2003 Year in Review

I love October!

Ah fall is in the air! It brings back so many memories. I moved to Morrison in October many years ago. I was so impressed as a teenager at how beautiful Wall Street (where I first lived) was. Then many years later my daughter was born the second week of October. It was rainy and cold until she was born then the sun shined and the trees were in full color.

So we have made it a tradition to take a fall ride every year on the second Sunday to celebrate both her birthday and autumn. It’s one of my favorite weekends of the year, especially if the weather cooperates. At first we traveled to Galena for their fall festival. Then as the kids got older we ventured farther to Tanner’s Orchard north of Peoria, Starved Rock State Park, Wildlife Prairie Park near Peoria, Mississippi Palisades, Maquoketa Caves, and up along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin to La Crosse.

I can’t say which one is my favorite, but if the weather is warm and sunny or we get to walk in the woods, those are my best memories. I remember walking along a path in the Prairie Park and there was a deer standing along the path next to a lake. It wasn’t frightened at all by us and stood there while we took photos. The kids remember the long stainless steel slide that speeds you down the side of a hill.

Starved Rock is probably my favorite state park. I love to walk in the woods and if you climb up to the top of the bluff you can get a magnificent view of the Illinois River. The kids loved the orchard because of all the fun things for kids to do.

Every year it gets harder to decide where to go and maybe we’ll start visiting some places a second time. But one thing we’ve found out is no matter where we go or how far we travel, Morrison still has the most beautiful trees on Wall Street.

If you have any suggestions of parks or beautiful fall drives let me know.

by Barb Benson, theCity1.com
October 6, 2003