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The Cruise--Details

I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons. 1)  I didn't think anyone would be interested; and 2)  This trip didn't include much of the normal topics:  good beer, good coffee or John-style travel. But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together. On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days.   We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port.  My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music.   Rememberi...

Rend Lake, Illinois

Our next stop in early May was at another Corps of Engineers campground at Rend Lake near Benton, Illinois. 

We needed to reserve a spot for the weekend, and things were already getting crowded on the first weekend in May. I made the reservation two weeks in advance, and our site was far from prime. To get level, I needed all of my leveling blocks for the rear of the trailer. 




There was a lengthy bike/hike paved trail on the property. We took full advantage and walked at least five miles every day of our stay. After the weekend, the campground emptied out enough to score a lakeside site. 



Julia kayaked several times on the lake.




We visited two brewpubs in the area. The first was called  The Hop Brewery in Christopher, Illinois. The town was in bad economic shape.  The brewery was newer and the highlight of the town.



Julia had a Hefeweizen that she thought was ok. I had something called a white stout that I didn’t like much at all. I thought it would be light colored but full bodied, but it was more like a stout on a diet.




We also went to St Nicholas Brewery in Du Quoin, Illinois. The beer here was much better.






We spent four days at Rend Lake before heading across the river to Mark Twain country in Iowa. 

Comments

MFH said…
Remember that time we were canoeing in the Amazon and the guide said it was the tannins that colored the water dark brown? I gonna surmise those folk at the Hop Brewery went on that trip at one time.
greg said…
OK, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I'm sure that dead end sign in the photo of Julia was just happenstance and not something you planned??

Yep, decent trails, but I'll always remember Rend Lake as the place I bought my Geezer Pass within days of becoming eligible.
John said…
Not my cup of tea.
John said…
Oops, photobombed by a sign. A coincidence.

They better not change the rules/eligibility on that pass. Less than two years and counting.

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