Utica - Part Three - Starved Rock Lodge

top photo courtesy of their website

Starved Rock Lodge has 72 hotel rooms and 22 cabins. There is a Great Hall that is huge, centered around a ginormous stone fireplace. Comfortable furniture is scattered throughout.







There is a dining room on one end, and an open cafe on the veranda with scenic overlooks.

We have been to Starved Rock several times. This time we decided to take the walking tour of the "Art in the Park", the largest collection of chain saw art in Illinois - 30 in fact! We picked up a brochure in the lobby of the lodge. Jim was happy because he now had a mission. It was funny because some where hidden in plain sight. Especially when one was noted to be in the restaurant. I went in there and asked the young lady where the chain saw carving was located. She was polite enough not to say, "DUH!" first. She just said, "Right here." It was a bear standing BETWEEN us. Oookay. Here's the first photo I took. I didn't crop this one so you can see exactly how close she was standing to it. Maybe I need to get my eyes checked!




Next was the fish located on the veranda. We couldn't find that one, either. Jim thought that it must have been moved. We went back and asked the same young lady. She assured us it was out there. She described the EXACT LOCATION. It was hidden in plain sight. Really. Here it is. And if there weren't people around, I might have gotten up on that bad boy, but alas, I didn't want to scare the little children.



Walking by the gift shop off of the Great Hall, I spied this cap just begging to be modeled. I put it on. What do you think? I thought it would be great if we ever camp "up nor der" in the cold.




This is a really neat carving. Here's the full picture.



And here's a close up so you can see the details.



All of these carvings were made from the dead trees on the property. This one is really cool. The tree trunk was left standing. On the top of the tree trunk is carved an eagle, and eagle's nest, and a fledgling. My photo really doesn't do it justice.





This wood carving is HUGE. It stands about 10 feet tall.





We went into the lobby of the hotel to find some more carvings and to rest my tired feet. Here's a photo of the lobby:



Jim pointed out to me this cute two seater cupboard. I love the way it was painted.





We decided to treat ourselves to some ice cream so we went into the little cafe off of the lobby. They sold many eclectic things there like this:



And these coffee glasses for those coffee drinkers in your life:



And they even sold THIS:



The sign refers to stationary made from animal dung also available at Target.

Another wood carving:



This is a trolley named "Ranger" that can take you around the park and to the neighboring town of La Salle to the I & M canal for a boat ride.



There was a demonstration going on with two chain saw artists working outside by the parking lot. Here's one guy working on a beaver.




The second guy was putting the finishing touches on the eagle with some spray paint.



And finally, here's one of their finished products. Isn't it gorgeous?



Thanks for taking the tour with me to Starved Rock. If you're ever in the area, I'd recommend you stop by for a visit!

Utica - Part Two - Starved Rock State Park

The major attraction in the town of Utica is Starved Rock State Park. The park got its name from an incident that happened in the 1760's, when the chief of the Ottawa tribe, Pontiac, was slain by a member of the Illiniwek tribe while attending a tribal council in southern Illinois. According to legend, during one of the many battles that occurred to avenge Pontiac's death, a band of Illiniwek, who were under attack by a group of Potawatomi (allies of the Ottawa) sought refuge atop a 125-foot sandstone butte. The Ottawa and Potawatomi surrounded the bluff and held their ground until the Illiniwek died of starvation - thus the name "Starved Rock."

The park covers 2,816 acres, which includes 18 canyons that all have waterfalls after the winter thaw and spring rains, and 16 different hiking trails from as short as 0.3 miles to as long as 4.7 miles. Starved Rock State Park is best known for its rock formations and sandstone bluffs which run along the Illinois River.

The road into the park:



Some of the park grounds:



This is the Illinois River that runs alongside of the park.



See how low the river is here? Just a few months ago, with all the spring rains, the river actually rose OVER that wall, flooding that whole area, the parking lot, all the way up to the entrance road.



Here is the waterfall at St. Louis Canyon:




This walkway:



Led to this waterfall:



One of many rock formations:



You can stay at one of the cabins in the park. I've never seen inside of one, but the outside looks inviting.



