I had the fun of taking a late Fall drive across northern Illinois to visit with a friend of mine.
The weather was a bit misty with rain and the sun would peak in and out at me in the three hour drive. I drove through some beautiful Midwest farmland and rolling hills before reaching the town of Dubuque, Iowa ,a Mississippi River port town with alot of history.
I really enjoyed the short journey listening to christian radio and cd's all the way.I find quiet time like that is a treasure for me, as i am such a talker. But with nobody to talk to, my mind races with ideas for stories and just awe with the beauty of nature that unfolds around me. Some people may not think of late Fall as a pretty time to take a drive on country roads,when all the colored leaves are now fallen ,but they are wrong. I guess it is in the eye of the beholder. The tree trunks now exposed were beautiful shapes. Even when I was a child, I would see the interesting tree trunk images- some looked like dancers , two trees talking together , some bending down or to one side as if looking over its shoulder of sorts, or the beautiful tree lined country roads that form a "covered bridge effect" as their tops almost reach in the center of the small winding roads. One section of woods had a lot of Silver Maples with grey tree trunks and against the burnt orange drying leaves well...it was a beautiful contrast of subdued natural colors. The cornfields were all now an off white color and are also a lovely contrast to to the trees and drying grasses.Then add to that the rust orange and golden wetland plants and grasses with patches of water between them... well it is a soft pallet of a country scene! I love how wetlands look all year long. It is I believe God's way to save some of the land from being over-developed by farming and housing ,as it is the natural plain for water run off and cannot be built on.
After about two hours of driving the hills began to take hold,beginning the slow natural flow down to the winding Mississippi River that lay ahead.The historic towns like Elisabeth,Illinois,which is over 100 years old , have some of their original downtown brick buildings, little stores of necessity and of course one or two family owned town diners( most with great Midwest homemade pie i may add!). When i was young and we would take a Fall drive into the country (from Milwaukee where we lived) to go hiking, my dad would always have us stop at one of those town diners . He called it a "pie stop", and to this day i love my pie stops on trips! Thanks dad for creating this family tradition!!
Galena, Illinois is a beautiful small town located on the Rock River and is about fifteen minutes from the Mississippi River. It is known for its lovely historic downtown of red brick buildings and the former home of President Grant ,who was also head of the union army in Lincoln's era. There are lots of antiques stores, restaurants , horse riding stables and even golf courses ... now a bit of tourist area now especially in summer months.And then 15 minutes away is the Midwest blue collar town of Dubuque ,Iowa. Dubuque is less touristy and more of a working man's town but nicely on the Mississippi River with its marinas , promise of catfish in local restaurants. and even a Casino to liven things up a bit for some.
My friend Mary was working in Galena at a horse stables and living now in Dubuque. We met 15 years ago, when she was living on Washington Island. She recently retired from teaching at the Washington Island K-12 School and after at a bit of try at starting an internet island cafe business , decided to retire off island to be closer to her married daughter and grandchildren that live in Plattville, Wisconsin (just 15 min the other way from Dubuque). I had a nice visit with Mary: seeing the horse stables where she works, spending a little time with he daughter and two grand kids, having a nice dinner and quick once around the Casino next to it( at Mary's request who had never been in a Casino before), a long evening discussion on world politics and the environment, a quick sleep, breakfast at McDonald's and then off for home (as Mary headed to work the next day). On my way home I also met my friend Jan for lunch at a small town diner in Marengo where she lives. So all in all ,it was a whirlwind two days with , six hours of driving but alot of fun. It was a Fall adventure of sorts..gotta love that about the Midwest...so much to explore and so close to home !
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