191. Visit Starved Rock State Park

 When planning girls weekend, I really wanted to go to Starved Rock State Park in Central Illinois. I know it is something the hubby won't enjoy and it was on the original bucket list. Since Stacy wanted to go to Rockford, it was an easy trek to Oglesby to cross of Starved Rock.

Starved Rock State Park is located near Oglesby, IL which isn't too far off I39. It is open year round and can get busy during certain times of the year. The trails are open 7 am to Sunset and the visitor center is open 9-4 daily with the exception of federal holidays. There is no admission fee to visit Starved Rock or any of the Illinois State Parks.

Advice I got from Facebook was to get there early as the parking lot fills up quick. There is on main lot by visitor center and a couple other smaller out lots. We got there by 10 and had no issue finding a parking spot. 

Our first stop was the visitor center. I ended up getting another passport which can be used at State or National Parks. We also figured out what trails we wanted to hike. With a 6 year old in tow, we had to keep it fairly simple. They do not have paper maps. You can take a picture of the map or scan a QR code to get the map. I just used the one from the website.

Our first hike took us to Starved Rock Overlook. There were hills and stairs. Foolishly I thought the hubby could have handled this trail the other year when we were coming back from St. Louis. He does not do well with stairs. The views were pretty spectacular. We did not see the eagles nest but did learn about some buffalo at another near by state park. This trail is about .6 round trip. Despite the stairs it is a fairly easy trail.

From there, I wanted I to see water falls and we decided to head to French Canyon. I actually really liked this trail. It was a more hiking than walking. There were a few stairs and you had to let people pass coming from the other direction before you could go. Unfortunately due to the dry summer we had, there was no water falls. You could easily tell where it would be though. It was fun scrambling along the rocky trail. 

We tried to head to another waterfall but after climbing 100+ steps and walking past the (very nice) lodge, we found the waterfall area but like French Canyon it was also dry. 

From there we decided we had enough hiking and we need more on the agenda. So we headed back to the car. Going down was a lot easier than up all those stairs. The trail we took back to the car was very diverse. At one point we crossed a grassy field and hoped we were on the path. We were and ended in the parking lot.

We both enjoyed Starved Rock but there isn't much else to do in the area. We could see a day trip but unless we wanted to hike a lot of the same trails, it is not worth it for the weekend. I am glad we were close enough to go chasing waterfalls and did not plan an entire weekend in the La Salle area. It is still worth checking out if you are in the area even if the waterfalls are dry. 

7585. Slide down the slide at the Fox Cities Stadium

 Sliding down Bernie Brewers slide is #602 on the original bucket list. As much as I want to do it, I'm too cheap to pay for the experience to do it and the hubby would never do it. When the T-Rats built a slide at Fox Cities Stadium for fans to go down, I figured that is something I could do. 

The slide at Fox Cities Stadium opened in 2023. It is in the left field corner. For $2 fans of all ages can take a turn going down the slide. For kids, you can purchase a wrist band that gives you unlimited rides on the slide and inflatables for like $10. It is cash only if you just want to go down the slide but if you buy a wrist band at the concession stands, you can pay with credit card.

I knew the hubby would just roll his eyes if I told him I wanted to go down the slide so I did it when he wasn't there. Since Heather had season tickets and got free play off tickets, she invited me to join them for the divisional play off game 1. 

It was a gorgeous night for baseball. Since we got there early enough, I decided it was the perfect night to ride the slide. I paid the $2 and climbed the 40 or so stairs to reach the top of the slide. 

Down I went. It was a lot faster than I expected. It was a definitely a thrill. I would totally do it again. I just have to remember to wear shoes and not flip flops as I wanted to go down without them. 

For an unique ball park experience, pay the $2 and ride Fang's Slide. It is painted like a snake for the Timber Rattlers. 

Now that I rode the slide at the T-Rats game, I need to find more ballpark rides to cross of the bucket list like the Ferris Wheel at Quad Cities and the carousel at Comerica Park in Detroit. Maybe Tim will make a Inside the Ballpark Attractions Passport....

