Starved Rock State Park

Bunny and her family love going to Starved Rock State Park.  She has mentioned it in her blog a few times. Mama and Dad visited there after their boat trip on the canal.  Mama said the place is HUGE!  She said it reminds her of Yellowstone with the visitor center, cafes, restaurants, lodge, etc. It seems more like a national park than a state park.  She said it is definitely not a place for Scout, so that means it is not a place for me. They went on one trail and it had a lot of steps.  Mama said there is no way that Scout would have walked those steps.

The folks were shocked at how crowded the parking lot was.  It is a large parking lot and it was almost full. There is a restaurant there and the website said reservations were recommended.  Dad didn't think it was necessary, but when they arrived at the park, Mama decided to see if they could get reservations.  She called and made reservations for 5 p.m. which is when the restaurant opened for dinner.  While they waited for 5 p.m. to arrive, they visited the visitor's center and the gift shop.  They purchased two sweatshirts for $30.  Mama said that was a good deal.  They then walked on a trail and took some photos.

A turkey crossed in front of them.

The canyons are pretty but hard to see in these photos.

This would be fun to see in the fall or winter.

Carved eagle and her babies - babies have white heads here which is not accurate - just saying.  LOL

The lodge and cabins were built from 1933 to 1939 by the Depression-Era Civilian Conservation Corps. The lodge and cabins originally cost between $200,000 and $300,000 to build. Dad said he read that the original furniture is still in the lodge.

Fireplace in lodge

Furniture in lodge

Fireplace in the restaurant.

Restaurant

Mama decided to splurge and ordered a ribeye.  She says splurge because it was a little pricey to her.  It didn't come with a salad and she refused to pay $2.95 for a salad when spending so much on a meal.  She said it was very good.  She is glad that she ordered it.

Ribeye with baked potato and veggies-$22.95

 Dad ordered Forest Mushroom Farfalle with Smoked Pheasant.  It is Portobello, Shiitake, and porcini mushrooms, yellow peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, Asiago cheese, smoked pheasant and farfalle pasta in a rich cream sauce.  He said he couldn't really taste the pheasant but loved the Asaigo cheese.  He did order a side salad.

Forest Mushroom Farfalle with Smoked Pheasant - $22.95

Inside the hotel lobby.

Another view of the hotel lobby.

 This park is so big and has so many things to see.  The folks barely scratched the surface.  They would love to camp in this area for a week or two because there are three state parks that are close to each other.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Wishes His Sister Would Learn To Go Up Steps

Scout Really Could Be A Mule

Mama was disappointed that Dad had to work late on Friday night.  They normally do their grocery shopping on Friday nights.  She needed to pick up a prescription and buy some soda, so that had to be done first thing on Saturday morning. Dad didn't get home until 10:30 p.m. on Friday.  We drove Mama crazy because we were whining about Dad being late.

Saturday, they went grocery shopping early to get that done.  They brought some treats home for us.  We were completely out!

The folks then drove to LaSalle, IL to take a ride on a canal boat. It is pulled by a mule.  That is how they used to do it in the 1800's.  The canal was hand dug.  People traveled from LaSalle to Chicago via the canal.

This is Larry and his handler.  Larry pulled the boat.

This is the boat.

Close up of Larry.

Learning about Larry, mules and the canal.

 Scout is like a mule because when mules get tired or don't want to work, they just stop.  They will not work themselves to exhaustion like a horse will.  We all know that when Scout doesn't want to walk any more, she just stops.  When she doesn't want to do something, she doesn't.  Yep, Scout is part mule.  What Mama?  I am  like a mule too?  Well, it's just because you want to walk the wrong way.  We need to walk around the lake like it's a race track.  It's just not right to go the opposite way.

Larry at work.  There is another mule named Moe who shares the duties and a goat named Curly.

Larry pulling the boat.

Going down the canal.

The canal actually crosses over the river. 

The river below the canal.  It is quite low due to drought.

View of boat from the bridge.

 The folks said the ride was really smooth.  They enjoyed spending an hour on the canal.  The towpath that the mule walked on is used by walkers and bikers.  Mama said it was nice and shady and would be a great place to walk.

