Going California Dutch!

What’s up everyone?

What comes to mind when you think of California: Hollywood glamour, warm weather, sandy beaches with half naked people running in the ocean, over crowded streets, smog, Disneyland?  I could go on and on.  Yeah, these things definitely come to mind when thinking about California but that’s not always the case with me.  I think of myself as a amateur historian, I guess I can call myself that, so I tend to look back farther into the past than most people do.  I picture Zorro running around the California countryside cause trouble for the Mexican powers to be and becoming a hero for the masses.  Zorro May or may not have been a real person but you can’t deny the influence that Spain and later Mexico had on California.  Just look at the names of most of the cities.  They tend to be Spanish in origin.  But there’s a small town not to far from Santa Barbara that has a slightly different origin story from that of its Spanish neighbors and that’s the sleepy little Danish town of Solvang.

In the later part of the 1800s Denmark was suffering from a poor economy.  With no foreseeable upturn insight many Danes began to migrate out of Denmark.  Some chose to stay within Europe but many headed for the U.S. to start their new lives.  At the time the most desired location were: Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Utah.  There were those that did not want to have to deal with the cold winter that those states had to offer.  Boom!....let’s head to the the sunny west coast of the newly acquired California territory.  Late 1800s, early 1900’s Danish settlers started to flow into the Santa Ynez Valley and in 1911 Solvang was established.

Today the town is flooded by tourist coming to experience the Danish charm of this little community.  Many of the buildings near the center of town have been built in the Danish architectural style.  Bakeries, shops, and restaurants line the streets.  Many of Denmark’s landmarks have been recreated.  A scaled down version of Copenhagen’s Rundetårn or Round Tower (for us English speaking folks) and a replica of the Little Mermaid Statue.  There is also a tribute to the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen.

We had a wonderful time exploring the town.  There are a lot of cool shops to fit everyone’s taste.  I would have to recommend stopping into the clock shop.  I don’t remember the name of it but you can find any style of clock that you can think of.  From standard to cuckoo, they have them all.  Everyone in my family has walked out of that shop with a one and in some cases two.  Next to the clock shop is an oil shop.  This is another shop that I would suggest stop by.  Here you can find a variety of infused olive oils and vinegars.  Anyone will add an interesting flare to your next meal.  Sweets!  Sweets galore.  I can’t describe the numerous decadence that can be found around town.  All the bake goods look and smelled good.  There were too many option to choose from.  In the end I went with something simple, I tried some freshly baked butter cookies and they were most excellent.  Ten times better than anything I found in stores.  Unfortunately I didn’t try anything else, which was probably a good thing. Don’t wanna ruin my girlish figure, if ya’know what I’m sayin’.

After all the fun of shopping we decide to stop for lunch.  They have the usual fast food places but we wanted something a little more authentic to eat.  We grabbed our town guide and look at the map to see if anything would pop out.  After a few minutes of back and forth, we decided on The Mustard Seed Restaurant.  The Mustard Seed is a quaint little place with a very homey atmosphere.  The service was great and they seemed to really enjoy having us there.  The menu is full of Danish delicacies and for those less adventure some standard American dishes.  Most of us went with the more adventurous route.  Everything was good and cooked the way we liked it.  After lunch we had one last that we all wanted to see.

Even in this modern town, the old Spanish influence can still be felt.  Not far from the city center lies the Old Mission Santa Ines.  The Mission was founded in 1804 by the Franciscan monk Father Estevan Tapis.  Spain built many missions throughout California to covert the Native Americans.  Santa Inés was built to help easy the overcrowding of Mission Santa Barbara and Mission La Purisima Concepcion.  The Mission has had its fair share of hard times.  In 1812 the church was mostly destroyed by an earthquake that hit near Santa Barbara, but was rebuilt with thicker walls to make it sturdier.  During the Chumash Revolt of 1824, a blaze was set in the church.  The fire nearly destroying the complex once again.  

You can still attend mass at the Mission at select times throughout the week.  The other big draw to the Mission is the self guide tour.  Oddly enough, you start off from the gift shop and work your way though the Mission and grounds.  As you make you way you will learn the history and see many artifact.  I have always found it interesting to see churches and other places of worship, especially those that have a lot of history.  It was very peaceful and serene to sit in one of the pews and take it all in.

