Starved Rock State Park - Oglesby, IL

We left Shelly and Bob’s in late July (yes I am behing on the blog AGAIN!!) and headed south to Starved Rock State Park in Oglesby, Illinois.   Boy was it HOT HOT HOT and HUMID HUMID HUMID.  We were running on 30 amps and one air conditioner.  (our main one decided to quit working a few weeks prior and we were limping along until we could get to PA so Dan could install).  Our site was in full sun and the heat indexes were between 112-117 while we were there.  Ugh!  We did our best to stay cool.

We went to see the I&M Canal…a 96 mile long canal that was dug by hand in the 1800s.

Watching the boat being pulled by a canal mule

Dan and one of the canal mules

Barge on the Illinois River

 We hiked in the cool canyons

Beautiful rock formations

No - we didn't play in the water...

it's an illusion

It was nice and cool in the canyon

We went exploring in the area…

and saw more barges on the river

And the tugs pushing the barges

We went to the Illinois Waterway Visitor’s Center….. And got to see the same barge we saw upriver come thru the locks!  It was perfect timing

Tying off

Lower gates opening

Leaving the lock

The locks just aren't for big boats! 

Time to head east!