Leaving Diana and Tom’s home in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, we stopped about an hour east to pick up orders we had sent to an Amazon Locker location in Madison, Wisconsin. While we were there, Pat also picked up some prescriptions from Walgreens; Tim did some grocery shopping while Pat was picking up his prescriptions.
Then we drove into downtown Madison, Wisconsin, to visit the Wisconsin State Capitol Building. This was the fifth State Capitol Building we’ve visited since we started full-time RV traveling. The Wisconsin State Capitol Building was completed in 1917. It comprises a dome in the center and four wings at the ground level protruding from the dome in the shape of an X. Accordingly, it has eight entrances: four to the buildings at the ground level and one between each of the buildings. The dome is the largest in volume in the U.S. and has three observation decks. On top of the great granite dome stands the gilded bronze statue "Wisconsin," which symbolizes the state motto "Forward. Wisconsin." In her left hand, "Wisconsin" holds a globe with an eagle perched on it and on top of her helmet is the state animal - the badger. We did not view the interior of the capitol building but we walked completely around the exterior, which is surrounded on the other side of the streets by shops and restaurants. Statues on the exterior of the capitol building include one of Hans Christian Heg, who was a Union soldier and outspoken abolitionist. 
We had been to this capitol a few times before and it is sentimental to us since our youngest son, Kevin, was a member of the Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps in 2007 and 2008. The Scouts take their corps picture each year on these same capitol steps!
We left downtown Madison and drove to the campground where we would be staying for the evening: the Milton KOA Holiday in Milton, Wisconsin. Our RV site was gravel/dirt, with a picnic table and fire pit (no grill). It had gotten a bit chilly, so we hunkered down in the warm RV for the evening. We only stayed one night at the Milton KOA and departed early so we could get to our next campground by early afternoon for exploring. 
Our next stop was Starved Rock State Park in Oglesby, Illinois. This was the seventh state park that we’ve stayed in since we started full-time RV travel. We wanted to arrive early enough for a hike before sunset. We stopped at the Visitor’s Center, where we bought some souvenirs and got some information about the trails at the state park. 
There was only one trail open that still had an active waterfall: the LaSalle Canyon Trail (the other waterfalls had dried up in May we were told). We hiked approximately 4.4 total miles to and from LaSalle Canyon and were rewarded with a beautiful waterfall that we could actually walk behind (to see the backside of water – sorry, Disney Jungle Cruise reference).
Along the way, we stopped on top of Starved Rock to see the view; we also went to the Lover’s Leap observation point; Eagle Cliff Overlook; Lonetree Canyon; and Wildcat Canyon.
After the hike, we drove to our campsite in Starved Rock State Park Campground. Our RV site was made of dirt/gravel, with a picnic table and fire pit (no grill). Our RV site was surrounded by trees, which was beautiful and serene; however, it meant we had no Starlink service (so no Wi-Fi for phones, tv, or laptop). Luckily, Tim had some cell reception on his phone, and we were able to use his hotspot for Wi-Fi. This campground also only had electrical hookups (no water or sewer), so we would need to use our freshwater tank, shower in the campground facilities, and dump sewer when leaving the campground. The restroom/shower facilities were about a ten-minute walk from the RV. There were only two showers available in the facilities, and you got about 15 seconds of water for each push on the button that controlled water output. 
The next day, we tried to walk about two miles from our campground to another trail for a hike, but there were no pedestrian walkways on the road and there were fast cars moving through the curves of the road, so we didn’t feel safe walking (there were no shoulders in some places). So, after walking about 1.5 miles, we turned around and went back to the RV; not a “rewarding” hike.
It was cloudy the following day, but our day was brightened by calls from the kids to wish us a Happy Father’s Day! Even though we couldn’t take a hike, Tim took a long walk around both campground loops that afternoon. That evening, we packed a suitcase because we would be staying at the home of our friends Mike and Eric at our next destination, instead of staying in the RV.
Review of Milton KOA Holiday
The campground has approximately 232 sites for RVs; 65 of those sites have full hookups, 37 have only water and electricity, 18 are listed as monthly sites, and 102 are listed as seasonal sites (the other sites were not clearly marked on the map). In addition, the campground has 6 cabins and 11 tent sites. Our site had a picnic table and fire pit (no grill), but it isn’t clear if all sites have the same.
Amenities include restroom/shower facilities, a laundry room, heated pool, hot tub, snack bar, playground, clubhouse with a tv room and game room, and hiking/biking trails. Additionally, campers can rent bikes and golf carts. Campers can also play basketball, gaga ball, shuffleboard, sand volleyball, frisbee golf, horseshoes, baseball, and softball.
We can say that the campground looked very nice and serene, but since we didn’t get a full day to explore, we can’t say much more about it. We liked it enough to consider returning if we are in the area.
Review of Starved Rock State Park Campground
Starved Rock State Park Campground in Oglesby, Illinois has 133 sites for RVs or tents. The sites are located in two loops; one loop has more trees thus more shade but also has open space areas, the other loop has fewer trees and less shade but no open space areas. We stayed in the loop with more trees; indeed, our site was surrounded by trees. Each campsite has an electrical hookup, but no water or sewer hookups. Each site has a gravel parking area with a picnic table and fire pit or grill.
One bathroom/shower facility is available for each loop and is located just outside the entrance to the loop; this makes for a very long walk if you aren’t camping near the entrance to the loop, and since there are no water or sewer hookups, it is very likely that campers will need to shower in the facility. Sadly, there are only two showers in each facility, and the water only runs for approximately 15 seconds each time you push the button.
There is a camp store located near the park entrance; however, we rarely found the camp store open at the hours it was supposed to be open. There is also a small playground area, but no other amenities. The campground gate locks at 10:00 p.m. and does not reopen until 8:30 a.m., so if campers find themselves outside of the gate in their cars after 10:00 p.m., they will have to wait until 8:30 a.m. the next morning to get into the campground in the car.
Maybe the worst thing about the campground is that there is no access to hiking trail heads from within the campground and no pedestrian paths to the hiking trail heads located at least two miles from the campground. Why use the state park name if there is no connection to the park facilities? The only way to access hiking trails from the campground is to drive a car to trail heads, which seems counter-intuitive to having a campground at a state park that is all about hiking. This is a real missed opportunity to make this one of the best state park campgrounds in the country if only they would build a “trail to the trails” for those of us without cars.
Because of all of the drawbacks to Starved Rock State Park Campground, we would not consider staying at this campground again.
 |
| Only the second snake we have seen as full-time RVers! |
No comments:
Post a Comment