Day 75 – Right now it’s 4:10 p.m., Central Standard Time. We are relaxing at a Park in south Illinois. The sun is shining in on the dashboard, and a beautiful orange butterfly is flitting about outside the RV. The girls are SO excited. “Whoa, did you see THAT?!” they seem to be saying as their heads whip back & forth, eyes huge, as they follow the butterfly’s every move. Yep, we think this campground will work out just fine.
123 miles, (3:00), 36395-36518
We were up around 7 a.m. this morning. It was sunny & 33 degrees. We left Lake Wappapello State Park at 10:35 a.m. after dumping tanks. We had the option of taking interstate highways or “blue” highways (backroads) to our destination in Illinois. The interstates are usually shorter drives but not nearly as interesting (and SO many big trucks). Since either way we went, our trip would not be as long as they have been lately, we opted for the backroads. But we have to be careful when following the GPS. Especially in Missouri, it has taken us on dirt or gravel roads, some almost impassable, on several occasions. With an RV towing a decent-sized car, this usually isn’t a good idea. Sure enough, we had to ignore the GPS’ direction a couple of times. Our drive, however, was interesting and fun.
We left the Ozark hills around Lake Wappapello heading northeast. The countryside became flatter farmland again and as we neared the Mississippi River, the evidence of recent flooding returned. This is one mighty River that cannot be tamed! We crossed the River from Missouri into Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, below Cape Girardeau. This part of southern IL was almost immediately more hilly. (We’ve been to IL before but always much further north.) Here, when passing through the small towns, you could almost feel the history around you. We stopped for lunch and a kitty break at a turnout for an historical marker.
Click any picture below to see a slideshow.
Back to driving, we arrived at our campground, Ferne Clyffe State Park, at 1:35 p.m. It was 58 degrees & sunny. A beautiful day. This Park is 1.3 miles south of Goreville, IL and there are several National Wildlife Refuges, Wildlife Management Areas, Conservation Areas, etc. in the vicinity. We know what we’ll be doing tomorrow…..
We’ve never been to this area, nor this campground. It is a nice Park. Off-season, you just drive around, pick a spot, set up, and at some point during your stay a Ranger will visit you to take care of payment & answer any questions you might have. Meanwhile, there’s a campground host in case there’s a problem. We chose site #23, surrounded completely by forest on one side and the front, and no one parked anywhere near us. As we pulled into the campsite, we saw a herd of deer near the site. There were maybe five other campsites occupied. But then again, it’s not the weekend. Our campsite was large and there were electrical hook-ups. Water was available thoughout the Park & there was a dump station. So far, so good. Whenever the Ranger visits, we’ll find out how much it costs off-season. The sign on the way in said $18 per night but we don’t know if that’s on or off-season rates & if that’s for all sites or if some cost more or less.
Gracie posed for a picture in the sun on the dashboard. The others were too engrossed in the orange butterfly to pay attention. It was nice to get to a campground this early & have time to relax in the afternoon. Right now a noisy woodpecker is yelling at us from a tree near our site.
Gracie