The sights of East Peoria & Peoria Heights
It feels like I haven’t blogged in ages. The last time I wrote to you, I was visiting my sister down in Peoria. We had a great visit and spent some time seeing the sights around East Peoria and Peoria Heights. First we took the scenic route down Peoria Heights’ Grand View Drive, which winds along a very high bank of the Illinois River with a sweeping view of the river on one side and gracious mansions on the other. One of our favorite homes on Grand View Drive is a modern castle complete with turrets on beautifully landscaped grounds.
We all argued over who would get the turret bedroom if we were to buy this castle house in Peoria Heights.
After we drove all of Grand View Drive, we headed across the river to East Peoria. My brother-in-law drove us on a precarious bridge that ran over the interstate and up onto another high bank above the river. Once we reached the top of the hill, we drove our car through another neighborhood of sprawling houses overlooking the river. These were not quite as impressive as the ones we saw in Peoria Heights but were still nicer than anything I’ve ever lived in. Plus the view of the river was amazing (more…)
Traveling the Illinois River Road
This is me at Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Refuge near Lacon, IL on the Illinois River
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. (more…)
I need a new bike
No more mountain biking for me, I guess. | Polar mountain bike. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I used to ride my bike everywhere when I was younger. First it was a ten-speed racing bike (I had a crush on a senior who was into bicycle racing,) and then a mountain bike when mountain bikes were first popular. I was in great shape back then and could hop on my bike and ride to a destination 10 miles distant like it was nothing. Then I had kids.
Kids are a pain to bike-ride with until they’re old enough to ride their own bikes and keep up with the grown ups. But by the time that happens, the grown ups realize they can no longer keep up with the kids. I bought a new bike last year (or maybe the year before, I can’t remember,) so I could ride with my kids who are soon turning 6 and 13, and I hate it. (more…)
A weekend in Southern Illinois
Just got home from a weekend in Southern Illinois, where it stormed and rained all weekend. An F3 tornado hit the St. Louis airport, which is just an hour East of my family (I was visiting for Easter.) Anyway, I got some really pretty pictures I want to share with you. It wasn’t exactly a huge vacation, but it was travel all the same!
So, I pulled off I-57 at the Watson/Mason exit Thursday and was greeted by a long line of stopped cars waiting for a road crew to let traffic pass. They were resurfacing the road in between storms. Anyway, I snapped a few pictures of the overflowing Little Wabash River while we were stopped. It’s funny how the river ebbs and flows… one day, it’s flooded, the next day you can see the fields again… and still one day later, it’s flooded once more.
There was still snow on the ground when I left my home in Wisconsin Thursday, so I couldn’t believe just how green everything was once I got down south. I’m back home today, and we still don’t have any green trees here yet!
