Lincoln's Tomb and War Memorials State Historical Site

Abraham Lincoln

16th U.S. President

1809-1865

 "Now he belongs to the ages"

 

 

After viewing the tombs we walked through Lincoln Park to see the re-enactment camp setup for the first Lincoln Funeral Re-enactment to commemorate the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln's Funeral.

 Of course, the kids see a trail and they have to explore it...

 Camp Life...

 War Memorials State Historical Site

 Vietnam Veterans Memorial

 Korean War State Memorial

 World War II Veterans Memorial

 

We spent the evening upon arrival hiking the cemetery and park.  

The memorials and tomb were a sight to see...very somber and humbling. 

It was nice to walk back in time with all the reenactors. 

Destination:  Springfield, IL / Oak Ridge Cemetary and Lincoln's Park
Lincoln's Tomb and War Memorials State Historical Site

p.s.  We camped out at the Springfield State Fair Campgrounds and they were really nice!  If you find your way into Springfield looking for a place to stay I highly recommend them.  Just off Interstate 55, reasonable rates and within close proximity to everything we wanted to see for the funeral re-enactment they were our top pick!

 Springfield State Fair Campgrounds

801 Sangamon Ave, Springfield, IL 62702

(217) 782-6661

~deer~

Why I love to get outdoors

 

Growing up, I truly never felt closer to our Creator than when I surrounded myself in nature.
The woods became a church.
Whenever I felt weak I knew in my heart I would feel renewed basking in the glory of creation. 

Our souls need to find that peace in nature.
It is both humbling and beautiful.

~deer~

I Heart Sunrises

And the thought of warm weather around the bend...

~deer~

Attitude is Everything

 

When it comes to opinions our little family of four is as divided in opposition as the day and night.  We all want and hope for the best when picking gear and locations to explore but sometimes you just have to put aside your agenda and make the most of it.  Our last hike through the St. Louis Canyon at Starved Rock went off with a few hitches.  First, our son ran right into what looked like frozen ice all too late to realize it was 4 inch deep slush in regular tennis shoes right at the beginning of our hike.  He did have a spare change of socks but that didn't help with his non waterproof shoes.  His feet were plum soaked.  Then as I was climbing frozen ice formations behind the waterfall I slipped and in an effort to save the camera I landed in the same 4 inches of slush while banging up my arm and hip pretty good on the way down.  Soaked pants, undergarments and the hurt pride of walking around with a wet bum throughout the park.  Then, our daughter who followed my path done the same thing but I was able to catch her before she completely fell in so only her lower legs were wet.  She said she hit her rib on a piece of ice and it was tender.  Then while trying to hike our way up to the Lodge to dry off my poor husband slipped down a set of stairs on his bum catching himself on the railing at the bottom. 

We take our family outdoors to have fun.  Reconnect with nature.  Unplug and unwind.  

Sometimes we get hurt.  

Sometimes it is cold and wet. 

Sometimes we're hot and sweaty.

Sometimes we get grouchy, argue, and bicker.

Sometimes we see new things while exploring our own limits

Sometimes we get up close and personal with wildlife.

Sometimes our snack is the best tasting snack we've ever had {that day ;) }

Sometimes we smile, giggle, and laugh.
Sometimes we are completely humbled by the experience as a whole.

Just like our opposite opinions we choose to be thankful for the good and the bad.  We are always learning!  And at the end of the day we are always grateful for all we have been blessed to experience together.

Attitude is everything.

~deer~

St. Louis Canyon Trail

It reached 46 degrees and ended up being a beautiful day! We explored a part of the park we had never seen before...started off parking just off of Rt. 178 since the road down was closed due to weather, walked down the parking lot to the beginning of the interior trail to the St. Louis Canyon  After seeing the beautiful waterfall we then took the Bluff Trail over Kickapoo, Sac and Aurora Canyons to the Lodge. We used the restrooms and dried our wet clothing before walking down the flights of stairs to the Visitors Center and out the main entrance to the path that crossed back into the St. Louis Canyon parking lot to walk up to our vehicle. It was a great day to get outdoors!

 After a long winter full of snow over his head our sweet little Cole Nugget was excited to get outdoors.

Pretty trees and sun shining so bright...

The road off of Rt. 178 down to the parking lot was closed so we hiked it to the trailhead.

 Bowling with snowballs?  It was neat watching them unroll down the hill!

Spotted this trail leading out to the main entrance 

(which we later took to get back from the Visitor's Center)

Cute little bridges along the way

 Humbling and beautiful!

 It never ceases to amaze me how these trees take root on the side of the rockface inside the canyons.

 My baby girl says "HI!"

 Love how the canyon frames the waterfall.

Isn't it neat how the water seeps from the rock face?

The base of the waterfall was massive.

 Looking up...lots of detail in the frozen sculpture.

 It reached 46 degrees so parts of the ice were melting...closer to the base we treaded 4 inches of water to get behind the fall.  My poor son's shoes were not waterproof so he tried to run through the ankle deep slush.  Hard way to start the hike.

 Some spots were still solid ice...

 We climbed behind the frozen waterfall to explore.  This is the shot right before I took a nasty slip into 4 inches of slushy water above a frozen base.  My arm and hip feel like I've been hit with a meat tenderizer as I fought to save the camera and gear.

 Worth it...ABSOLUTELY!!!

Just look at all of those colors!

We thought the ice looked like super long fingers!

 St. Louis Canyon...you did not disappoint!

 Hiking the trail back...it was pretty decent but some spots were really slippery.

 Some parts of the trail were just muddy.

 See the tunnel?  

Cole size?

I think not...

 The stairs and steps were fun.  You really had to proceed with caution or slip down them on your bum like my husband did!

 It was so light outside with the snow and sun shining bright that it was eerie

walking up to a mustard yellow rock formation just out of the blue!

Trail treat...
Peanut Butter/Butterscotch Banana Muffins with Hot Cocoa...

 Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm

 Thumbs up for the muffins!

He inhaled his too! 

And snuck in a can of peaches for everyone as well! 

Thank you son!

 

The wind was whipping through here since we were in a clearing on the top of the bluffs...

couldn't wait to get back into the sun!

Poor thing...he was absolutely done...

 If you walk around the Lodge there are always beautiful wood carvings to see!

The kids liked this totem!

 Cole thinks this is the best way to hike and backpack!
Bless his heart!

Our daughter spotted 5 deer while we were hiking the bluff trail to the Lodge but they were too far off in the distance and looked like little sticks.  If only I had one of these lenses.   

A girl can dream right? 

Luckily, we bumped into the same 5 deer as we were walking the main entrance road to the path that cut back over the the St. Louis Canyon trailhead parking lot.   

Aren't they beautiful!

 I could watch them for hours...
They taste good, too, if I do say so myself...

 Hiking back...

Just look at those roots and vines grasping at the rock...

 I Heart Sunshine!!!

What an entrance!

As with all things, what goes up must go down...
Hiking back to the car...

It was a beautiful day to get out and about.  The birds were singing, the deer were roaming, and the squirrels were having a hayday! 

Desintation:  Utica, IL / Starved Rock State Park / St. Louis Canyon

~deer~