Today I am blogging to you from my sister’s kitchen table in Peoria, Illinois. We took the scenic route down from Wisconsin yesterday, straying from I-39 just south of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge at LaSalle-Peru. We headed west a few miles until we hit highway 26 and drove the Illinois River Road south the last several miles into Peoria.
We were in no hurry to arrive at our destination, as my sister and her boyfriend were working and wouldn’t be home until after 5:30, so we thought we’d take our time and look at some sights along the way. The Illinois River Road turned out to be a beautiful ride, although we didn’t get to see quite as much of the river along the way as I had hoped we would.
We also thought we’d look out for signs pointing the way to some kind of scenic or historic attraction that we could stop and check out along the way, but we had no such luck. The only thing we could come up with were a couple of fish and wildlife refuges along the river.
Eventually, we stopped at the Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Refuge near Lacon, IL and got out to look at the river. I got a few good pictures of the river, but otherwise there wasn’t much to look at. After a few minutes of looking across the river and showing my 6-year-old a dead fish, we were back in the car and on our way.
All in all, the river was pretty, but there wasn’t much else to look at along the way. I would recommend taking the Illinois River Road if you’re not in a hurry and are looking for a scenic route to drive. But, I would not recommend it if you’re looking for something to do along the way.
Have you ever travelled the Illinois River Road? If so, what treasures did you find that we might of missed. If they’re there, I would really like to check them out next time!
~Mandy Webster
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