Tippecanoe and Davies too…..
Late winter, maybe early February, every year there is a warm day that prompts the Princess and I to get our bicycles out of the basement for the first ride of the year. It always hurts. We tell each other that we need to ride more often so the muscles do not forget how to turn over the pedals and that certain parts of my anatomy get used to sitting on a road bike. With these good intentions, the weather always turns bad and another two or three weeks pass before we go out again. After that time-lapse, the muscles have again forgotten about turning the pedals so the learning process starts anew. We have several “first” rides of the year every year. You may be questioning what this has to do with our recent trip to Galena, IL. Well, I’m here to tell you that we are experiencing the sort of the same learning curve with the almost brand-new ORV camping trailer we purchased last fall. Our plan was to leave the house at about 7:30 am or so. Stock the frig and head out. Well at 9:30 am we were slowly moving things from the truck to the camper in the pouring rain. Maybe by the end of the season, we will have figured out where everything goes. I carefully positioned the truck to attach the camper, (following Princess’s directions to move 2 inches to the left and then 2 inches to the right) and then realized the hitch was not on the truck but rather safely stored back at the house. Another trip home and then a lot of backing up and then starting over to again move the truck one inch to the right. In another couple of years, we will have this down. The trip north was pleasant enough when we finally got going and was well worth the effort.
Apple River Canyon State Park in Northeast Illinois was our destination. There are no reservations taken for this park but were able to snag one of the few sites big enough for the ORV. The campsites were the largest I have seen in a state park but were designed so that the closely spaced trees and narrow pavement prevents anything bigger than a pop-up from utilizing them. The park was mostly empty when we arrived but towards the end of the week, there were a number of tent campers.
The town of Galena, chartered in 1841, is charming and has roots dating back to the late 1600s. It’s most famous resident was Ulysses S. Grant. The majority of the buildings are original to the early 1800s. Eighty-five percent of structures are on the Nation Register of Historic Places. While we were there, the main street was mostly closed off so that the restaurants could set up outdoor dining. True to form, we stopped at a couple of coffee shops, Big Bill’s Coffee Bar and later at the Trolley Depot. Just down the street was Something Special. a boutique with merchandise that the Princess could not pass up.
Across the Galena River is Grant Park and beautiful historic homes.
While we enjoyed Galena, the best part of our visit was exploring the surrounding Jo Daviess County, named after an early 1800’s war veteran who gained some level of fame at the Battle of Tippecanoe.
The rolling hills, green fields, and well-maintained farms could easily be the subject of Hunt-Wulkowicz painting. The Princess and I enjoyed the winding country roads and vistas around every corner despite the rain. It seems that we are able to find a nice winery on every outing. The Massbach Ridge Winery turned out to be a shelter in a storm. Good wine and welcoming people.
Dennis
