Pere Marquette State Park, Grafton, Illinois 146 mile jump
We had to cross the Mississippi River and then the Illinois River to reach Pere Marquette State Park. We tried here to stay two years ago, but it was halloween weekend, they we full up and we had to spend the night in a Walmart. This year we have reservations! It is on the Illinois River and has a marina, a lodge, visitor’s center, all sort of trails and a scenic drive, but not much for internet connection.
Tuesday, we rode bikes together, but got into terrain that was too hilly for Penny. So, we returned to explore the marina whereupon she rode to the campsite and I rode the Scenic Drive which had 700’ of ascent in about three miles. Tough riding, but I rode it all. The views up there were spectacular; the ride down was a hoot!
Penny’s brother, Dan, is returning from his annual summer cooking job in Boulder, Colorado, heading for their parent’s summer home in northern Michigan. But, he thought he’d pay us a visit since we weren’t too far out of the way. I prepared spaghetti sauce and Penny crafted a unique salad for supper. We had a campfire and talked until we ran out of wood. A great night!