We had a lot of fun exploring Solvang and learning about its history.  Through out the year Solvang host many events, so there is always something to do.  If your just passing through, stop and have a pastry or two and enjoy the California sun.  You will not be disappointed.

Until next time.  Thanks for stopping by.

Josh.

After completing this post, once again California had been struct by disaster.  Our heart and thoughts go out to all those that were affected by the mudslides in Santa Barbara and it surrounding communities.

A Look Back at 2017

Happy New Year everyone!

We have crossed out the last day on our 2017 calendar.  Like many of you, we celebrated the new year with close friends, good food, and plenty of cheer to go around.  As we sit here waiting to watch the ball descend on Time Square, I can’t help but look back on the events that made up 2017.

What a crazy year it has been.  Donald Trump was inaugurated to become our 45th president.  Britain’s exit from the European Union.  World leaders being ousted from their political thrones.  Along with many other political events.  The many sexual misconduct accusation against several high profile actors and producers. And we can’t forget the many natural disaster that have occurred.  Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria devastating Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and the Southern U.S. and something that effected my family, the wild fires that plagued the Western U.S.  With tragedy comes triumph, as humanity put its best foot forward to help their fellow man and to the many woman that stood up to say that they would no longer be the victims.  As I said, what a crazy year it has been.

It has been bit more quite for us here at the Adventure Diaries.  Our year was full of small victories and big adventure.  Many of those things we have been happy to share with you.  I’ve found me a new job after looking for over a year and Erin has excelled at hers.  We didn’t have any major trips this year but we were able to explore more of Illinois outside of Chicagoland.  That doesn’t mean that we didn’t get out.  We were able to spend sometime with family out in Utah and California.

I would have to say that my favorite adventure that we had this year is when we went back to Utah for my sister-in-laws graduation.  It wasn’t anything fancy but we were able to spend a lot of time with our families.  The first part of the week was spent out in the Utah wilderness driving around in our side by sides.  If you have learned anything about me from this blog its that I love to be out in the woods.  Especially if we’re in our Jeeps or on atvs.  We haven’t really had time to find good places to camp in Illinois.  A few of our friends have recommended some places but with our limited free time it’s been hard to research and go.  Hopefully that will change with the new year.  The rest of the week was low key as we hung out with the family and visited old friends and our old haunts.  This shows that your adventures don’t have to extravagant to be worth wild.  Even the simplest adventure can have the biggest impact.

But if we want to talk about extravagant adventures we’ll talk about Erin’s favorite adventure.  Erin was lucky enough to be accepted into a training program through her work.  This training happened to be a world wide program and the first place they went......Sweden.  I will give Erin a chance to tell you what made this trip so special.

Going to Sweden has been a dream of mine since starting with IKEA over 6 years ago. It’s not just the birthplace of my favorite store but also a huge inspiration for design and style. My absolutely unforgettable highlights we’re going to IKEA in Almhult, visiting IKEA headquarters, going to the IKEA museum and staying at the IKEA Hotel. Meeting people from all over the world with the same level and passion for design and IKEA was simply divine. I often had to rub my eyes and think to myself this must be a dream! I soaked up every moment and took enough photos to always remember this once in a lifetime experience. Now to find a way to go back so I can add to my suitcase worth of a dhala horse collection! 

Like many of you, I have a resolution for this year.  Nothings too outlandish, even though I should make one to slim down a bit, but something simple.  Try to make 2018 better than 2017.  I know simple, that may not be as easy as I make it sound.  We had a lot of fun this past year.  We already have some exciting adventure on our calendar, which we have been planning for sometime.  Which I can’t really talk about right now.  No spoilers here, I don’t want to ruin any of the surprises.  We’ve also been trying to figure out what else to do this year.  There are so many thing that we would like to do but not enough time to do them.  Thats always the hardest part,  Whatever may come our way, we are excited to continue to share our adventure with you and hopefully inspire you to find your own.

Heres to a New Year and New Adventures!

Until next time. Thanks for stopping by.

Josh and Erin

A California Christmas Experience

Happy Holidays everyone!

