For the start of October, we decided to do something a little different. We wanted to go to St. Julian Winery in Michigan to celebrate friendship (and also maybe Emma’s birthday). We’d been talking about going for a couple years, but it had been put to the back burner because of the pandemic. And, since... Continue Reading →

Well into September and unable to travel on most Fridays anymore, we went north to Chain O’ Lakes State Park on a bright Saturday morning. This park was the one we’d heard the most about, without actually having any prior visits. We’d been going to Spring Grove for several years for other attractions, and Chain... Continue Reading →

When talking with family and friends about this project, one comment kept popping up. “There’s a state park in Bartlett?" Yes! A relatively small area off of Stearns Road and just east of Route 25, James “Pate” Philip State Park is completely unexpected. The land was purchased in 1991 for the purpose of establishing a... Continue Reading →

A last minute decision by us, we drove down to Silver Springs in Yorkville, so we could take advantage of  Steph’s summer hours and the nice weather. We wanted something a little smaller this week, in anticipation of some very ambitious parks coming up. This park is named for the naturally occurring springs that bubble... Continue Reading →

To start our state park completionist adventure, we ventured an hour north of Chicago to visit Illinois Beach State Park in Zion. Being the height of summer, we decided a literal beach would be the most appropriate place to start. We arrived at 1:30 on a partly cloudy Friday afternoon. Despite it being a beautiful... Continue Reading →