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Pontiac, Pontiac, or Obwaandi’eyaag?
We went to Pontiac, Illinois to get Kate’s National Park Passport Book stamped, but we parked in the wrong place about two blocks away. Instead of the museum complex, we parked near the Pontiac-Oakland Auto Museum that had a bunch of Pontiac cars. Ironically, Pontiac, Illinois is not named for the Pontiac car, and no…
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A Limit of One Cat Per Hand…
When Kate and I talked about cats, I always told her that she could only have one cat per hand because you can not pet more than two cats at once. If you have more than two cats, the cats will feel neglected. She would also be in danger of being a crazy cat lady.…
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Once in a Blue Supermoon
There were three days of blue supermoons in the middle of August 2024. Blue supermoons usually happen about once every ten years, but oddly, August 2023 had a blue supermoon too. A blue moon can be several things. A monthly blue moon is two full moons in a single month. A seasonal blue moon is…
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Kennekuk County Park with 1000 gallon tank!
Vermillion County Illinois used to be known for coal mines and manufacturing. When the coal mining ended and manufacturing decreased, parks were created. Kennekuk Park boasted a 1000-gallon aquarium. This sounds huge but turns out to not be as big as you think. Can you find the fish? The park also boasts Lake Mingo, multiple…
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers?
Gestating alien pod person or milkweed? You decide, but you might not want to sleep until you are sure… (If this does not make sense, go watch Invasion of the Body Snatchers.)
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Do you trust the Rails?
I was in El Paso, Illinois doing laundry and heard a train go by. Since I just sitting goofing around waiting for the washer to finished, I decided to watch the train. While I was watching I noticed the rails jumping up and down in one section. Also making lots of noise when hitting that…
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Heron County Park with tower, boardwalk, etc. But where’s the Herons?
Heron County Park is in Vermillion County and started opened 2004. The park came about when Aqua Illinois, Inc. donated the land to the county. In 1992, the water was increased by 4 1/2 feet and a 950 foot boardwalk was built at a cost of $145,000. After that a 30+ foot observation tower was…
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New Site Same Park & we have Turkeys!
We were scheduled to go to Clinton Lake State Park but decided to cancel based on feedback from other campers. Specifically, that the park has gone downhill over the last 4 years, dump stations closed and bathhouses closed. I called. As the person told us… only one of the bathhouses was open and it’s not…
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Fischer Theatre, Danville IL
In 1880 at a cost of $24,000, the Grand Opera House (now called Fischer Theatre) was built and became a hopping place starting out with live shows. In 1912, the building was closed and remodeled. Upon reopening in 1913, the name changed to Fischer Theatre. Later years, movie projector equipment was added along with a…
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Kickapoo Rail Trail Aventure
Illinois like many other states are changing no longer used railroad tracks back to life as Rail Trails. Nothing like the first Rail Trail located in Sparta Wisconsin 🙂 but still nice. Once fully completed, the trail will be @ 22 miles long. We traveled the solid orange line in the purple box. The dotted…