Here's a sign they have posted in the parking lot. They really need to change it. Looks like swimming is only allowed if you are an alien.




NEXT POST: STARVED ROCK LODGE

Watery Wednesday

This week's photo for Watery Wednesday takes us to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. This is the London Bridge, originally built in London in 1831, and purchased in 1962 by Robert McCulloch, the founder of Lake Havasu and the chairman of McCulloch Oil Corporation. He wanted the bridge to serve as a tourist attraction to his retirement real estate development.

The bridge was carefully disassembled and each piece was numbered. Reassembly began in 1968, and finished in 1971. There was an "English Village" with shops and restaurants by the bridge, but sadly, it was pretty run down when we visited it.




This is a lighthouse on Lake Havasu that I saw while we were on a tour of the lake.

Small Town, USA - Utica

As I've mentioned before, we are camping just north of the town of Utica, Illinois. I've written about Utica in my post on bicycling along the I & M Canal. This small town of approximately 1,000 was put on the map when a tornado hit on April 20, 2004, killing 9 people. If you want to read a terrifying, heart-wrenching, moving story about the tornado, click the link.

There is a beautiful plaque and memorial for those killed in the tornado.



This memorial is where the Milestone tavern once stood, where 8 of the people were killed when the building collapsed during the tornado.



Here is a picture of Main Street. That's Duffy's Tavern on the corner. It's a fun bar with good food.



Main Street has an eclectic collection of shops such as the Second Look Antiques:




Or The Cheating Gourmet Shop (love the upside canoe over the door).



Utica is a biker-friendly town. It is not uncommon to see a row of cycles parked down the street.



Wheelbarrows with flowers planted in them were placed in front of businesses, like this one that was in front of Duffy's Tavern:



I thought this was clever. This one was in front of a computer store. The plants are inside of an empty computer monitor.



Towards the outskirts of town, I spied this bottle tree. I was so excited! It was the first one I've seen since we were down south in Mississippi.



I saw this wooden carving as we were driving by down the street. I made Jim turn the truck around so I could get a picture of it. It was pretty tall; I bet over 7 feet. I definitely had to look up at it. I'm not sure what she has in her hand; it almost looks like a man's head, yes?





Utica is also known for Starved Rock State Park. In another post I will talk about the park and post some photos.

It was Jim

Today, September 14, 2009, is the third year anniversary of my brother-in-law, Jim's, death. It is one of those defining moments - things that happened up to that date, and things that happened after.

I first met Jim back in 1971, when he started dating my sister, Linda. He was a fine specimen of a man - tall, dark and handsome, especially in his Air Force uniform. Jim had the most beautiful blue eyes that would truly twinkle when he laughed or played a joke on you. He worked at the 928th Air Force Base at O'Hare Field, first as an airplane mechanic, and working his way up to Chief Master Sargent. Jim loved America and he loved the Air Force.

Jim came into my sister's life at a great time. She had just experienced a bad break up from her first real love, and thought, as we all do when we are young, that she'd never find true love again. Then in walked Jim. Linda worked at the government offices at O'Hare field and joined the bowling league that had a mixture of players from both the 928th and the office.

Jim watched Linda loft her bowling ball down the lane and said, "I can teach you how to bowl."

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Sometimes I'd go out with Linda and Jim and we'd have a great time. I have wonderful memories of the three of us sitting in the front seat of Jim's car, singing to the radio while Jim drove us around in his gold and white Chevy Caprice.

In our many goings out, I met Jim's brother, Jerry. He was the total opposite of Jim - longish hair, a little on the wild side, he had the kind of bad boy thing going. I won't go into that now, because this story is about Jim.

After only a few months of dating, Linda and Jim were crazy for each other and decided to get married. They married within 11 months from meeting. Some people thought that they were rushing things. But just looking at them, you could see they were deeply in love.

Within the next year, Jerry and I married. How close can two couples get? Two brothers married two sisters. We spent almost every weekend together. It was great.

