Road trip...

I recently got back from what has become my yearly pilgrimage to a small town in the middle of nowhere Southern Illinois. It's the town my Dad grew up in and we stay in the house he grew up in.

This year I decided to drive. 844 miles. It was a long drive. Absolutely gorgeous. I enjoyed the scenery and honestly the drive wouldn't have been a problem if I had company. As it was, I was meeting my Mom there and I just wanted to be there. I loved taking my car and being able to load up what I would need for a stay in a house not overflowing with amenities. A pillow, baked goodies, some little things for my Mom. So much easier to travel when you can just throw stuff in the car. Also, easier to bring back stuff if you shop or wind up extras from somewhere. However, I'll probably fly and rent a car the next time I make the trip. Shorten the travel time by about six to eight hours.

I have always enjoyed visiting there - the house is just peaceful, especially in the morning. There is a covered porch that gets good breezes in the afternoon. No amenities are near by, i.e. the grocery store is at least seven miles away. Usually, this isn't a problem, except the poor refrigerator decided this trip would probably be it's last. Not only does it make an ungodly noise when it runs (think a motorcycle going through the house), but the refrigerator section pretty much wasn't cooling. We think it was maybe the fan, but we aren't sure. For someone who drinks Diet Coke in the morning rather than coffee and who prefers it cold, very cold, this wasn't really good. We survived though. We were able to cook breakfast there and then generally did lunch or dinner out.

We did visit the antique shops one day and had a blast. We were tempted on a couple of items, but managed to keeps ourselves in check. One morning we went walking along the local lake. The picture above was taken from the hiking/bike trail there.

As much as we enjoy going there, it's becoming harder for us to maintain from a distance. We've come to realize we probably should sell it. We're running into the "old boys network" from the town "managers" and cost wise it's probably just not feasible. It's bittersweet. While most people wouldn't consider this a vacation spot, I've looked forward to my trips there and wonder where I'll go once it's sold.