Well it’s been pretty crazy for us here at the Adventure Diaries.  It seems like we’ve been running around like mad here and there.  We’ve been so busy that we haven’t even had time to put up our Christmas Tree.  Some decoration have gone up though, not enough to show our pride for this joyous season. But hey, that’s okay!  The Christmas Spirit is definitely in the air.  A chill in the air with flurries of snow.  Lights have been strung upon homes and businesses.  Holiday shopper running around like crazy, trying to find the perfect gifts for their loved ones.  And of course, people out and about buying Christmas trees in their shorts.  Wait!......What?   Yeah you read that right.  Once again, we have packed our bags and head to the golden coast of California.  Erin was even able to make it out this time, lucky girl.

Whenever I think of Christmas time, I always picture snow and cooler temperatures.  That’s what you see in almost every Christmas movie as well.  It’s strange to me to think of it any other way.  I sometimes forget that the rest of this country, during the winter that is, has a different climate than what I’m used to.  Spending a few days California gave us an opportunity to experience Christmas in a different way.

The first day we found ourselves exploring Universal Studios.  We were lucky enough to visit last year, around the same.  I feel that they had stepped up their decorating game compared to the following year.  It is possible that they had not completed their set up, but I think that was unlikely.

The CityWalk was a blaze with lights and standing tall, front and center, was a giant tree. Fully decorated and lit.  Truly a sight to be seen.  Here you could get your picture taken with the jolly fat man himself.  No I’m not talking about your old Uncle Chuck, but Santa.  At night the area surrounding the tree turned into a dance floor as Dj’s and bands played for the crowd. Even King Kong donned his favorite Santa hat to feel the spirit.

As you approach the entrance of Universal Studios, you are greeted with a picture of the Grinch.  For here they celebrate Grinchmas, an homage to Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  Also the live action film that Universal put out in 2000, which starred Jim Carey.  Part of the set can still be seen during the Backlot Tour.  The streets and building are lined with lights and garland. Along with other Christmas themed decorations.  Just behind the Universal Box Office in the Universal Plaza sits a 60 foot Who inspired tree.  Throughout December, on select days, you can get your picture taken with the Grinch and Max and spectate the lighting of the tree.  If that doesn’t fit your fancy, then you can break it down with the beat box stylings of the Wholiday Singers or listen to Martha May Who-vier perform her holiday revue before settling down with Cindy Lou Who for story time.

We had a lot of fun running around Universal.  Even though it was busy, it did not feel that crowded.  We were able to ride all the rides and see all the attractions that we had wanted to.  My favorite part of the day happened right before we left the park.  During the last hour, or so, before the park closed in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter they put on a light show.  Using the Hogwarts Castle as a back drop, they project images upon it.  With characters flying around the castle casting spells and creating beautiful imagery.  I now that I’m not giving it justice trying to explain it, but none the less it was a really cool show.

The Following day we went to the happiest place on Earth, well depending on who you ask that is, Disneyland.  As always the Magic Kingdom was in full Christmas spirit.  Several trees decorated in different styles fill both California Adventure and Disneyland.  The streets and shops are all decorated and ready to spread the cheer.  The Haunted Mansion has been taken over by Jack Skellington and his misfits of Halloween Town.  Nightmare Before Christmas Y’all! If you didn’t know what I’m taking about.  And we can’t forget Cinderella’s Castle, capped with snow and lights.  Really a wonderful and magical site to behold once the sun goes down.

I have always enjoyed going to Disneyland.  From the first time to the most recent, I have always found it fun.  Even with my dislike of crowds, there is some sort of “magic” that keeps my anxiety at bay.  Most of the time that is.  Sometimes it rears its ugly head and I have to take a moment to cool down.  You do what you have to. Right?  Even though it was crowd, we did get to ride most of the rides.  I feel that you need more than one day to really experience the parks.  We did get to ride the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  An attraction that I haven’t rode since I was little.  It was either broken or under construction, so finally getting to ride it became one of my highlights.  We could always use more time but all in all it was a wonderful trip can’t wait to visit the Magic Kingdom again and you to California Adventure.

One of our tradition we had when we lived back in Utah was checking out Christmas lights.  We had several notable places that had elaborated decorations put up every year that we, and many others, had to see.  So when my wonderful sister-in-law Misty had heard about a neighborhood that was known for their decoration, we knew we had to take a gander.  We load up the car and went on our merry way.  This is were it became a little weird for us.  We are used to looking at lights all bundled up in our winter clothes and viewing them from the warmth of our cars.  We would never think about getting out and walking around, but thats exactly what we did.  Not only that but we did it in short sleeve shirts and no coats, except for those goofy Californians who think that anything below 60 degrees is cold. Ha Ha Just kidding California.  There was even a few people walking around in shorts.  It was definitely a fun and unusual experience.  One that most likely wont happen for a very long time.

