<< Day 43: New River Gorge to Twin Knobs Recreation Area | Day 45: Rend Lake to St. Louis, Missouri >>
Twin Knobs Recreation Area to Rend Lake, Illinois
Genevieve and I were talking this morning about all of the activities that we had done so far on this journey. I asked her if she remembered them all or if the events were scrambled together. She said that she remembered some things better than others, adding that “your mind is like a big book, and some of the pages have bookmarks on them.”
Our campground was surrounded by dense forest, which offered a sense of privacy and peaceful seclusion.
The area is called “Twin Knobs” because of the two large hills protruding on the edge of the lake. After breakfast, we set off on a hike to the observation point on top of the tallest hill. The trail was about 2 ¼ miles round trip.
Some of the trees had large birdhouses.
There were a few benches along the way.
We had fun searching for unusual plants and different kinds of insects. The kids were fascinated by this big yellow mushroom, which had ants crawling around the stem.
We found a “short cut” half way up the hill.
The climb over the roots was steep and a bit slippery. We all scrambled up fairly easily. Ben, who was bringing up the rear, did not have to catch any tumbling bodies.
Sebastian and Genevieve at the top.
I had expected to find a glorious hill-top view of the surrounding lake. However, the trees blocked all but some tiny snippets of water that we could see through the branches.
On the way back down the trail, we discovered some soft furry moss.
We thought that there might be an animal living in this tree hole.
We got close enough to take a photo, which didn’t show any eyeballs peering back at us; however, we didn’t dare stick our heads all the way in to peek up and down.
Another possible animal home.
Hiking back:
After lunch, we packed up the RV and headed west for our next stopping point—Rend Lake in the middle of southern Illinois. Due to our late start, we decided to take the freeway, which would still involve 5 hours of driving. We wanted to arrive early enough to go for a bicycle ride along the miles of trails near the lake.
The 4-lane freeway was smooth, and we rolled along over hills wrapped in dense green foliage and trees.
We passed a long convoy of military vehicles that stretched out as far as we could see.
Ever since our Hummer adventure in Moab, Genevieve has been talking about getting a “real” Hummer (the wide, original version) when she gets older. She was excited to see a few Hummers mixed in with the trucks.
This mural reminded us that Kentucky is known for its beautiful horses and the sport of horse racing.
We enjoyed the picturesque scenery.
Louisville, Kentucky is located along one side of Ohio River, which forms the border between Kentucky and Indiana. How many bridges does it take to connect Louisville with the south-eastern edge of Indiana? Apparently, a lot.
We couldn’t figure out if this railway bridge was being constructed or torn down.
The Belle of Louisville was awaiting her passengers.
On the east side of Louisville, we crossed over another bridge into Indiana.
Welcome to Indiana!
We needed to stop for gasoline and to restock our food supplies. We keep a copy of the reference book “The Next Exit” in the RV; it provides a detailed listing of services and stores off of each exit along major highways throughout the United States. We looked at the upcoming exits near Corydon, Indiana, and selected an exit with a gas station and supermarket. That was easy!
Through southern Indiana, we drove over more rolling green hills with trees on both sides. We passed one farm after another.
This house had probably seen a lot, although now its eyes were hollow.
Some buses were being stored on a hill.
We passed through the Hoosier National Forest. “Do you know what a Hoosier is?” I asked Ben. He first said a basketball player for the University of Indiana. Then he peered at me sideways and said, “Hoosier daddy?”
I love that man—he adds lightness and laughter to my life!
The surrounding land started flattening out, with lots of corn fields.
We crossed the Wabash River, with its surprise-ending railroad tracks.
Rain speckled our windshield. Welcome to Illinois!
During the first ½ mile across the border, we passed by a number of oil pumps, including one immersed in a corn field.
The land flattened out completely.
The gentle splashes of rain gradually turned to a steady downpour.
Our speed limit in the motorhome was expressly limited to 55 miles per hour, while cars could travel 65.
We shared a laugh at the name of this advertised business: “Curl Up N Dye.”
We seemed to be in the “land of the cell towers”—they were everywhere.
We didn’t have reservations tonight but hoped to find a spot at the Wayne Fiztgerrell State Park campground next to Rend Lake. After meandering through backroads, wondering if we were lost, we finally arrived around 7:30 p.m. The campgrounds were simply lovely—large and flat, with lots of trees. We found a great spot with a view of the lake.
Our neighbors were camped in this converted “log cabin” bus.
The steady rain meant no bikes or BBQ tonight. We put out the awning and created a dry space outside for Sebastian to play with his cars.
After dinner, we played a board game together as a family and then dropped off to sleep. We had crossed the time zone line in western Kentucky and could sleep in an extra hour in the morning. Ahh, the simple joys in life.
<< Day 43: New River Gorge to Twin Knobs Recreation Area | Day 45: Rend Lake to St. Louis, Missouri >>
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