Linda and Jim wanted children so badly, but she had problems getting pregnant. Finally after three years - success! We are all so ecstatic! But 6 months into the pregnancy something went terribly wrong. The baby died inside of her. We were devastated. How did Linda get through this tragedy? It was Jim. That's all Linda would have to hear from Jim was that, "It would be okay."

A few months later, baby Jaime entered their lives through the foster parent program that they had signed up for that would allow them to take babies/children in emergency situations. Little did they know that Linda was already pregnant with her daughter, Kelly. They were able to adopt Jaime, and suddenly they were a family of four.

Two years later, Linda and I were pregnant at the same time with our sons, albeit 5 months apart. Jim was as excited as we were for the upcoming birth of my baby.

Another two years later, Linda and I are pregnant again, this time 3 months apart. Things are going great in her household, but not so much in mine. My husband had started acting different lately, staying out later, just "odd" things I couldn't quite put my finger on. We had two vehicles - one sporty and one station wagon. Jerry didn't have gas in his sporty car to go to work, so I said, "Take the wagon. I'm not going anywhere today." Later on, Linda and I planned to go shopping, so I grabbed my son, put the car seat in the back of the Camero, opened up the trunk to put in the stroller, and found..... a blanket and two wine glasses. One glass had lipstick stains on it. Shit. I foraged through the ashtray and yes, found cigarette butts with lipstick stains, too. The glove compartment? A picture of a woman, who looked younger than me. Shit, shit, shit. I drove to Linda's house, tears streaming down my face. I told her what I found. She said, "Let's go see Jim."

It was Jim who put his arms around me and held me while I sobbed. "Don't worry, Patty," he said, "I'll build extra rooms in the basement, and you and the kids can move in with us." This from a man, who's BROTHER was my husband.

It was Jim who took me to the hospital the night before my scheduled c-section to have my daughter. He sat with me the whole evening.

It was Jim who sat with me the morning of my surgery and saw me naked from the waist down when the nurse pulled the covers back to check for contractions because she didn't believe I was having them. (Even though I told her I was, and that this was my second child.) I quick scrambled to pull the covers over my unmentionables and said, "THAT is NOT my husband!" And the nurse replied, "Well, who the HELL is he then?" Jim and I laughed about that for years and years.

It was Jim who drove me home with my precious new bundle while my family waited to welcome me home.

It was Jim who I called when I need "pads" from the store after surgery and I couldn't drive for a couple of weeks.

It was Jim who readily took me and my two children under his wing and shouldered the responsibility that his brother didn't seem to want to do.

It was Jim who loved my kids like his own.

It was Jim who would readily spend any money he won on football pools, or lottery scratch offs, or even awards, on other people.

It was Jim who always wore a goofy mask at Halloween. He was always a kid at heart.



It was Jim who told the corniest jokes.

It was Jim who always wore those musical ties at Christmas. Also a Santa hat. He had to have a Santa hat.

It was Jim who had to eat "Peeps" at Easter time. He loved his peeps.

It was Jim who had the respect from every person who he had worked for and who had worked for him at the 928th.

It was Jim who cried as he helped the EMT's carry my sister-in-law's body to the ambulance after she lost her fight with cancer.

It was Jim who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died within 5 weeks of the prognosis.

It was Jim who we were honoring as all of us siblings stood in a semi-circle in the driveway, trying to be strong for my sister, as they wheeled his body past us.

It was Jim who still looked handsome in his Air Force uniform, the American flag displayed proudly above his casket, all of his medals pinned to his chest.

It was Jim who more than 1,000 people came to see and pay their respects that night at the wake.

It was Jim whom everyone loved.

It was Jim that the members of the 928th were honoring when they formed two lines for the casket to be led down at the church.

It was Jim that Linda stood by at the funeral home, not leaving his side ONCE throughout the night, her hand on his chest, grasping on to that last little bit of time left to touch him.

It was Jim that my siblings and I bought flowers for with a ribbon that said, "Our brother from another mother."

It was Jim that was honored with a 21 gun salute and full honor guard burial.








It was Jim who was laid to rest that bright, sunny day. And our lives have never been the same.

I love you, Jim. We all miss you down here.




(all pictures courtesy of my brother, Bob.)