No Such Luck

Scoping out campgrounds

I've been looking at campgrounds in Illinois, trying to decide if I want to go there or not, and am not having much luck.  Putting lots of miles on Mar-E, with little results.  Since campground reservations are booked well in advance, 6 months or more, some are already booked for the summer / fall season.  So if I find one that may have a opening at some time, I've been making a reservation, checking it out and then, mostly, cancelling it.

There are a myriad of reasons, why reservations are being cancelled: to far to go on a Friday after work, tricky sites for a newbie to try to back into or some other reason.

I am defiantly spoiled by my first trip to Coles Creek with full hook-ups on a lake and nice big sites, but I know not all campgrounds are alike.  So I wonder if maybe Illinois is just not the best place for camping.

Coles Creek COE, Carlyle, IL

Large paved spots, loop with full hookups other with electric only.  Group sites available also.

 

Illini SP, Marseilles, IL

Great Falls loop has some sites on the river, electric only.  Some sites are very narrow.  Other sites on this loop are more rustic for tent camping or small towables.

White Tail look has no view of the river.  No hookups.

 

 to

Fisherman's Corner COE, IL (Mississippi River Pools) Sites close.  Those on the river are right on the river (5' -10' maybe?).  Some with electric
Starved Rock SP, La Salle, IL Mostly in the trees, hard back-ins
Shabbona Lake SP, IL Some sights in trees, some on the lake.  Electric
Prophetstown SP, Prophetstown, IL Might be OK, but seemed a little spooky.  On the Rock River.  Sights were on grass that I saw.

No Stars

Nauvoo SP, Nauvoo, IL Very small campground for RV, no big rigs, road was bad (lots of potholes), no amenities.  Tent camping area looked much nicer than the RV campground.  Sites very close to trees also.  Tough back-ins.

A really bad experience

Been trying to get out camping. Booking the little amount of sites I can find that are not already reserved for the season. Leaves time to take a day trip to check them out. So between bad weather, iffy campgrounds, or tricky back-ins (for a newbie). I've cancelled most of them.

Was watching the temps for this weekend, but thought I'd give it a shot anyway. Picked up Colt to fill the tank, and seemed to only want to register 1/2 full, but figured that would be OK for 2 nights. Had a site reserved that I'd seen before, on the river, nice and shady, so I took a chance on the heat. BAD IDEA! Due to all of the rain, I got stuck in the mud (site was very narrow) but was able to get out. All of the practicing I've been doing with my BIL helped some, but not enough. Nothing like the real thing to bring your confidence level down.

Another lady camper who was waiting for her DH ended up backing it in for me. Not a dry spot on the site. Everything was mud. Left Mar-E running for over an hour while trying to get set-up, with the AC on so at least Zorro was staying cool (after he went rolling in the mud to get cool ~ yes my always clean dog got actually dirty ~ bad dog! ). Stood in the mud to get to the basement stuff, the electric kept tripping, and couldn't get the AC to work. After 2 1/2 hours in 100+ feels like temps, decided to give up and head back home. Picked up a friend to help spot me in the lot, took quite a few tries but I finally got Colt backed in. Luckily the pickup truck & plow that are usually next to me were gone, so I had a lot of room.

Plus Mar-E seemed to be struggling. Wasn't sure if it was the heat or what. But when I got back to the storage lot, the bolts on the battery on Colt seemed pretty hot. Something dangerous I'm thinking, so need to find someone I can ask about that too.

A little disheartened right now, but not giving up the fight yet.

Coles Creek COE at Carlyle Lake

May 18 - 22, 2015

Mar-E & Colt had the first extended trip (4 nights) down to Coles Creek COE at Carlyle Lake in southern Illinois.  It was a learning trip on full-hookups.  Full hookups are awesome!  No major problems, except for the furnace.  The temps dropped to 40-50 at night and once the furnace turned off, it would not turn on again even thought it never reached the set temperature.  One more thing for the warranty list.  Also found a crack on the inside of a window, so it's not from a rock.

May, obviously, is not the time to try to find a space heater, but I found a plumbing / HVAC home store in Carlyle that had a few in stock.  Good price at just $20 and really got Colt nice and cozy for the nights. 

Found this 8" turtle crossing the road behind the campground loop.

Found it again in the grass about 15 minutes later.  He travelled about 10 yards.  Saw it everyday around the site.  I decided to name him Michaelangelo.

View of the cove from my site.  One site was between my site and the cove.  There were only 5 sites with campers out of 35.  The rest had reserved signs starting on May 21st for the Memorial Day weekend. 

 

 Zorro just checking things out.  He's a mellow soul. Good camp dog. Good boy!

View from the campground across the cove to the beach.

 

 Different turtle, but he was splashing up a storm.

Great blue herons were plentiful.  Also a variety of other birds such as cardinals, finches, orioles, sparrows, and swallows.  One very noisy bird that I never did get a look at, but it's call was 3 short beeps that had the same pitch (tone?) as a smoke alarm. 

 

Zorro on the dog beach.  A sign said they are trying the dog beach for the first time and will determine at the end of the summer if it will be continued next year.  The other half of the beach is for people.

Look back at the 3 campgrounds from the beach side of the cove.  My loop is on the left.  The other two do not have full hookups.  The loop on the far right can be reserved for groups.

Free life jackets for loan if needed.

Zorro at the boat launch.   He only waded, didn't swim.

 

The second Illinois state bird (or it should be ~ they're everywhere).  The turkey vulture.

Inside of the visitor center in the Dam West area.

Things around the Dam West area in Carlyle.

 The Kaskaskia River south of the dam

 

Cahokia Mounds

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

How great is it having a camper?  It's great!  Nothing like having your own B&B on wheels.  Having Colt gave me the chance to go to Cahokia Mounds State Historic site.  It's too far for one of my usual day trips, but it was within an hours drive from the campground. 

I could have spent all day here, walking around the grounds, doing all of the trails, and spotting all of the wild life, but the weather was not cooperating and continued with a steady rain all day.

Information from the interpretive center
Map of other historic sites within the US.

Artist rendering of the grand plaza.  Cahokia is the largest Mississippian city found to date and was almost lost because of highway construction around St. Louis.

 

 

 

 

 Animal effigy found in Marquette, IA ~ enlarged to show detail

Sun calendar "Woodhenge"

 Artist depiction of Woodhenge during a solstice

 

 

 

 

 The medicine man hut

The grainery

 

 Home

 

 

 

The story of this area is a boy stealing his little sister's corn husk doll.  She is chasing after him and the family (wild) dog is barking at them.  Kids haven't changed much. 

Cahokia Mounds and wildlife
The grand plaza with one of the twin tomb mounds in the back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part of a re-built stockade fence that used to encompass the entire settlement.

 Replica of Woodhenge (not in original location)

The posts with white mark Spring, Summer and Fall equinox (furthest to closest).

 View south to Monks Mound

Monks Mound ~ where chief lived and where meetings and worships were held.

View looking north and west from the top of Monks Mound with St. Louis in the distance.

 Looking north towards Woodhenge

 Looking west back towards the grand plaza and one of the twin mounds

 A terrace on Monks Mound which was used later by settlers

 

 

 

View inside of one of the rebuilt stockades.  Signs indicate there were multiple versions of these, round and square.  The cross beams indicate where a floor would have been for fighting off enemies.

Purple martins at the interpretive center