IL - Johnson - Sauk Trail State Park/Rec. Area

We spent the weekend at Johnson-Sauk Trail, camping in the 1st really nice, warm weekend of the season for us. We stayed here year before last in the fall and liked it, only to find that they cut their services way back last year as a result of the total mismanagement that passes for state government here lately.
Anyway, after calling ahead Friday morning to see if they'd be opening their bathroom/shower house a bit early (yes they would be), we took the 2.5 hour ride to the park. Not very crowded, as I'm sure most people assumed the park would not fully 'open' until May 1st. Got a couple good hikes in, explored a few local towns (Annawan, Kewanee, Bishop Hill, to name a few), and even procured a piece of cast iron along the way.
The Ryan Round Barn is located in the park - worth the visit to get a look inside, which you can do most weekends via a volunteer-guided tour.




On the way home Sunday, we stopped by the only navigable covered bridge in the State of Illionis, just north of the town of Princeton...


A great weekend - let the camping continue!

 

It's an amazing structure - here's a shot of the inside, looking up, from the last time we were there -



We've got 5 weddings to attend this summer, which is going to put a real dent in our camping, even without figuring in the other commitments. Our fingers are crossed for good weekend weather so we can maximize our teardrop time...