Day 1.

10:00 a.m. Depart home and drive to Cahokia, IL.

10:45 a.m. See the historic buildings in Cahokia, IL

11:30 a.m. Continue south on SR-3. Toward Fort de Chartres State Historic Site.

12:00 p.m. Lunch in Red Bud or Waterloo.

12:45 p.m. Visit the museum at Fort de Chartres State Historic Site.

1:30 p.m. Continue down to Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site and Pierre Menard Home State Historic Site (both just north of Chester, IL).

3:30 p.m. Finished with historic sites, continue south into the Shawnee National Forest to the Little Grand Canyon.

4:15 p.m. Begin a hike near the Little Grand Canyon

6:30 p.m. Finish hike and continue south.

7:30 p.m. Check into a motel in either Cape Girardeau, MO or Cairo, IL.

Day 2.

10:00 a.m. See the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi from Cairo, IL.

11:30 a.m. Visit Fort Massac State Park in Metropolis, IL.

12:30 p.m. Lunch in Metropolis or else in Paducah, KY.

1:30 p.m. National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY.

3:00 p.m. Depart Paducah and drive on SR-145 and SR-146 and SR-34 to see Shawnee National Forest.

4:00 p.m. Arrive at Garden of the Gods area in Shawnee National Forest and hike around the rocks.

6:00 p.m. Continue north to Harrisburg where one can spend the night.

Day 3.

10:00 a.m. Visit museum in Harrisburg, IL.

11:00 a.m. Drive northeast on US-45 toward Mt. Carmel

Noon. Stop at Beall Woods State Park to hike in the old growth forest (you will need mosquito repellant).

1:00 p.m. Continue north to Vincennes, IN.

2:00 p.m. Visit historic sites in Vincennes, IN

4:00 p.m. Drive west on US-50 from Vincennes to Red Hills State Park where one can have dinner (if it isn’t Monday).

5:30 p.m. Continue on into Olney. Look for white squirrels in the city park there.

6:30 p.m. Stop in Newton, IL (hometown of Burl Ives the folk singer).

8:00 p.m. Arrive in Vandalia, IL to spend the night there.

Day 4.

9:00 a.m. Historic sites in Vandalia.

10:30 a.m. Leave Vandalia, going north to Herrick. North of Herrick is an old cemetery with the grave of Simon Peter and Martha Davis Hadley, the great-great-great grandparents of Jennell and Eric. A brother of our great-great grandfather is buried in the cemetery, as well as some cousins of our great-grandfather.

11:45 a.m. Leave the cemetery and drive toward Springfield, IL.

12:30 p.m. Lunch in Springfield, and then visit the State Museum and the State Capitol, and perhaps also the Lincoln house, the Old State Capitol, and Lincoln’s grave.

5:00 p.m. Leave Springfield driving west to Quincy, IL.

6:30 p.m. Check into hotel in Quincy.

Day 5.

9:00 a.m. Begin visiting sites in Quincy.

Noon. Head north to Nauvoo State Park (across the river from Keokuk, IA).

2:00 p.m. Finish visiting sites in Nauvoo and drive north to Rock Island and Moline (Quad Cities).

3:00 p.m. See sites in Quad Cities

5:30 p.m. Dinner in Quad Cities

6:30 p.m. Drive north along Mississippi to Galena

8:00 p.m. Arrive in Galena where one spends the night.

Day 6.

9:30 a.m. Begin visiting sites in Galena.

12:30 p.m. Lunch in Galena.

1:30 p.m. Leave Galena.

2:30 p.m. Stop in Freeport to ride the Silver Creek and Stephenson Scenic Railroad.

4:30 p.m. Arrive in Rockford, and look around the sites in Rockford.
Spend the night in Rockford.

Day 7.

10:00 a.m. Leave Rockford and drive east to Union.

10:30 a.m. Visit railroad museum in Union.

1:00 p.m. Lunch in Union.

1:30 p.m. Leave Union heading south to Peoria.

3:30 p.m. Arrive in Peoria and look at sights in Peoria.

6:00 p.m. Dinner in Peoria.

7:30 p.m. Leave Peoria and drive to Urbana.

9:30 p.m. Arrive in Urbana and spend the night there.

Day 8.

1:00 p.m. Leave Urbana on way to Tuscola.

2:00 p.m. Rockhome Gardens near Arcola, IL

4:00 p.m. Shelbyville and Lake Shelbyville.

6:00 p.m. Rock Cave Nature Preserve (near St. Elmo, IL)

7:00 p.m. Continue southwest on I-70 to St. Louis.

9:00 p.m. Home.