Getting Out Somehow
Sometimes you really need to scratch that itch and just get away for a night or more, but if you’re like us you might not always have a lot of extra time or money on your hands. A few weeks past (we are a little late on getting this article out), we found ourselves in just that situation. Luckily, there is the Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park right down the street from us so we decided to camp there for an evening to see what all of the fuss was about. It allowed us to relax in the outdoors, recharge our internal batteries, and just enjoy the awesomeness of the beautiful Lake Michigan.
The mosquitoes seemed to be particularly vicious that evening and took quite a liking towards my wife Britt, which I was guiltily grateful for as her sacrifice kept them from attacking me! We ended up calling it an early night, retreated to the safety of our camper and enjoying the sounds of rain on the rooftop of the camper as it lulled us to sleep.
This particular park can get a bit more crowded that we would like at times with 241 sites with electricity, decent facilities with numerous flush and pit toilets, hot showers, and even a little camp store set up for firewood, snacks and assorted beach toys. Unfortunately, none of the campsites are directly on the water like we had hoped, but there are a few not too far from it with trails that lead right up to the main pathway along the beach. The state park has a nicely maintained 6.5 mile concrete pathway that weaves along the water break of Lake Michigan shoreline that you can walk or ride your bike on. It is actually the only remaining beach ridge shoreline left in the state of Illinois. The beaches at this particular park are beautiful and remind me of our time spent in Hawaii with its blue waters and bright sandy beaches; to bad it’s just not as warm. If you’re not into camping, there is a nice Lakeside Restaurant (we have not eaten there yet but have heard it was good) and the 92 room Illinois Beach Resort at the entrance to the park. We ran across a sweet restored canned ham vintage trailer. Although, we did not get to meet with its owners in person, we later connected on the old inter-webs. You can follow along with the adventures of Macy and James, their two children and great dane at www.learningthelongway.com.
