The day promised to be a warm one, so we headed to the Dixon, IL area to find a letterbox and then cool off in the Franklin Grove Natural Spring. We try to go here once a year - it is a bit out of our way.
Our first stop was in White Pines State Park. This is a fun park - driving through the fords is always a highlight. The trails are great too! We stopped and tried to find a newly planted letterbox with no luck. We did find this huge tree though! It must be used for photo ops often (and climbing) as there was a stepping stump right underneath it.
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| This log had so much moss covering it that it had started to grow weeds on it! |
With no luck at the finding the letterbox, we loaded up and headed to Franklin Grove. We weren't surprised when we saw a full parking lot! It was a hot day AND it was a holiday weekend...
The kids got their swimsuits on and we headed back to the spring. There were 3 or 4 other families already playing but that didn't deter our kids. The 3 kids jumped right in (well, it took them a bit of time to adjust to the cold water from the spring!). Kaitee opted to sit and watch this time. The last time we had visited, we were bombarded by mosquitoes. Learning our lesson, we sprayed the kids with bug spray and that seemed to help tremendously!
After a while, we were the only ones there (with the exception of the occasional hiker passing through). Maddie & Alex found a crawfish and after poking at it a bit, realized it was dead. Will was able to pull it out with a stick and then held it up to show it off.
We left it on the picnic table for other kids to see then packed up and headed back to the van. We stopped on the trail to take a few pictures...
We drove back in to Dixon for dinner then headed home - just in time for showers and bed. What a treasure we have within an hours drive! The kids love the natural spring and it is a fun getaway for the day.
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