Starved Rock

This was our (Jim, Nancy and Ruby) first camping trip in many years. Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks are beautiful with their fall colors showing. Ruby handled her first ever camping and hiking trip very well and the pop-up camper (Jim's first time towing a trailer) worked out great.

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One of the many bridges in the forest	A nice sunrise	Sun light through the canopy of trees

One of many dams on the Illinois river	French Canyon	The pop-up trailer we rented

Ruby in her jammies - ready for bed!	Ruby and Jim by the campfire	Ruby resting with Nancy

We rented the pop-up camper from Double-M Rentals in Addison, IL. It pulled easily with the Jeep Liberty and it setup easy and fast (in the dark!). We requested and received a site (at Starved Rock's campground) within a short walk to the bathrooms/showers. Since we had no porta-potty, it was nice to be so close. Yet, we were far enough away from the bathrooms to not smell them or hear anything going on there.

We arrived and setup late Friday evening. Got up early Saturday, made breakfast and made it to the Starved Rock Welcome Center by 9:00 am in order to make the first guided hike. We took one of the shorter hikes. It was great. The trees were turning colors a little later this year than the last few years. Another week or so and they would have been in all their splendor. Still, they were beautiful and I took dozens of pictures.

Most of the trails on the route we took in the morning were wooden paths that had been built recently. Over the years, erosion has taken its toll on the paths (dirt, sandstone etc.) in the park, so they've created these walkways in order to preserve the forest and still keep it open for hiking. During our guided hike, we learned a lot about the history of the park and the area - it's pretty fascinating.

We ate lunch (sandwiches) back at the camper and took a little rest. Later in the afternoon, we went back to Starved Rock and hiked on our own on some of the other trails. These were not wooden walkway type trails like the morning hike. This time, we were right on the forest floor. The canyons in this park are just breath taking. I really want to come back in the dead of winter and take pictures of the ice falls that form in the canyons when they have an especially wet winter.

Back at the camper, I began to prepare a nice dinner. We bought steak and other supplies before we left home. We also bought and brought with us, a small (Smokey Joe) Weber charcoal grill. I got a fire started in the campground grill/fire pit with some firewood we purchased in downtown Utica. I got the Weber going and started preparing veggies and such. I grilled steak, potatoes and broccoli. It all turned out great. We were running low on wood, so I took the Jeep into town and got more wood and some ice cream!

Breakfast in the camper again Sunday morning. The eggs, sausage and bread I brought worked out great. Rather than bringing a toaster, I just buttered the bread a bit and browned it up on the griddle. Breakfast was cooked on the griddle on the camper gas stove both Saturday and Sunday.

We decided to visit Matthiessen - State Park on Sunday since it was very close. It was not nearly as crowded as Starved Rock and the welcome center was not open this late in the season. The trees and the canyons here were also beautiful. There are a lot of stairs to climb in this park, so that's a consideration for anyone adverse to it. I didn't take my camera down into the park, but I did take a picture of Nancy next to a pretty tree in the parking lot.

We went into Utica for lunch. I picked up some take-out at a bar and grill and we took it back to the camper. After lunch, we packed up, stowed the camper, hitched it up and headed home. We had now camper or tow vehicle problems on this trip.

We had been talking about buying or renting a trailer to camp in for a year now. It's not cheaper than renting a hotel - especially if you need 2 rooms like we do when all the kids come with us. But this trip really whet our appetite for getting a travel trailer of some sort. That you've found this page means that you now know we bought a Trailmanor, model 3023 travel trailer. We take delivery in December 2003 and can't wait for Spring 2004 to arrive - more camping adventures to come!

Starved Rock & Matthiessen State Parks Utica, IL October 17-20, 2003

Starved Rock & Matthiessen State Parks
Utica, IL
October 17-20, 2003