you everything, but we tried to show you the highlights and we hope you enjoyed the ride.

Rock Cut State Park near Rockford, Il.

Friday, June 7, 2013


We left Lincoln New Salem State Park a little later than planned because I left my sunglasses in Ron's truck and he was kind enough to meet us and hand them to me as we drove by.  After all, we didn't want to stop in the middle of the street and cause a traffic jam in Athens.  It must have been rush hour as there were about six cars on Main Street as we went  through town ha.  Two vehicles were ours and one was Ron's.  The remaining cars just happen to be following us!

We made one stop for fuel south of Bloomington, Il.  Then, after finding a suitable parking lot, stopped in El Paso, Illinois and ate the lunch Kitty had prepared for our travel day.

We don't like to make reservations, but we knew Rock Cut State Park near Rockford, Illinois, fills up fast on the weekends.  We arrived here mid afternoon after more than four hours of driving.  Since there are no water and sewer hook ups we were set up in no time.  The camp ground was full by supper time and we were glad we had reservations.  The park has a fishing lake and a swimming lake, boat rentals, and miles of trails to hike year around.  Of course, in the winter the trails are for snow mobiles and cross country skiing.  The park is located a short distance from Rockford Speed Way, all types of shopping, and plenty of restaurants.

This is site 158 in rock Cut State Park

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Today was a relaxing day.  We took a couple of walks, did some shopping and I finished my latest wood carving project.  Well, it's finished as far as my capabilities.  It needs to be painted by someone with a steady hand.  Kallie has a steady paw, but can't hold a paint brush.  So, Kitty was drafted for this project.  Carving the human face is very difficult for a beginner like me.  But, at least this one provided some good practice.


Sunday, June 9, 2013

We decided to take a little trip to one of our favorite camping places about 20 miles from here.  So, Kitty, Kallie and I piled into our car and headed to Sugar River.  This is a county park that was established in 1925.  The camp ground was placed on the edge of the Sugar River.  The Indians in this area named it the river Sugar because the river water tasted sweet.  Since the river was swollen with recent rains and looked rather muddy, I'll take the Indians word for it.

Here's Kitty and Kallie standing besides the Sugar River in the picnic area of the park.

I am sure you remember our recent blog about our last day in Effingham, Illinois, and the unwanted guest (the black rat snake).  Well, here at Rock Cut State Park, we had a couple more visitors. Only these guys were welcome to stay for dinner.  But, they apparently had other ideas.  Turkeys!

They started running away when they heard me say something about having them for dinner!  Ha!

Next week is full of doctor visits for Kitty and me, and that's why we are here.  It's time for our annual check ups.  Hopefully, all goes well and we can continue with our second year of living on the road.  We really enjoy this life style and hope we can continue for several more years.

A Brief Stop at Lincoln New Salem State Park in Petersburg Il.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

With the distraction of the snake and all of the picture taking last night, we left all the packing for today.  Sean was with us, so the packing went smoothly.  But, it was still late morning before we pulled out of Camp Lakewood in Effingham, Illinois.

Our destination is Lincoln New Salem State Park in Petersburg, Illinois, where we planned to meet Ron and Karen.  We weren't concerned about our late start as we only had a 2 1/2 hour drive ahead of us.  Our route would take us over several state and county roads, and we stopped in the parking lot of a shopping center to have our lunch that Kitty always packs for us on travel days.

Everything was going along just fine despite the condition of some of the roads and we were within five miles of Lincoln New Salem State Park.  We are on a county road that was very hilly with a few sharp curves thrown in to make the drive more interesting.  I was letting the GPS determine our route instead of sticking to the state roads.  That was a big mistake!

Oops!  There in front of me is a  "road closed" sign.  I stopped and got out to see what was happening.  I walked a short distance down a hill and around a curve but couldn't see anything.  I was concerned about the RV sitting at the top of the hill with Kitty and Kallie waiting in the car behind the RV.  If some one wasn't paying attention, they would plow into our car.

They put the darn sign where there was no place to turn around.  I was trying to figure out how to get the rig out of here when a very nice lady came by.  She told us the road we were on is a great short cut to the state park.  But, since the road was closed due to high water, she gave us directions to get there using a different route.

Now all we had to do was get the rig turned around.  The only way to do this was to back up the hill and around a curve about 1/4 mile where there is an intersection large enough to turn around in.  I told Kitty to wait up there by the intersection and not let any one come down while I was backing the rig up.  A utility truck came along and saw what we were doing and sat along the road with his flashers on warning traffic before they reached Kitty's location.

