Shawnee National Forest: Oak Point Campground

The weather finally broke for me.  Nearly perfect temperatures in the 70’s during the day and 50’s at night.  I settled in for a couple of days at the Oak Point Campground, which I used as a base to explore other areas and for its own sake.

The campground sites were well-spaced.  The cost was $20/night including electric, dump station, on-site water, and no artificial light at night.  There is a trail leading around Glendale Lake, which Callie and I both enjoyed.  Hot showers were available, and firewood was cheap.

I’ve always been hard on Illinois.  Part of it goes back to the Packers-Bears rivalry, which interests me much less than it did at one time.  Part of it is the ugliness of the Illinois interstates and much of the Chicago area.  After spending a couple of days in the Shawnee National Forest, I began to really enjoy myself and the terrain.  It wouldn’t be the worst place to live—Southern Illinois.

People may not know that orange trees grow here, kinda sorta.  This is the only place where I’ve seen Osage oranges–also known as the hedge apple.

These fruits are literally as big as softballs.  Osage oranges are not fit for human consumption, although they aren’t really poisonous either.

Fortunately, they grow on short thorny trees that don’t grow above trailers like hickory trees do.  The firewood is incredibly full of BTU’s–even more than oak or hickory.  Great for wood stoves, if you could split the wood.

Besides reforming my views about Illinois, I’ve always been working to reform my diet.  Julia has gone all in on eating almost entirely vegetables with very little red meat.  I haven’t gone that far, but I am limiting my red meat intake by eating smaller portions and less often.

Here’s my take on a healthier diet:

You’ll notice that the vegetables outnumber the small steak, and some of the vegetables have green elements.  Specifically, the jalepeno peppers.  The rest is onion and potato.  This reformed diet thing is a work in progress.