This was one of our lost hoorays in California for awhile.  It was awesome to see the family and share some of the Christmas Spirit that California had to offer.  It will always be strange, to me, to have 80 degree weather and no snow in December.  Everyone has there idea of what Christmas looks like.  Whatever that looks like to you, I hope that you enjoy it.

From all of here at the Adventure Diaries.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

As always, Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time.

Josh and Erin

A Californian Turkey Feast

What’s up everyone?

I have to admit something to you all.  You know those poor souls that I had mentioned in my previous post.  Well, I happened to be one of those poor souls.  Since Erin was going to be out of town for a work training, I was going to be spend the holiday by myself.  I was offered, by our friends, to come over if I wanted to.  I probably would have done this, but I had been invited by my family to fly out to California to spend Thanksgiving with them.  Which sounded like a good idea to me.  Especially since I haven’t seen my family in person for quite sometime now.  I was a little hesitant at first.  I would be fly out Thanksgiving Day and flying back the following Sunday, which is considered the busiest day to fly all year.  If you know me or have been following me, you know that I do not do well with large crowds and this was looking to be the busiest it has been in years.  I was not looking forward to dealing with all the people, but I figured that it would be worth it in the end to see the fam.  So we went to work to set things in motion to get me out there.

Everyone has heard horror stories about traveling over the holidays.  I for one want to avoid as much discomfort as possible.  I have never flown on a major holiday and especially not out of a  large airport like O’Hare.  So I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  I tried to come up with best course of action that I could.  My flight was fairly early in the morning.  I figured traffic would not be too big of an issue.  In all honesty I did add about a half hour to my pick up time for the airport.  You never know what can happen until it does.

The roads were pretty clear, the weather was not an issue, and I made it to the airport with out major incident.  The only issue I had was when I made it to the airport.  It was lucky that I add that extra time.  For something I did not expect or even thought would happen.  As I passed through the doors I noticed everybody kind of milling around.  This was incredible odd to me.  I figured they would lined up going through security.  I head off to investigate and to my surprise there were no TSA agents manning the check point.  It has never occurred to me that they shutdown security.  I always thought that they had shifts and it was manned all the time.  Even on my late flight I have always seen someone there, so not sure when they actual close up shop for the night.  Dumbfound, I made my way to the back of the line and staked my claim.  The poor lady behind me was having a bit of a panic attack for her flight was getting close to boarding.  I wasn’t too worried, I still had plenty of time before my plane departed.

Finally they opened up the check point and we all shuffled forward waiting for our turn.  Once through security it became a free-for-all as the natives scattered.  Rushing here and there trying to make sure they made to where they need to be.  As for me, like I said I still had plenty of time.  I casually made my way to my gate without a real care.  Sometimes you just have to smile to yourself and laugh.  For in my casual stroll, I had passed many of those poor souls that were rushing to their gates.  I found me a comfy little spot, if there is such a thing at the airport, sat down and waited for the next part of my journey to begin.  

My flight to LA went fairly smooth.  Very little to no turbulence to speak of and very friendly row mates.  We didn’t talk a whole lot, but the conversation we had were pleasant.  We did fly over something unexpected and something I haven’t seen in a very long time.  The Grand Canyon in all of its glory.  In all the times that I’ve flown to LA, we have never done that.  When you are in the park, you can tell that its huge, but to actually see it from the sky shows you just how big it actual is and it’s massive.  It’s no wonder why it can be seen from space.

Once we made landfall I said my pleasantries to my row mates and made my way to baggage claim.  Here I was greeted by warm smiling faces of my parents and two dozen Randy’s Doughnuts.  Not to sound too much of a gluten, but I’ve had my share of doughnuts from quite a few places and I have to admit these were some of the best I’ve ever eaten.  I was not disappointed.  We made our way back to my parents place and await the time for Thanksgiving dinner that my brother and his family was preparing for us.