What a relief it was when we finally got turned around and headed to our destination.  We really appreciated the direction from the nice lady and the additional warning lights of the utility truck.

We pulled into the campground at Lincoln New Salem State Park about 4 hours after leaving Effingham and found a site long enough we didn't have to unhook.

Here we are on site #137

Ron and Karen picked us up and took us through Athens, Illinois where they live.  We toured their daughter's florist shop and met several family members.  Then we headed to Springfield for dinner.  It just so happens that today is Karen's birthday.   Happy Birthday to Karen!!

After a fantastic dinner, Ron took us back to his house.  He gave us a brief tour of their home, and we sat down and visited- getting caught up on the news since we all left Okeechobee, Florida.  While there, we met their other daughter and her youngest son.  What a nice family they have!  When the yawns took over,  they drove us back to our camper and we called it a night.

There is a lot of history and interesting things to see in this area.  But, our schedule didn't permit us to stay any longer.  Next time through this area, we plan to stay a few days and take in the history.

Tomorrow we head to Rockford, Illinois and Rock Cut State Park.

Last Days in Effingham With an Uninvited Guest

Monday, June 3, 2013

We returned back to Effingham, Camp Lakewood, after a short stay in Sugar Grove for Brooke's graduation.  We had to drive the truck to Sugar Grove and back because our car was being repaired after a coyote threw himself in front of us on Interstate 57 last week. What was he thinking? But, we have our wheels back now; and, the car is as good as new.

We were chased out of the fifth wheel when a tornado hit St Louis.  Our area was under a tornado watch and we were in the direct path of a nasty storm.  The local TV channels were showing some of the damage in St Louis and were advising listeners to take shelter. We packed an overnight bag and headed to Scott and Kristi's house some 30 miles away.  Actually, they are closer to St Louis than Effingham is, but, they have a basement and there is no storm shelter in our campground. As it turned out, we were spared the high winds and tornadoes, but not the heavy rain.  Luckily, nothing was damaged in our area.

Once all that drama settled down, Sean decided to try his luck fishing in Lake Pauline right behind our 5th wheel.

Here's Sean trying his luck in Lake Pauline just below our camper.  He landed a small bass, a nice crappie, and a blue gill.

Sean figured he could have better luck if he had a boat and could get farther out into the lake.  So, Kristi rented a row boat for us.

Here's Sean and me heading out to get some booty... I mean fish!

The boat idea was fun, but it didn't improve our fishing luck. You can tell from the picture above, we are really zooming along.  Look at that wake!  People were asking us if they could ski behind our boat! Ha!

Wednesday, June 5th

This is our last day in Effingham.  We wanted to do something special, so we rented a pontoon boat and took a 2 hour cruise on Lake Sara.  We used to live across the street from Lake Sara when we lived in Effingham several years ago and had three different boats here.  So, we spent many hours on this lake back then and were anxious to see it again

Here is Sean, Kallie, and Kitty enjoying the ride.

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Captain Craig at the helm.

We really enjoyed the boat ride and couldn't believe how many big homes have been built on the lake since we left about 6 years ago.  Some of the boat houses were larger than the average home.

After returning from the boat ride, Scott and Kristi came over for supper.  We had a nice meal and were sitting in the 5th wheel when it happened!  Sean is looking out of our dining room window and says, "Oh my God...oops!  Never mind".  We all said, " what?"  "What is it?"  All of a sudden five heads were plaster up against the dinning room window looking outside.  You didn't have to look very long to see it.  A large black rat snake crossed our camp site and was laying in the grass!  He is about five feet long and was moving very slowly.

We all sprang out of the 5th wheel.  Sean and Scott approached the snake.  Kristi and I started doing our snake dance!  Kitty kept saying, "Oh my God....Oh my God!"

The snake coiled up in the striking position.  I guess he didn't like our snake dance!

Finally, Scott and Sean managed to get the snake out of our site and into the woods.  The snake was not aggressive and no one was harmed.  But, my feet sure hurt from doing the snake dance on my tippy toes!!

Once we all settled down and the color returned to our faces, we took this picture of all of us except the snake, of course.

L to R: Scott, Kristi, Kitty Craig, Sean, and Kallie in front.

This was a nice visit with our family.  But, now we must head to Rockford for our annual doctor visits.  But, first, we will make a quick stop to see some friends near Lincoln New Salem State Park.  Stay tuned.