Starved Rock, 2005
(or Helene and I Take a Hike)
October 29, 2005 (Saturday)
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The day began inconspicuously, as so many of our Saturday mornings do. The dog awoke at around 6:30 a.m. and began alternately whining and jumping on and off the bed until one of us (that would be my wife) got out of bed to take him for his morning constitutional and feeding. We took care of the dog and then got showered and dressed to take Cooper over to his doggie daycare in Wheeling. After dropping Cooper off at around 9:00 a.m., we hit the interstate for Utica, Illinois, and Starved Rock State Park.
Starved Rock is an Illinois state park along the south bank of the Illinois River Valley. Consisting of forested, sandstone bluffs that comprise some 18 canyons, Starved Rock is a genuine contrast to the rolling grass plains that comprise the bulk of Illinois terrain. There are some 13 miles of trails that meander through the canyons and along the river bank. In addition, there is a stone-and-log lodge on site that was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The park was officially established in 1911 and is the second oldest state park in Illinois.
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The park is named for a particular 125-foot bluff that overlooks the Illinois River. The area was primarily inhabited by Native American tribes, most notably the Illinewek. Although the French built Fort St. Louis atop Starved Rock in 1682, the fort was soon abandoned and disappeared entirely by 1720. The name itself derives from a Native American tale of retribution. In the mid-1700s, Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa tribe was murdered by an Illinewek. As the legend has it, a small band of Illinewek fled to the bluff for protection against the Ottawa and Potawatomi; the enemy tribes surrounded them in a siege until the Illinewek starved to death atop the butte.
Other wags have had it that the name "Starved Rock" derives either from the wait service or food served in the lodge, but that seems a bit harsh.
Now, my wife's side of the family and their extended group of friends has been coming to Starved Rock over a fall weekend for the last umpteen years. Sometimes we stay overnight, but more often (due to commitments, lack of room availability, etc.) Helene and I end up spending the better part of a Saturday there, arriving in the morning and leaving sometime after dinner. This is precisely the situation we found ourselves in that day.
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So, Helene and I left Wheeling and headed for south I55 to west I80, traveling toward Utica. Two hours and three bathroom breaks later, we arrived at the Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center. We met Helene's dad, Danny, in the Great Room, at which point we hit the Back Door Restaurant and Lounge for some lunch. Since I was nearly out of cash, I stopped by the ATM on the way; after three tries of telling me it couldn't process my card, it finally took it on the fourth try—after which it said, "Unable to process transaction." While at the ATM, my friend Chris called on my cell phone. It seems that he had an extra ticket to the Northwestern-Michigan game that night. I thanked him and told him that I was 100 miles to the west and wouldn't be able to make it. I rejoined Helene and Danny, and we had the usual mediocre grill lunch at Starved Rock.
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Since everyone else was scattered about the woods, Helene and I set off for Wildcat Canyon via the trails. We never did encounter any of Helene's clan on the trail, but we did get some nice pictures along the way. Along the river bank, we saw pelicans on the river; pelicans aren't usually native to this area. We entered Wildcat Canyon from the lower trail, climbing the endless steps to get to the top. I got a shot of the upper stretch of the canyon from the north side platform. We headed from there back toward Starved Rock proper.
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Atop Starved Rock, I got a good shot of the nearby dam that spans the Illinois River. I also took a decent shot of the lodge from the summit before we headed down and then back up the flight that I've affectionately come to know as the "Stairs of Death." These lead back up behind the lodge from the trails. We met up in the Great Room with some of Helene's family. After sitting and talking for a while, I heard a rumor that there was a working ATM down in the Visitor Center. Helene and I took the Stairs of Death back down to the dale.
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In nearly a decade of visiting Starved Rock on an annual basis, I'd never been in the Visitor Center. Although it wasn't the Smithsonian by any stretch, the Visitor Center has a small museum nestled in among the food and gift shops. It was interesting to get a lot more of the history of Starved Rock in five minutes of walking around the displays than in the previous nine years put together. For instance, I hadn't known until now that the French had built Fort St. Louis atop this crag as a trading outpost. It also boasts, I'm happy to say, a working ATM. I got cash at last, and then we headed back up to the lodge to meet everyone for dinner.
Dinner was okay; I've long since stopped associating the word "cuisine" with Starved Rock, although this year, the food was better than usual. I had a turkey dinner. We had a nice time with June and Danny, and Danny had arranged for the waitress to bring out a small cake in celebration of our anniversary, which we'd celebrated the Thursday prior. Helene and I left Starved Rock after dinner around 7:30 to make our way back home.