Finally it was time for dinner.  The aroma of the meal filled the house and made our mouths water.  We gathered around the table and dished up.  It was good to be able to see everyone that I haven’t been able to see in a long time.  I did feel a little sad that Erin was not there to enjoy this with us, but she was having some awesome adventure of her own.  We talked and played games into the night until we decided that it was time to turn in for the night.  Which was a great idea to me.  It had been a long day of traveling for me and I could use a good nights rest.

We had a couple of small adventures while I was out there.  I won’t go into too much detail, for I’ll be talking about them in the next few posts.  My return trip on Sunday was less eventful than my flight out.  I would like to say that it was all do to my planning, but lets face it, it was luck not skill that won this day.  I guess traveling, whether it over the holidays or any other day, is what you make of it.  For me it wasn’t as stressful as it could have been.  Others may not have had it as easy.  Just remember to take a deep breath.  It may not be as smooth as you would like, but it will all workout in the end.

I hope that your Thanksgiving was as good as mine.  

As always Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time.

Josh

Airport Free-for-All

What’s up everybody?

Cooler weather is blowing in.  Little flakes of white are flowing through the air.  Lights are being strung with care and the homes are filling with the smells of home cooked treats.  Yes my friends, the holiday season is upon us and in full swing.  Not so much at my house as we have both been really busy with work and haven’t really had much time to do a whole lot.  Hopefully, that will all change…..hopefully.

With the holidays comes holiday travel.  I never really had to travel very far myself, for most of my family has lived within about a twenty minutes drive from me.  The farthest I’ve ever had to travel was a four hour car ride to see my grandparents, so nothing to extreme in the grand scheme of things.

This has completely changed now that we have moved out to the Chicagoland area.  With busy schedules and limited vacation time, we really have to plan out our trips.  Especially if we want to see our families.  A drive that once just took a few minutes is now about a twenty two hour drive.  A trip that would take about two days.  Unless you are hardcore and drive it in one day.  Its possible but I wouldn’t recommend it.  So the best option for us, to get the most out of our trip, is to fly.

I don’t know about you but I have always found flying to be very stressful.  Trying to figure out the most efficient way to pack to utilize the most amount of space.  How to get to the airport: have a friend take you, drive yourself (which comes with its own stresses), schedule a shuttle or cab, Uber.  So many options.  Once you are at the airport nothing but lines and don’t get me started on security.  It seems like a major stress filled ordeal from beginning to the end.  When you throw in the holidays that stress is elevated to new heights.

I know what you are thinking.  Is there a point to all his rambling?  Well, yes there is.  A lot of  people, including myself, get caught up in the hustle and bustle of trying to catch their flights.  If you can slow down for just a moment you would be surprised about what you can find.  This is not true for all airports, but I would say for most of them it is.

Not too long ago we were put into position that was not ideal in any way, shape or form.  We were catching a flight out to Houston and unbeknown to use the airline had bumped our flight to takeoff earlier then expected.  We didn’t find out until we reached the airport and tried check our bags, where they told us that our flight had just taken off and we had missed it.  We were in quite the predicament.  We grabbed our bags and beelined it to the nearest counter, hoping they could help us out.  Luckily for us, the counter wasn’t very busy and the intendant was in a good mood and happy to help.  We were on a tight schedule and had to get there before the next morning.  She diligently look through all available flights until she found one that would work.  Unfortunately it was taking off around 6 p.m.  Our original flight was supposed to leave around 7 a.m.  We had no other option we had to take it.  We found us the closest bench and went over what to do next.  Option 1:  Catch a cab back home and come back closer to our flight or Option 2:  Just hangout at the airport until our flight took off.

Well we didn’t want to add an extra expense by catching a cab back home and then catching another one to come back.  It adds up.  Option 2 made the most sense to us.  So we sat on our bench for awhile and finally decide that we could continue to sit here or we could head through security and hangout in the terminals.  We gathered our bags and jumped in line, made it through security without incident and found a quite little place in the food court and had breakfast.  A bagel breakfast sandwich from Great American Bagel Company, just incase you were wondering.

What to do?  What to do?  What can we possible do to kill the rest of the time that we had left?  Well we were in a airport might as well have a little adventure and explore all the nooks and crannies that O’Hare has to offer.  To be honest you may not think that there is a lot to see in an airport but you would be surprised.  O’Hare has several glass display cases that has various types of displays in them.  The one that sticks out to me, had some cameras and other gear that was used to film the documentary “Chasing Ice”.  At least I’m pretty sure it was “Chasing Ice”.  It basically talked but how they used the equipment and what it took to make the documentary.  It was interesting and informative.  They do change these displays to keep them fresh and interesting.