After the folks left LaSalle, they went to Starved Rock State Park. We will tell you about that tomorrow.  Yep, a mini cliff hanger.  LOL

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Not Stubborn Like A Mule, But He Knows What He Wants

Feeling Fine Friday - #3

It's another Feeling Fine Friday here in Joliet. We have had three walks, vacuumed, printed out our Emeals grocery list and finished the laundry. Doing laundry here is not fun.  There is a high level of iron in the water.  There are signs that say your whites could turn yellow.  Mama has to add special stuff to the water to try and keep Dad's shirts white. It works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. Last week, the water was yellow.  Yuck!  On the bright side, I won't be getting a bath here because Mama doesn't want me turning yellow.  Anyway, now the work is done and we can kick up our paws and relax!

I sure look handsome here.

Pretty view of the paddle boats.

Cub fans are everywhere!

Mama would like to put a Cardinals logo on this guy.  Last year, the Cardinals (baseball) had a rally squirrel.  It sure would look nice next to their Cubs dog.  LOL

Okay, we have a fun question for you.   Do you know what a "honey wagon" is in a campground? Mama saw that they offered it in their brochure and thought at first it might be a "welcome wagon" or a food truck.  They charge $15 for it to visit your site.

Are you ready?

HoneyWagon

Still don't know what it is?  LOL  It is used to empty your tanks if you don't have a sewer hook up.  We see the "pig man" driving it around all day long.  Maybe that is why he has such an attitude. LOL

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Changed Out Of His Rams' Collar Since He Is Deep In Bear Country

Bass Pro & Islamorada Fish Co

Scout and I were quite tired after our adventure on Sunday.  Yes, she did pee on my face.  I was quite upset by it.  Sure, I have peed on her, but she is a brindle. You can't see it on her. I am white.  I had yellow on my face.  I was really humiliated.  Mama brought me home and cleaned me up and Dad laughed at me.  I'm so glad we had the hiking trip to take my mind off of it.

After we got home from our hike, Mom and Dad left for dinner.  I was fine with that because I needed to recharge my batteries. They ate at a place that Dad loves.  Mama had never been there before.  They have a "rule" that they can't eat at chain restaurants they know while on this adventure, but Dad said they don't have that restaurant at home and Mama hasn't never been there, so it wasn't breaking the rule.  The place is called Islamorada Fish Co.  Mama said it was pretty inside.  There was a huge salt water tank.

Saltwater tank

Inside restaurant

 Mama decided to have the Country Fried Ribeye.   She didn't know if it would be good or not, but she regretted not trying it in Texas.  It came with mashed potatoes.  She ordered a side salad.  The waitress thought Mama had a choice of her sides, but the menu said she didn't.  Mama said if she could substitute a side salad for the veggies, that would be great.  Regardless, she wanted the side salad and the mashed potatoes.  The plate came out without the mashed potatoes.  LOL  The waitress said the chef was confused, but the folks think the waitress was new and confused.  They heard her mess up another order.  She was very nice though and it all came out fine.

The bread has sugar on top.  Very good.

The side salad.

Sportsman's Platter - shrimp and catfish. It was supposed to have alligator bites, but there is an alligator shortage according to the waitress.

Dad had calamari instead of alligator bites.  He said this was a huge serving.

Country Fried Ribeye- tasted better than it looks.  It was very tender.

The mashed potatoes finally made it to the table.

 The food was really good and Mama said that if Dad wants to make a repeat visit, she is willing.  They have a Cajun Pasta that sounds pretty good.


After they ate, they walked to the Bass Pro Store that is connected.  If you don't know what Bass Pro is, it is a store that is full of fishing, hunting, camping items as well as clothing.  Mama likes their sweatshirts and t-shirts.  They didn't have any good sales going on though, so she didn't buy anything.

Inside Bass Pro

Lots of animals call Bass Pro home.

A view from the second floor.

Waterfall

Outside of Islamorada Fish Co

The campground has been a little busier with people coming and going this week. They cut the grass every week and we can't tell a difference, but I guess they can.  The place will be busier tomorrow night with people, but it is not as crazy as the KOA in Ohio was on weekends.

Mama has a chicken in the crock pot today.  We can't wait for dinner tonight! 

Joey,
The Greyhound Who His Being A Good Boy....This Week