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.