There is an exhibit just outside of the Delta terminal that stuck out to me the most.  Sitting on top of a podium is a fully restored World War II era Grumman F4f-3 Wildcat.  This aircraft was pulled from the bottom of Lake Michigan where it crashed and sank after a training accident in 1943.  After it was recovered, Air Classics Museum masterfully restored it back to it original appearance.  This aircraft is significant as it is similar the one that Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry “Butch” O’Hare flew during World War II.  Whoo that was a mouthful.  As you probably guest he would eventually lend his name to one of Chicagoland’s famous airports.  He had flown several mission during the war.  On his final mission, which he would earn a Medal of Honor for, he went up against a squad of Japanese torpedo bombers.  His fighter went down and the search and rescue teams were unable to find him or his craft.  It was suggested by Colonel Robert R McCormick, of the Chicago Tribune, to remain the airport in his honor.  On September 19, 1949 Orchard Field Airport was renamed O’Hare International Airport in his Honor.

To all those poor souls that have to travel over the holidays, I hope that you get a chance to slow down and take it all in.  You never know what you can find.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at the Adventure Diaries.

Until next time.  Thanks for stopping by.

Josh and Erin

Starved Rock's Fall Colors

What’s up everyone?

Yes, it’s that time of year again.  There is a slight chill in the air out here in Chicagoland, much like many places.  The leaves are changing to vibrant yellows, oranges and reds.  And my lovely wife out of town for the weekend and leaving me to my own devices.  What is a guy like me to do?  Run to Bass Pro Shop and dream about cool stuff I would like to have.  Yea, I could do that.  I could stay home and have a movie marathon or maybe jam out on some video games.  Thats a likely option.  So many possibilities, what so I do?

Even though sitting at home would have been wonderful.  I decided that I should at least get out into the wild one last time, before it gets too cold and that infamous white stuff starts to fall.  Snow that is.  Like many people in the fall, I figured that I would checkout those vibrant fall colors that I had mentioned earlier.  Early Saturday morning I packed up some supplies and headed down the road to Starved Rock State Park.  Funny enough, this was not the first time that I attempted to see the fall colors.  In fact, it became the subject of my first Adventure Dairies post.  The results were quite different.  Last year a fog had rolled in the night before and did not lift until the following afternoon.  It muted the colors and made for a different hiking experience.

I have talked about Starved Rock before, but in case you have not read them or seen anything on it.  I’ll give you a little background.  Starved Rock State Park is one Illinois’s pristine State Parks that can be found on the banks of the Illinois River.  Its about a hour and a half drive from Chicago.  Depending on traffic, that is.

The Park gets it name from a sandstone butte that overlooks the river, which is known as Starved Rock.  There are several theories on how the rock received its name.  The widely excepted theory goes as this.  In 1760’s a tribal council of Native Americans was called.  In attendance was the the leader of the Ottawa tribe, Chief Pontiac.  As well as the leader of the Illinois tribe, Kinebo.  I’m not sure what spurred it on, but Kinebo end up stabbing Chief Pontiac to death.  Of course, this infuriated Pontiac’s followers.  Blood shed fell upon both tribes as battle raged between them.  The Illinois started to fear death and fled the area.  The Ottawa were relentless in their pursuit.  They eventually caught up to the Illinois and laid siege to their encampment upon the rock.  Unable to get food, the Illinois started to starve to death.  Hence the name Starved Rock.

Now a days Starved Rock has been voted Illinois #1 attraction with over 2 million annual visitors.  Those that come to Starved Rock enjoy the many hiking trails that lead you through forests and canyons.  Not into hiking.  Well, since the park lies on the bank of the Illinois River you can fish, canoe, or kayak.

I suggest starting at the visitor center.  Its not as big as some of the others that I have been in, but it has some good information about the area.  It also has a couple of small shop where you can pick up some trinkets, food stuff, and drinks.  If you talk with the ranges, they can suggest the best hikes for you.

