The bridge to Iowa

Last weekend, my parents took me camping at the Mississippi Palisades State Park in Savanna, IL to celebrate my 20th birthday. Our campsite was in the perfect location shaded by a large tree. Our tent was pitched under a branch that could have definitely broken off and killed us in our sleep, but look, we’re still here! None of us had service at the campground until we drove out of the gates. It was nice being away from society honestly.

On Friday, we went to Galena, IL for dinner and to shop. We ate at Gobbie’s Sports Pub & Eatery and stopped in The Neighborhood Trading Co. where I bought scrunchies, a sticker and a candle. Back at our campsite, we played a magnetic game of Hangman, enjoyed s’mores and sat under the stars before bed.

Saturday was the most eventful day. It was raining in the morning so we began the day chilling in our tent after eating eggs and bacon for breakfast. I colored to help pass time. When the rain stopped, we drove to the actual state park portion of the Mississippi Palisades and went to all the outlooks we could find.

Afterward, we drove to the Savanna Depot Park, which was mind-blowing. The end of the depot park consisted of the Black Oak Dune Overlook. Along the route, there are remains of an abandoned army depot with several barracks and other buildings blocked off by fences and no trespassing signs.

Then, we went back to the campsite to eat hot dogs before our adventure in Galena. My dad insisted that our first stop would be Mean Bean Coffee Roasters. I drank an iced white mocha, which was amazing! Highly recommend it. The rest of the time was spent relaxing at Grant Park and exploring three abandoned buildings along the train tracks.

I also made it a goal to climb the staircases, which my watch ended up counting 10 flights. It was a rewarding moment. Next time I find myself in Galena, I plan on climbing the even longer set of stairs (if you’ve been there, you know exactly which set of stairs I’m talking about).

Back at our campsite, Ladderball brought us entertainment by playing the game and cracking jokes. For dinner, we had turkey burgers followed with s’mores for dessert of course. The night ended the same way as Friday night by looking up at the stars.

Before we went home on Sunday, we crossed the bridge to Iowa for no reason at all besides to say we went to Iowa.

This was an incredibly successful camping trip filled with great memories. The Mississippi Palisades Campground is a clean, safe and fun environment with great campsites. The two-hour drive it took us to get there is highly worth it.

Thanks for reading,

Elisa Reamer

“If the Path is Treacherous Then I know That the Reward Will be Extraordinary.” -The Fates Will Harmonize For You, RH Fowler

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