Sangris Lake SP, Rochester, Illinois

Not nothing, but not much to report today

 Day 4; 27 May 2021; outside of Springfield, IL

Dan and I ate out last night at a local place: the Kincaid Diner. The front windows hadn’t been washed since at least a few years before the Pandemic but the inside was “small town perfect” with sturdy wooden chairs and tables and chatter that ricocheted from one table to the server to the next table, all in good humor! We both decided on the fried chicken special and I even took one of my pieces home for lunch today. When we walked in, Dan said he’d been here before. ‘Turns out that he was sent to the Kincaid power plant early in his career at Bailey Controls and this was one of the area’s few and far between spots for lunch. The cinderblock walls were covered with coal mining photos. I was absolutely shocked to find out that local coal was used to power the plant, now due to close in a few years. So weird to think that the Dan Lee of the late ‘70s and the Dan Lee of the early 2020s would be eating in that same small town diner! 

We noticed this mostly empty campground has reservations for each spot beginning tomorrow for the Memorial Day weekend....we pull out in the morning to donate our spot. This place will be a ZOO over the weekend (our destination in Iowa will likely be a zoo as well...the start of summer, Covid receding, holiday time....oh yeah...)

Today was ERRAND DAY. Since I got a RECALL on the pedals on my new bike, we found a Springfield sporting goods store that serviced Trek bikes and got the recalled pedals replaced. I would’ve been happy with a local mom and pop bike place for the replacement pedals, but Dan chose this place. Scheel’s is the biggest sporting goods store I’ve ever seen (think Dick’s + Cabella’s, but on steroids) and could be a tourist destination in its own right!  Inside, we discovered clothing for all types of sports, equipment for hunting, fishing, sports, games. And more: a restaurant. A fudge shop. A Ferris wheel. A candy store. An elaborate taxidermy display. Home furnishings department (perfect for my imaginary future log home—haha), Barbie dolls (say WHAT?!) in the toy section...and no, I didn’t see Hiker Barbie! An amazing aquarium with BIG fish in it! I’m sure I missed something! This was all in one pass as I was waiting for the bike.... 

Then, on to the camper store to look at generators and cell phone signal boosters. We actually purchased a gas/propane generator for those times when we’re dry camping and need power...we’re long past our tent camping days, after all. Generators are the most commonly stolen items in campgrounds so on to Menards for a good lock. When we emerged, the wind was blowing and the sky was really dark. We decided to head back to the RoadHouse for lunch and it began to rain. Then it rained harder. Then so HARD that the fastest speed of the wipers was almost enough for us to see through the windshield. It was a DOWNPOUR in farm country....hopefully it won’t wash out the crops that just got planted! (And won’t destroy the tender seedlings just coming up!) Now we have peace of mind—and power—for when we need/want to “dry camp”.

This is what the local terrain looks like...for miles and miles and miles...and miles!

LESSON LEARNED: roll up the awning and close the ceiling vents when you leave even if it’s sunny and doesn’t look at all like rain. We mopped up inside the bathroom and kitchen area after closing the vents. File this under #weshouldknowbetter and #weknowbetternow and #sheesh and #oldpeopletricks

After waiting out the rain, we decided to head to downtown Springfield to see if we could tour the Dana Thomas House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. We’ve been to a number of these homes and always learn to appreciate something new. We found the home and circled around, clicking a few photos. Unfortunately, we did not make reservations prior to just showing up and today’s slots were taken. They tour every 90 minutes beginning at 9:30 am—but, because of Covid, they only allow five people at a time. Too bad. We even thought of going on the first tour tomorrow but there was only one ticket available....This house was really exciting in comparison to the others we’ve seen. We haven’t previously seen a Prairie-style design and the stained glass and fancy architectural pattern details made me salivate to see what is inside....sigh. #weknowbetternow #lessonlearned (When we got back to the RoadHouse, we went online to buy tickets for the Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum/Library...it is still completely closed! Bah!)

Stained glass detail noted by sticking one’s face right up against the door...lots more barely visible inside the windows on the second floor. And the patio had part of its floor made of square glass blocks, illuminating in the daytime, the room below (inside the house). This home is likely a real gem.

The Dana Thomas House by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Springfield, IL

We had a nice ride on our bikes after dinner; there was some question if we were going to get more rain, so we kept it “close to home”. (New pedals were fine) 

Tomorrow: we head to Iowa, home of the Hawkeyes