Starved Rock consist of 18 canyons scattered about their trails.  They are not quite the canyons that I’m used to.  Being from the West, we tend to have mountains with large canyons that pass between the ranges.  I’m not trying to take anything away from here.  They are still spectacular to see.  On my pursuit to see the fall colors, I decide to explore the some of the canyons I hadn’t seen yet.  I have heard from the locals that St. Louis Canyon was one of the canyons that you had to see.  So that where I decided to start.  Now be warned, if you start this hike from the Visitor’s Center you will have to traverse a good set of stairs before you even reach the trailhead.  These stupid stairs reminded me that I’m not in as good of shape as I would like to be in.  Not saying I’m that bad, but something I need to work on.  Once up the stairs you pass by the lodge on your way to the trail.  The trail is very scenic.  Large stretches of forested paths and views of three canyons: Sac, Aurora, and Kickapoo.  Of course, the true awe inspiring moment is when I enter into St Louis Canyon.  As I followed the trail the sandstone walls start to climb around you and curve towards a hidden corner.  And there it is, at the end of the canyon sits a beautiful little waterfall.  Like I had mention, I like to get to place early.  In doing this I virtually had the canyon to myself, not to say I was completely alone though.  I found me a nice rock to sit on and just sat there and took it all in.  To me, one of the most soothing sounds is running water and nothing beats the serenity that you get from a waterfall in the wild.

After awhile I made my way back to the Visitor’s Center.  I wasn’t quite ready to head back home yet, so figured I would walk around the top of Starved Rock and see if I could get a birds I view of the leaves.  From here I took a moment to watch the boaters float on the river.  The view from the top was great as I could start to see patches of color bleeding through the green of the trees.  To be honest, I was surprised that more of the leaves hadn’t changed yet.  It wasn’t until I dropped down by the river that the colors really popped.  I don’t know if I had got there at the right time or what, but the light had hit this section of trees just right.  I had finally found the fall colors that I had been searching for.  All the colors were shining brightly, I know my pictures won’t give it justice.  Satisfied with my little excursion I made my way back to by to my car.  Through my pack into the trunk and jump behind the wheel.  I took a brief moment to reflect on the day.  I would have taken longer but somebody was little to eager to take my parking spot.

Adventures don’t have to be some grand scheme.  Some of the best trips I have been on have been impromptu and unplanned.  Take a minute to enjoy the little things that you come upon.

Until next time.  Thanks for stopping by.

Josh

Haunted Illinois

What’s up everyone?

Once again Halloween has come and gone.  The kids are coming down from their sugar highs.  The dead are resting peacefully once more and normality is setting back in.  Peoples focus is starting to turn towards the next big holiday.  I figured I would stay a little longer in the Halloween spirit and share with you some of Illinois’ ghostly haunts.

Might as well start it off with the big one.  The Congress Plaza Hotel located on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.  It is probably the most haunted hotel in Chicago.  The hotel was originally built in 1893 to house the guest of the World’s Columbian Exposition or better know as The World’s Fair.  Over the years the hotel has gone through many changes to its structure as well as its ownership.  Almost since the doors opened, there have been reports of ghostly activity.

Up on the 12th floor guest have report hearing laughter of small children echoing through the halls.  This maybe due to the tragic event that befell a young mother and her two small children.  As the story goes, a woman and her family had fled Europe during World War II.  She had been hiding in her room waiting for her husband to arrive.  He had stayed back in Europe, but he was unable to make his way to the U.S.  She feared that the authorities would come and deport her back to Europe.  This fear eventually took its toll on the poor woman, for it drove her to the breaking point.  In her madness she took herself and her two children and jumped out the window to the pavement below.  Unfortunately the children were not able to rest in peace and now haunt the halls of the hotel.

Rumor has it.  During an early remodel of the famed Gold Room, one of the hotels formal banquet halls, that one of the workers found himself trapped in the wall.  In his panicked state, he hyperventilated and passed out.  Which eventually led to him suffocating to death.  It is said that you can see his spirited hand reaching through the wall in a failed attempt to escape.

These were just a few of the stories the circulate about the hotel.  With all the strange happenings that have appeared, none of them compare to what has happen in Room 441.  No other room in the hotel gets more call to the front desk or security than this one.  Most people report that they are awaken by a violent shaking of the bed.  When they come to the see a woman dressed in black standing over them.  Eventually she fades away in to darkness.  Leaving the guest dumbfounded and scared of what had just transpired.