7909. Read a comic book

 Growing up we were never in to comic books or Super Heroes. I am still not into either one. I will occasionally read a graphic novel but as close as I will get to a comic book. I do enjoy comic strips though especially Peanuts, Family Circus, and Crankshaft. 

When putting together my 24 in 2024 list, I saw the hubby's pile of old comic books on the coffee table. I decided 2024 was going to be the year I read a comic book. 

You would think this would have been one of the first things I did in 2024 since they were just sitting there. Oh no.. it took me 9 months to knock this one off. And that is only because he moved them to the den and started putting them in sleeves. I figured I better read one before he sold them or put them away for safe keeping.

I picked one that had characters familiar to me. It happened to be Superman and Batman.

Nope, still not a fan. It might have been due to the small print. I just did not find it interesting. Well at least I tried. I don't think if I picked a different one it would be better.

I'll stick with picture books or novels. Or a good audio book. Next up on my reading adventures: A Danielle Steel book and finish my Brenda Novak 50 Book Challenge.

6026. Go to the John Michael Kohler Art Preserve in Sheboygan

 Andrea always said we should go to the Kohler Art Preserve on one of our adventures. Since it was a while since I made a trip to Sheboygan, I decided it was time to have some shenanigans with Andrea. The Art Preserve was going to the main adventure.

The John Michael Kohler Art Preserve, not to be confused with the John Michael Kohler Art Center, is located on the western edge of Sheboygan. It is open Tuesday-Sunday starting at 9 am each day. It stays open late on Thursdays otherwise it closes by 5 during the week and 4 on weekends. Admission is free and there is plenty of parking.

The Art Preserve was built to house the Art Centers collection of artists' works. It is an experimental design space. On the second and third floors you can see where and how they store this collection. 

Since I like sculptures and 3D pieces, this was my kind of art museum. There were a lot of sculptures and other 3D pieces. Some of it quite interesting.

This house was actually in Sheboygan and was moved to this building to help preserve it. It is covered in sparkles, bits of paper, and bits of shininess.  It is actually really cool. I am glad they were able to preserve it. Andrea was very happy to see it. 

When in Sheboygan, one must check out the bathrooms. These did not disappoint and were also works of art. 

The elevator was large enough to lay down in or spin. It even had seating in it. 

The walk through display with all the hanging displays was another highlight. The artist used foil and wine to make stunning displays that reflect light.

The Art Preserve is quite stunning and definitely work checking out even if you just go to check out the bathrooms. It is 3 floors of unique art creations. It is definitely a hidden gem. 

5194. Go to Soda Bar in Appleton

 I saw an article online about Soda Bar in Appleton. It sounded like something I really check out. Basically it is a "bar" that makes various soda creations using syrups and flavored creamers mixed with Coke and Pepsi products. Apparently it is a big thing in Arizona where the couple who opened The Soda Bar is from. Then Heather mentioned the place to me, and I was like I really want to try it. She sweetened the deal and gave me a BOGO coupon. 

Soda Bar has two Appleton locations. One on Northland Ave that is more of drive thru location. The newest location is by the mall and has seating so you can hang out with your friends. The Northland location is open 8-8 Mon-Thu and 8-9 on Fridays and Saturdays. The mall location is open 10-8 Mon-Thu and 10-9 on Friday and Saturdays. 

We went to the mall location after running some errands. Since I peeked at the menu online, I had an idea of what I wanted. The hubby quickly found something we wanted as well.

I went with the Up Nort -- Dr Pepper with Raspberry Puree and Coconut Cream. The hubby opted for the Daily Vice -- Coke with Pineapple and Coconut Cream.

We both were a bit annoyed that the workers were more interested in serving and chatting with their friends. It seemed like we were a bother but our drinks did come up rather quickly.

We took them to go so we didn't have to deal with a bunch of high schoolers. 

Both of our drinks were quite tasty. You definitely could taste the coconut which was fine by us. 

We would definitely go back. It would be even better if they would open a location on this side of town. I'm sick driving to the mall area for something other than fast food or coffee.