A Perfect Day for Touring
After a relatively early breakfast we got ourselves and the bike ready to take a day trip to the Illinois River.
We took I-64 West toward St. Louis and I-255 North to Wood River.
We passed typical Illinois farmland.
Just north of Wood River we stopped at the Melvin Price Lock and Dam and the National Great Rivers Museum. The museum is near the confluences of the Illinois, Mississippi, and Missouri Rivers.
The museum has exhibits explaining many aspects of the geography, geology and history of the area.
Our next stop was Pere Marquette State Park. The Visitors’ Center was closed, but the education center was nearby.
We rode the scenic drive through the park and stopped at an overlook to view the river.
We crossed the Illinois River on the Brussels Ferry. It was a great day for motorcycling, and about a dozen other folks on bikes made the crossing, too.
We stopped for lunch at the Illinois Riverdock Restaurant (Formerly Mels.) We split one of their Sunday specials – Beef Brisket with 3 sides. It was such a huge portion we couldn’t finish it all.
We crossed back over the Illinois River and headed West to “home” in Mt. Vernon.
We made a gas stop.
And we had a restful coffee stop in Litchfield.
The park is on the grounds of the former Carnegie Library.
The trip took about 9 hours and covered 300 miles. It was great to get out of the hotel for the day. Tomorrow, we plan to go to the local sculpture garden.
Thanks for leaving comments. We appreciate that you are following our journey.
Nice to hear you had an enjoyable day.
Not far from where I grew up in southeast Iowa. The flat terrain and the rivers – and more food than you can possibly eat. Some good memories. Love all your photos and following your travels.
Good evening, we discovered Mullets Fish Camp today. A real gem, amazing food, fun ambiance and a singer who sang every song in G. Travel safely. B and C
Thanks for sharing your journeys with us, keep doing what you do.
Sounds like a good time.
Will you still have time to go to Alaska?
Yes. We’ll need to do a couple of long days to make up some of the time, but there should be plenty of time to get there and back to Rapid City by the 4th of July.
Stay Safe!
I’m glad you enjoyed your day trip. In the winter the people come for bird watching. The rivers flow so fast it never freezes completely over. Many different types of birds are there but mostly people come to watch the eagles.
Nice
Glad you are enjoying your layover.
Sounds like you are really getting to know the area you are in. Great way to the down time you have.