We are leaving the city for the woods, the Robison Woods Forest Preserve to be exact.  Nothing can compare to how quickly a person can be over come with dread than hiking through the woods.  The woods once belonged to Alexander Robinson, a leader of a group of Native American made up of several tribes.  The Robinson family lived there in relative peace until 1955 when a fire destroyed their home and the land was reverted back to the state.  This was a turning point for the woods.  A several months after the fire, three boys had been found murdered.  Stripped of their clothing and tossed into a ditch.  The case went unsolved until 1994 when a many was convicted of his crimes and sentence.  He eventually died in prison.  Now a days, the woods are used for recreation: jogging, picnicking, cycling and walking the dogs.  Visitors to the woods have reported some strange occurrences.  Spirits of Native Americans have been found to wonder through the trees.  Strange lights and orbs of varying colors have been spots.  As well as disembodied voices and other sound can be heard.  There has been several paranormal research teams that have investigated the area with varying reports.  There is definitely something strange happening out in the woods.

Of course, no report on haunted places would be complete without visiting a haunted Cemetery.  There are a few throughout Illinois, but the one that has the most activity has to be Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery.  This cemetery as once well kept and was frequently visited by the families of the departed.  As the city grew, it became increasingly more isolated until it finally fell into disrepair.  The cemetery would not stay quite for to long.  Vandals found their way into the cemetery and desecrated the graves.  Grave stones were found broken, knocked over and spray painted.  There is also reports that some of the graves had been opened and their contents spread throughout the grounds.  Could this be the reason for the hauntings?  Some say its possible, but there might be another explanation.  Official and visitor have reported find bones of small animals by a pond near the cemetery.  The remains of these animals appear to have been mutilated in a ritualistic way.  Strange carvings have been found in the tree and even on some of the grave stones.  A little Black Magic anyone?  

The have been many sightings of paranormal activity within and in the area surrounding the cemetery.  Once again our colorful orbs make an appearance here.  Most people report that they move very quick and are sometime hard to keep track of.  Many apparitions have been know to walk about.  “Mrs Rogers” is know to wonder about the cemetery with her infant wrapped in her arms, with no destination or care for those who encounter her.

Be wary of the stagnate pond that lies just outside of the cemetery.  As legend has it, a farmer was plowing his field when something startled his horse.  In a frantic rush, the horse took off towards the pond.  The horse plunged into the water.  The farmer, tangled in the reins, was unable to free himself from the plow and was dragged to the bottom of the pond with his horse.  Witness say that the horse pulling the farmer on his plow can be seen emerging from the murky waters.

I don’t think that any haunted history of Illinois would be complete without talking about H.H. Holmes and his murder castle.  For those who don’t know who he is.  He is the United States’ first documented serial killer.  There are a lot of rumors that circulate about him.  He claims that he had killed 20 people.  Others say that number is closer to 200.  In all actuality, only 9 have been conformed.  

Holmes had purchased a empty plot of land in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago.  Many believe that he had swindled money from his former employer to earn the funds to build his new structure.  The building consisted of four levels.  The first floor was used as store fronts.  Some operated by independent owners and some by Holmes himself.  The Second floor was used as apartments and third was built with the intention of being used as a hotel.  The fourth and final level was the basement.  We’ll get back to that in a minute.  The second floor was built like a disorienting maze.  Halls that lead nowhere and rooms that, once entered, could only be opened by Holmes.  The walls of the rooms were lined with steel plates to deafen the noise of his victims.  Some rooms were completely soundproof.  Many of them contained trapdoors that were a oneway ticket to the basement.  The basement can only be described as a medieval torture dungeon.  Here he kept acid tanks, quicklime vats, dissecting table and a surgeon cabinet in which he kept his torture tools.  He would eventual build a contraption of his own.  He called it the “Elasticity Determinator”.  Much like the medieval rack of old, it was used to stretch his poor victims in unimaginable ways.  He claims that he could stretch a man to twice his original size.  Truly some despicable things had happened there.  I truly feels sorry for those unfortunate souls that fell victim to Holmes

This was just a glimpse into the haunted side of Illinois.  There are still a lot of other haunted sites throughout the state.  Hopefully I will be able share a few more as I continue to look into it.

As always, Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time.

Josh