Illinois

May 26-June 4 In and around Galena

To be honest, I started counting the days to arrive at our timeshare in Galena on Sunday and we weren’t scheduled to arrive until the next Saturday.. I was so glad we were able to move up our arrival date a few days early. Funny how being able to do laundry, shower, etc. in our personal place can be such a luxury. Much of our time in Galena was spent just chillin’ or working. We did take a few days to play tourist or drive around and enjoy the countryside.

At one time Galena was the largest town in Illinois and Chicago was just a village. Galena was literally left behind when the river silted up and lead ore became less important in manufacturing. Because the town was no longer an economic power, the buildings, etc. were left intact. Now it is very quaint and a tourist destination. U.S. Grant called Galena home before and after the Civil War.

I tried to capture the town with a picture, but…

Trash cans! REALLY?

Guess I’ll take a few images from the internet:

We spent most of our time in Galena buying books from the used bookstore, eating ice cream and visiting the museum. Ted surprised me by choosing another restaurant with tablecloths.

Fun lunch!

We especially enjoyed the history of the area. Because Galena was President Grant’s Hometown, downtown museum has the original painting depicting the end of the Civil War. I think almost everyone has seen this image in a history book.

From the internet

We took tours of the Belevedere Mansion, Grant’s Home, and wandered through Grant Park.

Look! It’s an action shot.

One day we drove about 30 miles to Dubuque, Iowa. We toured the Mississippi River Museum and the botanical garden followed by a trip up to see Effigy Mounds.

It was a nice museum. Ted liked the hands on part! The Botanical Garden is run entirely by volunteers.

We took a couple mile hike at the Effigy Mounds. Apparently, they look like a bear? I enjoyed the plants and the views from the top of the ridge.

The mounds don’t look like bears to me, but I like the green.

Mayapple flower, fungus and Pitcher plant

Our favorite activity while staying in Galena was driving around to see the countryside. It is stunning! The rolling hills are dotted with picturesque farms or gorgeous woodlands. It almost seemed as if there was a formula for the farms: One white house, one red barn, two silos and at least one other outbuilding. Every once in a while someone rebelled painted their house blue or cream. We even saw a blue barn, but those people were obviously mavericks or from out of state!

Sorry, no picture of the blue barn.

We especially enjoyed “Apple lands”. I don’t know if I saw any apples, but there is an Apple Fort (Lincoln was in the militia during the Blackhawk War, but he missed the battle at Apple Fort by two weeks ). The Apple Canyon Reservoir is a private lake with great facilities that only landowners can use (sigh). The Apple River State Park is a lovely place to visit and hang out (we felt like it was created just for us).