Small Travels

A road with some contour, even hills, but no hairpin turns; lush springtime greenery by the roadside mixed with newly planted fields occasionally; views of a river nearby, fading in and out of sght; and little traffic. Such is the stretch of Illinois 26 through Marshall and Woodford counties I drove, especially on Sunday.

I found myself driving that road because we’d acquired a tent this winter, larger than my bachelor tent, and determined recently to test it in actual campground conditions. I was responsible for destination selection, so I looked around with a number of things in mind. It had to be someplace that probably wouldn’t be full up by Friday night, since we wouldn’t get there until Saturday—and not early on Saturday, since it’s nearly impossible to get out the door for anything early on Saturday.

Also, I’d prefer somewhere new, both as a campsite and near a new destination. And it couldn’t be a long drive: no more than about four hours away. Three or so would be even better.

I settled on the Marshall State Fish & Wildlife Area, a unit of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, for an overnight destination. It straddles the Illinois River in Marshall County, roughly 30 miles north of greater Peoria, with the campgrounds near the road but also near the river. I’d visited other parts of the Illinois River a number of times, especially in LaSalle and Grundy counties, closer to Chicago, but never so close to Peoria.

Moreover, I’d never visited Peoria itself, for all the time I’ve lived in northern Illinois. Just never got around to it, even though it's only 170 miles away, according to my Rand-McNally mileage table. So we made the trip, only one night in a tent this time, two adults and two kids sleeping on the ground; and we saw Peoria and a handful of smaller places. Not an epic, but merely one of the little trips that I hope will conflate with others to form some pleasant memories, especially for Lilly.