This was a combination trip - paddling, museum event and B&B.

The overall event was a Prairie State Canoeists paddling trip on the Rock River from Castle Rock State Park to Grand Detour. That weekend was also Hammer In 2008 at the John Deer Historical Site in Grand Detour.

The paddle was a delight - perfect weather, easy paddling on an unobstructed river with a nice 3 mph current to push us along. It was actually a pretty short paddle, even for PSC as the plan was to hit Grand Detour around noon to catch much of Hammer In. The put-in at Castle Rock is very nice - smooth concrete into the water. It was actually built for fishing boats & trailers, but we paddlers reap the benefit as well. The take-out at Grand Detour is a pretty good, gravel slope up to the park across from the John Deere Site. Along the way, we saw a few heron and other assorted wildlife. There are great views of the bluffs along the river as well. The tour leader and I talked about doing a multi-day, camping paddle on the Rock next summer. I'd love to see it happen.

Hammer In was a hoot - over 50 blacksmiths from all over the country. Many of them brought a forge and anvil and spent the weekend making stuff. Much fun to watch. There were anvils under the trees, all over the museum site with hammers ringing - quite a cool sound.

The B&B part of the trip was our own addition. We had stayed at the Colonial Rose Inn around 8 years ago and enjoyed it greatly. Jeff and Jayne Rose were running it back then and are still there. That's unusual as the average life of a B&B proprietor is around 7 years. They've been there for 13 years and are still doing well. This B&B is unusual in that it has a restaurant attached. Jeff is the master chef and Jayne is the master of the rest. The food is superb! They serve many seasonal items, determined by what the local farmers are harvesting. We lucked into a roasted, corn chowder made with corn picked each morning and roasted on a grill. Delicious! In the two evenings we were there, we had pork, beef and seafood dishes that were consistanly great. We ate too much but it sure was good.

The B&B is clean and well run, with nice, period rooms. One unusual feature, which some may not like, is the creative way the private bathrooms are shoe-horned into the 150 year old house by using closets. It's very tight, but you get a private shower and toilet. The sink is in the room with you and a wardrobe serves for the closet sacrificed to the bath. No TV, no phone - works for me. Oh, and cell service is very spotty. There are two fairly high ridges between Grand Detour and Dickson, where the cell nodes are.

Also in the area - Oregon to the north and Dickson to the south have a few interesting shops. White Pines State Park is a few miles to the northwest with camping and CCC era lodges. If you like the outdoors combined with nice places to stay, the area has much to offer.

Other Stuff
Folbot kayaks - the Horn - Books - Music - Leatherman - Computers - Biking - Camping - Heathkits
Hopi silver work - Daisy BB guns - China - Vacation Evaluations - Rants - Wreck - Airbus A380 at O'Hare

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